Chigurl on TEDx

Nothing beats being real! Chioma is a delight to watch.....

You are only a failure when you quit trying.

Don't be a waste | Chioma Omeruah | TEDxEuston: http://youtu.be/_vuRuw2j_cM

Powerful Beyond Measure..... Marianne Williamson

I have stumbled on this before, but just last week I saw it on +Atim Amana's facebook status and it lit a new fire in me. Thanks Atim for sharing great stuff!

I am going to fish the book out, I need to read all of what +Marianne Williamson has to say! Plus, I just had to share this excerpt from her book.....

Our deepest fear is not that we are Inadequate,
Our deepest fear is that we are Powerful Beyond Measure.
It is our Light, not our Darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves,
"Who am I to be Brilliant, Gorgeous, Talented & Fabulous?"
Actually, 

Who Are You Not to Be?!

You are a child of God 

Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking,
Just so that other people won't feel insecure around you. 

We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own Light Shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others

(Don't you just want to scream!!)

From A Return to Love, by Marianne Williamson.......buy the book here

Voice Of truth - Casting Crowns #musicfriday

I was at my son's school yesterday and alas, his teacher is pregnant. In my mind, my first reaction was panic! Can she be effective, wouldn't she be cranky all day, snapping at the kids? Then I thought again; this is one of the issues women like me face in the work place. Just because a woman is pregnant, does that mean she cannot add value anymore? Does that mean that she must be relegated to a secondary role or relieved of her duty? I felt really silly for my initial reaction and made up my mind to be as supportive as I can as an active parent of one of her students, till she has to go on leave, so help me God.

The song for today has been in my head since last week. I heard it first in my cousin +Ayo Olajide 's car a couple of years back. Permit me to say this, it is not very common to find really well done songs in the gospel genre. Sometimes I wonder, is it the money? The fact that most believe it has to be sombre? Or the fact that secular talent hunters come to the church to entice then really gifted ones with money? What are your thoughts on this?

Oh well, you know already that I have a bias for anything with string instruments! This is another reason why I am totally sold on +Casting Crowns music. The lyrics of "Voice of Truth" written by #Mark Hall and +Steven Curtis Chapman have especially spoken to me at times when I have been at my lowest.

Don't just listen to the music, follow the lyrics and let them speak to you.....

Enjoy..

Voice Of Truth - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpWozyQ2QH4

Live performance...... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCLFOtBP1KU

Oh what I would do to have

The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I'm in

Onto the crashing waves (I really need that kind of faith!!)

To step out of my comfort zone

To the realm of the unknown where Jesus is

And He's holding out his hand

(Y'all should just step out and believe)

But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me

Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed (you know this!)

The waves they keep on telling me

Time and time again, "Boy, you'll never win!"

"You'll never win" (oh but you will!)

But the voice of truth tells me a different story

And the voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"

And the voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"

Out of all the voices calling out to me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh what I would do to have

The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant

With just a Sling and a stone (you know what I mean!!)

Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors

Shaking in their armor

Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me

Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed

The giant keeps on telling me

Time and time again, "Boy, you'll never win!"

"You'll never win"

But the voice of truth tells me a different story

And the voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"

And the voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"

Out of all the voices calling out to me (Calling out to me)

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

But the stone was just the right size

To put the giant on the ground

And the waves they don't seem so high

From on top of them looking down

I will soar with the wings of eagles

When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus

Singing over me

But the voice of truth tells me a different story

And the voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"

And the voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"

Out of all the voices calling out to me

I will choose to listen and believe

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

(This is what I choose too!! Yessir)

I will listen and believe

I will listen and believe the voice of truth

I will listen and believe

Because Jesus you are the voice of truth

And I will listen to you

You are...

source - http://life.biblechurch.org

Am I wrong - Nico & Vinz #musicfriday

Let's share some good music this Friday shall we.....

