My sister is good at surprises.
*“There is no surprise more magical than the surprise of being loved: It is God's finger on man's shoulder.”*
Charles Morgan
Right from when we were young, my sister has always loved getting surprises from friends and families. She grew up to getting surprises and many times loves to surprise other people too. She is very good at it and most times, we make her know how dangerous it could be especially when travelling.
One thing I know about my sister is that when she is travelling, she will never tell you she is on her way. You will just see her bump into your arms or startle you from behind and you'd wondered if she appeared like a ghost. It was always an unexpected visit for her. She enjoys it because she loves seeing that surprised face on people and to her, it's so much fun.
I also love surprising people when I am travelling because I wouldn't want people to know I am coming over to their places. While this is always interesting, we should always know that we might get disappointed most times when those we are visiting aren't at home or they didn't plan to make any meals for us.
Then, it will now dawn on you that if you had known, you would have made them know so that they could prepare something for you because you might be starving on your way and waiting to meet delicious meals that would pass you by eventually.
There was a time I wanted to make it a surprise to go to my hometown even when my sister kept pestering me to know when I would be coming home. I told her I don't know yet even when I was in the bus already. I intended to surprise my grandma and dad but I ended up spoiling it when I mistakenly took a picture of me in the bus and uploaded it on my WhatsApp status with the caption “In the bus, going home.” 😅😅
I forgot that my little sister was online and she viewed my status and my plan was forfeited. There was no need to hide again because I spoiled it myself. It was painful but I let it go.
Now, for my immediate younger sister. Since we would be having the burial of one of my relatives that died last month, we all decided to attend too since the deceased is our family. She already told me she would be going home on Thursday which is tomorrow while I told her I will be coming on Wednesday which is today.
I was surprised when she called me last night that she is already in our hometown. I couldn't believe her because I reminded her that she already told me it is Thursday she would be coming. We both chatted yesterday afternoon and she didn't say anything about her trip. She said she was on her way when we were both chatting.
Thank God she got home safely with one of our aunts. By the time this post is published, I will still be on my way to our hometown and it's a far distance. I am happy we would be seeing each other again after many months. Though, we saw ourselves last this January because we all were together during Christmas in the year 2021 and the new year in 2022. We departed after the celebration and we are seeing each other again before everyone goes back to their destination.
For me, this would be the only time they would be seeing me until another year since I will be going for my NYSC service by March or so.
Who doesn't like surprising people. One needs to be careful with it because as sweet as it can be, it is also prone to receiving disappointment when you do not carry the other person along.
Imagine planning to surprise a lady to propose to her especially in the public and she turns you down? It will be a great embarrassment. This is why you must be sure and see your relationship on the right ground.
Also, if you want to meet a delicious meal prepared for you at home when you are trying to travel, please let them know you are coming so that you won't have to face what my elder sister and I faced some months ago.
We visited our maternal grandmother surprisingly and we didn't eat anything till we left that day as we were craving her delicious stew. There is this style she uses to make her fried stew and we thought she would prepare it but we failed as we didn't inform her. She said if we had told her of our coming, she would have made something for us. We were pained but we left without eating anything that day.
Thanks for your time.
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[December 14, 2022] (No 333 articles for the year)
Take these steps so you don't have to go into debt.
*“Debt is like any other trap, easy enough to get into, but hard enough to get out of.”*
Henry Wheeler Shaw
Debt is the money you owe to a third party, usually a bank, to a credit card provider or some other type of lender; like someone having a lot of cryptos in his wallet.
When you borrow or loan crypto or money to purchase something, for example, a home or a car, you automatically get into debt, or when you use a credit card to spend money that isn't yours, giving a specified time to pay or return, you are already in debt.
When it comes to debt, there is always an agreement that enables the borrower to repay borrowed money over an inevitable period, sometimes with a fee or interest.
Many of us would have been in debt, either from a bank, using someone's credit card or borrowing some crypto tokens for investments, and most times to feed with the hope of repaying at a certain period. The lender might decide on adding some fee or interest, and if there is no agreement, the lender will not release his or her money or crypto to the borrower.
Debt is widely spread than ever in today's society. Looking at the data, it reveals that consumer debt has grown to more than $14.9 trillion in recent times which makes the average consumer have about $92,727 in debt. And as this keeps growing and is common, it is important to become aware of ways or understand how to manage debt.
**Revolving versus Non-Revolving debt**
*Every debt is either revolving or non-revolving.*
Revolving debt is the one where you continue to spend and pay off the debt. It doesn't have a fixed number of payments. Revolving debt is also the balance you carry from any revolving credit. An example of this is a credit card, also, a line of credit such as a home equity line of credit is a type of revolving debt.
Non-revolving debt which is also called instalment debt must be paid off over a specific period with an ‘agreed-upon’ payment term and interest rate. Examples of this are student loans, personal loans, mortgages and car loans.
**Secured versus unsecured debt**
For a secured debt, the lender can seize an asset from you if you don't make your payment at an agreed date. A secured debt is always secured by collateral or an asset. Examples of secured debt are mortgages and auto loans, and the lender can decide to seize your home or car if you do not pay them back.
Unsecured debts do not have any collateral behind them, but it does not mean the lender cannot take any legal action to get their money back. They will, but there is be no asset to seize from you.
There is a need to understand debt because you have to consider these things before going into one;
Total balance in your account.
Interest rates by the lender.
Minimum monthly payments as agreed by the lender.
Estimated payoff date which will be agreed upon between the borrower and lender.
Major causes of debt may be as a result of; (1) expensive life events such as; too many children or moving to a new house. (2) Another may arise from poor money management.
Ways to avoid debt.
We all want to live a free life where we don't have to keep repaying what we have borrowed or loaned, but there are ways to keep away from debt which are;
Setting a monthly budget. This can be done between three groups — necessities, wants and pending debit.
Always pay with cash.
Engage in emergency funds. This is very important.
Avoid “buy now, pay later” deals.
Limit the number of credit cards.
Also, you can effectively manage and reduce your debt by following these ways;
Be in control of your account. Take account of it daily.
Do not spend more than you earn. Be honest with your spending.
Check your credit report.
Determine how much you have to pay
Lastly, figure out how much extra you can budget.
Thanks for your time.
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[December 13, 2022] (No 332 articles for the year)
It's been six days since I posted here.
*"Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day."*
Dalai Lama
I checked my blog here and I saw that it's been six days since I posted last and I feel bad about it. I have indeed been away for a while but yesterday, I decided to return and keep my blog busy again. The truth is that I have been so busy with the Dreemport challenge that I didn't give time here just because I want to keep topping the engagement leaderboard on Hive.
It was on Friday which was last week that I broke down with illness and when I found out what happened, it was that I have strained myself to the extreme and my body couldn't take it anymore. I had to stop and focus on my health while I take it slowly and hope for the best at the end of the four weeks challenge. It's all about who will be the dreemer of the year and this would be judged by the number of points you were able to gather.
I think the one with the highest points takes the crown, alongside huge prizes to take home. If you had to see the rewards for the one who becomes the dreemer of the year, you wouldn't want to miss it but keep doing your best. But as it is now, I want to take it slowly because it's affecting my health. What is the use of working hard when you had to spend all the money buying drugs to care for yourself?
I had to stay away from blogging activities from Friday evening to Sunday evening. I just needed the rest. Besides, I have been tidying up my room and getting prepared to travel for the burial at home. This morning, I had to wake up early, washed my clothes and plan to go to the market later today to get some things my sister requested I get for her.
Seriously, it's not easy having responsibilities to cater for in the family and you will still have to take care of yourself but in all, I give glory to God because He has been faithful and helping me with the burdens. I never signed up for this at all but do I have a choice? I can't shy away from those responsibilities if I need to be responsible myself.
