WHEN JOY REALLY COMES IN THE MORNING

I know what it's like to wake up in the morning and feel the weight of the world on your shoulders. I have had several of those moments in my life and have learned that during these times the only friend I have in this world is good music. Songs that will lift me up from my bed and keep my spirits high for the rest of the day. 

This morning I woke up feeling so weary and you guessed right; I jumped on an overwhelmingly inspiring music (Kari Jobe's Majestic album). I have listened to the song forever on this album several times but today it etched in my heart. I don't just listen to any song, I like it when it speaks to me. And this song had everything, including an incredible spoken word poem. 

I have meditated upon the verses of the spoken word in the song throughout my journey to the work. It has filled my morning with refreshing joy and I strongly believe you will be encouraged;

OVERCOMING SELF CONDEMNATION

Self condemnation can be likened to a negative commentary of your value, personality, actions and feelings. It can sometimes be mistaken as the voice of conscience or as a form of self-punishment for shortcomings. We condemn ourselves when there is this overwhelming sense of helplessness, hopelessness and uncontrollable guilt.

It is very simple for us to condemn ourselves or develop a low sense of worth. We may have gone through a failed relationship, financial difficulty, or other unfortunate incidents in life. Other things from our obsession to perfection, our competitive society, to our background, can be responsible for us condemning ourselves. Then if we aren’t careful, we start to identify with the failure and subsequently fall victim to self dislike or guilt.

In most cases, self-condemnation is brought about by unresolved sexual guilt. We find ourselves in a society where children are raised to believe that the most evil action a person can be involved in is sexual activity. As a result, victims of sexual abuse carry the weight of guilt on their shoulders for the rest of their lives.

Many young women grow up condemning themselves for the abuse meted on them by sometimes close friends or family members. They constantly blame themselves for the unfortunate episode and it sometimes denies them of a happy future.

How To Overcome Self Condemnation

First we have to identify the source of the condemnation. Once we discover it, we can then choose to readdress our line of thoughts. We are each responding to various currents of thought, and in responding, we can choose to stop responding to the offensive influences. These influences of thought keep us trapped until we refuse to accept them.

Always find something good about your life to be grateful for, even if it is just the fact that you are still breathing.

Self-forgiveness is the best way to handle self-condemnation. We can do this recognizing the fact that we are humans who are subject to mistakes, and to accept God’s forgiveness. When we do accept our good through forgiveness, then we are open to the possibility for new opportunities.

Only when we are willing to let go of our past, and release ourselves from self captivity, can we truly be transformed.

Sometimes a person is set free from self-condemnation steadily over time and sometimes it happens instantly. However, overcoming self condemnation demands constant love and deep commitment to oneself. And when we open ourselves up to this love, it transforms our lives and reaches us even when we have done something we regret.


#HappiestManInTheWorld

THE OBSESSION OF PERFECTION

I apologize in advance if this post doesn’t sink properly into your system by the time you are done because it is not perfect.

According to Wikipedia; Perfectionism is a personality trait characterized by a person's striving for flawlessness and setting excessively high performance standards, accompanied by overly critical self-evaluations and concerns regarding others' evaluations. It is best conceptualized as a multidimensional characteristic, as psychologists agree that there are many positive and negative aspects. 

In its manipulative form, perfectionism drives people to attempt to achieve an unattainable ideal, and their adaptive perfectionism can sometimes motivate them to reach their goals. In the end, they derive pleasure from doing so. When perfectionists do not reach their goals, they often fall into depression.

Let’s be honest, society’s obsession with perfection has a somewhat damaging consequence on our lives and good judgement. Ever since I can recall, I have always wanted to be the best in everything. For me, it was not enough to score 90% in an exam; I wanted to be top of the class. It was not enough to just be handsome; I wanted to be Mr. Nigeria and eventually Mr. Universe. I simply wanted to be perfect in everything and remain on top of the world. In the same manner, many young people feel very awkward and incomplete if they don’t have those things which are perceived by society to be a must have.

In our society, it’s absolutely normal to listen up when our parents or guardians begins a sentence with ‘You must’, ‘You have to’, ‘you should’ or ‘you better’. I find it rather puzzling. We have been so moulded by society’s strong idea of perfection that it’s now second-nature for it to dictate how we live our lives, what career to choose, how many children we should have, how to treat our partners, our religious preference and so on.

