11 INSPIRING WAYS TO START YOUR NEW YEAR!!!

Hey lovelies,

What a year it has been!

The countdown to 2015 is in full effect, with just a day left until the ball drops. I hope you've enjoyed the festivities so far? If you haven’t, it’s not too late to do so.

First off, I would like to say 2014 has been quite an eventful, interesting yet, challenging year for me in more ways than one but through it all, God has been faithful. As the year draws to a close, a lot of thoughts would probably be centered on resolutions, goals, projects, more achievements and all sorts, which are good but not necessarily the most important things about the New Year.

How you start your year determines the experiences you get out of it, the opportunities you create for yourself, the lessons you learn, the effectiveness of your resolutions, how successful you'll be in achieving your goals and the overall outcome you get at the end of the year. So if you haven’t thought or you're still thinking of ways to start your year, here are a few suggestions that might be of help.

• SAY THANK YOU. Starting a year with thanks is often the best thing to do. It is one of the most powerful ways to increase your well being as it is linked to increased levels of happiness and life satisfaction, which is more likely to help make progress towards achieving important goals. So while we are busy making plans for the New Year, let’s not forget to look around, count our blessings and give thanks for them.

• START LIGHT. Carrying issues, burdens or baggage from the previous year to the next never starts you off on the right foot; rather, it sets you on a very low pace to attaining your maximum potential. With the arrival of a new year comes the opportunity to move on, to let go of the past, the weights, the burdens, the guilt, the grudges, the hatred, the anger, the failures and all sorts, living you feeling light and free from all obstacles to achieving your goals. This would increase your productivity, your positive experiences and lead to a better outcome in the end.

• CHANGE YOUR ROUTINE. Sticking to a particular routine often always produces the same results. There’s a reason for wanting a change or a better outcome every New Year which is why people make resolutions and set new goals but one thing is sure; regardless of how great your resolutions may be, you are most likely to get the same old results if you stick to your normal old routine. You can start off the year by taking a step outside your comfort zone, trying new things, joining a new community, reaching out to new people, and by so doing, you would escape your default ways of doing things and give yourself the chance of being someone new.

• LIVE HEALTHIER. Living a healthy life is associated with an increase in the overall quality of life. You can choose to start off your year by dropping bad habits, eating right, getting the right amount of rest and keeping fit. Doing right for your body definitely pays off for your mind as well because it decreases stress, improves mood, helps think better, boosts energy, productivity and improves your chances of a longer life.

• EVALUATE YOUR COMMUNITY. The people you surround yourself with, have profound effects on the decisions you make and are crucial to your own behavior. So, start off your year by taking a look at your social connections and asking yourself how you can spend more time with those whose values and lifestyle compliments yours. Get rid of things and people who add no value to your life and that way, you can remain focused on the more important things and aspects of your life which will eventually lead to achieving your goals.

• SPEND MORE TIME WITH LOVED ONES. With the way life can sometimes get really busy, it can feel next to impossible to crave out time for those we care about. In this New Year, you can schedule a family time. Maybe it’s playing games with the kids twice a week, going to get ice-cream, coming together over meals, praying together daily and many other activities. You can also try to make out time for friends and other relatives maybe over the weekends or holidays just to make sure you are working to live rather than living to work.

• INCREASE THE AWARENESS OF YOUR THOUGHTS. Become aware of that which leaves your mouth by being very conscious of everything you say for at least an hour each day and for the entire month. When you listen carefully to your language, you will know whether or not you are moving with momentum and purpose towards your vision and as you develop a keen awareness of your communication, you become empowered to purposefully choose the language that inspires and empowers you to realize your vision. If you find yourself speaking negatively about limitations or problems then give yourself the chance to look for solutions or possibilities but let your thoughts and words be more positive as they are the keys to achieving consistent and outstanding results.

• EXPLORE MORE. Exploring new places and things works wonders on your perception of life and your understanding of your inner self. It enables you to experience the sweet feeling of freedom and helps you learn new things. You can start off by finding somewhere to go which would serve as a great opportunity to gain more than what any book, magazine or course could ever teach you and who knows!, there might also be some self discoveries in the process.