Last week, I was having an unusual spot on my face that made it look so rough and bad. Ever since I was born, I never had pimples or any spots because my face is always smooth. Some people including my sister envy me because according to them, they wish they had a smooth face without pimples. In fact, I eat a lot of Groundnut and Oil as these things are what trigger pimples on the face but mine is exceptional. No matter the amount of Groundnut I take, I am always free from pimples or rashes.
Some months ago, I decided to find a face cream to maintain my skin and colour. I was recommended this cream to use and they said it matches my colour and isn't bleaching.
I started using the cream called Olivera and I was loving the result on my face. Everyone started noticing and complimenting my fair face which made me keep smiling and happy that I finally found a cream that works for me. Not until some days ago, I started seeing eczema and rashes on my face, it was so rough and when I touch my face, it feels as if there are tiny woods on my face that was hurting my hands.
I couldn't take it anymore and I stopped the cream. I knew then that my face was now reacting to the cream. A friend who cared gave me this Nixoderm cream to apply at night after washing my face with warm water. I kept praying to have my smooth face back because it was my pride.
The first night I used it, which was on Friday night, it worked as the spots were varnishing bit by bit. I applied it the second night and on Sunday night, I did too and when I washed my face this morning, those spots are gone. I am so happy right now because I gained my beautiful face back.
I will have to get this Nixoderm to keep for my use in case something like this happen in the future.
As I was thinking about my blog here, I decided not to miss a day posting again till the end of the year and I won't force or push myself again. I will allow nature to have its way with me while I believe that God will definitely keep helping me too.
I hope everyone is doing fine. Sincerely, I missed you and I am sorry for not visiting your articles. I will try my best today.
Thanks for your time.
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[December 12, 2022] (No 331 articles for the year) https://read.cash/@Princessbusayo/sacrifices-of-praise-b92b97e9#december-06-2022-no-330-articles-for-the-year
Sacrifices of praise.
*“God is always worthy of praise. And praise benefits us, too. When we praise God, we make room in our hearts and minds for Him to come in. Praise lifts our spirits and drives away the devil. So sing, dance, or lift you hands – do whatever you can to praise the Lord!”*
Christian Quotes https://www.christianquotes.info/top-quotes/20-glorious-quotes-about-praise/
Gradually, we are moving onto the end of the year like that and we would be wishing ourselves a happy new year soon which will come during cross overnight on the 31st of December.
Merry Christmas in advance to everyone on Readcash because in two weeks, we would be celebrating Christmas and thanking God for our families because many of us would be seeing them after such long months.
I always look forward to the programmes being held in the Redeemed Christian church of God (RCCG). Every August, it is the convention that lasts for a week and every December, it's called Holy Ghost Congress which lasts for a week too.
This year's own started on the 5th which was yesterday and will run through the 10th. Those who wouldn't be able to travel to the camp will join the online live show, either through video or audio and once your mind is connected to the program by faith, you are opportune to receive your miracle too.
Since I couldn't go, I made up my mind not to miss those days because the theme for this year's congress is titled **“Double Portion”**. The schedule for the programme was sent as PDF two days ago and I downloaded it and went through it so I will know when to join in. The only moment to join is when the general overseer mounts the pulpit and starts preaching.
Daddy started preaching around 10:15 pm last night and I immediately left what I was doing and connected to others who were in the camp already, together with others who are listening online from where they are. Just like I said, it's your mind that needs to be connected by faith and you will surely go home testifying. I love listening to Baba (the general overseer) preaching because he is always funny and his talks are explanatory with him carrying the anointing of God.
He talked about sacrifices of praise last night and explained the difference between praise, thanksgiving and worship. Thanksgiving is when you are thanking God for what He has done for you, even thanking Him in advance for what He will do because He is most pleased with people who give thanks even when they haven't seen a miracle but believe God will come through for them. He mentioned the ten lepers in the Bible who were cleansed but only one leper came back thanking God for healing him and he went home with double healing as the other nine lepers.
He said worship is like honouring and exalting God while praise is when you are boasting about God. Praise is like hailing someone and by doing that, you are making the person please to grant you what you desire.
Baba said when we praise God, we are acknowledging who He is truly and when we do this, it makes God happy to grant our requests. He taught us a song last night and it was interesting. The song was all about eulogizing and boasting about God;
He is the greatest
He is the highest
He is the oldest
He is the wisest
He is the richest
He is the beginning of the beginnings
He is the ending of the endings
He is the unchanging changer
He is coming back again to take us home.
Singing this song moved me and I found myself praising God which to me, was a big opportunity to do that at that moment in the night.
Day one is gone already and we move to the second day today. The program would have started because it's session by session but Daddy will be coming to preach in the night around 10:30 pm. If you are interested, you can click this link to join us and receive a double portion of blessings, breakthroughs, miracles, grace etc. https://myrccgradio.mixlr.com/
Thanks for your time.
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[December 06, 2022] (No 330 articles for the year)
An opportunity for them.
*“Embrace the week with enthusiasm. Be alert for new opportunities. Utilize them. You will succeed. Have a great week ahead.”*
The incident that happened to me on Monday night while travelling was something I never expected but I escaped the dungeon from a perverted stranger who wanted to help me which I thought was a miracle from God, but he was after his gain. The escape was shocking to me as I kept thinking about how God loved me so much while in the bus the next day going home. I was crying but a funny experience by someone made me laugh that I forgot what I was going through.
Laughter is the best medicine to clear away your sadness, only if you know that. Some people are in the position to crack jokes and you will forget those worries and leave them behind. This cleric man wasn't different because I never thought I could laugh so hard. Thank God I wasn't the only one who showed my teeth, other passengers did too.
The man started narrating his experience of how he and his three friends went to visit someone. They got there and were served four portions of meat each on different plates. To him, he thought it was a test from the host to see if they were the type of person who would consume every meat or are gluttons. Well, I don't see anything bad in it because they were served and they were supposed to eat all.
Won't you finish everything if it were you? I won't lie, I will eat all and even lick the plate, only if the stew is delicious 🤪
The cleric man didn't eat all the meat but he watched others as they were fighting a real battle with the meats because they were thick. All of a sudden, he saw one of his friends packing the meats in nylon and was shocked and asked why was he doing that. Don't you think we are being tested here? He asked the friend.
I burst into laughter with the way he said it, especially when he said, the friend was taking it home to make a stew with it. 😂😂 A smart friend who doesn't want to eat alone but takes it home for his family too.
There are people like that and I wouldn't blame them because they may see it as an opportunity to eat meat in their homes.
My friend's wedding which I attended last week. One of the bride's friends ate at the party and still packed more in her bag. I looked at this lady and wondered why she did that. Who is she going to give those foods to? If you see her, she is so fat and I pity her condition because adding more food to her body could disfigure her shape. Don't you think?
Some people's only opportunity is at a party where food is being served. They aren't shy when it comes to packing food in their bags even after eating. They want to take it home for their families to eat for the night. Though, it's funny but is that good? That is covetousness to me 😔
I have seen a woman who got prepared for an event and carried a big bowl with a cover. She brought in a lot of food which lasted till the next day as they keep warming the food. This is always the cause of food not going around at a party and it makes those who didn't see food to eat to be sad. So funny but the deed has been done unless those in the act are caught.
Have you experienced such before at any event or have you also packed food at home for your family? 😅😅😅
Thanks for your time.
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[December 04, 2022] (No 329 articles for the year) https://read.cash/@Princessbusayo/the-wedding-was-a-success-d5a86989#november-27-2022-no-325-articles-for-the-year
29 days remaining.
*"On one hand, I want to say, ‘Relax! These days are just numbers on a calendar. The world won’t implode if you don’t accomplish everything on your to-do list before the end of December.’ On the other hand, I’m thinking, ‘Use these weeks as motivation to push hard and finish what you can, because making progress in anything is a great way to end the year.’"*
Fillingthejars
When we entered the last month of the year yesterday, I looked back and remembered how I started in January. Truthfully, God has been grateful to me and my family and I don´t know how to keep thanking Him because if I should continue doing that till the end of this month, I won´t be able to say all. Indeed, He has been faithful and I believe He has to you and your family.
