The Great Shell

Women Empowerment is a great shell that has allowed women to hide and have no fear of not achieving their goals and ambitions if at all they have any. It is a great idea which unfortunately has been implemented wrongly. Today, I share my thoughts on how I believe it should be handled if it is meant to serve it’s oh great cause.

If we want to “empower women”, we should teach them how to fight for what they want rather than teach them that the world owes them something. Nobody owes anybody anything. You want respect? Earn it! You want to succeed? Grind! Favours never got anybody anywhere, easy is not an option. Hundreds of women, even thousands have made it. Look at Wangari Maathai, and all she went through before she created her legacy. Before anybody created this box called “women empowerment”. She had to fight blood, sweat and tears! You know what,in the end, we still talk about her achievements, we still look up to her, she literally shook the world. She is only one example of the many women who have made it from fighting hard for what they hoped to achieve. Guess what, they did not need special resources, neither did they require anyone to push them to the direction of their dreams.

Many say that women have it tougher than men. Well, the way I see it, that only gives you the opportunity to work harder and in the long run be stronger, it is not a reason to complain or rant. If anything, life is all about perception, and we create our everyday experiences through how we perceive things. If you genuinely work extremely hard for something, you will definitely get it. THE UNIVERSE KNOWS NOT GENDER! ALL IT KNOWS IS OPPORTUNITY COUPLED WITH HARD WORK DESERVES A REWARD! These “privileges” we are now providing for the ‘so -called-weaker-gender’ only eradicate the ‘survival for the fittest’ instinct from our girls, and once you remove this instinct from an animal including human beings, the animal becomes unproductive and basically useless. Furthermore, you are only as weak as you term yourself to be, and only as strong as you term yourself to be.

So if you want to empower women, don’t give them funds, don’t give them special talks but teach them how to fight, teach them how to find their own worth, teach them how to find their place in this tough world, teach them how to find their passion, their drive, teach them how to grind! Put them in the same place as their competitors and let them struggle to win!

Emotion does not drive change, action does. We can continue striking people’s emotions for centuries but until we actually teach girls how to act, we shall remain in the same place, in the same position, complaining about the same things, and we will have no one else to blame but ourselves! Arnold Schwarzenegger says, “You cannot climb the ladder of success with your hands in the pocket”, and he is right! Girls, grind, spend those sleepless nights, stop waiting for marriage, stop waiting for circumstances to push you to your knees! Set goals, read books, listen to positive messages, work on yourselves, do things that are worth it, move constantly towards the direction of your dreams! Stop waiting for privilege! Privilege will destroy you! Fight!

When should you start you ask? The time is now! Today is the day! Start now! Act now!

Leaving victim, living responsibility

Many of us live our lives apologizing. I am talking about how we always victimize ourselves. How, whenever anything goes wrong, even when it’s two way, we still put it all on ourselves. How, when we walk into a room and everyone turns, we begin asking,”What’s wrong with me today?” How we fear to simply live and live how we want to, then we want to live how everyone else wants us to live. How we sink in the ocean of no self confidence and we do not want to be rescued. This is a tragedy. Why you ask? Well because if we cannot discover ourselves, the purpose of our lives and our greater calling, then what’s the point of living anyway, who will create our change, who will push the society forward? I bring a solution though, the solution is Priority!

It was June 27th, at 2:03 a.m. Well, usually I don’t stay up that late unless there’s something very important I’m doing, but on this day, I was up. On this day, a dream was coming true, a journey was beginning and it all began with a ‘Yes’. I’m human, yes, I expected all sunshine and rainbows, long irresistible messages to welcome my day, flowers and boxes of chocolate, hugs and holding hands and all that stuff we see in the movies. However, I was hit by the exact opposite. An opposite that was really a blessing I did not see then. I wish I knew then, what I know now (Haha, I wish I knew…worst disease in the world!).Yes we had good days, but we also had long terrible nights,nights that soaked me wet in tears, nights that brought regret and pain and all that. Then finally, it was finished. It was over, I was there, broken for sometime, more tears for weeks on end, but eventually, I chose to learn from it. The reason behind the leaving is my lesson today, priorities!