The rate at which new music is turned out nowadays is alarming. It's so hard to keep up. This minute you are feeling this song and before you know it another one comes and bounces it off. There are some however that just stick, they stand out because the lyrics are sound, the music composition is good and they just stand out from all the "shake your bum bum", "lie in my bed" hogwash we get bombarded with.

This song is a breath of fresh air. One of my top songs at the moment.

According to Wikipedia, The duo was asked about the meaning of the song and the inspiration behind it during an interview on Good Morning America, Nico Sereba said, "Inspiration is coming from a small country, but having huge dreams and people telling you, man, that's not realistic, come on, you can't be on the top of America or the top of the world or whatever we dream of......"

No wonder the lyrics are so deep...

Enjoy.

Click here to view video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg1sT4ILG0w

"Am I Wrong"

Am I wrong for thinking out the box from where I stay?

Am I wrong for saying that I choose another way?

I ain't tryna do what everybody else doing

Just cause everybody doing what they all do

If one thing I know, I'll fall but I'll grow

I'm walking down this road of mine, this road that I call home

So am I wrong

For thinking that we could be something for real?

Now am I wrong

For trying to reach the things that I can't see?

But that's just how I feel,

That's just how I feel

That's just how I feel

Trying to reach the things that I can't see

Am I tripping for having a vision?

My prediction: I'mma be on the top of the world

Walk your walk and don't look back, always do what you decide (Yessir! Just do it)

Don't let them control your life, that's just how I feel

Fight for yours and don't let go, don't let them compare you, no

Don't worry, you're not alone, that's just how we feel

Am I wrong (am I wrong)

For thinking that we could be something for real?

(oh yeah yeah yeah oh)

Now am I wrong (am I wrong)

For trying to reach the things that I can't see?

(oh yeah yeah yeah yeah)

But that's just how I feel,

That's just how I feel

That's just how I feel

Trying to reach the things that I can't see

If you tell me I'm wrong, wrong

I don't wanna be right, right

If you tell me I'm wrong, wrong

I don't wanna be right

[2x]

Am I wrong

For thinking that we could be something for real?

Now am I wrong

For trying to reach the things that I can't see?

But that's just how I feel,

That's just how I feel

That's just how I feel

Trying to reach the things that I can't see

So am I wrong (am I wrong)

For thinking that we could be something for real?

(oh yeah yeah yeah oh)

Now am I wrong (am I wrong)

For trying to reach the things that I can't see?

(oh yeah yeah yeah yeah)

But that's just how I feel,

That's just how I feel

That's just how I feel

Trying to reach the things that I can't see

 Jez look at them :-)!! 

The things that matter......

Hi guys.

I saw something today that got me thinking.... As we grow older more and more things fight for our attention, there's kids to attend to, there's a business or career to pursue, there's places to see, bills to keep up with, friends to catch up with, TV series to finish..... aaaaargh!! This is even just a generalized list, I can break each heading to sub headings and sub subs... Its crazy guys. A few weeks ago, I had an event I had signed up for online. I got up early, dressed up and drove all the way from my Isheri village to Four points by Sheraton only to find I was a week early! Hahahaha!! Funny and not funny. How does one maintain her sanity? Guys, If you didn't know this before, I am telling you, it is no joke being a woman. I know men will start to go on about how hard they work to provide for their families bla bla bla. We appreciate you ehn, but still..... you don't know till you know. I digress, let me get back to the why of this post, in the next paragraph.

If you found out today that you had just one month to live, what would be top on your list?

..........

.............

I didn't put the pauses up there in error, I did that because I know that would be the reaction most people would have to such a question, others would probably just say, this girl is mad and take off. But for those of you who are still here, let's think about this.

I trust most Nigerians to begin to go all spiritual on me, but I want last days on earth answers, not heavenly thereafter type ones. I have drawn up a list to set us off on a path;

- Close account and go on a vacation alone
- Close account and go on vacation with family
- Call up everyone special to you and let old grudges go
- Go on an extreme adventure
- Just shutdown everything and wait for the last day
- Give all you have to charity
- Do one thing you have always wanted to do but never did

Why am I thinking about this anyway?

