BABY COMING!

Hey guys! I am super excited to have you here today Trust you have been very well and everything has been great with you. I have been doing very well myself and everything has been great!

Guys, before we get into the main course; I am very excited to tell you that BABY is happening this year and it is coming up very soon.

For those who haven't heard of BABY or do not know what BABY is; I would give you a breakdown. BABY is the acronym for Be A Better You which is the annual event that Star's Delight hosts for teenagers and young adults.

Guess what guys. This year is going to be the sixth year and I can't wait to see you at BABY cause it is going to lit. There will be amazing sessions on Career, Academics, Relationship. There will be dance, song, rap, and other amazing side attractions. There will also be a BABY Challenge and this challenge is that you will read all the blogs of Star's Delight from January 2016 to August 2017. Questions will come from these twenty blogs and the winners will get amazing prices. So start reading!!!!

The part I love the most is that there will be free food. Tell me you don't like that part. I look forward to seeing you at BABY. It would be a good opportunity for us to meet in person and to also network with other readers of the blog. Prepare to come for BABY. Tell a friend to tell another friend to come for BABY.
The venue and date will come your way very soon.

Alright, so to the main course. Have you had this experience where a tiny strand of meat is stuck in your teeth and it makes you feel very uncomfortable? You literally can not do anything until that tiny strand is out of your teeth. Well, I have had this experience times without number.  When I am able to take it out eventually, I say to myself, "how can something this little give me so much discomfort?"
Whilst saying this to myself, I realize that really, I am not too small to make an impact. I am not too small to put a smile on some one's face. I am not too small to make a difference in someone's life.

I read something which was quite funny to me but also passed a very important message. It read,  "You think you are too small to make a difference? Try staying in the same room with a mosquito" I have had to stay in a room with a mosquito and it was not a funny experience for me. I could barely sleep all through the night as it kept singing in my ears. It was one experience that made me realize yet again that I am not too small, to make a difference. I have what it takes to make a difference in a life. I have what it takes to put a smile on a face.

Do not think you do not have what it takes because you do. Start right where you are. A smile, a hug, a call could be what would make a difference in a life.

Alright guys, it was great sharing this with you. Do have a great time and do well to share this post. I look forward to seeing you at BABY.

Loads of  Love,
Smiling D.

SELFIE LOVE

Hey guys! It’s great to have you here again. Trust you have been very well and everything has been going great. Pardon our short break in June. I’d definitely make it up to you.

Yep! So let’s get straight to business. Sit back relax and enjoy………

For those who know me very well, I am a picture freak. Not too long ago I put up a picture and captioned it.  “Do taking pictures weary me? No they do not”😊😊😊

 I love pictures I love life; I love me. To think that when I was way younger; I felt I had a weird smile. Now, I feel I have the cutest smile with two lovely dimples. I would look into the mirror; smile to myself and tell myself how pretty I am and how I’ve got such a beautiful dimpled  smile. Now; everyone tells me how lovely a smile I've got. 😉😉😉

You need to know and always tell yourself that you  are very unique; you are very beautiful and handsome the way you are. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise.

Have you realized that when a group picture is taken and you get to see it; the first person you check out is you? 

There are two sides to it; you probably begin to say how pretty your smile is, how great you looked; or on the flip side; you begin to think to yourself on how your smile was too broad, or how you didn’t have such  a great pose or how you should have adjusted your clothes or makeup better.

Do not beat yourself up for what you think should have been better in the picture; be proud of how you look.  If you feel you should have done something better; do it the next time you have an opportunity to.

I read something from Febi Idahosa one great man of God I respect a lot. He asked people to take group pictures and after they looked at the picture; he challenged them not to say anything or even see anything wrong in themselves in the picture; but choose to see the great things about themselves. That was very inspiring for me. 

You could take up that challenge as well, and begin to see only the good in yourself.

You have probably  heard a lot on  self-love over and over again, but really how much do you love yourself? If you really love yourself; you would not compare yourself to anyone. If you really love yourself; you would not be intimidated by anyone based on what they have; or have attained. 

Guys, I could go on and on; but I need to stop here. Start loving yourself; not in mere words; but in your actions. Guess what? How you treat others tells me how much you love yourself.

I would encourage you to take a selfie; or take a picture, and tell yourself how pretty a lady God made you; how handsome a guy God crafted you. How beautiful on the inside you are as well.It is amazing the confidence this activity will give you.