Now, I lived through that dream always saying I was the problem, I was not being patient, I was not doing this I was not doing that. The truth is, it was not all on me. It was just easier to convince myself that, so that I wouldn’t have to leave, so that everyone would pamper me and try to convince me that that was not the case, perhaps that would make me feel better. On the other end however, was a person who understood the power of priorities. Those long awaited replies it had nothing to do with me ‘nagging’, it was priorities. Those cancelled meetings, it was priorities. Those days of no communication, that was priorities too. It wasn’t the fact that I wasn’t loved, it was simply priorities. I was not being ignored, it was simply PRIORITIES. That opened my eyes. I remain grateful to him for this great lesson. Given a chance, I would definitely go through it again, only that now, I will be sensitive to priorities. It is also important for us to realize that everything that happens to us does so to build us. I don’t know how much pain you have gone through, but I know behind it is a lesson that intends to makes you wiser. (This is not our subject for today though.)

So, What is the connection between priorities and self victimization? If you walk into a room where you are attending a conference, with your mind set on what is important, what you seek to gain from there, what you expect to find there, do you think you’ll have time to notice the people giggling at the back because of your collar not being fixed? You see, the human mind is like a game of darts, you have to have a focus. If you don’t have a focus, then it lands on every other thing that’s around the focus. 

Stop apologizing for what you should not be apologizing for. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and wanting people to take your side. It is insanity to judge someone you don’t even know, and that is the position you put your friends and family in when they have to feel pity for you and try to make you feel like you are right and everyone else is wrong, when they have to take your side. There is a thin line between taking responsibility for your actions and self victimization. If you make it your fault and walk around sulking so that the world can have mercy on you, that’s self victimization. If you realize your mistake and you wake up and do something about it, that’s taking full responsibility for your actions.

Next time you walk into a room and folk start laughing, pat yourself on the back and remind yourself how much of a joy you are in the world that when people see you, they automatically become happy. Have confidence in your self. Stop thinking everybody is out to hurt you. Remember, as you think people are thinking about you and scheming against you, they have issues of their own that they are trying to solve. No one has time to think about you, so live your life, have priorities and follow those priorities to the letter. A wise tree cutter spends more time sharpening his axe, as opposed to the time he takes to actually cut the tree. 

Sit down in peace and calmness. Take deep breaths. Decide what you want for your life. Have a dream book, put them down in writing. Every morning, have a goal for your day. Focus gives no room for self victimization. If you are focused on what took you to the office, to school, to a relationship, all these other side shows will be insignificant. They won’t hurt you as much as they are hurting you now. They won’t distract you from your greater reward.

Take responsibility, not the blame!

FOR ME. . .

Well this is my first post this year. It is a blessing to have yet another year to Launch in the deep, don’t you think so? Thank you for all who have constantly reminded me to post, your support is highly appreciated. The long wait is finally over. I hope this first message will inspire you as much as it inspires me every morning. Today, I share my daily letter to myself, with you. I read this to myself everyday and it has not only increased my joy and confidence, but it has also helped me to work on worry and fear. I got this concept from the two books I have completed reading this year coupled with messages from Les Brown. This year for me is an year of adventure. An adventure that entails killing comfort zones and pursuing dreams. Now, I understand we are all seeking greatness. Greatness for me is not standing before a crowd and speaking as people listen. No! Greatness is the growth of courage everyday, the small wins we celebrate everyday, the lives we touch everyday, the strong will to go on even when there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. That for me is greatness. Here we go…