Sometimes thinking like this helps you remember to focus on what is most important. Yes it is great to be a filthy rich, mighty famous business tycoon but after that, then what? In our quest for this ultimate success, let us not forget the things that matter.

I'll leave you with these thoughts;

"You are not the car you drive
You are not the house you live in
You are not the money you have in your bank account
You are not the number of followers you have on twitter or friends you have on facebook

No.... You are that person you are when nobody is watching, where non of these things matter......."

Here's wishing you a great week ahead!

Cheers.

P.S
Do a bucket list and if you care to share mail to me @ mofolusadesonaike@gmail.com. I'll share mine soon.

How to stay Motivated.......

Sometimes you read stuff from others and you simply have to share. This short piece is from one of my teens at church. I like the points he highlights as well as the way he presents them. We all do need motivation every now and again, so this is worth the read.
Cheers..


Motivation is elusive

Yea, there are many times when you just don't care enough to try....  Found this picture on http://john.do/ and borrowed it because it just captures the struggle to stay motivated

Here are some of the most popular techniques.

1. Take a Break

Taking a break is an obvious fix, but effective. It clears your mind and can even increase your creativity: exposing yourself to new ideas can help you be more creative in your own field. Some people claim to have their best ideas in the shower, or when they’re not actively thinking about

2. Think about Your Customers

One big difference between online businesses and brick-and-mortar stores is the customer interaction, and it affects motivation. While small business owners might see smiles and happy faces all day, other entrepreneurs are (more often than not) staring at their computer screens.

3. Think about Your Team

If you forget why you’re doing this, your cofounders and employees might help remind you. Like your customers, they’re also benefiting from your work: they get exciting jobs and the chance to create something new.

4. Get Social

Talking to other entrepreneurs can be reassuring when you’re feeling down (This worked for me on Friday). In particular, it helps you realize that the ups and downs of start-up life are perfectly normal.

5. Get organized

If motivation is the drive to accomplish something, obviously we can’t feel motivated to do things we think are impossible. So when work starts to feel impossible, you can lose your motivation. To get it back, get organized and convince yourself that you can do it .

6. Do something new

A lack of motivation can also come from a feeling of boredom, and shaking up your routine may be just the ticket.

7. Take responsibility

Many people are drawn to entrepreneurship because of the independence. When motivation wanes, remembering that everything is on your shoulders – your actions will determine the success or failure of your startup – can be a motivator. Deadlines and penalties can motivate, even though they are negative incentives.

8. Learn to get focused.

9. Rediscover your inspiration

This is really the root. Remember why you were ever motivated in the first place: why you’re doing what you’re doing. Suck it up, If all else fails, a few entrepreneurs said, just suck it up. That
basically means: tell yourself that being unmotivated isn't an option. You chose this career, you chose this startup, and you are only one who can keep it going.

.....By Seun Jegede.

Something Inside so strong......Labi Siffre #fridaymusic

Yours  truly sat in front of her laptop yesterday all fired up to share the first song for the year, she types www.blogspot.com....eek, error! Okay let's try mofolusades.blogspot.com..... eeek eek, error... *hyperventilating* Reboots system, twice for certainty, retypes www.blogger.com! Aaah oti o. Lol!!

Funny thing is, I never thought for a second that Google could have downtime or something, I was freaking out, thinking oh  no, all my posts, my pictures... Yeepa. Then it occurs to me to check if there was some issue, where did I first go to check... Google too! Lmao! Long and short, after fishing around for a bit, I check twitter and see some other people complaining... Whew! Thank God it's sorted, but please Google don't ever try this again.

The morale of the story above is that... "This is why my Friday music is coming on Saturday :-)"  and yea, whatever you've got online should better be backed up somewhere. I mean, you just never know.

Meanwhile, I have shifted from the strictly #90smusic theme to #fridaymusic biko! Whenever I remember a great song I need to share and do my background check, turns out some of them were cooked in the 80s or 2000s even. So, I'm just going to open the door and let them in.