I would like us to look deeper into the implications of our obsession with perfection. The perfect life, job, partner, parents, deal, children, car, house, phone, friend, holiday and it goes on and on. On the surface, the struggle itself may not be a terrible idea, as long as one is not deluded with the concept of perfection and can forgive oneself for falling short of society’s expectations. For instance, every parent wants a well brought-up child but they are so obsessed with shaping the child’s perfect identity that they lose sight of accepting the child’s innocence in his/her imperfections.

Perfectionism in its essence is an extremely dangerous scheme and is an adversary of the Good life. The very idea of perfection is what it is – a concept, a mental impression, a probability, an opinion and a belief. We set such high standards for ourselves (and for others) and we end up thwarting our best interests. There’s nothing wrong with having a passion for excellence unless that determination to maintain the highest possible standard starts working against our own best efforts.

We stigmatize mistakes and make it look like the worst thing that anyone can do. And the problem this causes is that it drives people from their goal and makes them feel that making a mistake is wrong. Many people end up as failures in life because they are pushed too far by the society to attain perfection and they fail to realize that perfection is not attained over a given period of time but throughout a lifetime.

And that is how so many of us try so hard to prove to people around us that we are perfect just to boost our ego. We are so obsessed with being perfect that we are blinded to the strengths in imperfection. I have come to a point where I am comfortable making mistakes and learning from them every day.

When next you meet anyone you think is perfect, ask them if they make mistakes. Ask them if they are really prefect. I can promise you they are not but still you adore them. Like most perfection-possessed individuals have learnt, that perfect life can be a wasted life after all. In the end, the moral of the story is that nobody is perfect. 

#HappiestManInTheWorld

CARPE DIEM: DEATH PROVOKING QUOTES THAT WILL INSPIRE YOUR LIFE

So many people avoid talking about death because they love their life so much that they never think of dying. But death is a price that we must all pay some day. We do not know how much time we have left, so we have to make the best of the moment. I have compiled 40 of the most inspirational quotes that would help you focus more on living a worthy life before you eventually die. Get Inspired! 


"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new"
~ Steve Jobs 

"If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, then he isn’t fit to live"
~ Martin Luther King Jr                   
"If you listen to your fears, you will die never knowing what a great person you might have been"
~ Robert Schuller 

"If you spend all your time worrying about death, then living is not going to be much fun"
~ Anonymous

"Be ashamed to die until you have won some victories for humanity"
~ Horace Mann

"We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will"
~ Chuck Palahnuik

"Always do something that will make you look good if you were to die in the middle of it"
~ Anonymous

"Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered, either by themselves or by others"
~ Mike Twain

"A lot of people do not muster the courage to live their dreams because they are too afraid to die"
~ Les Brown

"Because we do not know when we would die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well"
~ Brandon Lee

You must realize that one day you will die, until then you are worthless.
~ Chuck Palahnuik

Our death is not an end if we can live in our children and the younger generation. For they are us, our bodies are only wilted leaves on the tree of life.
~ Albert Einstein

When I die it will be a shipwreck and as when a huge ship sinks, many people all around will be sunk down with it.
~ Pablo Picasso

I have been a fighter. If you tell me I can’t, I will die trying to prove you wrong.
~ R.A Salvatore

When you cease to make any contribution, you begin to die.
~ Eleanor Roosevelt

There is nothing certain in a man's life except this; that he must lose it.
~ Aeschylus

To die is poignantly bitter but the idea of having to die without having lived is unbearable.
~ Anonymous

The death of someone we know always reminds us that we are still alive - Perhaps for some purpose which we ought to re-examine.
~ Mignon McLaughlin

Find what you love and let it kill you. Let it drain you of your all. Let it cling unto your back and weigh you down into eventual nothingness.
~ Charles Bokowski

Live rich, die poor. Never make the mistake of doing it the other way round.
~ Walter Annenberg

Each night when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning when I wake up I am reborn.
~ Mahatma Gandhi

To execute great things, one should live as though one will never die.
~ Luc De Clapiers

Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.
~ Norman Cousins

I believe we should die with decency, so that at least decency will survive.
~ Dag HammarskJold

Dying is not scary at all; it is the sadness of not been prepared for it scares the shit out of us.
~ Anonymous

Live as you would have wished to live when you are dying.
~ Christain Furchtegoff

Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives; that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows.
~ Pope Paul VI

The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.
~ Mark Twain

Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways.
~ Stephen Vincent Benét

Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out.
~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Every man dies but not every man lives.
~ William Ross Wallace

Some people are so afraid to die that they never begin to live. ~ Henry Van Dyke

You only live once; but if you live it right, once is enough. 
~ Adam Marshall
Death helps us to see what is worth trusting and loving and what is a waste of time.
~ J. Neville Ward

As you grow older, you'll find the only things you regret are the things you didn't do.
~ Zachary Scott

The question is not whether we would die but how we will live.
~ Joan Borysenko

Dream as if you will live forever. Live as if you will die today. ~ James Dean

As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well used brings happy death.
~ Leonardo da Vinci

I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.
 ~ Diane Ackerman

We are born alone, we live alone and we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we are not alone.
 ~ Orson Welles



#HappiestManInTheWorld
 

EVERYTHING YOU WANT IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF FEAR

By the way, the topic of this post is one of my most favourite quotes of all times. I have not come across a lot of phrase that is this liberating. It simply captures the essence of what fear has done and can do to everyone of us. We have our dreams bubbling inside of us until we fear sets in and blows them right in our faces. 

One of the greatest battles we fight in life is the one not to fail. Those who don’t win are the ones who stopped fighting. For the better part of my sojourn in this world, I have come to understand that extreme failures can end up becoming huge successes in life. 

Some of the greatest success stories to ever come out of this world are the ones of people who once failed woefully but never gave up. Every time they failed, they moved one step closer to success. The most endearing people I know are those who have known failure and suffering yet they found their way out of those depths.

There are instances where you can be so overwhelmed by failure that your options are either to fight back or let the consequence of your failure kill you. Unfortunately, some people choose the latter.

It is your reaction to failure that will give birth to the revolution your life needs. You must hate failure with a passion in order to strive for success. Always learn to say to failure “You have beaten me up till this moment but not anymore”. Until you address failure properly, you cannot arrest it totally.

The best way to fight failure is to fight as if your life depends on it; and in fact it does. Putting up very little resistance may not yield the right results. Failure is like a monster, it will continue to keep you down until you become aggressive enough to kill it.

Success is not for the gentle or the submissive. This is not just a statement, it’s a fact. Successful people may dress in three piece suits and act courteous but I bet you they can get dirty when failure stirs them in the face.

If at forty years of age you still haven’t accomplished anything in life, it’s time you get angry with your situation and fight. There is still enough time to make something out of your life because your life will only measured by what you achieved and not when you did. Don’t get discouraged by that “a fool at forty a fool forever” catchphrase, your life is not over until it is over.

Stop condemning or comforting yourself for having tried, do all you can to win. Nobody gets a pass for how many times they have attempted an examination. It’s normal to feel discouraged but it’s your choice to be a failure. No one is interested in your past failures, stop recounting them already. Forget the things that are behind you and press towards the mark that is set before you.

In conclusion, the fight is not against those around you, your forefathers or God. It is against those things that are in you which have been preventing you from moving forward. It is against your negative attitude and self-defeating personality. Always remember that nobody was born to be a failure. We can all succeed in life if we show a great amount of determination. Failure can be your greatest gift.


#HappiestManInTheWorld

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES THAT WILL HELP YOU OVERCOME DISAPPOINTMENT

Throughout life, you are faced with several disappointments. And maybe you are dealing with one right now. Whether something in your work or business didn’t go as planned, whether someone you trusted and loved let you down, whether your life isn’t where you want it to be – life just seems to have a way of kicking us when we’re already down.

Disappointment is not an easy thing to face, but standing strong in the face of disappointment and rising afterwards is crucial to living a beautiful life. Here are some quotes on disappointment that will help restore your hope.