• START A BUDGET. Although budgeting is indeed more work, it pays off with quite a lot of life enhancing benefits and could also be a good way to start off the year. This particular aspect applies mostly to those who have loads of financial goals this year as it gives you control over your money, keeps you focused on your money goals, helps you organize your spending and savings, provides you with an early warning for potential problems and enables you to produce extra money.

• INVEST. Often times, we think of where to spend our money and time, we think of big businesses, projects, houses and other worthwhile assets to invest in, forgetting the most valuable assets ‘Ourselves’.  This year, you can decide to make more investments in yourself by developing new skills, building relationships and volunteering in your community. A better community life benefits everyone and you might also meet people who can be added to your career network. Anymore, your life and finances are increasingly connected. Improving your life can help you improve your finances and vice versa. Plus, making it a point to develop yourself as a person can impact your career prospects as well as influence your satisfaction with life.

• PRACTICE THE ONE-A-DAY PRINCIPLE. You can’t delight everybody all the time but you can do something extraordinary for someone each day. Find a customer, colleague, relative or a friend each day and do something remarkable. Using the one-a-day principle will make your life remarkable.

How would you like to start your new year? Please feel free to share or add some more suggestions.

WEEKEND BANTS: THE GRILLS IN AND OUT!!!!

Hello dear readers,

I finally got my leave off work last week which means more time for my baby blog :). I've had a few posts in my draft box for some time now but because I was busy with work and all, I couldn't really complete and publish them. Yesterday however, I published my Christmas post you guys should check it out and feel free to share your thoughts and comments about Christmas. This post is a bit late, it was meant to be published before my Previous post but I guess it’s better late than never.

So last week, while I was thinking of something to do for the weekend being that it seemed like most people had travelled for Christmas and Abj was beginning to feel empty, I got a message from my friend Jemma, suggesting that we go have lunch at the Grills in and out.

We had been there before sometime last year with Ewi and Detuke of tukesquest in this post but we decided to repeat the treat. Tonye who got in from PH was in the mood for some weekend chills so we invited him as well. We had a couple of drinks, well, Jemma and I had pretty much the same thing: A regular glass of Chapman and a plate of grilled chicken and sweet potatoes. Tonye decided to watch us eat while he had only a regular glass of Mojito. There were also nice sea foods, the Naija grills (for those who love hot and spicy foods) and a variety of superb non alcoholic cocktails.

Mojito cocktail

Sweet potato,grilled chicken and tomato sauce

Towards the end of the lunch, Bundus who had just recently returned from jand, decided to meet us up.

Being that we all went to Uni together, there were loads of catching up from Uni days, to Nysc struggles, to work life and to elections. We gisted for so long we dint want to stop lol we decided to switch bases or rather, do I say, change locations. We wanted a more relaxing chilling environment and so, Bundus suggested we go to the P lounge located on the 6^thfloor at silver bird.

None of us actually knew about the P lounge, well of course, apart from Bundus. Apparently, it had been there for quite a long time and I guess it’s one of those under G places to chill if you don’t really want to be seen by the loads of familiar faces that usually patrol around and within Sb. We chilled at the extension area which was like a large roof top balcony where there were loads of fresh air and a bit of quiet. We definitely felt more relaxed. I liked the lounge, especially the view from the top of the roof. Though, there were no forms of entertainment apart from the Tv which had no volume. I had just a can of coke as I had eaten earlier (even though I would have loved to have some more food) lol. The guys decided to entertain themselves with some bottles of drinks, after which they had some shisha and played some games while I occupied myself with my camera and some selfies (You know now! Ever ready with my cam).  

The view from the roof top.

Unlike the guys, Jemma and I had the same curfew for eight so we couldn't really stay out late (oh-yeah!! how do you see my rhymes?: we had the same curfew for eight so we couldn't really stay out late) lol I should be a rapper yo!. Trust Naija parents now..Jemma’s dad had already called and told us to be home before dark so we ended up staying out till about 7.30 after which, we called it a day.