Something inside was a single released by Labi Siffre in 1987. It was inspired by a TV documentary on Apartheid South Africa seen by Siffre in 1985 in which a white soldier was filmed shooting at black children. However, for me the songs means much more. I think of the struggle of life itself when I listen to it. The struggle to breakthrough and be what you were made to be, against all odds. There have been many covers of this song, for me though, none beats this original!

Enjoy.....

Click here to go to the link if you can't view the video above

The higher you build your barriers the taller I become

The farther you take my rights away the faster I will run

You can deny me, you can decide to turn your face away

No matter 'cause there's

Something inside so strong

I know that I can make it

Tho' you're doing me wrong so wrong

You thought that my pride was gone

Oh, no, something inside so strong

Oh, oh oh oh oh something inside so strong

The more you refuse to hear my voice the louder I will sing

You hide behind walls of Jericho, your lies will come tumbling

Deny my place in time, you squander wealth that's mine

My light will shine so brightly, it will blind you 'cause there's

Something inside so strong

I know that I can make it (!!! AND I WILL)

Tho' you're doing me wrong so wrong

You thought that my pride was gone

Oh, no, something inside so strong

Oh, oh oh oh oh something inside so strong

Brothers and sisters

When they insist we're just not good enough

When we know better

Just look 'em in the eyes and say

I'm gonna do it anyway

I'm gonna do it anyway

Something inside so strong

And I know that I can make it

Tho' you're doing me wrong so wrong

You thought that my pride was gone

Oh, no, something inside so strong

Oh, oh oh oh oh something inside so strong

Brothers and sisters

When they insist we're just good not enough

When we know better

Just look 'em in the eyes and say

I'm gonna do it anyway

I'm gonna do it anyway

I'm gonna do it anyway

I'm gonna do it anyway

Because there's something inside so strong

And I know that I can make it

Though you're doing me so wrong

Oh, no, something inside so strong

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, something inside so strong

Songwriters

SIFFRE, LABI

Published by

Read more: Labi Siffre - Something Inside So Strong Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

10 Powerful Quotes from Cobhams Asuquo's 'The Gift of Blindness' Speech at TEDxEuston

Just as I read +femi olukanni 's comment on my last post saying, Ma'am you've got to check out +Cobhams Asuquo 's Tedex speech, I open my mail and see that it is the subject of Hposh's post for the week.

That guy Cobhams is something, and yea, y'all should check out the video

Or click here - Thanks +femi olukanni for sending me the link.

So, Back to the matter

Hposh Diaries........

10 Powerful Quotes from Cobhams Asuquo's 'The Gift of Blindness' Speech at TEDxEuston

Since Cobham's Asuquo released his first single of 2014 'Ordinary People' some days back, my admiration for him has greatly increased.

Not only does he inspire and motivate me through the song, he empowers me with the right words to pursue my dreams

I was going through some TEDx videos on YouTube when I came across his speech at one of their events in Euston, titled 'The Gift of Blindness'; here are my ten powerful quotes from the speech.

They will inspire you!

1) Do not excuse failure on any reason for any account

2) Not all public opinion is correct opinion

3) Trust - even when you have no reason to.

4) Trust has no expiration date.

5) Blindness has taught me to keep trusting, to keep hoping to keep believing.

6) Sight sometimes is a distraction - (focus on your dreams)

7) Sight is a precious gift (imagination enhances creativity)

8) On your way to your destination what you see can also be a big distraction from your goal (Shed off activities, people and places that will not move you closer to your vision, mission and purpose)

9) You have to be blind in order to be focused (The power of meditation)

10) Focus is blindness in a sense (When you focus on one thing till you achieve success in it, you care less about other things that don't matter)


Have a great week!

Banking Consolidation........ @asktrezorlandia @oyamagng

The Banking Consolidation…..

Enter Soludo with the banking consolidation and reforms, banks were scrambling to survive. It was a case of acquire, get acquired or die. We had to transform as well, we embarked on an overhaul of our IT system, moving from Kapiti (a truly ancient version of it) to finnacle, we also acquired two banks, Nigerian American Merchant bank and Cooperative Development bank! It was a clash of cultures, software systems and accounts.