“There's always failure. And there's always disappointment. And there's always loss. But the secret is learning from the loss, and realizing that none of those holes are vacuums”

―Michael J. Fox

“Present; that part of eternity dividing the domain of disappointment from the realm of hope”

―Ambrose Bierce

“Disappointment to a noble soul is what cold water is to burning metal; it strengthens, tempers, intensifies, but never destroys it”

―Eliza Tabor

“If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment”

―Henry David Thoreau

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope”

―Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Not every disappointment is a blessings. Some disappointments are lessons - lessons on how not to trust certain people ”

―Anonymous

“The beauty is that through disappointment you can gain clarity, and with clarity comes conviction and true originality”

―Conan O'Brien

“There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love”

―Martin Luther King, Jr.

“The principles of living greatly include the capacity to face trouble with courage, disappointment with cheerfulness, and trial with humility”

― Thomas S. Monson

“Disappointment is a sticky one, because no one can steal contentment, joy, gratitude, or peace - we have to give it away”

―Kristin Armstrong

“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed” 

―Alexander Pope

“You may be disappointed if you fail but you are doomed if you don’t try”

―Beverly Sills

“Disappointments are just God’s way of saying “I have got something better”. Be patient…live life”

―Anonymous

“One of the best protections against disappointment is to have a lot going on.” 

― Alain de Botton

“Remember that sometimes not getting what you want can be the best for you”

―Anonymous

“Be calm and strong and patient. Meet failure and disappointment with courage. Rise superior to the trials of life, and never give in to hopelessness or despair. In danger, in adversity, cling to your principles and ideals”

―Sir William Osler 

“Most things disappoint till you look deeper”

―Graham Greene

“These slight disappointments are sent to prepare. For what may hereafter befall; for seasons of real disappointment and care, which commonly happen to all”

―Jane Taylor

“What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy? What if trials of this life, the rain, the storms, the hardest nights Are your mercies in disguise?”

―Anonymous

“When you learn to accept instead of expect, you'll have fewer disappointments”

―Anonymous

“Disappointment and failure are two of the surest ways to ensure that we are approaching to success and just have to keep trying”

―Anurag Prakash Ray

“It is better to know and be disappointed than never to know and wonder”

―Anonymous

“The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire, the size of your dream and how you handle disappointment along the way”

―Robert Kiyosaki

“One’s best success comes after their greatest disappointments”

―Henry Ward Beecher 

“Man must be disappointed with the lesser things of life before he can comprehend the full value of the greater”

―Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton 

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO A LOVERHOLIC

Sometimes it’s hard to tell why you love someone so deeply because some answers are never enough. The reason for loving someone changes over time and in many ways.

When you love someone so much, their mistakes never change your feelings from them because it is the mind that gets angry but the heart always cares

You fall in love with someone not because of how you feel about them but because of how they make you feel about yourself.

When someone truly loves you, they don’t have to say a word. You will be able to tell simply by their actions. A person can say “I love you” a million times but never take it to heart until they prove it.

Sometimes the person you are willing to take a bullet for ends up being the one behind the gun. Falling in love can sometimes be a risk because you never know what the end may bring. However, the end of love is not the end of life.

Don’t try to make the person you love do the things they don’t want to do. Because you will probably end up feeling bad for yourself and eventually fall out of love with them. True love starts where manipulation stops.

You can fall in love with someone who will be a blessing to your life or fall in love with someone who will teach you the lesson of your life. Either way, never regret falling in love. Love sometimes leaves you for a reason but never leaves you without a lesson.

We all have our shortcomings and are all far from been perfect. Never judge someone you love based on their weaknesses but ensure you uphold their strength and try to help them work on their weaknesses.

You may have to fall in love with awful people once or twice, so that you would be able to appreciate your true love when it comes around.

As an exceptionally jealous lover, you only amplify your insecurities and no amount of reassurance from your partner can help you. Love is not for the faint-hearted.

It takes the same amount of effort in giving your heart to someone and in taking them out of your heart. Always be double sure before you walk away from love.

We all fall in love hoping that the one we give our hearts to look beyond our imperfections and love us the way we are. So we should do likewise by loving them unconditionally.

The day you decide to commit your life to someone, you have decided to look beyond yourself and put that person’s interest ahead of yours at all times.

