What Are You Afraid Of?…

January 8, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha29 Comments

What are you afraid of?

Are you afraid that you might prove the inner voice of fear wrong and frighten yourself by succeeding?

There is nothing to fear in your pursuits, but everything to gain.

If you pause to listen to the silence within, there is teeny-weeny voice that nudges you in the direction to take in your aspirations and then there is also the other louder voice in the cacophony of voices telling you not to do it.

That loud voice saying not to do it is the voice of fear and it is just our self-imposed limitations. How do you know?

Strip it of all make-up and take a hard look. There is most probably no substance to its cacophony. Everyone has this voice of fear. The only difference in each person is how strong or how weak the voices within them are.

The strength of the voice depends on how fat we have been feeding the crouching, loud monster.

If we have been giving in to all its wimpy excuses, reasoning and rationalizing, it sucks up all our energy, festers and grows fatter than anything, that it would eventually dominate the poor weak voice of Will who is suffering from the malnutrition of our thoughts.

When we refuse and fail to feed our fear, it starves to death. It simply shrivels. Fear does not require so much to balloon out of proportion. Just a little pampering and even though he might look like a stumpy dwarf, he becomes a dominant giant.

I have chosen to see fear – please note that there is a difference between danger from a real situation that can be grievously harmful and worthless fear of progress which emanates from our minds – in a positive light and not in a negative connotation.

I choose to see my fear of anything that I aspire to, as a weak link that needs to be strengthened.

I choose to see fear as the choice that I can make. It’s growth is dependent on me, so it is quite unfortunate for it. My Will is simply going to grow into that of a Giants.

What about you? Are you ready to starve your fears and feed your will to wade forward?

I shall leave you with these quotes:

‘When fear comes knocking at your door, send faith to answer.’ Joyce Meyer

‘Fight your fears and you will be in a battle forever. Face your fears and you will be free forever.’ Lucas Jonkman.

‘Everything you want is on the other side of fear.’ Jack Canfield.

A while ago Perfect The Days, invited me to participate in a quote challenge but my posting calendar has been full. So here it is. I thank you for inviting me to partake in the 3 days 3 quotes challenge.

I would like to nominate the following bloggers to participate in the quote challenge. No pressure at all. I know how inundating things can get on a daily basis.

The rules are:

Post 3 Quotes on 3 consecutive days.
Thank the person who nominated you.
Nominate 3 other bloggers on each day of challenge.

Carlos of Thoughts of a train wrecked pineapple.

Jishnu

Souldiergirl

A link to my neighbours/Community · Blogging · Echos Of My Neighbourhood · My Thinking Corner · Reblogs

Where Is My Blogging Heading To?… I need your input.

January 5, 2016January 5, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha101 Comments

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‘What is my 2016 outlook for my blog?‘

When I started blogging in May 2015, I had no idea what tangent it would take and how engaging it could get.

All I knew was that I had this burden to write poking me in the ribs. I had started writing so many stories and books but never arriving at the end. I needed something that would hinge and balance my writing lifestyle so, I decided to poke my toes in, to feel the waters, to be motivated and to learn.

I find that I like these blogging waters. Truth be told, I love these blogging waters 🙂

Even on cold days, there are voices to keep you warm and to encourage you on the journey. I wanted to feel the pulse of my own blog first before wading in deeper and I believe that I am gaining a little more confidence as I go on, which brings me to this point.

There are Two (2) ideas that I have been fomenting and have actually started on my own. I wish to push it a little further by inviting you to join me and to also seek your counsel just in case you have ideas on how to make it work a lot better.

I want to invite you to join me on any or both ideas enunciated below:

My Thinking Corner: In my attempt to grow, I always strive to keep a positive frame of mind especially in these trying times. I would like to invite you to join me in sharing on Tuesdays, your short snippets of positive, inspiring, motivating, health, spiritual, advice, clips and posts that can serve as a prop for others. I call it my thinking corner because, I actually take out a bit of time in a day to think, encapsulate my thoughts and detoxify my mind.

Echos Of My Neighbourhood: This is a little space to share your photos of bits and pieces of wherever you are at any point in time. It could be houses, backgrounds, activities and so forth. No hard and fast rules. Just ping-back’s and we can build it from there.