Dear Shinina,

If you are going to be great then you have to take full responsibility for what you say, what you do and what you believe in. You’ve got to have a deaf ear to negative opinions. You’ve got to search within and ask yourself who you really are. You’ve got to invest in yourself. You’ve got to remind yourself that whatever it takes, you are going to do what you have to do to get to where you want to be. You’ve got to act and not just speak. You’ve got to look at failure in its eyes and remind it who’s boss. You’ve got to be you and see beyond stereotypes and limits which are often an illusion.
You see many of us go through life apologizing for things we shouldn’t apologize for. We go through life afraid of who we are, feeling sorry for ourselves and comparing ourselves to other people. This is mostly because we were never taught how to be our own person or how to invest in ourselves and how to search ourselves. Those who were to teach us these were in the same rut. However, we are equipped with enough resources today to help us learn these basic activities that can change our lives, make use of them.

Today, stop being sorry for you! Every one came to this earth with a purpose and it is your responsibility to discover it and work on it because your life depends on it. Your Joy depends on it. We all have different journeys, so learn how to stick to your path. Stop chasing people and start chasing your dreams. Decide everyday that not getting that reply will not ruin your day. Decide everyday that if your love is not reciprocated, you will love anyway and it will not be a cause of worry or self pity. Decide everyday that you are going to be the best you that will ever live. Besides, there is no other you so you better succumb to this pressure. Hold on to Jesus and remember everyday that,”IT’S NOT OVER UNTIL YOU WIN!”

My parting shot, you are beautiful, you are amazing, you are smart, you deserve wealth, you deserve to be loved, you are a queen, you deserve peace, you deserve joy. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. That’s what God said and you’ve got to believe Him you know. You deserve! Remain positive and make me proud dear. I’ll be watching. 

With love,

Me.

                  _____________________********___________________

WHAT IS YOUR STORY?

It is the story of a young lady, an ordinary lady, or maybe not so ordinary after all. Living each day, with a dream, those that you hear and laugh out loud, literally. Keeping her circle small, believing that she had the power and mind ability to do anything she put her mind to. Let’s call her ‘SuperWoman’.

Life moves on, she grows and begins to discover all that she can do, all that she was capable of, the level of self mastery that she had reached. A good thing? Yes! Definitely! A bad thing? Yes too! What side was hers going to lean on?

It is the apparent difference between her and society that created the bridge. The bridge that forced her to believe she was not good enough for society, I wonder who told her she had to fit in. The bridge that brought her mind back to earth, back to thinking small, back to talking small, back to looking down upon herself, back to focusing on what was wrong with her, back to having the desire of receiving accolades from human beings,back to fearing the lioness within her, back to rejecting herself, back to PLAYING SMALL! She forgets that life is a game. If you don’t play your cards right, you lose. If you let others play for you, you get an embarrassing loss. If you try to play like someone else, hah!, the worst downfall.

But then, something happens. . . Her soul thirsts. Her soul thirsts for who she used to be. Her mind wanders and she’s angry,depressed, frustrated! Losing herself was easy! She looks at herself in the mirror and literally asks herself,”Who are you?” “What happened to you?” “Can you find yourself again?” Her reflection in the mirror was a feeble being, but her reflection within herself was a lioness. Was returning possible? Would her reflections match again?

Four hours of sleep every night, sometimes less. She awakes to seek her creator, He created her so He knows best. She puts on motivational tapes, reads self-help books, but still, something was a miss. At this point, it was urgent. She needed to do something and fast. We can call it the process of a bouncing baby boy taking his first steps. The timing worries his mother but it doesn’t matter. Eventually, he walks,doesn’t he? And later on in life, probably becomes an athlete. 

Here were her dreams, back in her books, back in her mind, back in her blood. Finally, she didn’t need anyone’s approval, only God’s. The toil was over! She was accepting herself. She was loving herself. Her insecurities? Hah!, they were nothing but vague words on her translucent bathroom window. She was willing to push! To go beyond her comfort zones and be the best she can be. She was growing BOLD. She had heard before, that playing small does not serve the world, and what was she here for? To serve the world as commanded by her Savior of course. She was now ready. Ready to get back on her feet again. Ready to run her race again. Ready to inspire again. Ready to make the best wife. Ready to build her strong tiny circle again. Ready to be who she was born to be. THE BOLD WINNER. THE LIONESS! She is back. Back to the game!