I can´t remember the last time I fell sick this year because I tried remembering but I just couldn´t find if I ever fell sick except on days I was weak and had slight headaches. The last time I went to the hospital for treatment was last year. God gave me good health and I am indeed grateful.
I have always been going out and coming in each day and I am not better than those who have gone through the same route I went and died. Recently, I travelled for my friend´s wedding to another state and the journey was a success. After then, I travelled again last Monday for the collection of my original certificates. Despite what I went through on the journey, I bless God that I returned home safely without being hurt. I give gratitude to God for keeping my life.
Every day, I feel grateful that I could speak to my family, my siblings especially because they are the ones I have around me and my Dad. Whenever we chat or talk via phone, I feel happy hearing their voices. My dad was a little bit sick a few days ago but he is now okay. I bless God for his life.
It´s 29 days remaining before the end of the year. Are you happy? Were you able to achieve all the goals you made at the start of this year? Will you be able to be proud of who you are compared to how you were some years back?
There are many things I learnt this year that I am grateful for. If I should compare it to how I was last year, I can see a big difference in knowledge being added to my life. I finished my degree studies this year and soon, I should be clearing my result. I don´t know why it is taking so long since February but I hope they should allow us to do that before I travel.
January to December has been a rollercoaster for many of us here but we are still on the ground believing that all will be well. Many of us would have achieved all our goals and are already making plans for a new resolution for next year. Even though you didn´t achieve all due to one circumstance to the other, it has not ended, I mean life has not ended because as long as we are still alive and breathing, there will be more time and chance to get on it and keep it going.
It doesn´t matter how well but how far life´s journey is. We aren´t to compete with people and because they are doing better than us, we feel we should get above them and because of that, we are trying to work our asses up and take the shortest route to pass them. Life will always work against us if we think we can outsmart it. The best is to do what we can without looking at other people´s success to judge ours.
Our timing is different and the action someone takes is far different from yours. If you must compete with another, let it be to motivate you and not to make you think you can go beyond them, thereby losing all you have worked for. Remember there are still years to spend and you should be careful how you deal with life and yourself because Karma will always show up to reward you for your deed. It is what you sow you will reap. There is no shortcut to life but you can make your life short when you do what is beyond you which will end up taking your life.
I believe you would have one or two things to take from this little piece of mine because I just decided to make a random post to encourage and motivate every one of us on this platform. No matter how little or no reward it is we are getting here, let´s still be grateful that we have the opportunity to be here and improve in what we do. Many have gone while some are still here. At this point, it is better to spread our baskets especially if it is the only thing we are surviving with. There is still time left this year to do something more and be grateful you did.
Thanks for your time.
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[December 02, 2022] (No 328 articles for the year) https://read.cash/@Princessbusayo/the-wedding-was-a-success-d5a86989#november-27-2022-no-325-articles-for-the-year
It´s important to set future goals.
*“A man without a vision is useless.”*
Princessbusayo
**A clear intention to live.**
As someone like me, I have future goals. Do you?
Show me a person without goals and I will gladly tell you what he or she is missing out on. Our lives are centred around goals. Have you thought about it yet? Just a month left to the end of this year and we still set some goals to achieve before we begin another phase in the year 2023.
Some weeks ago, I talked about goals I need to achieve before the end of the year as I'm still in line with it.
I needed to let you know that each day of our lives, we live by setting goals; either for the short-term or long-term. How amazing!
Getting up ready for work on a cold and wet Monday morning requires the goal of getting out of bed at a specific time, that is, you might set an alarm. This may not be a pleasant goal for many people but it is still a goal anyways. Getting home early to prepare dinner for your family is a goal. Whatever we want to do and achieve in our life requires an intent to achieve something. That is what a goal is.
How do you begin developing future goals?
**Start with a vision.** Begin with a vision of what you want to achieve. Whether it is a professional or personal goal, it is important to have a clear vision of what it is you want to achieve. It is a need for you to do that or else, you might never arrive at a pleasant destination.
Take some time to see what the result would be like at the end. Close your eyes and see yourself achieving your goal. If you want to take a holiday trip with your closest friends this Christmas season, Where will you go? What will you do? Imagine yourself achieving it. This is a vision. Enjoy the emotion in your imagination, put a smile on your face, express yourself in laughter and feel the joy as you go on that amazing journey with your friends.
**Ask the right questions.** The good question to ask is “what do I have to do?” The wrong question is “how can I achieve this goal?” The latter question often elicits the tempting answer “you can't” while the former question is surely incredible and powerful because why?
It opens your mind to the possibility of achieving your goal. When you have to rephrase this question, it means you are only considering various ways to achieve and not ways you cannot achieve.
**Look at your daily habits.** I read from a book that our daily habits and behaviours are the driving force behind the result we achieve in our life. Consider a man who smokes thirty (30) cigarettes every day, drinks several glasses of alcohol each evening and jumps onto bed slightly drunk, over time, this will have a strong negative effect on his health.
If it does not send such a man to an early grave, he is going to experience difficulties with his health at some point and be a great burden on his family and friends. Since our daily habits and behaviours have such a relatively great size of the impact on the results we achieve in our life, you should take time to examine yours.
Identify this habit that gives you negative results such as unhealthy eating, excessive smoking and drinking, and many others. Then try observing good habits that surely bring a positive impact on your life. For example, you need to lose more weight, spend time exercising, engage in healthy habits, and eat good and healthy food to achieve your goal.
**Set a date.** You cannot achieve a goal if you do not set an end date for it. Setting a date will enable you to clear away procrastination and work towards meeting the deadline of your goal. If your goals do not have a timeline and an end date, you will always have different excuses to wave off what you should do to make it happen.
So, there are times you adjust your deadline if you find that you are too ambitious with your previous excitement. But you need to set a deadline. Setting deadlines and dates keeps us on the road to achieving our goals and makes us responsible in the long run.
**Review your goals regularly.** It is necessary to have a vision board or something to keep reminding you of your future goals and how to reach your final destination. Doing this constantly will give you something to help with your progress and also adjust deadlines if necessary.
In conclusion, we are all different and we all want something different in our lives. Many of us want to build a big empire and own the biggest company, others want to develop a successful career in a major field. Whatever it is you want in life, it is up to you to create it. We all have the willpower to act on and achieve, but it all starts with an idea and a clear vision, then a few questions that proffer answers to get you a plan and a destination in which to arrive at.
Thanks for your time.
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[November 30, 2022] (No 327 articles for the year) https://read.cash/@Princessbusayo/the-wedding-was-a-success-d5a86989#november-27-2022-no-325-articles-for-the-year
Give more value than you receive.
*“Even if you cannot change all the people around you, you can change the people you choose to be around. Life is too short to waste your time on people who don’t respect, appreciate, and value you. Spend your life with people who make you smile, laugh, and feel loved.”*
Roy T. Bennett.
Hey! It's Monday and the start of a new week. Are we already getting ready for the rest of the day? As for me, I am super ready and I love the fact that I can start this Monday with something I would love to share with you all because it's a mantra I have always held onto and it has been working for me. Why not try it out if you haven't started or decide to continue with it if you are doing it?
**Give more value than you receive.** https://www.ecency.com/hive-124452/@princessbusayo/contest-105-or-or-give
I have always found Joy in giving value to everyone because it is what we can give out to the world to live the best life. Do you know it is what you give out that you receive? The world lies on reciprocity which isn't a must you get it back from someone you have once helped.
**There is so much unspeakable Joy that comes from giving.** Have you ever helped someone before? Like, one who needed help and realized that you are in the capacity to help put a smile on the person's face, how do you feel? There is this kind of feeling within that you get to make you feel fulfilled ever helping someone out.
The world is never equal because where you see those who are already wealthy and living fine, someone else is struggling to even eat a meal in a day and knowing that you could put food on their table for that day, weeks, or months is already a satisfaction for you.