Be true to your partner even if you cannot be true to yourself. It’s in being true to others that we find the purest kind of love, the kind that never dies even in death.

Always keep in mind that you cannot beseech someone to love you or plead with them to stay when they choose to walk away. The greatest gift you can bestow on someone you love is the freedom of being who they want to be.

Lastly my brethren, if you haven’t found true love yet, don’t give up. There is someone out there waiting to love you just the way you are. Sometimes it takes a while to find the right person, but they are always worth the wait.


#HappiestManInTheWorld

FULFILLING YOUR ASSIGNMENT

A good number of us have not discovered why we are in this world. The objective of this post is to help identify your assignment with the hope that you still have enough time to focus on it and make something meaningful out of your life.

There are three basic things that usually point you to the direction of your assignment in life. They include the following;

• The things that makes you happy?
• The things that makes you Sad?
• The things that you really love?

The desire to protect and care for someone, a group of people or a situation is what brings out the best in you. Following through with this desire eventually leads to discovering your purpose.

Every human being created by God is a solution to an existing problem. That is why every birth is celebrated because it is expected that the child has a mission to accomplish on this earth. However, the inability to identify this mission has left many falling short of their full potentials.

We are often the missing piece in some puzzle and there is always an opportunity waiting to help you fulfill your assignment successfully. Some of us have identified our assignments but we are too afraid or lazy to pursue them. Others are discouraged by the circumstances they find themselves in and the lack of support from those around them.

In as much as there is a lot of factors that stand in our way, we should realize that it is in fulfilling our assignment that our lives become valuable. It is better to be afraid of dying without leaving a legacy than to be afraid of the obstacles that will hinder you from living a purposeful life. Nobody will remember you when you have done nothing to make their lives better. 

THE ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF HAPPINESS

Every day we are saddled with the responsibility of making certain decisions that would prove very critical to our lives. Sometimes we are too occupied with the consequences of our decisions that we never ever get to take the decision at all.

This morning I was faced with a situation that reminded me of the two most critical decisions we are all faced with; the decision to either be happy or sad. I clearly knew I had to decide whether I wanted to let my problems get the best of me or just be happy and put myself in a better position to overcome them. I came to realize that been happy was my personal decision and will eventually reflect in my personality. Whether I decide to make myself happy or sad, the effort I put into both emotions are the same. And if it pays me more to be happy, then there is no point to be sad at all.

During the course of the day, certain things will go the wrong way no matter how much I tried to make it work. To be sad about something I don’t have absolute control over is a complete waste of my precious time. So I always remind myself that I have to be happy regardless of how frustrated I felt about what transpires as I go about my daily activities.

No doubt, it hurts when things don’t go my way but I have decided to learn from the situation instead of letting it affect me adversely. Happiness simply sets you free from all the forces of sadness that gets fattened every time you are depressed. This way, you stay more positive and you are able to make better decisions. It is not easy but in the end life is all about the decisions we make.

However, it’s important to point out that I did not just wake up this morning and took the decision to be a 'Jolly Good Fellow' for the rest of my life. I developed the courage to be happy by overcoming disappointment, frustration and manipulation. Everything I have encountered in my life have taught me that I am the only one who can decide how my life is affected by external forces. It’s not how people or situations make you feel that counts; it’s how you make yourself feel.

A lot of things don’t matter to me right now because I am happy. Happiness works like magic because all of a sudden the things you often see as obstacles just get drowned by your sheer will to be happy. You can decide that nothing will ever make you unhappy, absolutely nothing! Life is too good to trade all your happiness for a pint of the sadness in this world. Wherever you go, no matter the situation, always bring all the happiness with you. Clap along if you feel like this is what you wanna do. Cheers!!


#HappiestManInTheWorld

ME, MY DEPRESSION AND I - TEN PRACTICAL STEPS THAT SAVED MY LIFE

At some point in our lives, we may have experienced that period of persistent feeling of overwhelming sadness and total hopelessness called depression. Some of us may have gotten over it soon enough but for others, the sorrow is prolonged. Sometimes we put on that fake smile to hide our despair but deep inside us everything is not alright. Most people will think we are mad when all we are is simply sad. 