I would appreciate your feedback if you are interested in this. It may be possible to get the WP engineers to advise on how to create a page for any of this, but that would depend on the success of response received and I will enunciate the modality for both a bit further in another post.

Let’s talk about Re-Blogs:

If you’ve noticed, I have been doing a bit more re-blogging than I used to and it hasn’t affected publishing my own posts in any way.

Why? On the average, I read at least a hundred posts a day and sometimes more, leaving comments, likes – when I don’t have comments and so on. I always find posts that resonate, motivates, inspires, teaches me and a lot more and would love to share them with you as well.

I waited to understand a little bit more about re-blogging and I know that not only is re-blogging all part of networking, sharing, complimenting and encouraging others, it is a practice that I want to embrace a bit more.

Initially, I must express that I was a bit concerned about re-blogging so much of other people’s work, worrying over the fact that it might reduce the authenticity of my work. I did not really want to start something that I didn’t have much understanding of.

Now, I think I feel more comfortable to re-blog as many posts as possible on specific days and times.

I find no problem in writing my posts from scratch, but there are also loads of beautiful, inspiring and wonderful posts by others out there which needs to be shared and it would be a shame not to do so if you can.

Although, I always recommend and link other bloggers posts on my Short Stories Series each week, there really is always room for more. ‘The generosity you extend is also the generosity that you receive.‘

I am giving you the heads up in this direction so that it doesn’t come as a surprise.

If you have any issues about your articles being re-blogged, please do let me know so that I don’t offend anyone.

Lastly, let me reiterate that I would really appreciate your candid feedback on this post with regards to my challenge invitation and your opinion about re-blogging.

Five Sentence Inspiration · Inspiration - Motivation · My Thinking Corner · Quotes For You

Tuesdays’ Five Trickles Of Inspiration #3…

January 5, 2016January 5, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha26 Comments

Your acute desire + Your driven focus, will get you to your desired destination.

No one else will believe in you, if you don’t believe in yourself.

Are you walking backwards or forward? If you are walking forward, then let go of the past mishaps and stop bench-marking your life with them.

Take a good look at the word IMPOSSIBLE and break it down. What does it say? To me, it says, I’M POSSIBLE.

Age has never been a deterrent to creativity. Stop hiding behind those numbers.

Humor - Bellyful of laughter · Inspiration - Motivation · Monday Motivations · Quick Facts · Quotes For You

Did You Know….

January 4, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha33 Comments

Quick Quirky Fact:

I must warn you that I like to learn new stuff and they might include silly things that make me roar in laughter.

The doctor who administered enemas to ancient Egyptian Pharaohs was called ‘the shepherd of the royal anus.’

What’s in a title, you may want to ask.

It’s always lovely to start the week and each day as much as we can with a smile and positive outlook. I find Leannenz Monday memes interesting.

Do have a fruitful and blessed week awesome people.

Humor - Bellyful of laughter · Mundane Monday · Musings · Photographs

The Talking Chair…Mundane Monday #2

January 4, 2016January 4, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha21 Comments

Photrablogger says,

This is a challenge created to find beauty in almost everything. The challenge is simple : find beauty in everyday mundane things, capture the beauty and upload the photographs.

As I took my walk this morning, there was something about the chair that I found inviting.

The chair said to my lazy bum, ‘won’t you stop, have a seat and let’s chatter a bit’, but I settled for a photo shot, said goodbye and shuffled along.

Devotions · Gratitude · Hope · Inspiration - Motivation · Life · Love · Weave that Dream

Striding Into 2016 With Grace…

December 31, 2015December 31, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha23 Comments

Dear Lord

We thank you.

We thank you for preserving us through it all.

Through trying moments and good moments

Your Grace has been sufficient unto the day.

As we cycle out of the year 2015

We stride into 2016 with a heart filled with gratitude,

And our mouths filled with praise.

We stride into 2016 with Faith, Hope and Grace.

You are the source of all that we have and are.

Our inspiration and strength which comes from above.

Our Blessings and Salvation are at your right hand.

Our Peace and present help in time of need.

Our Shield, Strong Tower and Wise Counselor, You changeth not.

You are Our Everything God.

As we embrace this new year,

May we embrace goodwill.

