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Food For Thought

Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time, and it seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.  Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen, filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot. He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering why he had chosen that moment to offer her a lesson in cooking. After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. Finally breaking the silence he turned to her and asked, “Daughter, what do you see?” “... [Continue reading]
Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time, and it seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.  Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen, filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot. He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering why he had chosen that moment to offer her a lesson in cooking. After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. Finally breaking the silence he turned to her and asked, “Daughter, what do you see?” “... [Continue reading]
Have you joined the #52BooksIn52Weeks2018 Book Reading Challenge yet? If not, here are some 30 reasons (one for each day, I guess) why you should make reading a daily habit: Gives knowledge One of the biggest reasons why we read books is to gain knowledge. Books are a rich source of information. Reading books on varied subjects imparts information and increases the depth about the subject as well. Whenever you read a book, you learn new information that otherwise you would not have known. Improves your brain Studies have shown that reading has strong positive effects on the brain. By staying mentally stimulated, you can prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. This is because keeping your brain active prevents it from losing power. The brain is a muscle and like other muscles in the body, exercise keeps it strong and healthy. Similar to solving puzzles, reading books is a great way to exercise your brain and keep it healthy. Reduces stress Reading has a positive effect on the... [Continue reading]
Every so often I get some unexpected cravings for some of the most ridiculous things; a boiled egg, stir-fried veggies with lots of hot red chilli, lemon grass tea with deep fried cassava douced in home-made chili sause, etc.  And then there are those moments I crave some juicy tenderized steak, marinated in different spices and flavours and prepared as per my craving for that day i.e. either fried, stewed, boiled or grilled. Whatever the case the end result is always finger-licking good. But here's the thing; for me to address my steak craving, I have to do something about it. I have to go to the market to get all the ingredients I need, then I have to spend some considerable amount of time in the kitchen preparing ingredients for the marinade, then there's pounding the meat if necessary, then applying the marinade on the meat and letting it marinate for a while depending on the meat. Then when I feel the meat is ready for cooking, I start the process of cooking as per my craving.... [Continue reading]
Happy New Year everyone!   I am glad to be writing this and for you to be reading this because it means we both made it to see another year.  This is a priviledge we shouldn't take for granted. So without further ado, I'd like to give you some tips on how to make 2018 the most productive and fruitful year you've ever had.    What is Your PDP for 2018?   PDP simply stands for Personal Development Plans. Do you have one for the year 2018?   Your PDP must be a Detailed, Well-Structured, Articulated and Written Plan that will demand your loyalty and commitment. Your PDP Guide must include the following:   1. Building Spiritual Capacity (Moving from Just Relationship to Quality Fellowship with Your God)   2. Inspirational And Motivational Books to Read in 2018 (weekly, monthly or quarterly)   3. Professional And Career Development Seminars, Conferences or Workshops to attend. (either Paid or Free)   4. Mentors and Coaches you must connect with in 2018, that will add great value to your... [Continue reading]
When I was growing up, I used to visit my Grandma every school holiday thanks to Bosslady, aka my Mum. Whenever I'd go there I would not only get wisdom from her, but I would also get a feel of how life away from the city was. Me having being named after Grandma, she was very fond of me and so we used to go to very many places together; market, church, women’s meetings, their version of Vicoba, to till the land, etc. During those visits she would tell me lots of stories, most of which would have a teaching or a lesson to learn at the end of it. In the recent past I have found myself going back to the wisdom she used to share with me and today as I was thinking about my life (past, present and future [read goals]), I remembered something she used to tell me a lot. She used to say, “Kiraro gitimiagwo”. Loosely translated directly from mother-tongue to English, it means “you don’t poo where you sleep”.  The meaning behind those words is that you never mess up where you sleep or have been... [Continue reading]