So today I ask you, what it limiting you? What have you done about it? What can you share with the world today? What is your story?

#BoldEnough

THE SHEEP. . .

I recently saw my friend post a photo with the words,”A lion does not lose sleep over the opinion of sheep.” Well, it touched my heart, I uttered ‘YES’ and you know did all those things that people do when they see something that motivates them and gives them a comeback for when they are in certain situations that relate. Well, it is a very true saying. In fact, the person who came up with it must be extremely smart. However, have you ever stopped to ask yourself, who is the sheep? 

As I walk for my lunch break in school, I always come across a certain herd of sheep. More often than not, whatever they are doing is quite a spectacle. My friends and I particularly enjoy watching them look down to the ground in a circle, as if they are praying but in real sense they are really looking at nothing. When one of them stops and begins walking away, the rest follow suit, without any hesitation. These are actual sheep. Now, what is an opinion? Well, basically, it is what you have to say.

So then, who is the sheep in our saying? I shall share my opinion. 

The sheep is the person who looks at someone else dressed in a particular way and says,”That fashion is so weird!”,judging on the basis of what he/she thinks is ‘the new trend’.The person who has nothing good to say about anyone else.Whenever you find yourself saying something that will hurt someone else, in their presence or absence,you become The Sheep. When you find yourself echoing the words of our first character, you are The Sheep too. When somebody else is struggling to remain strong as The  Lion because of you, you are The Sheep.

The world today has become so cold. I mean, when you try to be nice to somebody, the question in their mind is,”what does he/she want in return?” Hurting others has become a norm. We have more sheep than lions. Truth is, you cannot be a sheep and a lion at the same time. Mufasa of Lion King cannot be and will never be The sheep in the big city. You cannot try to ignore people who hurt you when you are busy hurting someone else. You will indeed lose sleep. You know why? Because if it walks like a dog, barks like a dog, eats like a dog, guess what? It is a dog.

We have to understand that we are all different. What I love is not necessarily what you love. So don’t be quick to judge me because I am different. Don’t be quick to have an opinion of who I am because you got an opinion from someone else who is a sheep. Refuse to be The Sheep. Have something nice to say behind people’s back. “Oh, she looks lovely in her style.”Be a reflection of who you want people to be to you.

Challenge yourself everyday, to be nice to someone. I assure you, being nice does not cost anything. You won’t break a leg, or lose a tooth or destroy your voice box.You will only live happier.

Ask yourself, “Can I call myself a lion? Or am I just a sheep in the lion’s skin?” 

MY DAUGHTER. . .

My Baby Girl,

I call you that so that it won’t be such a big deal when someone else does. I love you and I hold your best interest at heart. This is a small note to share with you some of the things I really pray you will uphold in your life. I shall be there to hold your hand and wipe your tears but I shall not be there to make choices for you. I hope this helps you through the journey.

1. You need God.

The manufacturer of a product is the only one who understands its functions. God is the only one who understands your purpose and by accepting Him into your life, you stand a chance of gaining insight into the predestined path of your life. He is the only one who will be with you till the end of time. Those who laugh at you for trusting and believing in Him won’t be there in your time of trouble but He will be there, every step of the way. God will provide all that you need, He will sustain you and keep you away from sin that will only give you unnecessary guilt. So dear, make Him your everything.

2. You don’t have to. . .

Every person has his/her own path. So it is important for you to realize you don’t have to Do/Have/Experience ANYTHING! Focus on sticking to your path. If you don’t party, or drink, or all those other ‘fun’ activities, you won’t die! You don’t have to be who other people want you to be. It is a mark of greatness in your generation to be able to stand and say no to succumbing to the standards of this world. Dare to be different! 

