MY FIRST DAY @ ALAUSA

  A Brief Description of Alausa
Alawusa is a locality in Ikeja local government of Lagos State, Nigeria. It is the seat of the Lagos State Secretariat and offices of the Governor and Deputy-Governor of Lagos State. Alawusa also has a vibrant and growing Central Business District with several multinational business concerns like Cadbury Nigeria Plc and many others having their offices located in the area. It also has many low density residential estates like the Cornerstone Estate; MKO Abiola Gardens located within it.

 

5 THINGS YOU CAN NEVER LIVE WITHOUT!

Life revolves round some factors or parameters, that implies that for you to live you life to the fullest potential you have to adhere to certain unbreakable principles. Otherwise, you would sound like the man who yelled out of frustration "my life makes no sense". This five "F"s if adopted would definitely change your life just as much as it has change mine. These five things

BE YOURSELF!

Man know thyself-Aristotle

In life, we should decide to be nothing than ourselves. We should learn to appreciate the way we are created. We should behave, act and do in accordance to our inherent" makeup". No wonder the great philosopher, Aristotle once said "Man know thyself" He understands the power of self. He understands that everyone is created in a unique fashion. But in our society today, the reverse is just the case. People have changed just as the world changed drastically. They now emulate the entire life styles of other people even to an extent of coping the way they dress, talk and make their hairs. They have lost the unique power inside of them and have sort for other ways to live better.

Few days ago, I went to a barber's shop to have my hair cut. As I sat down, my eyeballs fell on a large mirror hanged on the wall just in front of me. I looked intently at my reflection, the color of my skin, the shape of my eyeballs, and I smiled and said silently in my heart "I am great, I appreciate the way I am created" Those words sank deep inside of me. It raised my self worth. I develop an usual likeness for my self. That incidence spurred me to writing this article. As the barber grabbed the clippers, he said to me "Why not try this haircut style" as he pointed his fingers to a paper that hung on the wall. I refuted his suggestion and replied "Please kindly give me my usual haircut style" After having my haircut, I realized that, everyone was created differently and that we should decide to be ourselves, maintaining our dormant features and characteristics.

 God created us for a specific purpose and consequently put in us special qualities and features to help use accomplish that purpose. He knew everything about you ever before your parents thought of bringing you to this planet earth. He programmed everything  about you and installed them inside you in form of you looks, physique, characters, speech, height and others. The bible says in Genesis1:27 "So God looked at everything he had made, and he was very pleased"  So the way you are is never an accident. So why will you conform to the standard of this world neglecting the "goldmine" within you. Many a youth are living a lie. How they behave, the clothes they wear, how they walk are just a replica of a particular person.Why? The answers are left for us to answer. The bottom line of this article is Be Yourself!

John Mason will say "You are born original, don't die a copy" No wonder 9ice said in his popular hit track "photocopy, ko easy"(photocopy is not easy) . Please mind you, I am not saying you should not inculcate the good qualities and habits of people like: perseverance, courage, Diligence and Humility. All am inferring is that, you should always be yourself!

In an interview, I watched on TV on the life of the female actress, Omotola Ekehinde, She was asked if she had role models. Her replied left me dumbfounded. She said "I learn from professionals, but the only rolemodel I have is myself" She gave an insightful answer because she understood the power of appreciating and being oneself.

Decide today, to be nobody order than yourself!
Thanks,

-CYPRIAN UDEBUIKE

COURAGE

Courage simply put, the ability or strength to do what is right regardless of the consequences. The article you are about to read was culled from Norman Vincent's book "7 Values to live by for Success to be achieved" When I flip through this page, I was held spellbound. I felt different inside of me. A different kind of courage engulfed me and I became unsually bold. Read and act on this principles.
-CYPRIAN UDEBUIKE.

Successful living requires courage. Perhaps, courage is a basic-life quality that God gives us since it is from the spirit. Moments may come when courage alone may stand between us and disaster. There will be times when we shall need dogged courage to keep us going when the going gets hard. And what is the source of such rugged courage? It is the sense of God's presence, when we hear him say "I am with you always"

 To have courage first, do three things : First think courage. We become what we think. There is a law of attraction whereby like responds to like. If you think thoughts of courage, courage will flow to you. The more courageous your thinking, the greater your results will be. Second, act courageously. We usually get according to what we act. And we all have built into us the capacity to act with courage. Third, pray for courage. Pray for courage as you pray for your daily bread. God will give you Himself.

