Inspiring New Beginnings…

July 30, 2017 jacquelineobyikocha4 Comments

Nothing gets me inspired like seeing people aim high and keep going after their aspirations. Kaylaa Blackwell, blogger, entrepreneur, author of Inspired Beacon is one lady that keeps pushing the boundaries. Girl, I see you.

Her business savvy impresses me. Going from a one stop online shop that offers products to promote positive lifestyle to launching her first brick and mortar shop is a leap of faith to higher grounds.

Kaylaa has been such an immense support and partner to my site and not only do I wish her all the best in her endeavours, but I will be looking at her to learn from her vast experience.

“People with goals succeed because they know where they’re going.” — Earl Nightingale

Excerpt from PRWeb news reads:

Inspired Beacon: An Exciting and Inspiring Online Store Offering Organic Eats, Handcrafted Goods, Gifts, Adventure-ready Outdoor Gear, and American-Made Apparel

With the ever-increasing influx of technology into nearly every ounce of our existence, there’s no mistaking that today’s world moves fast. The Inspired Beacon Store reminds customers that it’s OK to slow down and not let inspiration pass them by, to shop small and significantly, to purchase products made with passion and purpose, and most importantly to ENJOY LIFE.

CARY, NORTH CAROLINA (PRWEB) JULY 05, 2017

Inspired Beacon Enterprise Company, LLC is an innovative modern mercantile that offers customers a one stop online shop for products that promote a positive and inspired lifestyle. From organic eats, to handcrafted goods and gifts, adventure ready outdoor gear, and American Made apparel, if it’s well-made, unique, and inspiring, chances are shoppers will find it at Inspired Beacon.

After continued growth and emerging success as an online only retailer, Inspired Beacon is seeking to expand its aura of innovation through inspiration by opening a traditional storefront in Cary, North Carolina that offers customers a premium shopping experience along with the amazing ability to expand their shopping excursion online!

This brick and mortar style Store will offer guests an exciting and exclusive selection of custom crafted high-quality gifts, sustainably sourced specialty foods, and a creatively curated collection of lifestyle products to fit the needs of green and organic lovers, artists and adventurers alike. READ MORE

The Daily Post

Life is a Quest…

September 24, 2016September 24, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha14 Comments

Being alive in itself is an expedition. It is a quest to find purpose and the common factor is that as humans, we are all in search of the same basic things: Food, Shelter, Love, and Peace. These four basics can be broken down into minutiae details of other human desires that we have, but when greed is added to this mix you and I can guess what the end result becomes.

Quest – The Daily Post Photo Challenge

Why I put my stats in my face…personal thoughts about blogging.

June 16, 2016November 1, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha34 Comments

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.

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!!

Out of the silent breath

Midnight motivation and musings · Self Help

Midnight Motivations and Musings #36

March 21, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha7 Comments

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.

Blog · Personal · Photographs · Uncategorized

Leaping Along…personal

February 29, 2016February 29, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha17 Comments

My new skipping rope. The previous one was a killer rope in it's past life. — My new skipping rope. The previous one was a killer rope in it’s past life.

So here I am seated in-between Sugoi and Umami, two Far East Urban Cuisine/Japanese and trying to decide what to eat as well as checking my mails when I see Colette’s challenge sent to me to leap and the Daily post prompt to leap as well, so I will kill two birds with one stone.

Don’t think that I am a food addict. A girl has to eat to keep the brain cells functional and aside from a bowl of porridge and currants this morning, this is a late lunch of my decision, veggie rice and teriyaki prawns.

I enjoy the drone of voices. It’s amazing when you keep silent and just listen to the cacophonous buzz around you. My thoughts takes me back to the beginning of the year and how far I am leaping along.

Thinking about leaping made start looking at people’s feet as they passed by, for silly reasons. No one was leaping out-rightly, just a scurry, a flinch, a waddle and a slow trot.

Where have I leaped to between Jan and now?

I tried to leap high, but feared that I would break a precious bone, so I just hopped along.

I just bought a new skipping rope, a few minutes ago. Very apt for leaping out of a month. I will obviously leap a lot in March.
The last one I had was used for drilling young recruits in its past life. It kept flogging the back of my legs *no jokes* when I didn’t skip high enough, that I had to ask myself if the punishment was worth the result?

So, I finally finished collating my poetry book and hopefully, by next week, I will seek professional assistance with editing and book cover. The plan is to have it out between March and April, so it’s right on track and I can tick the box for hopping along with my set target to have four of my published works out this year.

Yes, I know its a tall challenge, but I believe in setting a high bar for myself so that even if I fail to meet all, I fail forward by achieving a good percentage.

I hopped to a writer’s critic group and asides from parting with too many dirhams buying coffee and sandwich, watching people feel snazzy and writer-like with the interesting hair-dos and streaks of colours, and a huge dragon tattoo running from one shoulder into her bosom *I didn’t get to see the bosom* but the dragon did, and a lot of Shisha smoking all around, I really didn’t get much out of the experience, so I am quite doubtful that I will repeat the experience.

I dared to submit one of my stories for a competition. The results don’t come out till March, though in all honesty, I am not expecting anything, since the whole World, their wives, pet garter snakes, dogs and cats made an appearance. A cool cat is most likely going to win the prize. I did it to push myself out of my comfort zone and get over the jitters.

The weight hasn’t shifted downwards, but it hasn’t gone up thankfully.

Blogging is coming along nicely 🙂

I am ruminating over my personal goals for March, so let me trundle along and get cracking.

So, who would like to leap off the board with me? A short note will do just fine

Colette, thank you for making me look and appreciate my steps.

The Daily Post Prompt Leap.

P.S. A silly video of the drone of voices and the occasional feet.

Blog · Inspiration - Motivation · Lifestyle · Midnight motivation and musings · Quotes For You

Midnight Motivations And Musings #17…

February 25, 2016February 25, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha14 Comments

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.