I believe in the scripture that says givers never lack and to tell you the truth, the Bible doesn't lie because this mantra of giving as a way to give value has helped me get to this level today that I don't need to start crying, wailing or feeling depressed because I believe that the grace of God is sufficient for me and in different ways, I see blessings coming in for me. One thing about me is that I love to spend my time making others smile and this, I have received back.
**It doesn't mean you giving out money alone.** Value can come in different and various ways. When you go out of your way to help someone apart from money sometimes, it is something relieving for you because such a person might need that help at that moment.
I love to give everything in me when I have the capacity and not only money, but my smile has gone a long way to lifting people's spirits. With my smile, I compliment others when they do well, put on nice shoes, attires etc. Perhaps someone is going through a challenge, just a smile and a word of compliment could ease the person off those worries in their mind.
I have given my time, money, resources, and positive facial expression and in many ways, they have come back to me even in the least expected ways. Some people need us and when we are in the capacity to help someone lifts their burden, then, for me, it's a kind of fulfilled life.
Everyone will not be alright at the same time. We need each other to be okay and when you are always available to give your time and resources to them, they feel elated and because of that, God blesses you and you live a fulfilled and amazing life.
What do you have that others do not have? It is what you have that is your value. Giving it out instead of expecting to be given is the best reward you will ever give to someone. Even if it doesn't pay off when you expect it, trust and believe that it will surely come back to you in the future.
When we are around those who appreciate and value us, we feel overwhelmed and lucky. This also can be to those we are around by putting smiles on their faces. This is a fulfilling life for us when we do. Don't stop giving more than you receive.
Thanks for your time.
Image by Cottonbro from Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/ethnic-mother-giving-coffee-cup-to-teenage-daughter-in-kitchen-7418514/
[November 28, 2022] (No 326 articles for the year) https://read.cash/@Princessbusayo/the-wedding-was-a-success-d5a86989#november-27-2022-no-325-articles-for-the-year
The wedding was a success.
*“Three things you shouldn’t lose this week; your faith, your courage, and your smile. Happy new week.”*
Anonymous
The last time I wrote an article here was on Friday and that was because I woke up early, as usual, to write the post before we begin the journey to another state where my friend would be getting married. The journey was over 8 hours and it made me weak but I got no choice.
I went with a friend and it made the trip fun as we were gisting all along. Even though I contemplated whether to go or not, I attended the wedding and it was a success. Getting to the venue, we met her family and they were so happy to see me since they knew me before then. We were served a solid meal that night and because I didn't have any other choice, I ate the meal. I don't eat solid meals at night as it affects my body system.
After then, I took my sleep for two hours and woke up. Some slept while others didn't as they were busy preparing for the next day which was the wedding.
The kind of Church was one that does not accept the couple exchanging rings together and aren't allowed to kiss too for the church wedding. The bride only did a simple makeup which wasn't too much.
This was the next day when they were dressing up the bride and everyone was getting prepared. They did the church wedding very early at 8 am and after two hours, they moved to the traditional wedding and engagement where they exchanged rings and kissed. They had to do everything at once so they won't spend much.
After the wedding ended, we were served Jollof Rice, Fried Rice and Chicken. Looking at the time and considering our journey back home, I knew we could still make it back. I wouldn't want to sleep another day because I was not comfortable at all.
The transport fare was too much due to the hike in petrol and this got us annoyed as we never budgeted for such an amount of money but do we have a choice? Coming back home again, the journey was like an eternity but in the end, we got home safely even when we saw accidents on the road. God brought us home safely.
The journey was a stressful one and I couldn't do anything other than took my bath, made noodles and took my sleep. Thank God I took permission that I won't be coming to Church today. By the time I woke up this morning, I was feeling a bang on my head and my body is paining me. I just had to get up and washed my clothes, did other house chores and took my bath.
I started making this post after taking my bath and after then, would find something to eat as I am so famished right now.
This is a new week and I hope everything works better for us. I will be travelling again this week before I travel home for Christmas.
There is a lot to talk about but I decided to make it short like a summarized post for the wedding. I am still so weak but I hope to regain my strength today to stay active online.
Thanks for your time.
All images are mine.
[November 27, 2022] (No 325 articles for the year)
Why knowing ourselves is important.
*“The better you know yourself, the better your relationship with the rest of the world.”*
Toni Collette
It's always good to introspect and know ourselves more than how others would do. There is a need to do some self-awareness and see what we are lacking in our lives. One of the importance of knowing who we truly are is for us to see the worth and value in us so that others' opinions about us wouldn't matter, especially one which has to do with negative criticism.
When we know ourselves better, we would be independent of our opinion and trying to seek validation from others won't be a problem for us since we know what we are capable of doing. Also, we would know which path in life to choose because we won't have to rely on others to choose for us.
Being in introspect will help us see the right path to go through searching through our inner heart and mind, seeing what interests us. This will surely bring out the real us as we discover what we have an interest in. It would be easier to identify and recognize our passion.
When we know ourselves better, it will be easier to discover our flaws and mistakes and be able to work on them. When we are too busy watching other people's lives, it will be difficult to see where we are faulting because we would be busy seeing others' mistakes and condemning them. Working on our flaws will make us better people because we can make amends before it's too late.
Do you know another beauty of knowing ourselves? It helps us see that part of us that has been hidden. Since we are too busy checking other people's life and success, we don't realize the gift that is hidden in us and when we suddenly realize this, we get surprised that we can do something like this.
I never knew I could write so easily without being taught when my sister introduced me to a platform some years back. I said to myself “So, you have this gift in you?”. If I hadn't taken time to understand what my sister was telling me then, I wouldn't know I can write.
At that moment, we begin to know our actions whether good or bad. When we are in introspection, we would understand our actions better. We would know if we are doing the right or wrong thing which will make us act the needful immediately.
When we give time to know ourselves better, we will know the pattern we keep repeating each day to change the routine to a newer one. Giving time to ourselves is important to change many parts of us and see the right thing to be the best.
Then, we identify our behaviours and take away the bad ones because, at that point, we will understand that our behaviours shape us as an individual. Imbibing the right attitude and behaviours towards life can change our lives for the better.
Another beautiful benefit is that we would know what is toxic for us; either our friendship, relationship, work etc and we would start setting clear boundaries in our lives. By then, we would know what to allow and not to allow in our lives since we know our lives are more important to embrace good and healthy things as it affects us positively.
At that point, we would realize how far we have come. Looking at the past, to the present, we would realize that there has been a big difference and change, as this will help us show gratitude to God for how far we have come. We would know how much stronger we are to have conquered those challenges in our lives in the past.
No matter what life throws at us, we would always get up because we know that we are stronger and never giving up won't be an option to us.
The truth is that we won't know all these until we create time to know ourselves and think about where we started and how it has shaped us in becoming who we are today.
Thanks for your time.
Image by KoolShooters from Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/girl-wearing-a-jacket-thinking-7327772/
[November 25, 2022] (No 324 articles for the year)
Why do we make bad financial choices?
*“Financial peace isn’t the acquisition of stuff, it’s learning to live on less than you make so you can give money back and have money to invest. You can’t win until you do this.”*
Dave Ramsey
First things first, the world we are in, is uncertain. We do not know what tomorrow might be and many times we are caught unaware, unprepared, and unplanned. Being financially stable or balanced is more important than ever and this factor is bound to the decisions we make.
We tend to make bad choices due to different factors like not having complete knowledge, impulsivity or stress, but it is essential to consider the causes of making bad financial choices and the way to fix them as best as we can.
**The need to save**
As the world is so uncertain, which means anything can happen or go wrong, we could need some extra amount of money at any point. Most people don't save and this is one very big mistake they are making. There is a need to save by putting money away regularly to have an emergency fund and be sure that you get to make the right choices for your health and well-being if something goes wrong.
Savings is important just as we have been reading from different authors. Though, saving is less fun than spending impulsively, without a doubt, pays off better in a long term.