 Gladys Jones was a little person. Seated her feet scarcely touched the floor. But she had pure and undoubting faith in God. She trusted implicitly. She came to see me in New York City. I wonder how this quite petite lady had the courage to face the terrifying experience that were shown in the motion picture "Inn of the Sixth Happiness" As she visited me, I asked her to tell me the story.

 At a Salvation Army street meeting in London, she became converted, completely changing her life. The gentleman for she worked in London  had a wonderful library on China, and she began reading.
One day, her emloyer came in, found her reading, and reproached her. He said "I hired you to dust and clean, not to read my books. Besides, you didn't ask if you might read my books" "Sir" she said "I am fascinated with China" "Read the books then, but not until after you get the housework done" he replied.

 Through her reading , Gladys came to believe that God  wanted her go to China as a missionary. She went to the mission board. The members, all highly intellectual, highly educated church leaders, gave her an intellectual test she couldn't pass. They said:"No you can't go." But did that faze her? Not at all. She had receive her commission from a higher source than a mission board.

 So Gladys Jones went to China without any sponsorship and was now sitting in my study telling me about the times she spent on the streets in Yangchuan and other cities. The tiny British cockney woman told the people that no power on earth could overcome the person who gave his or her life to God and Jesus Christ. She went on telling this message weeks after weeks.

 One day, the governor called her, saying,"We have a terrible situation. There is a riot in the prison where murderes and vicious men are guarded by only twelve guards. If only we go in, they will kill us. One of the worst men in the prison has a huge meat cleaver, and has already killed two men and terrified the others. We want you to go in and take the meat cleaver out of his hands" "You must be out of your mind, sir" she said.

 "I have listened to you in the street saying that God is always with you, about Daniel in the Lion's den, and how Jesus Christ in your heart will protect you" "Ah, but you misundertand, sir" "Haven't you been telling the truth?" he replied. "I know what you've said, and I believe you"

She knew that if she  ever want people to believe, she would have to go into that prison. She asked the Lord to go into that prison with her and she felt strangely peaceful. After unlocking the prison door, they quickly shut her in. There, at the end of a long, narrow tunnel about shouting and cursing. She prayed, "Be with me, Lord"

She walked to the end of the tunnel and saw the man with the meat cleaver, which was dripping with blood, chasing another man. Suddenly, he was in front of her. They stood facing each other: the little woman and the giant. She looked into his wild and feverish eyes and calmly said, "Give me that weapon" There was a moment of hesitation; then, with utter docility, he handed it to her."Now" she said, "get in lie, all of you" Quitely they line up.

"What are your complaints?' she asked. "I will tell them to the governor, and I assure you in his name, that, where possible, they will be corrected" As a believer, Gladys found unbelievable courage. Her secret can be found in a scripture verse from psalms that gives a formular anyone can follow to find courage in any situation: "I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears"(Psalms 34:4)

"Courage is the resistance to fear, mastery of fear-not the absence of fear"
-Mark Twain

HOW TO GENERATE IDEAS

I have struggled so much in life, following the crowd in misdirected efforts. I have given in to too so many good ideas that had left me frustrated and hopeless. I have seeked for ideas from the wrong sources until I came across this word you are about to read. It furnishes you on how and where to get ideas that could change you life. Read and enjoy!
-CYPRIAN UDEBUIKE

How to Generate Ideas

How do we generate ideas? I have classified the two means into two: The natural or ordinary process and the supernatural or extraordinary process. But first, if you are going to get new ideas, it is essential you eradicate negative thinking from your mind. Impossibility thinking must be sent to jail. You will not be able to produce productive ideas if you think negatively. So the word "IMPOSSIBLE" should be deleted from your vocabulary. All of the body functions, including the brain are controlled by words.
  Scientist discovered several years ago that the nerves at the speech center of the brain control all other parts of the body.Negative thinking and speech are the major reasons why some people will not receive the ideas that will lauch them to their breakthrough. Quickly lets discuss the various ways we can generate ideas.

