Goodbye Ordinary... by Bimpe Olawale

Each morning we wake up and set things rolling; bathing, breakfast, work, house chores, catch up with friends, and before we know it the night has quietly slipped in. The day is over. Before closing our eyes to sleep at night we may hear ourselves saying “what a day”. This cycle of events may go on and on; days turning into weeks, months and years.

Then everything seems so ordinary, normal or mundane, and very often you may begin to think ourselves that way also. But the news is your life does not have to be ordinary, because ordinary lives achieve ordinary things, and so do extraordinary lives achieve extraordinary things.

The difference in these two lives is the ‘extra’. It is those extra things you put in your day, the extra effort you make, the extra mile you go and the extra things you do that makes an extraordinary day. For example:

Don’t wait for thanksgiving to give thanks.

Don’t wait for birthdays or Christmas to give gifts.

Don’t wait for Valentine’s Day to show love and appreciation to the ones you hold dear.

Don’t say today is just an ordinary day, and so I will wait to see how tomorrow will be.

Today is all you have, and it becomes what you make it. Don’t wait for tomorrow to do better what you can today. Live your best life TODAY; Do your best and give your best TODAY.

Make memories, give a smile, get inspired, inspire someone else, make memories and don’t settle for second best. Don’t sleep at night still full of energy you could have used, inspirations you could have given, appreciation you could have shown, and laughter you could have brought to someone else. Each day is a gift, unique and irreplaceable; don’t get stuck in the ordinary.

It is time to say Goodbye to Ordinary!

Bimpe is a contributor to the blog. She is a knowledge seeker that loves to see people live their lives to the fullest of their potentials and never settling for less. That you can become all that you are created to be in Christ!

The Correct Guy,The Teachable Guy … A Thought For The Ladies!

What trait should we look out for in a potential man? Steve Farrar was asked by two single ladies, “The one trait you should look for in a potential husband is ...  teachability, because if you find a guy who has a teachable spirit, he’s going to be okay. All of us guys have rough edges, and some of us are rougher than others.

§   A teachable guy will listen to your input.

§   He’ll be big enough man to admit he's got a lot of room for improvement.

§   He’ll be open to input from the Holy Spirit.

§   He’ll know how to humble himself before the Lord.

§   A teachable guy is a guy who will grow up in Christ.

If you find a guy like that, ladies, snap him up. Oh, said one. Well, I’m not sure there are any guys out there like that. Yes, they are out there. The thing is you only need one.”

My advice…If he is not teachable, ladies please flee!

Few thoughts from John C. Maxwell on maintaining teachable attitude:

“Teachability is not so much about competence and mental capacity as it is about attitude. It is the desire to listen, learn, and apply. It is the hunger to discover and grow. It is the willingness to learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

Learn to listen.

Being a good listener helps us to know people better, to learn what they have learned, and to show them that we value them as individuals. As you go through each day, remember that you can’t learn if you’re always talking.

Understand the learning process.

Remember, the greatest enemy of learning is knowing. And the goal of all learning is action, not knowledge.

If what you are doing does not in some way contribute to what you or others are learning in life, then question its value and be prepared to make changes.

Ask yourself, “Am I really teachable?”

To know whether you are really open to new ideas and new ways of doing things, ask yourself the following questions:

§   Am I open to other people’s ideas?

§   Do I listen more than I talk?

§   Am I open to changing my opinion based on new information?

§   Do I readily admit when I am wrong?

§   Do I observe before acting on a situation?

§   Do I ask questions?

§   Am I willing to ask a question that will expose my ignorance?

§   Am I open to doing things in a way I haven’t done before?

§   Am I willing to ask for directions?

§   Do I act defensive when criticized, or do I listen openly for truth?

If you answered no to one or more of these questions, then you have room to grow in the area of teachability. You need to soften your attitude, learn humility, and remember the words of John Wooden: “Everything we know we learned from someone else!”

The greatest teacher you can engage in this learning process is the Teacher of teachers – The Holy Spirit. He is more than willing to help you. Engage Him always and you’ll see your life move forward!

September - Taking delivery

"…to everything there is a season, and… a time to be born..."

Honey you would make it through, the man told her wife has she was been taken to the delivery room. Sweat dripping profusely from his face. Hands folded, pacing up and down the hallway of the hospital. He seems to be alone by himself only the thought of her precious wife streamed his mind.

The next few minutes will culminate into the very reason of conception. He can’t but wait in anticipation…

I believe everyone is pregnant with one or two things;

§   Ideas

§   Baby

§   Dreams & Aspirations etc.

That idea, dreams and aspirations would not be terminated. Get ready and get excited to take full delivery of your expectations!

But to deliver you need to travail. You need strength to bring forth. There is joy in delivery. This month will bring you joy unspeakable. There is no remembrance of travail after delivery but the fruit joy it brings. May you be fruitful in all your ways.

Let me quickly share with you these 9 Nuggets as you journey in September

§   Always give thanks to God Ps 67:5-7

§   Ask for strength to travail.

§   Forgive all. Love more

§   Give more

§   Be more diligent

§   Seek to serve, seek to add and create value

§   Please don’t ever give up or give in – just one more push!

§   Learn to look up. Be humble

§   Still - Thank God

I’m sure you’ll love to see your dreams grow. That stage is very crucial too and a good reason to always think ahead and think forward!