**Learn from people with similar goals**
In today's world, many of us are introduced to other people's lifestyles more than ever. However, it is crucial to be more than careful with the lessons we get or take from their lives. We should not make our choices by going with other people whose goals are different from ours or picking a lifestyle so distinct it might as well be strange to us.
This is why it is important to take note of who your role models are before you make any financial choices and whether these role models adhere to what you want in life.
For example, an influencer who travels a lot and spends a lot of tickets and lodging in the most expensive hotel and other things added to their lifestyles, but that is not the best aspiration to have for someone more of a home bird or one aspiring to have more stability in their lives.
**Do proper research**
We are frequently uninformed about financial matters and we fail to learn more about them by ourselves. We might feel that the topic itself is boring or too hard to understand. But this is a bad mindset that could be dangerous to us.
When money is concerned, it is expedient for us to do our research on it so we aren't making any bad choices or so that we aren't being scammed along the way.
For example, some people will come to us, explaining some investments to us and saying if we put in a small amount of money, we would get double of it within a limited time.
If we fail to do our research and go on to say yes, we would be deceived even before we open our eyes widely. Don't believe everything they say to you, but do your research to see if the business is legitimate or not.
**Spend less than you earn**
To say the fact, many people have bigger expenses than their income. Do not spend what you do not have, instead focus on budgeting and develop a firm understanding of how much you have and how much you can use.
Don't buy expensive things just to show off. There are people in this category but they are making a big mistake if they do not realize it on time. They buy things just to show off and oppress other people, thereby forgetting that being financially stable is paramount to every individual to be free from poverty in life.
For some, the urge to be appreciated and admired has made them buy stuff they do not use. Little do they know that they will not get there through material things.
The pleasure of such an experience is not worth the consequences, and we might end up buying and paying a lot more than what we expect for such a choice.
So, focus on buying quality things and what you know will serve you well, not just those things that look good in pictures.
Thanks for your time.
Image by Karolina from Pexels and designed on Canva. https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-at-desk-looking-at-receipt-and-scratching-her-head-5900030/
[November 24, 2022] (No 323 articles for the year)
I saw interview questions to answer.
*“Follow your heart, listen to your inner voice, stop caring about what others think.”*
Roy T. Bennett
While moving around this platform yesterday morning, I bumped into @Coolmidwestguy ´s article which I got to know was his birthday too. I got interested in the interview questions about himself and I promised to make mine today. The prompt was hosted first by @LeonaReed and then, @mercury1 tagged me in it which I read earlier ago.
One thing I like doing is talking about myself even in the offline world and would care to share my story and experiences for others to know who I am and what I am capable of doing. So, for this interview, I would be sharing another part of me that most of you might have known already.
If you already have, kindly signify in the comment section and let me know the ones you are just knowing today.
What is your real name?
My names are Busayo Christianah Omoyiwola. My father's name is Omoyiwola. My nickname is Buzhay while many virtual friends know me as **Princessbusayo.** Do you know why I added Princess to it? It's because I am one. Before my grandfather died, he was called a different name which was tied to royalty.
It was his turn to be crowned king that year but ever since he became a Reverend in a famous Church called the Evangelical Church of West Africa, he never wanted anything to do with kingship. He had to change his name to Omoyiwola so he would cut himself and his generation off from being king.
He had to warn my Dad never to accept being a king before he died and since we are still part of the family, we were known as Princesses and Princes in the family.
Where do you currently live?
I hail from Kwara State, the North Central Part of Nigeria. I was born and bred in Lagos State. Presently, I live in Ondo state, the Western part because I schooled there.
When is your birthday and how old are you?
I already celebrated my birthday in January this year and I would be celebrating another one in less than two months and that would be in the year 2023. I am 28 years now and then, would be 29. I am even getting older and not younger 😂
What gender are you?
At least it's obvious to most people here, especially with the princess being added to my name. For the sake of the question, I am not a robot but proud to be a female being.
What do you do for a living?
Currently, I blog for a living. I write articles based on my experiences, personal life, motivation, fictional stories, and others I prefer to write about.
When did you step into the crypto world?
Should I say in the year 2016 because I got to know about Steemit then and I was hearing about Bitcoin too but do not know all about it? I never knew much about cryptocurrency because my mindset was that it was blood money and not legal, until the year 2020 when I got to have full knowledge about it.
When and why did you join read.cash?
*Why did I join readcash? 😁*
Okay! I joined in February 2021. Already becoming a two year old member if the platform doesn't crash before then. My first reason for joining which is a general one is for the money. I heard it pays too like other earning platforms and I joined. It wasn't even instant because if it were so, I should be going for over two years already.
I knew about this platform from a defunct platform I was in then. I never paid attention to it until the platform crashed and I needed to continue writing since I was already used to it. I joined when a friend motivated me to come here and continue my love for writing which I did after wasting much time.
What advice will you give to the audience (readers), especially those, who are new to reading? cash?
Keep writing and enjoy the flow. Though the reward might be small. One of my mantras I would repeat here is that a little drop of water makes an ocean. This has always helped me and I got to this stage using the mantra. I won't give up on something as long as I still earn a little or a chunk from it because sooner and with patience, it will be compounded to a larger amount. So, don't relent but keep the flow moving. Always read more and learn too.
Any other things you want to add?
Do you think I gave up this platform when I was missing writing articles? Nah! I didn't. I am also on the Hive platform and I also spend my day there too just like Readcash. I have a target to meet before the end of the year and I keep working day and night to achieve my aim. I will never give up to make the best for myself. Apart from that, this platform has been amazing for meeting with beautiful people who I have come to make friends with, then I have earned huge here too. I think that should be all.
Thanks for your time.
Let me invite @kushyzee @cescajove and @olasquare to take part if they are interested too.
The images are mine.
[November 23, 2022] (No 322 articles for the year) https://read.cash/@Princessbusayo/it-wasnt-planned-but-it-was-a-success-bf0600ba#november-21-2022-no-320-articles-for-the-year
A day well spent.
*“Every day is a good day. There is something to learn, care and celebrate.”*
Amit Ray
Like I said yesterday, the day was bright for me, making me believe it would be the best. It was one amazing day I had yesterday and all thanks to God too. Waking up very early is always something I always look forward to except on some days I feel weak to get up but on other days, even people we are living together will know something is up for this lady. I love to show a positive vibe around me and this must first start with me.
Having completed half of the day's work around 11 am, I took my bath. For this, I changed my pattern yesterday because normally, I take my bath first before starting my task but since I have control over my life and no one is here to order me to do things, I just do things sometimes just to please me. No one would question or query me.
I took my bath and found something to eat. I made an appetizer which was cornflakes, milk and peanuts. My friend had planned to go to the market yesterday and I wanted to use the advantage to send her in to help me get some stuff to prepare my soup. I went to buy pepper and grinded it with my hand using the local grinder. It's been long I used this stone grinder and I decided to use it yesterday so as to have a different taste.
My friend came out and asked what was I preparing for the day. I reminded her that I was waiting for her so she could help me get fish and other stuff. Then, she broke the news to me that she isn't going again until today because she felt weak. Though it was painful, I had to understand her. This means I would be devising another means to prepare my meal. She apologized and told me to find something else as an alternative so I can wait till today. I agreed and the plan for my meal changed.
Since I had already grinded the pepper, I boiled it and used a little of it to make Jollof Spaghetti with Fried Plantain. A few minutes later, my friend's fiance called her to come and keep his company at his office. Since it would be only me at home because many students had travelled after finishing their exams, I don't want to be the only one at home as that would surely be boring for me. I followed her to the office and we spent two hours there while we all came back home thereafter.
Sometimes, what you budgeted for might change and this is bound to happen to us. I already calculated and budgeted my spending till I travel for the wedding and return back. I didn't plan to spend any other money apart from the one I have planned for. But a woman was hawking yams and because I crave eating Yams, I bought two raw yams which cost $2. This already affected the ones I budgeted for but it's no problem since it's the food I will eat.