NATURAL PROCESS

1.Identify A Need.

Find a need and fill it. For example, people need to wear clothes, make clothes. The problem with the average person is that our inner eyes are closed. One man's problem is another man's opportunity. Some people only see the problem and don't see the opportunity. We love to dance and sing. That creates the need for music and musical instruments. We need to get ideas to meets the variety of needs around us. We have needs with respect to housing, transportation, communication, recreation, feeding, information, etc.

2.Simplify An Existing Process or Product. 
For example, cables have been used for telephones but now we do don't need cables. Someone got the idea for a wireless system. Sit down in your office and think of how your work can be done in a simplier way. Think of how you can improve on the current methods and equipment employed in your field.

3.Adapt Another Idea. You may see a fast-food that is doing well in london and move over to reproduce the same thing with a slight modification to suit your environment.

4.Create a Need. Before, man used water to entertain visitors, but now we use soft drinks. Man was not born with the innate desire for soft drinks. Its general acceptance by the populace has made it a standard requirement for entertainment. The need for soft drinks was created by man.

5. Exposure. Reading, traveling and asking questions helps to arrange and rearrange thougts in our minds.

SUPERNATURAL PROCESS

All the methods in the ordinary process use the five senses. But with respect to the extraordinary process we receive ideas, information from the invisible realm. The greatest ideas that man will ever know are the ones coming from the invisible realm. How do we condition our mind to receive supernatural ideas?

1.Prayer.
 Dr Robert Schuller says: "Sow a prayer, reap an idea" Call to me and I will answer you. I'll tell you wonderful and marvellous things that you could never figure out on your own"-KJV

2.Meditation on the Word Of God.

The greatest idea resource book in the whole world is the bible. It puts God's creativity on display. It demonstates how God resolved so many seemingly inpossible situations. The word of God establishes one fact that there is always a way. Meditating on it prepares our mind to receive inspired ideas from God."This book of law shall not depart from your mouth, but you sahll meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and you will have good success" Along with meditation on the bible, there is the need for for general meditation. Take some time out to think. Great works are products of great thoughts.
 
 Ten minutes of thinking can be worth more than ten hours of misdirected efforts. Life pays you according to the quality of your thought. It is mental thought expressed through physical work that guarantees quality results

3. Giving.
It is clealy established in the bible that giving provokes a flow of ideas from God.To read more on giving click here.

Do you wish to read the books above?. Do you want to learn how your great ideas can rule the world? Then call 08088733350 0r visit www.cy-booksinc.blogspot.com

-Sam Adeyemi, excerpt from his book "Ideas rules the world"

THE GIFT OF WORK

The Gift of Work (excerpted from Praise George’s new book of the same title)