I know everyone had their fair share of pressure but IT ehn, e no get part two (second to none, for those of you who don’t do pidgin). It was bad enough that we were already perceived as “those people that cause trouble and make our work hard” by other units of the bank, then now there was so much more to deal with. We were doing Monday to Sunday, closing very late and in the midst of this I had to deal with the mainland to island commute and be at work for 7, 7:30 and we wonder why life expectancy has dropped to 45years. Tufia! (i.e God forbid)

It was obvious we needed new direction and a strong leader on management level or close to save our drowning IT unit. Then came Mr. Oni, a high flying all rounder from Accenture. The task ahead of him was huge, but he did all he could to measure up. At this point however, I was feeling like I was in a tornado, no purpose, no direction, no hope. It was that time again, I had to get out…….. To be Contd.

Life Skills Learnt

1. Be prepared! The banking consolidation favored those who saw the future. They were in the know. 
2. It’s not obvious in the post, but I learnt to “document” every single thing. I would try to tell my boss (before Mr. Oni) something verbally and he would say, “document it” by this he meant through a mail (for mail trail) or a memo. This was a period of immense heat and you could get fired for any slip ups.
3. I was on every committee you can imagine like the IT steering committee for one, it was like I had secretary written on my head. Well I learnt how to write minutes from being every meeting’s secretary and believe me, it’s a skill! Lol

2013…….06 June, 2013

At the end of each day, especially the not so fruitful days, I sit down and review the day, did I achieve anything, what did I do, what did I not do and then I look for things that I need to do better or new things I need to try. I need to step up my marketing, seriously step it up, this is a no brainer and sounds so very basic, but it is not at all (especially when there is no money!)

I recently found out that one young Ife student who attends my church runs a social media marketing service, Oyamagng; he’s a twitter maestro and is not doing badly for himself. He runs social media campaigns for small growing companies like me. If you run a small business, or need to introduce a new product, you should try them out; encourage young enterprising students who are not yahoo yahooing!  Anyway I have engaged the young man, we’re one week into this father’s day campaign and I’m feeling his work.

I now have a new handle called @asktrezorlandia, its dedicated to answering questions about gifts e.g. what can I buy for my boss, what can I buy for my daughter, what kind of flowers should I send for a birthday and so on. I thought about setting it up a while back but never came round to it, then when I engaged oyamagng and gave him his brief voila, I check my twitter timeline and what do I see “introducing #asktrezorlandia a platform for getting ideas for gifts”! Talk about running with a brief, this boy is on fire. So I had no choice but to sharply go and create the handle that had been in the cooler for yonks. I do hope the handle @asktrezorlandia would be to gifts what @Gidi_traffic is to dealing with Lagos traffic. AMEN!!! J

I also finally sent out that mail introducing Trezorlandia as a supplier of corporate gift items to the people on the list I compiled. I figured, I can send to the ones I have for now and I’ll send when I have more. If not I would still be compiling this said list a year from now.  By the way, I didn’t get one single reply, imagine that. Maybe I need to re-word the body of the mail or edit the subject, I need ideas! Uncle Leke Alder where are you?

Entrepreneur tips

1. Do something every day that you haven’t done before. No matter how small. Nothing is irrelevant; continuously improve on the finer details of your business.
2. Just do it! You’ve been playing with this thought in your head for some time, how do you know it’ll fail without even trying?
3. Build a team, we know you have skills in every area, still you can’t do everything yourself. Dispel the thought that you have no money to pay for services, consider forming mutually beneficial alliances with people and other companies. 

My first Resignation..... Integrity in Business

Fast forward 2004……

All the highs of Tara systems started to wear off when my take home pay could no longer take me home. Something about me (can be good or bad, depends),  when I want a change, I want it so badly, I can’t see straight, I start to get very restless, like someone is choking me. It gets really bad and at this point, nothing else matters. So although no job offers had been made from the handful of interviews I had attended, I resigned! My very first resignation letter J, bye bye Seni Williams.