May love, respect, peace, strength, blessings and joy,

That comes from the four winds, from above and the deep be our portion.

May we be washed anew and renewed as vessels of honour.

Your abundant grace and mercy shall follow us.

Your word O’Lord will remain a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

Our lips will declare your love and your goodness in the land of the living.

Your words says that as we proclaim and as we believe and so shall it be unto our days.

We are eternally grateful.

Inspiration - Motivation · Life · Musings · Quotes For You

Why Our Resolutions Are So Last Season…

December 29, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha53 Comments

We are trying too hard. We are not trying hard enough.

At certain points reminders of where one failed or didn’t get it right pops up.

The usual nag of the annoying voice even sometimes says ‘why bother?’ Since we can’t have what we want instantly; better jobs, excellent health, abs to die for, a wonderful partner, more money, fame, fabulous lifestyles and the whole nine yards – since it is life in the digital century – we feel deflated and defeated.

The inner critic hoots and snickers and smirks at our ambitious attempts to set those 30 years worth of resolutions aright.

…But hang on! Just wait a minute. Why the fall backs, the lapses, the frustration, the giving in and giving up, most especially with our New Year resolutions?

I have spent weeks dwelling on the concept of resolution. What it entails and I am sure there is so much to think about, in respect of this concept.

At the on-set, we set off all gung-ho, with sufficient zeal to launch a new float on River Thames, but just before the clock says quarter past on the years calendar, our zeal is at half-mast, deflated or totally gone and negativity sets in. ‘A vicious cycle.’

It dawned on me that the fact of the new way of life, which is the instant gratification of going for something and getting it hot and delivered and with the release of attendant happy endorphin, we drive ourselves round the bend, burning ourselves with the pressure to succeed and when the expected success doesn’t arrive fast enough, the resultant feeling of failure sets in.

Failure is a two way wrench. It either tightens one to push harder to excel, or it deflates one to give in and give up.

I came to understand that the problem lay not in the setting of the goals, but in the perspective of approaches in achieving these set goals. They are seen as something that should be done, dealt with and then we move on to the next acquisition.

However, if we begin to view these goals as lifetime goals to be inculcated and maintained, would our perspectives and approach differ? Would we stick to the plan a wee bit longer and not say, ‘oh well’ I will try and set better resolutions again next year.

We do know that Life does not happen in quarterly allocations but a cumulative result of each day and how we live it.

So, what is it going to be? New Year Resolutions or Lifestyle Solutions?

A striking of balance that stretches over time, or temporal instant gratifications that nose-dive once the spirit flags?

I choose the balanced Lifestyle Solutions that allows for the ebbs and flows of the days of our lives.

DO NOT base your Lifestyle solutions on that tailored for someone else.

That will simply run the copy-cat ragged, especially if the vision pursued is neither yours, nor does it resonate with you.

Taking the time to determine what truly reflects what I want to see in my life, is a journey worth undertaking on a daily, weekly, monthly basis and not just a list of hopeful aspirations which are drawn out on the 31st of December of each year, run after for a few good weeks and then shoved into the cabinet to get moldy or to serve as a nice place for the spiders to weave their web, once the veneer of The New Year wears off.

Here is to better Lifestyle Solutions and a brilliant 2016. Cheers.

‘Blessed are you, awesome people.’

Five Sentence Inspiration · Hope · Inspiration - Motivation · Weave that Dream

Tuesdays Five Trickles of Inspiration #2…

December 29, 2015December 29, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha22 Comments

Is it worth fighting for? Then persevere.

Success is not extraordinary. Your will is.

When you are passing through Hell. Do NOT Stop! Keep moving!

If the desire to quit kicks in, look back at how far you have come.

Persistent efforts truly exposes our capabilities.

Mundane Monday · Photographs

Mundane Monday #1…

December 28, 2015December 28, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha26 Comments

Photrablogger says,

This is a challenge created to find beauty in almost everything. The challenge is simple : find beauty in everyday mundane things, capture the beauty and upload the photographs.

I was chopping this bell pepper and was so excited to find the baby one tucked right in the middle. It delighted me. Yes such a mundane act made me feel happy about the circle of life. I hope I didn’t kill a baby bell pepper 😉

If you’d like to join in ping back to Mundane Monday Challenge.