The Gift Of Work

Once upon a time, an old man was dying in his home. His three sons hung around his bed anxiously waiting for him to tell them where he kept his secret gold stash. When they were children, they worked with their father on the farm. But they were lazy and hated the hard work on the farm. When they got older, they relocated to the city where they thought that life was going to be easier. But life was tough in the city. After many years of struggle, they did not achieve the elusive success they dreamed of. They all believed that the old man had some money hidden somewhere which would make their lives more comfortable. This was their inheritance and they were going to get their share.
The dying man opened his eyes and asked for a drink of water. The youngest son gave him a drink and he lay silent for a few minutes. He opened his eyes again and tried to speak. His voice was very weak and shaky. They all strained to hear his final words.  Before he could utter a word, he was caught in a spasm of coughing. The children were getting impatient. They had plans for the evening. If the old man wanted to die, he should do it quickly, they thought.
‘The gold…the gold… is buried in the land…’ His weak voice trailed off.
‘Dad,’ the youngest son knelt beside him. ‘Dad, did you say that the gold is in the land?’ He asked with anxiety in his voice.
The old man shook his head slowly. ‘The gold…in the land, gold…in…the land….’he said again, smiled and gave up the ghost.
‘So that is where he hid his gold,’ said the eldest son. ‘Let’s go dig it out,’ said the middle born. So, the three of them took shovels and hoes and started digging the land, searching for the hidden treasure. The work got a bit tough for them so they hired some labourers to help with the digging. After 3 months of digging they did not find any gold. The eldest son called for an emergency meeting.
‘We have searched for gold for the past 90 days and we found nothing. In the process of searching, we have prepared the ground for planting. I suggest we sow some wheat so that our labour won’t go to waste.’ The other two brothers reluctantly agreed to his plan.   A couple of months later, as the three brothers stood watching the labourers harvest the golden sheaves of wheat, it dawned on them what their father meant when he told them that the gold was hidden in the field. The gold was the harvest of wheat! Their dad had tricked them into doing the farm work they hated by promising them gold. And indeed, they eventually found gold in the land.
Your talent will not produce by itself, it requires work to unleash its potential. One of your greatest allies in life is your ability to work. Successful people value their work and pay attention to it. The not too successful do not pay attention to their work. I have come to discover that one of the reasons why some people are at the top of their profession and others are not is their attitude to work.
Work is the instrument by which your talent will be developed.  When you utilize your talent, you stretch it, you build it, you develop it. Work helps you to unlock the latent forces which lie untapped within you. Work helps you to reach deep within you to pull out some resources which will amaze you. The more you work, the more you discover something interesting about your talent which you never realized. There are so many things you can do with your talent but unless you engage yourself in productive work, you will never discover them.
It was Kahlil Gibran who wrote “Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love, but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.”
Some people see work as a curse, but the truth is that work is a blessing. If you want to know the meaning of hell, sit at home for three days doing nothing. Try it out and see how you will feel. If you do not become sick because of boredom, the arrival of bills will wake you up to the stupidity of your actions. Work is the gift which enables you pay the bills! Did you get that? If you don’t have the money to pay the bills, you will soon be out on the streets without a roof over your head. Every time you sleep in your bed at night, remember that it is the gift of work which enabled you to have this basic necessity of life.
Excerpted from The Gift of Work (c) 2011 by Praise George

THE KUNFU PANDA!

Have you seen a panda recently? Do you still remember how robust a panda can be?.I never knew that a panda can be so athletic that it can even fight kunfu!. The movie"The Kunfu Panda" threw more lights on how what we mostly consider as impossibilities can be made possible.These are the SIX lessons I learned from the KUNFU PANDA. Enjoy!

1.We always Have a Resource:

In the words of Seun Salami he noted "God can never leave us without a resource and raw materials to start our lives with" Who ever you are, No matter how poor you think you are, you have something to start your life with. Your hands are gifted only if you could realize it and harness it. 'It is not what we don't have that makes us frustrated, it is what we have but do not know how to use. Many people continue to go in circles without looking deep inside their selves to exploit the goldmine within. At creation, God passed air into our nostrils and we became living beings. That air was not just air, it was air of talents, creativity, ideas we need to prosper and succeed in life.
A popular gospel singer,once said"God send us into this earth to exhale what He has inhaled in us" Po, the panda never knew he had the potentials to move his body let alone to fight kunfu, which was the greatest fight in his time. The battle of kunfu as shown in the movie was for tough fighters but he never knew he had the potential to become one. Perhaps because of his size.In the long run, he found what He had inside and let it out. It is not what's outside of us that makes us great but what is inside of us.

2.Everything Begins with A Dream/Vision

Dream big dreams-Brian Tracy

Po suffers the pains from training.

Po, the panda had been having dreams and vision of becoming a super kunfu fighter. He had this particular dream where he saw himself dressed life a hero and fought with some bad guys that had been causing nuisance in the hood. He did not just fought, he defeated them single handedly. He often place a plaque in his room, of the people he wanted to be like. Every morning, when he gets up from bed, he would dash straight to this plaque, meditate a bit and demonstrate some kunfu styles he never knew of. It was quite funny, but his dream kept him going.

 Success begins with a dream. So what are your dreams? If you have never dreamt of what or who you want to be like, you had better start today, because success begins with a dream.

3.We should learn to stand on the shoulders of Giant.