My colleagues then thought, “this girl is mad”. You don’t have another job and you resign, who does that! Oh well, I only sat at home for about 2 weeks, because believe it or not FCMB called me for a final interview, with my 2’2. The interview was with one of the Executive Directors at the time, Biodun Oyapero and I was so sure I wasn't getting the job! You see, I had this fancy CV template I got online and copied “summa cum laude” straight from it because I thought it sounded cool, didn't even know what it meant *embarrassed*. Well, Mr. Oyapero’s eyes went straight there and the discussion was about just that! Yikes! He asked me, were you top of your class and I say no and he goes so why do you have “summa cum laude” on your resume….. blank stare*. He could have thrown me out just then (some interviewers get that nasty), but he was gracious enough to explain what it meant to me before dismissing me. So it was a great shock, a pleasant one too when I got a call to come and pick up my letter. Yaaay me!

Life skills learnt

Don’t just sit there and wait, make a move:
You can seek advice from other people about life decisions, but in the end it all comes back to you. It’s about you, you have to know what you want and go for it. Don’t stay there if it’s not working for you, overcome your fear!

2013…. 04 June 3, 2013

Ok, I know this is not exactly the 4^th of June, but I typed most of this yesterday but didn’t get to post it because of other pressing issues like homework! Doing homework with my older son is like a huge task and I used to leave it to the lesson teacher till I realized he wasn’t really learning anything, yes the assignments were done, but more like a dictation. I am so firing him, but how to do this is a current dilemma I am in! Anyway, so we do homework now and the shouting and screaming that came with it initially has reduced (don’t look at me like that! It’s not easy). I had to tell myself, I survived engineering, I can do this! Yes!

So back to business, the delivery yesterday went well, eventually. The cake survived the long wait without falling apart. Delivering cream cakes is a lot of work. We picked up the cake and headed out but couldn’t reach the recipient to clarify her address on time (the thing with surprises ehn!). That was how we were left holding on to a cream cake in Lagos hot sun. Come and see panic! I had to find a solution fast; I buzzed people I knew in the area. SOS!! Who has a fridge to keep this cake while we try to reach the birthday girl? Luckily my good friend Okwudili has a fridge in his office and was reachable (this too is key in Nigeria, networks can kill you in an emergency).

After a few hours, we reached the birthday girl and guess what the address wasn’t too far from Okwudili’s office, whew! We delivered and were heading back when I reach for my hand bag and find a missing piece of the hair accessory themed hamper there!! Oh no! Not like she would have noticed, it was a surprise gift anyway and there were a lot of things in the hamper already but I couldn’t let it go. At first I thought, I can’t turn back joo, I’ll just keep it and put it in another hamper later but I was uncomfortable. So yea, I turned back. I tried not to look at my staff’s face, sure she was thinking, this madam sef get wahala too much! Whatever!  We were in Yaba and had to still go to Adeniyi Jones to customize a bathrobe but I had to give this back. Luckily, we hadn’t gone too far off and the road was free.

All in all, it was a good day; I didn’t open Xero to update my accounts though! Between homework, typing this halfway and dinner, yours truly more or less passed out on the couch.

Entrepreneur tips

1. Prioritize! In all of your business pursuits make time for the things that matter.
2. In business you are constantly looking for solutions to problems, apart from the overall problem that you built your business around in the first place. Your brain has to be alert, keep calculating, and keep planning. Perhaps I should call next time before picking the cake, maybe.
3. You need people, business is not a walk in the park and you can be tempted to bury your head in it and forget family and friends DON’T. After all is said and done, they’re all you’ve got plus, you can’t just spring up out of the blues to ask for help.
4. Integrity matters. You think you’re trying to prove something to someone else, but no, you need to prove it to yourself. Let it be part of you. You must be known for it if you want to build a sustainable business.

See Pictures below of the cream cake that almost gave up and the birthday hamper