It was a nice weekend; I enjoyed the catch up, the games and of cause, the food!! I’m looking forward to a better holiday and a better weekend ahead, though; I would be working on some posts which I intend to put up before the end of the year. So yeah!..look out for them.

I hope you have a nice holiday ;).

WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS TO ME!!!

Hey guys!

Its that time of the year when the world celebrates. Every song you hear seems to say; Merry Christmas!!!!!

It was with so much joy and anticipation that I looked forward to Christmas when we would sometimes, travel to the village to see grandparents and other relatives, throw Christmas parties that would last all night long on Christmas eve, go to church to give thanks to God the following morning, have the church choir visit our homes to sing Christmas carols, send Christmas cards and presents to family members and friends, crawl under the tree, pull out the presents and rip off the paper, dress up in new dresses to see Santa, serve turkey, chicken, goat or ram alongside with other traditional meals like pounded yam, jollof rice, vegetable salad and many more.

At the end of the day, a very common question would be ‘Did you get everything you wanted’?

Truth is, I never got everything I wanted as a kid and I’m happy I dint! I guess my parents had the best intentions which I am thankful for today. Over the years I've grown wry about Christmas, I've gotten tired of all the shopping, the firecrackers, the vacations, parties and all sorts. I decided to take a moment to reflect on the main point of Christmas and with the help of the book of Luke, (particularly chapter 1 vs 53), I was able to get a better understanding of the true meaning of Christmas.

When Mary realized she was pregnant for Jesus (our king and Savior), she sang a song and my favorite part of it was; ‘He has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty’(deep!). Luke 2 vs 12 also says ‘And this would be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger'. Where am I going with this? Jesus was a king yet; he wasn't born in a palace or laid in a cradle of gold, lined with costly silks. He was born in a manger amongst animals with his very first visitors being lowly shepherds from the fields. What does this signify?

3 Things:

1. He was laid in a manger to demonstrate the extent of his poverty. ‘Though he was rich yet, for your sakes he became poor, that you, through his poverty might become rich’ (2 Corinthians 8:9).
2. He was laid in a manger to show his contempt for worldly riches and pomp. ‘That which is highly esteemed amongst men is an abomination in the sight of God’ (Luke 16:15).
3. He was laid in a manger to mark his identification with human suffering and wretchedness.

What do these then tell us about Christmas? It’s not about riches wealth and material things or the big things like parties, shopping and vacations. It’s about the little things like love and compassion.

Here are my thoughts on what Christmas means to me.

Christmas means a time to be with those who care about you

It means presents for and from you

It means lights trees and decorations

It means friends family and conversations

It means chicken drinks and celebrations

It means lowly shepherds, animals and a small little manger

It means that some people aren’t being cared for

It means no presents for and from them

It means no lights or trees but darkness

It means no friends or families but loneliness

It means no chicken drinks or celebrations

It means those who have much love in their lives can share with those who don’t have

It means a chance to make a real difference in the lives of others

It means each and everyone has the ability to make a positive impact

It means compassion.

At a time of the year where most people celebrate their good fortune with food, wine, beer and cheer, there are families out there who may not be able to be together. There are children who do not have parents, parents who cannot provide for their children, sick people and their families praying for good health and many others. We may not be able to give them what they need or pray for, we may not be able to change their future or their pasts but we can help to make their day just a little brighter. It’s not about what’s under the tree, holiday specials, sugar cookies, shopping, and vacations or about getting all you ever wanted. December 25 is really about selflessness, kindness, love and compassion which were the things Christ portrayed.

The best Christmas gifts I received this year, maybe ever, were the smiles and looks on the children’s faces as I showed up with the little presents, shared my warm greetings, prayers and basically spent the most part of my day with them. This is what I find fulfilling and this is what Christmas means to me.

What does Christmas mean to you? Please feel free to share or leave a comment in the box below.