Despite the dreams, vision and deep desire in the heart of Po the Panda, he could not achieve them alone. No wonder, he agreed to go through the tough and fiercy training his master,Shiffu lead him threw. At a point in his life, he began to doubt himself, he could no longer bear the pains, the hard training that he wanted to quit. But as his master threw the lid off his eyes, he understood vividly that he had to follow the path of the masters. He endured and he won.
  We have head of Isaac Newton quote corcerning this "If I had seen farther than other, it is because I stood on thr shoulders of Giants" In every field you have decided to make a mark, seeek for people who have made marks already. Learn to have experienced people guide you on your road to success. By so doing you multiply your succcess speed.

4.Don't sell noodles, stretch out your Desire

Po's  foster father sells noodles, he never had any dream for his son than for him to sell noodles with him at a small restaurant in the outskirts of the village. Po's desire never to sell noodles with His foster father. His deep-seated desire was to become a DRAGON WARRIOR.But Po did not just dream, he stretched his dreams by leaving his comfort zone. He never loved to miss the fight at the market square, each year. The more you stecht your dreams  the more nucleus your dreams forms in your heart. It was at the time Po was struggling to enter through the gate after he had been shut outside that he meet with his DESTINY!   

 Po, a boy of humility found it hard to disclose his own dream to his foster father, probably because, his father would be angry with him for not buying the idea of selling noodles at the store. Po hid his dream never relenteded until he succeeded and became the next hero in the entire town. You must display a strong desire to leave you comfort zone, otherwise you will never get out of it. So what is it you want to achieve, have a strong desire and pursue it. It was desire that made po the hero he was.

5. Never Demean Yourself.

I was personally moved by this particular lesson. I had been held back for donkey's years because I  have never picture myself a true success. I always saw my self as inferior to others. I down graded my self and my self worth was in a big mess. My life changed the day I watch this movie. Po was chosen as the next kunfu warrior by the old tortoise, a man filled with wisdom. Imagine this: some group of people called you, and said you are going to be the next president of your country when you have never resume the office of a senator. Everyone taught it was a mistake because Po had no experience at all as a kunfu fighter, let alone being a the next hero of  the entire community, that is going to face a fierce invader. He never believed it. But what happened, that experience brought out the potential hero in him, that experience forced him out of his comfort Zone.

 So never feel inferior to take up some challenges or of setting big and challenging goals for your self. You have the potential to do just anything you set you mind to do.

6.Stand on the Shoulders of Giants:

  

Sir Isaac Newton once said 'If I had seen farther, it is because I stood on the shoulders of giants' In the story 'The kunfu Panda' You will agree with me that in spite of the fact that Po had the potentials of becoming a Dragon Warrior, he would not have been able to become that if not for the mentoring, training and motivation he got from his Master Shiffu. Everyone needs someone to motivate you to greatness. 

Anyone who had become great was mentored or encourage by someone else. When you are emotionally down, when you begin to feel that your dreams can not come true, when you are feel like giving up you need someone to keep you motivated and encouraged. In whatever field or endeavour you find yourselve look out for people who have already achieve what you are yearning to achieve and make them your metors.

You could meet them physicall, listsen to their tapes or even read their books.

Finally, there is a mentor above all mentors and that person is God. He will crown all your efforts with success.

 

MORE THAN A DREAM!

                         "And God said unto me, write: for these words are true and faithful"
                        Rev 21:5

It was on the 14th of June 2011, I jumped out of bed and realized  it was a dream, not just a dream, but a dream with a message. Dreams are normal occurrences which individuals experience. I observed I dream dreams whenever I mediate on the word of God and say my beads(prayers). Whenever I have a bad dream, I cancel its effect through prayers. On the days I have good dreams, all I do is seal them up with fervent prayers for its manifestations.

  On this fateful day, at about 2am at night, after my meditations, contrition and prayers, I tuned in to bed. I experienced another dream. But this was more than a dream, it was more than a nightmare, it was accompanied with a piece of messages, caution and warnings to me. I had no other term to qualify it than to call it a REVELATION! like I said earlier, prior to this revelation  I had meditated on my sins which caused me to sober and cringe in pain, I wanted God's divine grace to heal me of my sins, It was in this same mood I tuned in.