Do not let anyone or any circumstance to make you feel less of yourself or reduce the great value God put on you.

Have a great time guys! Do well to share; and do not forget to take that selfie or picture of yourself; and deliberately choose to see only the amazing things about yourself. 

Loads of Love,

Smiling D.

TICK DON'T MATTER

Hey guys! It's so great to have you here. Trust you have been very well and you have been having an amazing May. I have been very well myself and my May has been great.

 This is a short inspiring piece, that I don't seem to get tired of reading over and again.  Enjoy the read 😁😁😁

 One accessory that I always love to have on  is my wrist watch. It keeps me in check and enables me plan in the most effective way. Sometimes, do you wonder how your life would be without any device to tell the time? I really do and  I feel I would  be a very disorganized person.

Well, it's no news that a wrist watch or a wall clock always gives the tick tock sound. Just a couple weeks ago, it dawned on me that sometimes, as a matter of fact, most times, I do not even hear the sound of  my wrist watch  but that does not mean it's not working.

Guess what? The fact that you do not hear the tick tock of your clock,does not mean you are not making  progress. Your "clock" just may be your academics, career, relationship, it could be anything. You just  may feel like you can't see any progress in those areas. Shake that feeling off you. Once your battery is well charged, in other words,  playing your own role in those areas, then do not worry about hearing the sound of the clock.You are  making good progress.

How about the trees? You hardly see when the flowers begin to bloom, but the beautiful flowers tell you that progress has been made. So, relax, you don't have to hear the clock tick to believe it's working. You do not have to literally see the flowers bloom to know there is progress. Just keep doing what you know how to do best, and with God on your side, your progress will tell a story itself.

I hope you enjoyed reading this, as much as I did writing it. Do well to share and have an amazing time.

Loads of Love,
Smiling D

LOST AND FOUND

Hey guys! Trust you have been very well. I have been doing very well myself. It feels like the month of April did a sprint. The days went by so fast! Well, it's great to have you here again.

This is yet another piece that leaves me in awe any time I remember the events around it. So relax and enjoy as you go on this ride with me

One of the things I detest is finding  misplaced things; I am sure you know the reason. Yes, that is right.  I  do not like to look for things at all. We probably have this trait in common, or better still you have a friend who is like me☺☺ So, I am not alone😆

 Misplacing your purse that has all your important complimentary cards and your identification card as well definitely does not put a smile on your face.

One of the days in June 2010, after a very long day filled with about 2 course work deadlines, I realized later in the evening, that I had misplaced my purse. As soon as I realized, I checked my bag, it was no where to be found; searched everywhere I thought it could possibly be, still did not find it.
I began to do a mental playback of all the places I had been to that day, and all the activities, to see if any would tally with me dropping a purse somewhere. No it did not tally😔😔😔

At this point, I wished for a technology that helped people find lost purses.

I started to get worried because, all my important cards were all in the same purse. I literally couldn't do anything without the card, as my identification card which gave me access to all the buildings in school was also in the purse.
To make things worse, I did not have any of my contact in my purse, so the possibility of getting the purse was really slim.
I remember just speaking to God about it and pouring out my worries about my missing purse to Him.

Good for me it was a Friday; so I had the whole of the weekend to at least figure out the next step to take. I tried to come up with a plan but the thought of spending some money that was not planned for to replace a missing identification card was not going down well on me at all.
I decided  not to allow it bother me, and friends who knew my purse got missing began to ask if my purse was really missing as I did not look like one whose purse was missing😊😊😊

Well well, on Saturday morning, as usual I take my time to catch up on sleep that was lost in the course of the week. By the time I was ready to go out; it was noon. All dressed, I take my key and begin to lock up when I see something in the pouch on my door. My door had a pouch that people could drop messages when I am not around.  That "something" looked like my purse but I needed to be sure before screaming and jumping in excitement.  I hurriedly went to the pouch, and guess what?

Yes, it was my purse! I opened it in excitement, and every single thing was intact; including my money.
It felt very unreal to me for days and even weeks, I mean its seven years now, and when I remember, I am still in awe
.
How did it get to the pouch right on my door? Till today, I don't know, I may never know, but you know what gives me joy is the fact that God is ever mindful, and has a way of putting smiles on faces even when all hope has been lost.

It did not occur to me that I could find my purse on a platter of gold. What amazes me still is the fact that there was no information in the purse that stated my room number or how I could be reached. Irrespective of these, the purse was still found. Can you beat that?