3.Don’t Trust Easily.

Trust involves a very crucial part of you. That is, your heart. The Bible says, Guard your heart,for from it flows issues of life. He who said this was beyond wise. Sweetheart, there is nothing that hurts as bad as broken trust. Be slow to trust. I know you feel like you have a connection and you believe what you feel is mutual but it’s not always the case. Take your time to learn and study those you meet before you can trust them. It could be your friend, it could be your crush, it could be anyone you intend to let into your deepest of information. Some people are in your life for a season, others for life. Confusing the two can crash you forever because after their season is over, you will be left wounded. I promise you, it is not worth the pain.

4. Success does not come by ‘Chilling’.

Yes, God’s got it. However,the reason why He gave you all that you have is so that you can utilize it to get what you would desire to have that is in line with His will. Don’t just sit and think manna will fall from heaven. You’ve got to grind. You’ve got to push yourself beyond your comfort zones. To be successful, you have to approach all that you do as if your life depends on it, and yes it does (Les Brown). Listen to successful people speak about their process, read books, get a mentor, do what you have to do to get there! 

5.When it comes to Relationships. . .

a. Love yourself first before you begin loving other people. Loving yourself will enable you to keep your standards and understand your worth which will cause him to respect you and your worth. Also, if you don’t love yourself enough, you can’t love anyone else enough, that’s why Jesus says, love your neighbor as you love thyself.

b. Don’t rush to love. Well as girls, falling for someone is so easy and it happens so fast. Girl, I want you to learn to use your mind first before you allow your emotions to come into the picture. Don’t put yourself in a position where you will obviously come out hurt. Do not fall for anyone until you get to know them and know their clear intentions. My love, there is nothing as bad as being in love alone. He’ll care, yes, he’ll be nice and everything but the day he gets together with another girl, you’ll experience the worst feeling in the world. You’ll feel used and depression kicks in, but really, you brought it upon yourself. So do not awaken love before its time.

c. Never ask me about men and how they think, ask your dad! Well, I don’t know what men think so on this one, you have to depend on daddy. Keep your dad close. There are things he will see in your relationship that you and I won’t see and there are things you won’t understand about your man that daddy will. So don’t be afraid, trust daddy with this.

d.Talk to us about it. As I was growing up, being in a relationship at your teenage years was almost a taboo. This has changed over the years and it’s human. However, you just need to be responsible. Share with us so we can walk the journey with you until you’re at an age where you can go off on your own.

6. Master your intuition.

As a woman, God blessed you with intuition and the ability to use it. If you have second thoughts about it, take caution. More often that not, it will be right. Utilize your intuition.

You mean the world to me baby. It is for you that I spent sleepless nights in school, took financial risk and did literally everything that pertains to success. It was all for you. Trust me. Talk to me. Honor me. Respect me. I promise to do the same.

With all this said, I wish you the best in life. You are beautiful and wonerful. Never allow anybody to make you believe anything contrary to that.

I love you baby.

Love,

Mommy.

OUT OF A UNION

Today, the world and I celebrate twenty years of companionship. Well, we fought, we laughed, we cried, just like any other relationship and every day was a learning moment for both of us, I guess. ‘I guess’ because I can only speak for myself in this case, I can only hope ‘earth’ has learnt quite a number of things from me as well. Hope is light in a dark tunnel I believe. 

These are some of the things Mr/Mrs. World has taught me this far.

1. Be Happy

Well, happiness is a choice. Jack Canfield puts this concept in the easiest way possible, E+R=O, Event+Response=Outcome. So whatever happens to you, to gain the outcome that brings you joy, you just need to choose the positive response. A homeless girl makes it in life, with all the possible issues that could be on her way, simply because of the response she chooses when those issues arise. So do me a favor, cut yourself some slack and choose to be happy. 