I rested for a while before jumping into the online world on my system and I worked for a few hours before the electricity came. That gave me more strength to keep working and I used more than 3 hours working online, both Readcash and Hive as I was interchanging both. Thank God for my laptop as it helps me open different tabs and was faster than using the phone. My phone would have been freezing and gotten hot if I used it more but with the laptop, it was smooth for me as I kept enjoying the moment. After finishing that, I watched the remaining movie I was yet to finish, titled **The Woman King.** I am recommending this movie to you as it is so interesting.
I am awake this morning full of gratitude and already started working online as I wouldn´t want the day to go without doing something meaningful. Besides, I will be going for an evening service in church later today and I should have covered a lot so that when I return at night, there wouldn't be much to do again.
Thanks for your time.
Image by George Dolgikh from pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-standing-while-holding-cup-of-coffee-1310485/
[November 22, 2022] (No 321 articles for the year) https://read.cash/@Princessbusayo/it-wasnt-planned-but-it-was-a-success-bf0600ba#november-21-2022-no-320-articles-for-the-year
It wasn't planned but it was a success.
*“Your Monday morning thoughts set the tone for your whole week. See yourself getting stronger, and living a fulfilling, happier and healthier life.”*
Germany Kent
Hi, it's Monday again and I am happy to start the day with a positive vibe and would try my best to be more productive than last week. This coming Friday, we would be travelling to another state for my friend's wedding and I can't wait for the day to arrive, so we can do it and move on with my life 🥴
Last week Saturday, I didn't check the church group where it was announced there wouldn't be a worker's meeting. I went but met other workers decorating the church. That was when I was told that there is no worker's meeting but they were trying to arrange the church for a programme the next day tagged as the family weekend. The theme for the service was the physiology of relationships.
I couldn't go back and I had to join them in fixing some white clothes to the chairs to make them more beautiful while other things were going on. Some minutes later, one of the children's teachers called me outside and informed me that our pastor said the children must be present on Sunday. I was shocked because this wasn't told before now and how do we get the children together to practice with them?
They said the pastor made mentioned of it on Thursday and I wasn't around then. Even at that, there was no way we could assemble the children to teach them something. That was when we started thinking of what to teach them. We were told to go home to bring something up before the next morning while one of us would go to a few children's houses to inform their parents to allow them to come to church very early the next day.
I spent an hour in church while I went home. At home, I couldn't come up with anything as I was just weak. I was having a slight fever which made my mouth bitter and I assumed it was malaria but I do not want to be sick. This caused my inactiveness too online. I still couldn't think of what to teach the children. I slept and got prepared for church the next day.
When we got to church, the pastor's wife brought a song she got from YouTube which made the work easier for us. We taught these children how to dance to the song. We needed an introduction song they would sing while entering the church. It was during morning prayer in the church that I got inspired by a short song I composed which I taught them too.
Here is the lyrics of the song;
*“We are a family*
*Family of God*
*In love and unity*
*We are one in Christ*
*We are a family*
*Family of God.”*
When it was their turn, they were called in while I held the microphone to sing the intro song along with them. One of the girls made a presentation while the media played the song. The only thing required of the children was to dance on their own while waving the gold handkerchieves we provided for them. It was more like a freestyle because there was no time to teach them choreography.
We the teachers stood behind them while the pastor's wife was at the front leading them with steps to take. The congregation were smiling and clapping while they danced and presented well. It was a success at least even when we didn't have enough time to train them.
Since the programme was all about family relationships, other groups presented too and the service was awesome. Getting to the end of the program while the pastor was giving some tips on a good relationship and having a good home, the ushers were serving peanuts and zobo drinks.
After the pastor's talk, an elder was given the microphone to advise the young ones in the church.
In the end, it was a success and everyone went home. I got home feeling hungry. Thank God the pastor gave all the workers Moimoi (Bean Pudding) which I took with Garri and ate. Someone decided to help me make my hair which I did and then, I was craving Fried Noodles, Fried Plantain and Boiled Egg.
One thing about me that I am grateful to God for is that when I crave something, I will make sure to get it at that moment. God blessed me with this meal and I am so grateful to eat what I craved. I went to get all these outside since I wasn't having any at home. I ate to my satisfaction and went to sleep because the sickness from Saturday moved on to Sunday which made me not in the mood to do anything.
I woke up very early this morning and I felt a change in me. I did all chores and right now, I feel like working till the end of today. The fever already disappeared but I am having pain in my teeth. Someone suggested I go to the clinic. I might consider doing that later and not now.
Thanks for your time.
All images are mine.
[November 21, 2022] (No 320 articles for the year)
It leaves me no option but to feel for her.
*“Every day is a gift. But some days are packaged better.”*
Sanhita Baruah
Yesterday started well for me as I woke up very early in the morning to attend to the chores in my room so I could start working online and engage for a few hours before finding what to prepare for breakfast. Recently, I don´t skip breakfast like I used to do before and once I have eaten that, I make sure to endure till around 3 pm so that by the time I finish cooking, it would be getting to something like 5 pm and by then, nothing would be entering into my stomach again. I eat twice in a day and sometimes once depending on the kind of meal I eat.
For this kind of meal, I would be making sure to eat either one and a half cups of rice in one sitting or yam or potato and egg. You know I already said I don´t know how to eat bit by bit? Once I have eaten heavy food like this, I will only be topping my stomach with water and it helps me stay satisfied throughout the day till the next day.
Someone said she cannot live with me. I laughed and told her, if one is living with me, I won´t stop him or her from eating as he or she wants. This is my own life and eating habit and it is different from another person's own. So, that is my life. One needs to understand his or her stomach and what to allow at any time.
Just like the title of my post, I saw a link from a friend yesterday about a lady who was narrating her ordeal in public, though her face was covered to keep her identity safe. I had to go to Instagram to listen to all in detail and that baffled me and make me sad too. Sometimes, I don´t want to feel for my gender at all because they deserved what they got, but at the same time seeing or knowing what they are going through cause me to feel sad and pity them because they are also humans even though they weren´t contented, and greed took them where they shouldn't have been.
This lady was used by her boyfriend who is a fraudster and had dated for seven months. She was blinded by the material things the guy was lavishing on her and could not know his name or try finding out his background. The deed has been done and she is now regretting it. Every month of her menstrual period, maggots are mixed with her blood and it makes it more disgusting to hear that. I really feel for her because right now, she is in a great torment and sorrowful state.
She went to hospitals to find out what causes maggots to come from her body part during her monthly period but the doctors couldn´t find anything wrong with her. She had to travel down to her grandma's place and she was taken to somewhere spiritual and that was where she got to know she was used by her boyfriend and she must find him because he is the only one to undo what he has done to the lady.
The guy is nowhere to be found because this lady could not trace his background or where he is from. She will have to live like this for the rest of her life if she doesn´t die except for God´s intervention. For this to happen, she must have surrendered her life to Christ and keep praying and waiting till God intervene.
I still do not get how some girls would be so blinded to risk their lives following these types of people that their ways are diabolical in making wealth for themselves and because of the money being spent and lavished on them, they look like a fool and when the deed has been done, they start running around looking for solutions.
At that moment, they start to regret and say if they had known, they wouldn´t have gone that way. Girls nowadays are easily lured to material things because they feel pressured by their mates and because they want to join the gang, they feel desperate to find a guy who would meet their needs not knowing who he is. They believe every guy who is wealthy works for it, not knowing some are not clean and looking for who the next victim would be. Since they know a lady is desperate, they take the advantage to spend on her for a while so it doesn´t look suspicious, the next would be to hit their target and by then, they have been used and rendered useless and living corpses.
With all these happenings, some girls still won´t listen but would want to taste such a life too until tragedy struck them putting their families to start running helter-skelter looking for solutions. Whatever you do will always come back to you and if you do not listen to warnings, your doom is approaching. I just pray this girl receives a big miracle just to make her realize her mistake and then, she would be contented and live a more peaceful life than this life she is living in pain and agony.