I have been a victim of depression and the main purpose of this article is to use my experience to help others who may be going through that dark path at the moment. I know how horrible it is and there was a when my life was filled with negativity and I had very little power to change my fortune.

Let me quickly share my experience. In 2008, I had just graduated from College and was determined to make it in life and was convinced I had what it takes. Weeks rolled into months and there was no breakthrough in sight and to make matters worse I had no money. Gradually I became very depressed.

Soon I became indebted to a lot of people. My debt kept pilling and it was beginning to affect my reputation. I would spend long hours thinking of my problem and how to get over it. After a few days of soliloquizing and self-motivation, I picked myself up and gave job-hunting another shot. But like my previous experiences, it was mission impossible. I would go job-hunting, fast & pray and give alms to the beggars on the street. Still nothing positive happened.

Every morning, I would hope for a breakthrough and at night I am left with more despair. I would feel so tired yet no amount of sleep could take the lethargy away. I felt like my life was moving in slow motion. I couldn't express myself anymore, I became very forgetful, it was difficult to concentrate on anything and I had trouble making decisions. I was locked inside my head and was battling for my sanity. It just seemed as though my presence in this world didn’t matter anymore.

The memory of every past disappointment, unpleasant experience, unsuccessful job interview and failed relationships kept flooding into my mind uncontrollably. It was like I was being hit by a torrent of negativity. 

Suicide seemed like a welcome relief. Yes, I was at the verge of taking my own life.

Many relationships go through turbulent times and somehow they find a way to weather the storm and keep their love going. However, not all relationships have the ability to grow stronger through the turbulence. 

To be totally honest with you; I really love this life but my depression got the best of me. Depression can lead to suicidal thoughts when you focus all your attention on your negative situations. When you take away your attention from these negative situations, they lose their influence over you, regardless of how powerful they may seem.

I soon discovered that the concern was not my joblessness or indebtedness. The problem was simply that I focused more on the negative situations more than anything else that was happening in my life. Once you sink to that level where you are not getting what you want, and you keep paying attention to the fact that you are not getting it soon, then your depression gets deeper and you are seriously stuck. Depressed people dwell more on their problems rather than the solutions. 

I have highlighted below the ten practical steps that helped me get over depression and ultimately saved my life.

1. People Depress People Life can feel hopeless when you are surrounded by negative people. I had to do a lot of work on myself so as not to attract the wrong people into my life. Some people are just parasitic in nature and would usually suck you mentally dry. When you are trying to overcome depression it’s always very important to rally around positive people. They inject you little by little with their positive strength that it soon gets you up to the level where you can fly.


2. Step Away from Your Depression Zone  Social isolation is the worst enemy of the depressed. In order to prevent a setback, I was able to identify that the easiest thing that pushed me back to depression was seclusion. I started going out a lot more and did things that made me forget about my frustrations and gave me a positive mindset. Being a more positive thinker helped me look at life and the world in a way that filled me with more hope instead of despair.

3. Sleep Like A Baby
The more you sleep the more tired you are and the less you sleep, the less sleep you will begin to require sleep (Although less than 5 hours of sleep can be unhealthy).

I discovered that getting the right amount of sleep was healthy for me both physically and mentally. Your sleeping habit and your mood are closely related. A healthy sleep can enhance your well-being and keep you mentally charged.


4. Exercise of Life 
Exercising for just thirty minutes a day gave me more energy and I felt more motivated throughout the day. If you take more time to stay healthy every day, you will feel better about yourself. Improving your diet will also help you feel less depressed.


5. Forgive and Believe
Unforgiving and depression are like blood brothers. It’s like drinking rat poison and waiting for the rat to die. I blamed a lot of people for my condition but I soon realized that nobody owed me anything. I was the one who owed myself everything. The moment I stopped holding grudges and putting my trust in men, a weight was removed off my shoulders. I was in a perfect position to believe in myself and dictate my destiny.


6. Attitude of Gratitude
When we complain we are only amplifying our depression. Instead of complaining about my situation, I looked for a more convenient way of escape. Every morning I would pen down a worry and gratitude list. It made me realize how ungrateful I have being and forced me to adopt a more positive outlook to life.