2.Salvation Is Freedom

Salvation is viewed as a bunch of rules that suck the fun out of life. I have learnt that salvation is actually freedom. Freedom from addictions, freedom from guilty conscience,freedom from worry. Every day I sit to read my Bible, is a day of letting go of a hurdle in my life. So ya, salvation is the way. I mean, who doesn’t want to live knowing there’s someone out there looking out for them no matter what?

3. Ladies, if he is not your father, he will hurt you

Let’s be real. You were brought up in totally different ways, you hold different beliefs but at the same time, opposites attract. So you’ll have good times and rough times and the rough times will hurt. However, you have a choice to take that as a chance to learn him rather than hate him. So no matter how in love you are, the hurt will come, just be wise in handling it. 

4. Love Is a Beautiful Thing 

Love is one of the things that were meant for good but humanity has made it look like the worst thing possible. I assure you that once you actually experience it you will understand what I’m talking about. Don’t be afraid to love and show love… Just let love be. Don’t hide it inside but allow yourself to tap into its beauty whatever chance you get. Love is as simple as sharing your lunch with that needy person on the streets, giving a hug to your mom in the morning… It’s so simple. Don’t complicate it. Just experience it.

5.Love Yourself

The Bible says, Love your neighbor as you love yourself. What does this mean? If you don’t love yourself you can’t love others. Do yourself a favor and love on yourself. Treat yourself like diamond because you’re priceless. Buy yourself some milkshake once in a while. Congratulate yourself when you’ve done something great. Spend time with yourself to improve who you are as a person. Be kind to yourself. Don’t allow anyone to intimidate you. Love you for who you are. Take your flaws and make them beautiful. You must love yourself!

6. It’s Never Too Late nor Too early 

Time is a human concept. One can be young at eighty years and another old at eighteen years. You want to do it? Just do it! Don’t waste time thinking about time! Focus on stretching your potential more.

7. Prioritize and Strategize

Set your priorities right. Remind yourself of them every single day. Form a strategy for every task. Allow your mind to work systematically. That way, sorting things out will be much easier than when you have no plan.

8. Life is what you make it

“Life is hard“,no day has passed without me hearing these words. Either someone else saying it, or I myself saying it. Well life is neither hard nor easy. Life is simply life. You create life with the choices you make. So in short, life is exactly what you make it with the choices you make. So begin to make it how you want it to be. Remember there is no such thing as a right choice and a wrong choice. Every choice gives you an opportunity to learn and experience new things that will probably shape your future in one way or the other. Create your life everyday! Life is not easy, people take life easy!

Open your eyes to what is going on around you. Give yourself the opportunity to learn. To learn from the smallest of things as well as the biggest of things. As I leave you to think about all these lessons, I have something small to say to my companion,

Dear world,

I am grateful. Grateful for the good times and grateful for the bad times. Grateful for the sad times and grateful for the happy times. Grateful for the successes and grateful for the failures. Grateful for the people I have met and those who have left. Grateful because twenty years is a long time to put up with one companion but we have made it this far. Most importantly grateful for the great lessons and here’s to many more. I am not sure if I shall get a reply to this but if I don’t I have learnt to give without expecting anything in return. You are a great companion, sometimes annoying but great altogether. Thank you!

Yours Truly,

Miss Muthiora.

IF ONLY. . .

We all know somebody who is fond of using these words, ‘If only…’ and if you don’t know someone it’s probably you. If only I had capital, I would start my business. If only I had nice parents, I would be a better person. If only I finished school, I would be richer. If only this, if only that. What we don’t realize is our brains work on the basis of garbage in garbage out. What you feed it is what it spits in your face. So, if this is what you tell yourself, guess what? It becomes your reality.

“When was the last time you updated your blog?” He asked ragingly.

“I told you, I can only write a blog post when I’m prompted to. Like something has to happen to get me thinking then I share my thoughts,”she answered so innocently.

“So what you’re telling me is you’ll just sit here and wait for something to happen?”