A contented life will give you a happy life because no matter what others are doing to oppress you, since you are content, that stuff won´t feel like a problem to you because you believe when you work hard for them, they will surely come at the right time for you.
Thanks for your time.
Image by Alex Green from Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/upset-ethnic-woman-embracing-knees-feeling-frustrated-5699861/
[November 19, 2022] (No 319 articles for the year) https://read.cash/@Princessbusayo/am-i-actually-getting-fairer-a5a129a9#november-10-2022-no-313-articles-for-the-year
Should I have lied to cover my sister up?
*"Do something today that your future self will thank you for."*
Sean Patrick Flanery
One thing about lies is that once you say it, you will have to find more lies to cover up your deed and if not, you will regret ever starting with a lie in the first place. People will say if you say the truth, no one will kill you but trying to cover up with lies will tarnish your image and reputation. It's better to say the truth and let it end there at once. In another case, you regret ever saying the truth instead of lying just to get a reward for it. But it's better to say the truth than let it leak out and start blaming yourself.
I was just a little girl and also naive to certain things. I didn't know there are some things one needs not to say especially being a small and little child. A small girl who starts speaking out dirty words like s*x at that time might be flogged or reprimanded by an adult because they do not expect him or her to utter such a word but I did and got the beating of my life, including my younger sister.
I should have lied and protected her but I think I did the right thing to spill out the truth so we would be cautioned and disciplined well which was what happened and we are good children today. Perhaps if I had covered her up that day, she could have been into it which no one would know or correct her especially when she has gone deep into it.
We were very young then, let's say I was 8 while my sister was 6, with a gap of two years in between. Our parents allowed us to play outside that night after dinner which was a custom for us as that was the time we are allowed to play with friends. We were given a limited time to play while my parents were busy playing a ludo game beside one of our rooms.
There was no light and everywhere was dark but as children, we played. There was this game we played which was “bojuboju.” This is a game where the victim would close his or her eyes while others run into hiding. He or she would start looking for the others since there were no clues as to where others have gone to hide.
This went on for some minutes until it was my sister's turn as the victim. After searching for others which lasted for some minutes, we already forgot about the game so we switched to another one. I didn't remember my sister again and being her elder sister, I should be on watch out for her. When the time was up, dad called us in and I went inside with my little brother who was 4 yrs then. That was when I knew my sister wasn't inside.
Dad shouted at me to go look for my sister. I began searching every hiding place including upstairs in the corridor. I couldn't find her and I wasn't in any way returning back inside without her. Thank God there was nothing like kidnapping then.
My mind then told me to go to a backyard that I never thought of. When I got there, I met my sister and a boy older than me who was busy doing something with her. What was he doing? Will you do me the favour of getting that part of the story? 😂😂😂 I am still young to spill it out! I ran inside and when Dad asked me where my sister was? I opened my mouth and said what I ought not to say. I said, *“she and one guy are having s*x”.*
I said this in Yoruba and I believe you must have understood that part. What? He couldn't believe I said such! He went to bring my sister and the boy in. I got the biggest beating because I failed to watch over my sister and I allowed a bad boy to try such with her. That night was an unforgettable one and when I grew up remembering such an incident, I was like “shouldn't I have covered my sister up by lying?” but thank God I said the truth which put us into trouble that day.
Thanks for your time
Image by Liza Summer from Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/sad-woman-in-casual-wear-sitting-near-window-6382483/
[November 17, 2022] (No 318 articles for the year) https://read.cash/@Princessbusayo/am-i-actually-getting-fairer-a5a129a9#november-10-2022-no-313-articles-for-the-year
What am I up to these days?
*“I believe that no matter what situation in life you find yourself, there is room for you to take control of little things, which ultimately adds up to big things.”*
Lisa J. Shultz https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/making-progress
Should I say these past few days are tight for me? No! I don't want to say that since I know I am still doing my best each day. I got to learn something new on Hive three weeks ago and I have been super active in the community so I could also blend well with them too. It surprised me to see how I have earned a few Leo tokens and I don't even know how I got it.
I decided to add the Leofinance community to my list of communities on Hive. Since then, I have always come up with a post relating to Leofinance which I am doing great. Do you now see I haven't stopped learning? I want to explore more and wouldn't want to stay in one spot.
I powered up some Leo tokens yesterday as their custom on the 15th of every month. If you are on Hive, the Leofinance community shouldn't be strange to you. Their token is called LEO and the price is still low for now. I converted my Hive to Leo through Leodex which can be found through Peakd. At the moment, I am having 370 Leo which amounts to $20 or so. I want to start focusing more on investing in Hive which is also termed as staking as this can give you the power to post and curate and alongside, you earn some Leo tokens.
If you noticed, I haven't been posting daily on Readcash since last week. I noticed for some weeks now, I am not always active especially to visit my friends and others and it's kind of making me feel I have been unfair in posting only and not visiting people. I decided to not post daily so I can have more time to visit others. This is why when I wake up each day, the first thing after doing my chores is to visit more than 15-20 articles for the day before I move on to Hive as I have a target to meet before the end of the year.
My target is to achieve 1700 Hive power before the end of December and presently, I have 1400 Hp. Less than 300 HP to go and it would be an exciting moment if I could achieve this. Now that Hive is low, it´s the best time to engage and keep participating in challenges to earn more Hive Power. The less price of Hive has made it easier to accumulate enough for each week.
Apart from all of these, my friend´s wedding is coming up next Friday and I and a friend are getting prepared to attend. I was upset when she sent me the invitation card a few days ago and I got to know the location of the event is different from the one I have budgeted for because she didn´t inform me on time about the location as I thought it would be done at her hometown. Right now, I am trying to work hard to gather more money for the journey.
The attire they picked was so expensive in the market but we do not have a choice but to buy and I gave mine to my personal tailor some days ago. Still looking for the best shoe to match it and if I do not see it, I have a high heel nude shoe to use. I don´t want to spend a lot because I am still travelling home for the burial ceremony of one of my relatives that died last week due to cancer.
All these plans had made me got worried for some time but I had to summon the courage and focus on God to help me. My younger sister who is the last born also sent me a list of things to get for her while coming home for Christmas. I just have to try my best, even though I forwarded the list to my immediate younger sister if she could get some things to lessen the burden on me.
By February or March next year, we would be mobilized for our National Youth Service Corps and I already saw the lists of things to get. Calculating the money, it´s too much and I wouldn´t be spending anything less than $60 for them. Though, I will do the ones I am capable of doing because I cannot kill myself.
I am sorry if I just ranted. I just wanted to let you know how I have been doing these days as I am trying my best too.
Thanks for your time.
Image by Energepic from Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-sitting-in-front-of-macbook-313690/
[November 16, 2022] (No 317 articles for the year) https://read.cash/@Princessbusayo/am-i-actually-getting-fairer-a5a129a9#november-10-2022-no-313-articles-for-the-year
Do you think I gave the right advice?
*“Unfortunately, the clock is ticking, the hours are going by. The past increases, the future recedes. Possibilities decreasing, regrets mounting.”*
Haruki Murakami https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/future
Last Saturday, I took my chair outside for fresh air and to continue working on my phone when a lady sitting beside me asked me for my opinion on an issue she wanted my advice on because such an experience happened to one of her friends who is a guy. Let me put it the way she narrated the story;
A friend of mine needs advice on what to venture into as he has gone from a balling guy to being broke (For the sake of those who do not understand what balling means, this is when someone has a lot of money and starts spending lavishly by celebrating himself or herself and living a luxurious life).
My friend was a scammer who has illegally scammed people of their money for months. He was warned of such acts but he never listened. He was the type that would reject a job opportunity because to him, the pay is small since he earns more than that in a day. After several months of duping people of their hard-earned money, and being smart enough to save part of it, he decided to start up a business and stop the act permanently. Not long, he had an accident that cost him to spend all his money on his injury and was left with nothing.