This experience gives a reassurance that God is ever mindful, and cares about the seemingly small issues that concern you.

Have you lost something or somethings,  a friend, perhaps friends, maybe opportunities, or even time, there is hope, there is good news. When God is  involved in your life, nothing is really lost. He will compensate you in grande style for all that has been lost.

Alright, thanks for taking out time to read this. I trust you enjoyed reading  it as much as I did writing about my missing purse story. As always, do well to share. I look forward to hearing your own story of something missing that got found eventually😊😊😊
Till my next piece, have an awesome time.

Loads of Love,
Smiling D

LIFE IS EASY!!

Hey guys. It's great to have you here again. Trust you have been very well. I have been very well myself. Alright, first things first, you guys amazed me last month.

Woah! Thanks for all the shares on the post "Face It" I received messages from far and near stating how  inspiring  the post was. Trust me guys, I can't count how many times, that post  also inspired me as the writer. So, again, thanks to you my friends from all over the world. I look forward to meeting you in person very soon.

Yep! So this post is yet another that has inspired me personally, and I believe it would  do same to you and even much more. Happy reading...

It's exciting  to go to places you have not been before, as long as you have your GPS running very well, and of course all the logistics are in place. So this beautiful day,  I really wanted to go somewhere I had never been to before. I checked my map and found out that it wasn't far from my house and getting there in good time and with ease should not be a problem.

I set out, get on the train, and get off at my stop. According to my GPS, getting to my location is only a three minute walk from the train station. I get off the train, out to the street, and all of a sudden my GPS begins to play a fast one on me. Perhaps it is not;  I just cannot figure out what turn to take. I probably did not pay so much attention in my Geography class in high school 😃😃😃  Almost immediately, I hear a very subtle voice telling me to take the right turn. Against the subtle "turn right" voice I take the left. I feel that the left  turn I take is the right one to get to my destination.

 I keep walking for more than  twenty minutes, and that is when I realize that I am definitely  headed the wrong direction. I mean a three minute walk turning to a twenty minute walk is sure heading the wrong way. I go back to the train station and take the right turn and guess what, in less than three minutes I am at the location.

O my goodness! To think that if only I had listened and obeyed  when I heard the subtle voice say turn to the right, I would not have spent twenty minutes figuring out a destination which was only three minutes away from where I was initially.

This experience said something to me again,Your life is easier when you listen. What is God telling you to do or not to do and you are not quite sure about it;and as a result you go your own route? If you feel you are hearing yourself, simply be real with Him and tell Him how you feel, and He'd definitely give you clarity  and you will know what to do. Listening to His voice definitely makes life easier. You want your life to be easy? You sure do! Then listen to His voice.

Alright guys, till my next piece; have an awesome time. As always do well to share 😊😊😊😊

Loads of Love,
Smiling D.

FACE IT!

Hey guys. It's great to have you here yet again. I trust you have been very well; and your February has been great. Mine has been very great. This post means a lot to me personally and has inspired me greatly. I thought to share; to stir up something in you. As always, relax enjoy, and of course do well to share😊😊 Happy reading!

I would not consider myself as one who loves to take risks and try out new things. I would rather stay in the lane I am most comfortable in. Little did I know, that a five-day trip would launch me into a new world of taking risks.

So whilst in graduate school there was a special leadership course which was optional for students. The modules looked very interesting; courses on global perspective, global awareness and even global enterprise. I had also heard great things about the leadership course and wanted to be a part of it; so I signed up irrespective of the very high demands of graduate school.  Part of the leadership course involved having a global experience and that meant you had the opportunity to visit a country that was of interest to you. 

As a child, my dad  told my siblings and I stories of when he was in Asia and how beautiful a continent it was. He also promised my siblings and I that he would take us to Asia. Well, we couldn't go to Asia as kids; he paid us back in other currencies though😊😊😊 So when I saw a country in Asia among the lists of the countries to choose from, I did not have to think twice before signing up.

We arrived Asia safely, after so much turbulence. Well, that is a story for another day. 

 The first three days involved a lot of workshops and tours. The last two days were majorly scheduled for team building activities. I mean, that was good for me, because I love to relate with people and team work has a special place in my heart; of course when all hands are on deck.😉😉😉

On the first day of the team building activities, the  coordinator gave the list of activities we were all going to be involved in. The initial activities were really tasking but I chose not to be dettered and decided that I was going to do it.