I was transited into a different realm. It was in this realm I saw this revelation I am going to share with you. It was really a wonderful experience since it was the first time I had such a serious dream that struck my heart like never before. To cut the long story short, this was the dream!

THE REVELATION

In this dream, I saw the clouds above covered with a gigantic figure which I later realized was a dragon pouring out flames of fires form its mouth. Everyone was tensed, noise rented the air, people were running haphazardly for dear lives. I stood still, with my legs shattering furiously and almost pulling itself out of its sockets. My eyeballs focused on the clouds, I saw the dragon rear out its ugly head, with a fierce countenance. Its eyeballs was like coals of fire, in about a jiffy, the dragon yelled with a loud noise and vanished into the thin air- back inside the clouds. It was at this point I took to my heels.

 I fought with my instincts to capture the meaning of the incidence, flashes of messages surged inside my heart, but one strucked me hard. All of a sudden I said on top of my voice "The end time is here", "the end time is close" While people were still running, I managed to hold myself together, and I began to beseech God's mercy and forgiveness of sins. Tears well up my eyes, I saw myself repeating this affirmations " I don't want to miss heaven" "I don't want to miss heaven"

 I made a beeline heading to where my father stood just beside where we live. I said bolding to my father "Daddy repent of your sins"  with tears still pouring down copiously. I never wanted to miss any of my relatives.I was not in control of myself, at all. I called my relatives, together with some people around;and I began to explain the incidence to my best understanding. Remember, I was still dreaming.

I jumped out of bed, lo and behold, it was a dream! I was scared when I woke up, it was about 2pm midnight. It was raining cats and dogs. I was left dumbfounded. It took me minutes to really realized it was a dream truly. I knelt down to pray, but I found it hard to pray. I managed to say some prayers,asking God to include my name in the book of live and not of death and sorrow when I finally leave this earth, or when end time ruptures.

-CYPRIAN UDEBUIKE

MY LIFE@ 19

Cyprian, thinking about is life.

As I woke up on the 6th of November,which marked my 19th year birthday. I heard the dawn chorus which soothens my mind. I quickly recollect that day was my birthday. As I switch on the bulb in our sitting room. Something struck my mind. It was a quiet voice which creep into my heart, What I heard was this" Failure is never an option" I was flabbergasted, I wondered if someone next to me whisper that sound into my ears, I turned around to find no one. I stood for many minutes still confused. But I took up courage, claimed that voice. I said aloud to myself "FAILURE IS NEVER AN OPTION"

My father ran out of his room,to see what had went wrong. He eyes was still foggy. He find me up immediately I finished pronouncing those words to my self. He said "Okey,(my native name) what's the matter" and I replied"Nothing". He went back to his bed to complete his slumber.I  smiled to myself, I had this strong conviction in my self that failure was truly never an option.

I was glad and happy on the 6th of November. I projected myself five to ten years from now and saw what God had in place for me. I recalled what my first mentor told me "You are born to turn things around for your family". I gave God all the glory. At exactly 7:00am, my siblings fell out from the room one after the other What I saw in my mind's eye, were different boys and girls entirely. I saw world star footballer, I saw a graduate of Mass Communication, I saw a Big time caterer like the McDonald' I saw different gifts and abilities. I yelled inside of me. Wow! God you have blessed this family of mine.

I took a seat in the sitting room to think. I began to ask myself questions I have never asked myself for donkey's years. How will these talents come to pass. I read about the parables of talents in the book of Matthew of how the master of three servants entrusted talents in the hands of his servants, to one he gave five,the other two and to the last one. But the bible went ahead and said"all according to their abilities" As we already know, the one with five traded with it and regained another five, the one with two increase to four, while the one with the least amount of talent despise his own, never borthed to do anything with it  and went ahead to bury it. The story continues like that. I said to my self it is left to me to assist my siblings to multiply what the have now!

I saw my full responsibility as the first born of my family. I saw all what I have never done as the eldest and resolve to start executing my responsibility as the first born child. On the 6th of November-my 19th year birthday was a remarkable one for me even if I did not throw a party. I discovered something bigger, greater than that, I saw a vision, I saw the future and I vowed to make it come true. For me and my family-failure is never an option!