a cooking pot and twisted tales
Thoughts and Tales…A Lifestyle Blog with a Zing.
I know that we all love those great images that have a perfect photo finish, but sometimes, I find those unfocused and imperfect photo moments lovely to look at.
Imperfection is beautiful. It all depends on the perspective
The unpredictable, odd capture has a way of making things more interesting
The Daily Post – Focus
The past few months have been challenging in more ways than one for me, more so financially that these days I am truly learning what it means to live by faith and obtaining Divine Provision.
I am often reminded of Matthew 6:26 and 27:
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they?
Who out of you by worrying can add a single hour to his lifespan?…
Learning to keep my eyes on the positive things and to leave worry that adds nothing extra but its own anxiety to my life is a journey that I undertake every day. Some days I can’t help but ask ‘Lord, I don’t understand why you are taking me through this route and what lessons I am supposed to learn here? Anyway, since you want me to pass through this bumpy side, I guess you have your sandals on to keep me company while I find that way that you’ve designed for me and if I fall, I am trusting you to catch me.’
I share my innermost thoughts to encourage anyone who might be going through rough times.
There are certainly dark days when you wonder what comes next. There are certainly trials that would leave you numb and at loss for words, that all you want to do is to withdraw into your shell and wait out the storm. But, I say to you, it is in these moments that you should hold on to the promises of God.
It is in these moments that you should count your blessings even if you need a microscope to search and find one. It is in these moments that your gratitude must be amplified because the Lord inhabits the praise of His people and silent gratitude is heard by no one. You can interrupt that anxiety with gratitude.
Blessed be.
Jacqueline
If you wish to participate in a gratitude challenge, there are several gratitude/thankful platforms in the blogosphere that you can tune into and get your ithankful going on. I can’t express in words the enormity of Joy and fulfillment that comes from having a heart of gratitude. Please check out Maria’s blog, Colline’s blog and Bernadette’s for thankful/gratitude challenges.
When I started blogging, I used to agonize over my blog stats so, I’m not going to tell you one big fat lie that it didn’t mean anything to me; it did at that point.
Then, it started taking a center of focus which was anti what I wanted and my objectives.
I want to be able to do my blog posts without thinking for one second if the views would go out of the roof or not.
I didn’t want to lose sight of my main reasons for starting this journey in the first place and that’s to connect with like minded people, whilst nurturing my passion for writing.
Bothering over stats was such a joy-killer.
Even though hundreds of views mattered, it was not my primary goal. If the art of blogging wouldn’t lead me to the road of achieving my writing goals, why then should I bother over stats?
So I put my stats right in my face where I see it every second that I log on to my blog and bingo! I stopped agonizing over it.
I stopped poring over the figures and wasting God-given precious seconds trying to understand how and why and who and what and all the innumerable reasons why someone read xyz that I wrote and the jargon of search terms that one could find.
I just wasn’t about to start writing out of context and playing an orchestra that was tuneless.
The Lesson in this and note to self is, don’t lose sight of your blogging objectives.
Make sure you are enjoying the experience as you keep to your primary objectives. That’s what really keeps you going.
© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha
Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.
When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.
I absolutely love this book of poems. My favorites are “Love Rations” (for those who love to give the silent treatment) and “Beggars Supper” (which definitely pulls at the heart strings). Two thumbs up!!
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The fastest way to take away the joy from your everyday living is to consistently spend your time comparing your life to someone else’s.
Set your own goals and stay focused on them.
Always ask yourself why you are doing what you are doing? What’s the primary purpose?
That way you don’t run the risk of drifting like a used paper napkin that floats in the wind, from one track to the other.
When you stay on track, you get to your goal post, but drifting will find you aimless, stressed and not getting to the desired destination.
Like my people would say back home “after the race, we count the miles.” Don’t exhaust yourself and run the race only to find at the end that you ran aimlessly.
© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha
P.S. You are invited to our monthly blog party this weekend. It’s fun and you get to meet fantastic folks
Below is my first Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.
When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.
![1458555300819[1]](https://acookingpotandtwistedtales.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/14585553008191.jpg)
To grow we need to take ‘positive risks’ in our pursuits and keep pushing the bar up.
If we don’t push the bar, we stagnate and become redundant.
It’s definitely needful to think through our steps and not to jump into impulsive actions that would only negate our efforts, however, over-processing can equally be a buzz killer and source of procrastination.
You may experience bumpy take-offs, even sustaining the momentum could get very turbulent, but clearly defining and redefining your goals, concentrating, caring about what you are doing and holding yourself accountable will lead you to your desired post.
Keeping these things in the front of one’s mind helps keep you grounded and stable.
You’ve got to care enough to make it worthwhile.
© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha
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In my place, there is a proverb that says that ‘to start sleeping might be difficult, but when you do start, you begin to snore’ and another says that ‘when an old woman learns to dance to the rhythm that beats for her, she will not stop until that song is over.’
When we want to start something, there are usually a lot of hurdles set before us but if we stand our grounds and take off, the burden lightens as our stride gets firmer.
Yesterday, I wrote about distractions that pops up as we set out to achieve any goals or to do those things that needs to be done our lives, and the truth is that there will never be a perfect time for us.
There will always be distractions, so we also have to brace up and not lose focus when hit by these distractions, until we get to where we are going.
To a large degree, we have to be single-minded in our focus, otherwise, we will only find ourselves in a stagnated position or with bags full of regrets and self-recriminations.
The core strength is within us, it is only left for us to be resolute in pursuit of our purpose and at the end of it all, it will be well worth the effort.
In as much as our individual sense of success varies and is relative, there is always an enormous sense of fulfillment to be found within anyone who stuck it out and achieved their set goals.
© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha
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Sometimes, it does seem that once you are on a set path to achieving certain goals, that is when life picks up extra ideas to set all manners of distractions along your way.
It’s however up to you on how you choose to handle the scenarios.
Sometimes, these distractions are those ones that we cannot help and are regarded as ‘life happens.’ In such cases, I always repeat this mantra in my head ‘and this too shall pass,‘ while trying to stay focused and above the water not to get carried away with the current.
Then sometimes, these distractions come by way of other unreliable and pessimistic humans whom we allow into our lives.
I don’t believe in playing nice with anyone whose primary ambition and pleasure is to circumvent my growth. I simply find a corner on my shelf that is dusty and disused and place the person there.
There is simply no time to waste with such wet dampening blankets around you.
Remember, you can choose those who dine on your table and send them forth quickly, but you’ve got to be very mindful about those whom you allow to dine in the inner courts of your heart.
© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha
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Around comes Monday, Quick, so Fast!
The Weekend is simply not so Vast!
Well! Its time to live now and forget the Last!
Till next Friday and another lounging Recast!
The picture above – Quick Forgotten History and Fact:
More than a thousand years ago, on a hill in Cordoba, Abass Ibn Firnas, the first Aviator, boldly set out to do what no man had done before. He was ready to test the first flying machine in recorded history.
It’s lovely to start the week and each day as a matter of fact with positive outlook. I find Leannenz Monday memes interesting.
© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha
A new day and renewed hope.
Hope, that little voice that says maybe,
Even when everything says maybe not.
Work with hopeful passion and you will gain momentum.
Work only for money, you gain tedium and you wear thin.
As you step into another new week,
Search out for the silver linings even in the dark clouds,
The hope that burgeons in your heart,
is your beacon that points you to your prosperity.
Remember that prosperity has a different meaning,
From one person to the other,
Prosperity is not only dependent on how much you made,
But equally measured by the satisfaction that you gained.
Be at peace.
© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha
a cooking pot and twisted tales 