 As soon as the last activity was mentioned, I did not have to think about it twice, I was definitely going to back off. This activity involved a lot of risks; building a raft and sailing to the sea to get a treasure and sailing back to shore. Seriously, building a raft, and sailing? In something that seemed like a minute, a thousand thoughts ran through my mind. What if we did not build it well? What if we got drowned? What if the life guards could not come to our rescue in time. No kidding, the "what if's" kept flooding the timeline of my mind. Don't blame me for all those thoughts, I am an amateur swimmer. Well even if I was a professional, we are talking about the sea here.😄😄😄 

Almost immediately, I really do not know where that courage came from; I told myself, "D, you are going to do this". Before my mind began to tell me a thousand reasons why I should not engage in this exercise, I joined my team mates and began building the raft. Did I tell you it was a competition between two teams? Oh yes it was! As soon as we were done building the raft, we began paddling and sailing in order to get the treasure. My team tried her best to get to the treasure earlier, however, the other team got it faster than we did😢😢😢.

Well, it did not really matter to me that my team did not get the treasure; what mattered to me the most was that I was able to face that great fear and do what I had never done before. Till now, I look at the pictures, and I am shocked that I faced the fear and conquered it by rising to the challenge.

 This experience also gave me the faith that I can do what I think I cannot do. This is my word for you today, whatever it is you are afraid of doing, just do it. One phrase from God's word that gives me strength is, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". So, yes, sometimes, I get scared to do some things, but when I remember this verse and my experience on the raft I get encouraged again, and say to myself, D, you can do it, with God by your side you sure can do it.

You know what touched me the most in this experience, a lady came to me, and said, when she saw me engage in those tasking activities, she was motivated and said to herself, "If a lady like this can do it, I sure can". Guess what guys? She did all the activities I did as well; conquering her fears.

 I read something some years ago which said, "Do it afraid". So whatever it is, just face it, and do it. As I end this post, I am saying to myself and to you as well,  start doing all the things you have been afraid of doing, face it, and conquer it, and always remember that with God on your side, nothing is impossible.

I look forward to hearing your amazing story of conquest over that issue of dread.

Till my next piece, have an awesome time.

Loads of Love,

Smiling D.

PEN IT! SAY IT!

Hey guys!! It is always a delight having you here. I trust you have been having an amazing 2017. I am so excited about what this year holds. I have a great feeling that it's going to be an amazing year.  I am looking forward to every month, in fact everyday in this new year. You should too!😁😁

Oh yes, I know it is the end of the month already, but I needed to drop this to inspire someone as this has also inspired me. It's no news that you've got loads of plans for this year, that is really awesome. I am really optimistic that all your plans will come to fruition in the course of the year.

Relax and enjoy.................

So, four years ago, I had a desire to host an event for young adults, and to say I knew how to go about all the logistics would not be the truth. Yes, I always imagined the event being really grande and affecting all the participants positively, but when I thought about the execution, it sent chills down my spine.

Before, I began speaking to people about the plans, and requesting some of them to be part of the team, I drafted all I wanted to see at the event.  Everyday I took the draft and said it to myself. It got so good that I did not need my phone or printed sheet to say what I wanted to see at the event. I had said it over and over again that every part of me was conversant with the draft.

As soon as I had people who were happy to work with me on the project, I handed out the small printed piece, which contained everything I wanted to see at the event.  I told them to kindly read it out everyday, calling those things that are not as though they were.

It took several months preparing for the event, and eventually the big day came. Amazingly, all what I wrote in that small piece happened at that event. After the event, I took out the piece and compared what happened at the event to what was on the piece, it was just exactly what I wrote.

It's four years now and guess what? I still have that piece, and every time I look at it, it brings smiles to my face and reminds me that  what I speak has a great potential of becoming. So this month, all through this year, get yourself a journal, write all you want to see in every aspect of your life  and begin to say it everyday.

If you need to set an alarm to remind you that hey, its time to speak life, please do. Sooner than you think, perhaps later,  but at the very right time, it would still become your reality

Don't  stop thinking big no matter what comes your way. Don't stop talking big, no matter what life throws at you. I know from previous experiences, that speaking life eventually brings life. So, begin creating that beautiful tomorrow by writing it down and speaking about it today and everyday.

When it becomes a reality, as I know it would do well to share your joy. I look forward to hearing your amazing story.

Till my next piece have an awesome time. Oh, yes! As always, do well to share.😄😄

Loads of Love,
Smiling D