7. Discover Your Passion
Finding a new passion can help you feel like you have more of a purpose in life and can give you a reason to wake up every morning. When you are engrossed in things that you have passion for, you completely forget your condition. I have always loved to learn another foreign language, so I decided to utilize my waiting period to learn French and it was an amazing experience.


8. Cocktail of Books and Songs 
Depression made me isolated from the world but I soon found solace in rock and gospel songs. They altered my brain chemistry and always injected me with immense positive vibe. When I was not listening to positive songs, I often buried myself in books. It was always a welcome relief to read about how the great men and women I admired had to go through similar struggles before they became successful. This would give rise to my first book My Book of Success Stories.


9. Why Always Me?
I always compliment other people for doing something great or achieving great results, but I was rather too harsh on myself. So I decided to give myself compliments each time I did something great. I developed the attitude of always telling myself I was the best and that I was destined for greatness.


10. Peace Like A River
There was no better step in my effort to overcome depression than drawing closer to God. The peace that God gives is far more wonderful and is beyond human comprehension. His peace will keep your thoughts and your heart at rest always.


My dear friends, depression can be very uncomfortable and terrifying but it will pass. All it takes is your time and patience. As difficult as it may be to endure right now, there would be a day when you look back at this time of your life and see it as a great gift.

Overcoming depression may appear difficult at first. Apparently you will not completely get over your frustrations overnight but you will make progress with diligence and patience. Keep taking positive steps and don’t devote more attention to your circumstance than necessary. The more you focus on positive thoughts, the less power depression has over you.

I pray that you find the will to overcome depression if you are going through it right now.

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE NOT FREE

I have often heard the saying "The best things in life are free". A few days ago after some personal experience, I sat down to really think about it. If the best things in life are really free, then why aren't we all over the moon? Why do some people live a more pleasant life than the others when it actually costs nothing to be happy? This is because nothing in life is ever free. The truth is that some things may appear to be free but then there is always a price to pay.

Free doesn't always mean the absence of money. When something is free in my opinion, it means that little or no effort was put into its possession. If that is the case, then there will always be a cost to the best things in life.

Just being alive costs people so much money. It's simply known as the cost of living. Life has a fee and hard work is the price. You pay for life with your blood, sweat and tears. As a living being, you have to feed, clothe and be sheltered. And all of these things come at a price.

On the other hand, the air we breathe is not absolutely free. Some people in this world need to buy oxygen to stay alive. And the last time I checked oxygen is not cheap at all. Also, some of us actually breathe in polluted air which will likely give us away depending on how our metabolism reacts to the air we breathe. So the air you breathe in can prove costly on the long run.

FIGHT YOUR FEARS. IT'S A BATTLE YOU MUST WIN

Do you ever at any time have a feeling that something bad might happen to you or around you? Do you refrain from doing something credible because you are afraid that you might fail? Ever had a wonderful idea that might turn out to be a success but faded away because you couldn't push it through? 

Daily, we are confronted with these questions every now and then. Some of us take up the challenge to make it up but others still give up. One day you will look back at all the opportunities life has presented you with and begin to wonder why you did not take them. The answer will be simple. You were too afraid at the time to see the possibility of turning those opportunities into success. 

Fear is what always stands before you and success. The faster you learn how to overcome fear the closer you are to attaining success. Some of the fears you are faced with are the fear of the unknown, fear of failure and fear of not living up to standard the world has set for us. These fears will always be there and the only thing you can do is to learn how to overcome it. Whatever fears you are facing, always consider asking God for guidance on how to overcome them. 

You have to always think positively when trying to overcome fear. Instead of thinking of the negative things that may happen, think of the positive things that will come out of the situation if you go ahead. 

Overcoming fear is an art anyone can master but the real challenge is when fear has become part of your personality. To overcome this kind of fear, you must be ready to commit to giving it your very best. The chances are if you are not fully committed, you might not succeed and it will further trap you the more.

Only those who know how to overcome their fears make it to the top in life. Overcoming your fears will see you charting a new course and navigating towards success. True freedom only comes when you overcome your fear. I wish you all the best as you take that important step to overcoming fear.