The conversation went on and on last night. One of those discussions I have with my father as he sips his evening tea. This one actually got me thinking. Simple things have a way of opening eyes. That right there was my ‘if only’ moment. The moments I’ve been entertaining for so long it’s almost becoming a character. The moments that have kept me stuck in the same old space and have denied me the joy of achieving so much.

Excuses is what we call them. Excuses is what has made you pack your dreams and become comfortable with your current situation. Excuses is what has stopped you from springing into action. Excuses is actually why you fear stepping into your greatness because you feed yourself with so many excuses that you can’t open your eyes to see the positive side of the coin. Excuses is the the problem… Not the lack of money or the lack of courage or the lack of self esteem… Excuses!

Think for a moment. If Jesus Christ came up with an excuse for not dying on the cross for you and I, would we be here assured that our sins were forgiven? If the man who invented medicine came up with an excuse of why he can’t do it, would we be living healthy assured that if we’re challenged health wise there is help? If Thomas Edison gave up on the light bulb because of an excuse that his many attempts were not working….how would the world run? 

What is that you desire to do but have clouded your progress with excuses?Remember, whatever desire you have in your heart can be fulfilled if only you cut out excuses and take a step. You have what it takes to take on whatever task you want to. God has given us the power and ability to do so. ‘If only’ mentality leads to ‘I wish’, so go ahead, do what you feel like you want to do… It’s better to fail than not try at all and regret it later. You don’t need anything external. All you need is what is inside you!

Change ‘if only’ to ‘I shall’. I shall write to those universities and organizations. I shall start that business no matter what. I shall make it. I shall do it! After all, you have nothing to lose. 

Cut the ‘if only’ mentality, spring into action, see you ahead when you’ll be grateful to yourself for taking the little step.😊

LIFE IS TOO SHORT. . .

Just the other day I declared that the best way to live life is just to live. However, after the loss of someone I consider my dear friend, I figured, we’ve got to realize that we will not be here forever. A time will come and our Almighty father will call us home. Some soon and others later but thing is you can’t get out of life alive. These are some of the things we’ve got to remember in this journey:

Life is too short to ‘wait for tomorrow’.

Well, tomorrow never comes. Do what you have to do now. Say what you have to say now. The only moment you have is now and you must live it to the fullest. If you have an idea, implement it. You want to make money, go ahead and start making money. All it takes is one step. DOING.

Life is too short to worry.

Jesus Christ told us not to worry about tomorrow,for tomorrow will worry about its own things for sufficient is the trouble for one day. Worry just makes us focus on the negative and what you spend most of the time thinking about is what comes to being. The Secret of Attraction. Worrying will not serve you in anyway, just do what you have to do. Nothing is worth worry, at the end of the day, something can be done about it.

Life is too short to waste.

Are you living each day trying to please your friends, your parents, your workmates? Well, I’m sorry to break it to you. They will never be pleased by whatever it is you do! Peer pressure is the main cause of life wasting. Peer pressure is everywhere, from the little grade one boy to the sixty year old CEO. Well, you have no time for it. You have no time to spend a whole weekend drinking and partying while you have that book that can develop your thinking, that idea that will put food on someone else’s table. Look, ninety percent of the people who live such lifestyles regret it at the age of thirty,or die by the age of thirty five, what makes you think your case will be different? Don’t waste your life, make use of it for the good of someone else if not yourself.

Life is too short to hate.

Human beings were designed to love one another. This is a hard thing to do in a society where everyone is trying to pull everyone else down. However, hatred is a big waste of time. You’re thinking and talking about how much you hate someone when they are not even bothered. They are probably some where making their lives better. When Jesus told us to love one another as we love thyself, he didn’t give conditions to it. He knew what He was talking about. This was a man who was rejected by His own people, a man who knew the kind of horrific toture He was about to go through, but He still stood up and proclaimed love. Love makes the world go round. So love and spread the love. If everyone was to love one another I think the world would be a much better place. Think about it. And you know what, it all starts with you! 