I really don't like creepies of any kind, but this story here made me change my mind about frogs for a few minutes.... Read the story here.   A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants…. The race began… Honestly.. No one in crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower.. You heard statements such as.. “Oh, WAY too difficult!!” “They will NEVER make it to the top.” “Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!” The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one…. Except for those, who in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher…. The crowd continued to yell, “It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!” More tiny frogs got tired and gave up…. But ONE continued higher and higher and higher…. This one wouldn’t give up! At the end everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top! THEN all of the other tiny frogs... [Continue reading]
This week I’d like us to address the issue of PROCRASTINATION. We are in the 11th month of the year and someone is probably asking themselves where the other 10 months went because they are yet to achieve anything from the 2017 To-Do List they had created on 31st December 2016.  Well, here’s a likely answer; The good looking, tall, dark chocolate, lean and handsome dude called PROCRASTINATION subtly stole your time while he was busy convincing you to ignore the unpleasant but very important tasks in favor of those easier and enjoyable tasks. At first, it doesn’t seem like it might have any serious repercussions but once you realize time is gone, then all manner of negative emotions start flying all over; panic, guilt, shame, despair, stress, etc. Why do you get attacked by all these emotions? Because procrastination leads to lack of productivity. Question now becomes, is it possible to stop procrastination? Yes it is. How? Here are a few steps… Recognize that you are procrastinating... [Continue reading]
Have you ever thought about the process it takes for a plane to fly or land? By the time the passengers are deplaning or boarding, the engines are normally off even if the plane had just landed twenty minutes earlier. Before the plane takes off, the pilot(s) go through intensive pre-flight processes before they can confirm they are ready for take off (again). In short, by the time the plane is ready to lift off from the ground to the air, alot happens in between. Transition takes place. Without transition, the plane would never leave the ground to the air, but it would be just another imitation of a bird. Without the engines being turned on, the plane taxing and gathering momentum before take off, the plane would never make it to the air. Same case applies to various areas of our lives. Before we can move from one level to another, transition has to take place. But what is transition you might ask? According to my favorite online dictionary, transition is the "process or a period of... [Continue reading]
It hadn't occured to me until I thought about it, that success doesn't just happen. It has to be based on something. Forget all the stuff you've heard about hard work, focus, determination, discipline and all the other ingredients or catalysts for success. All those things are nothing, if you don't have a PURPOSE. I looked up the synonyms for the word purpose and found out that one of the synonyms is the word "aim". I looked up the meaning of the word aim and found this; as a verb, it means to have the intention of achieving. As a noun, it means a desired outcome. Success therefore is a function of purpose. Without a purpose, it means you wake up every day and just walk or run around like a headless chicken, with no particular desired outcome in mind. Without a purpose, one sees no reason for discipline. Without a purpose, it is very unlikely that someone will have determination to do anything, or have the focus to do anything. But when one has a purpose, they have a reason to wake... [Continue reading]
Everybody in life is going through some challenge or another. That's a given. But not everybody has the capacity to handle whatever challenge comes their way well. Some become irritable and irrational, treating everyone around them like they are the cause of their challenges, while others hide it so well, you'd think their lives are challenge free. Unfortunately there are also others who are permanently set on "attack mode" to camouflage their insecurities, and guess what, all these people live among us and we have to accommodate and learn to live with them without losing our marbles. You cannot go a day without an opportunity presenting itself for you to encounter such people. You wake up in the morning and find an upset house help, and you wonder what demons she was fighting with at night for her to have woken up moody and incummunicado. Then you get to the road on your way to work and you encounter a hungry traffic policeman and as you know, a hungry man is an angry man. Speaking... [Continue reading]
Are you feeling overwhelmed by all the challenges you are going through in your life? Are you feeling unhappy with your life and with the things that are going on (or not) in your life? Do you feel like you are working in the wrong place or profession? Do you feel like you have stagnated and instead of progressing you are retrogressing? How about your relationships, are they healthy and thriving, or unhealthy and struggling to survive? Here's the thing; none of the above areas of your life will change if you do not change yourself first.  Nobody will ever make you happy; you have to create your own happiness first.  Nobody will ever break through your challenges for you; you have to find a way out of your own challenges. Nobody will change your job or profession for you; you have to take that initiative and do what makes you happy and brings you (job) satisfaction. Nobody else will make your relationships work if you don't put in the time and effort yourself. In short, it all starts... [Continue reading]

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