Life is too short to hide.

Come out! Let us see what you are made of. The only opinion of you that matters is the one you hold. You are the best you. We are identified by our fingerprints all around the world. That means, no one else has your fingerprint. If just your fingerprint is that special, what about what is inside you? There is no time to hide. Playing small does not serve the world. I am ever challenged by the Young Possible founder, Mr. Alex Ndegwa. A man who decided he was not going to sit on what he has in him anymore and went forth to begin this company. A company that I believe will change the view of Entreprenuership not only in Africa but in the world. Be challenged too! Stop hiding! Take the leap and grow wings on the way down. You won’t get better at something until you do it over and over again. Yes you went off key, but sing on… Yes your article was boring, but write on… Yes you almost fell on the run way, but model on… Yes the business you started failed, start another one. Failure is not a person and it is not permanent. It must not be a reason to hide.

Life is too short to postpone Salvation.

I walk around and hear young people talking about getting saved when they are married and settled and everyday it breaks my heart. First of all, who told you that you will be alive to see that day? The Bible says that we did not choose Christ but He chose us first. So what are you waiting for? What is your excuse? He already has your name on the palm of His hand, you just need to accept Him in your life. Salvation is not a set of rules of do’s and don’ts, it is an amazing lifestyle in which you are sure there is someone looking out for you, there’s someone who loves you. It is a lifestyle in which you are almost sure that the messes you make can very easily be reversed and the impact of bad decisions won’t kill you. Christ loves you, choose to love Him back.

In a nut shell, you only have one shot at this life, just one shot! This life is short. Make your decisions wisely. Take as many risks as possible. Have no cause for regret. Do what you must do! Besides, You cannot get out of life alive.

CREATE YOUR OWN NAME…

“Oh, you are Mr.X’s daughter?” “Wow, can you imagine this is Mrs.Y’s son!” “You must be as smart as Jake your brother.” This is a usual happening in many people’s day to day life. I seat here asking myself, why does it have to be like that. Why must you be identified through your known friend or relative? 

Many times my mum will ask me, “why won’t you tell them who I am?” My dad would ask the same thing sometimes as well. Well today I shall give you the answer dear mum and dear dad. I am Shinina Muthiora, yes I am your daughter but I want to be known as Shinina Muthiora because that is the specific Noun you gave me on the day I came into this world. I don’t want to wonder in your glory because one day, I might lose sense of who I really am and in the long run forget to create a name for myself.

Young people, it’s about time we stop leaning on the names of people around us who have done something extra ordinary and instead do things that are extra ordinary. Let your specific noun bare meaning in this world. We can’t all be famous but we can all do something that we can be associated with. Think about it, everyone who is now referred to as ‘mheshimiwa’ was once just like you. It took going an extra mile to bare that title. Why don’t you do the same?

Other than that, don’t identify me through someone else. My sister may be a great speaker but I may not be one. My mom may be a great singer but I may not be one. My friend could be the CEO of a company but I’m not them and I may not even plan to be a CEO. Just allow me to be me. Call me by my name. Yes it is okay to acknowledge the fact that that particular person is close to me, but don’t identify me through them. I’m my own self and I have a certain gifting that I can use to create my own name so before I do, give me that space. 

This kind of identification could cause major self esteem issues and the more people we have suffering from esteem issues the worse a society we have. Let’s save ourselves this trouble. Yes your dad is great, but are you? Yes your mum is rich, but is it your money? Parents, tell your kids your success stories. Tell them about the time you lost your job and you decided to start the billionaire business you have now. Tell them about how you admired that great man from your village years back. Help them to see the process and encourage them to go through it. It is better to leave something in us rather than for us. One thing I know for a fact is when you build your own name, your own empire,chances of you losing sense of who you really are are close to nil. This is because you will always be reminded of how you got there. So keep at what your doing for your good and the good of society and create your own name. It’s worth it. 

JUST CREATE YOUR OWN NAME!!