He had already bought land for his business before the accident and now, he is back to being broke as he has nothing again. He is now someone who is begging people to give him a job. Jobs he has been introduced to before but he rejected and now, he needs money.
This lady was now asking me what he should do in such a situation. I sighed and smiled, trying to understand the story and I started.
First things first, the guy earned that money through illegal means and it is impossible to make a success from such means. Being involved in an accident and spending all the money he had acquired through bad means is possible to happen. Even if he does not have an accident and succeeded in bringing his business to the limelight, the business will surely crumble because he didn't work for it but went through making people cry for their money.
No one who acquired wealth through dubious means will achieve success with it because it wasn't your effort but people's hard work to get the money.
Some people think they are smart, whereas, the future is looking at them and when nemesis or karma comes, they will realize what they have done which is bad. I told the lady that the way he could bounce back is to either sell the land and give the money to the poor or donate it to the orphanage home. Find a job to do and start saving for his business if truly he wants to establish one.
His problem now is going to meet those he had once turned down and looked down upon as he would be disgraced. Someone who has and was balling before suddenly become broke because his hands were not clean from the beginning.
He has no choice because when they were telling and cautioning him, he didn't listen.
One thing about this life is that tomorrow will always be a mystery because we don't know what may happen. If he had seen the future that he would involve in an accident which would take everything away from him, perhaps he could have given it a thought and gone the right way believing that with his diligent act, he will successfully own his own business.
The problem with such kind of people is a lack of patience. They want a quick result without going through the steps or processes involved in it. I hope this story will teach others a lesson and if they aren't willing to learn from his experience, sooner or later, they will realize that it is not all that glitters is gold.
Thanks for your time.
Image by Angela Roma from Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-demonstrating-blank-business-card-in-light-room-7319300/
[November 14, 2022] (No 316 articles for the year) https://read.cash/@Princessbusayo/am-i-actually-getting-fairer-a5a129a9#november-10-2022-no-313-articles-for-the-year
Reciprocity in Relationship.
Happy Sunday and a beautiful new week!!!
*“We should give to others what we intend to get. What enters into a circle will complete a full cycle and return to its origin in kind.”*
Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/reciprocity
I love this topic because it's something I have always loved and preached to people especially when I say respect is reciprocal, and for me hammering on the golden rule of law in the Bible that states that ***“do unto others as you would have them do to you.”*** It's as simple as that!
What does reciprocity mean? To say this in the simplest form, it is an act of exchanging things, be it gifts, love, kindness etc to someone or a group of people to get something in return. Reciprocity is derived from the Latin word, **“reciprocus”** which means alternating. This means interchanging regularly or performing things in turn.
Be it any relationship — friendship or romantic, reciprocity is very important. Both relationships should be reciprocal which means that when I say someone is my friend, or I love such a person, I should assume such a person thinks of me as a friend too or the person loves me back.
An important principle of reciprocity is, to be truthful, and open with your partner because you believe and trust that they have your best interest at heart and are not being selfish with it. The law of reciprocity states that in social situations, we pay back what we received from others. To create a healthy relationship, reciprocity should be solidified which would be beneficial to both parties.
They will communicate their needs, feelings and intent to one another and both of them would be in a win-win situation. That sounds perfect!
There are ways to show reciprocity. When someone is being kind to you, there is a need for you to show kindness to either the person or another but it shouldn't be like you are on your right wanting to be shown kindness by the same person especially when you insist they return the favour to you because you did it for them. No, it shouldn't be that way!
Now, let's take a look at some kinds of reciprocity which I would give in my examples to understand.
**Generalized Reciprocity:** This type of reciprocity is done when you do not expect anything in return but you know you'd get it in return from a different angle. Let's take someone who gives to the homeless as an example. Such a person gives willingly and would not expect anything from them but the joy in seeing the children happy and satisfied is a reward already to him or her.
This kind of reciprocity does not involve any instant repayment even though you will get in return somewhere else.
**Balanced Reciprocity:** One example of this in a social setting is gift-giving. This involves giving to someone and you expect it to be returned to you within a given or fixed time. According to social psychologists, it is referred to as the law of reciprocity. An example of this is when your partner gives you a gift on your birthday and such a partner expects you to give back on his or her birthday too.
**Negative Reciprocity:** This is done out of selfish interest or desire. This is when you get everything and it's either you return in a little way or you give nothing in return. An example is when a student helps his or her lecturer to carry out some tasks outside the academic setting because he wants the lecturer to leak out exam questions.
This is usually done by students in the University when they only help their lecturers or professors, they may even go out of their way to buy them drinks and food just because of their selfish interest in being given expos in the examination hall.
I have a friend who is a typical example of balanced reciprocity and the friendship is still as healthy today. When I show her love, she reciprocates even in a bigger way and this is something that should be practiced among everyone because this is in a way, expressing love and unity together.
In conclusion, reciprocity helps you to be more sensitive and less selfish because you will always understand people from their point of view instead of thinking about yourself only.
Thanks for your time.
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[November 13, 2022] (No 315 articles for the year) https://read.cash/@Princessbusayo/am-i-actually-getting-fairer-a5a129a9#november-10-2022-no-313-articles-for-the-year
He said he is ready. Are you ready too?
*“It's Friday! Time to go make stories for Monday.”*
Anonymous
Another Friday is here and we are still standing strong and grinding. Many of us do not have a choice but to get up and work hard to give ourselves and our families the best life we want. If it is possible for money to start raining down from heaven just like manna dropped in the days of the Israelites, it would have been a better life because everything we want, we would get with money. But there are things money cannot buy!
Good morning everyone. I bring to you a story from my friend and it is what is happening in our society.
As long as I am not ready and he is ready, we just have to come to a compromise and not go into marriage because my partner is ready or he is using his age as an excuse for me. My friend came to me and we started talking about marriage and the rate at which people are going into it as if it is something so easy.
I cannot count the number of young people getting married in my department since we finished in February. If I wouldn't exaggerate, they are up to 15 and most of them are doing it the same month which is this November while others did theirs not long and it makes me wonder if they are in a competition or what.
Well, I believe if both are ready for the journey, can cope and understand the ingredients to spice the home, and have a stable source of income where they wouldn't have to starve for the rest of their lives, it's all good.
My friend told me of her own friend who is just 24 years old and has been in different relationships, for more than 4 within a period of five months, this year. The last relationship she is in presently hasn't lasted up to a month and the guy is disturbing her to meet the parents while he has taken the girl to meet his family.
My friend asked her why is she going into marriage with someone she barely knows, she said that the guy said he is getting older and he wants to get married early next year. He is 30 years and because he feels he is getting older and his friends are all married except him and he is trying to hurry this young girl who hasn't even defined what she wants for herself.
My friend had spoken to her to be patient with this stuff but it seems she has made up her mind to get married. While she was telling me this, I knew the girl is a desperate girl wanting to be in a relationship as soon as one leaves her and it is obvious she doesn't know what she is doing and by the time her eyes are opened, I hope it wouldn't be too late.
The guy she is dating is also a domineering person. According to my friend, the guy asked the girl to change her Whatsapp profile picture to his own picture and he didn't do the same for the girl and she isn't having a say in the relationship.
To me, everyone has one reason or another for wanting to get married and if they are ready, they are free to opt-in but if they are not, I think taking one's time is the best because there is no latecomer in marriage and when the time is right, you will be sure of making the best decision instead of regretting.
The majority of divorce in the world is due to not being prepared for the journey ahead because many are only excited about the **wedding** that they forgot the **marriage** which will go on forever. Once you are in it, there is no going back because the world won´t see you as being single anymore but would label you as a married one, even if you get divorced, they have a name to tag you with which is a divorcee or single mother or father.
I am not in any way to make victims sad, but this post is literally for the singles including myself to define ourselves first and be sure that we are making the right decision. No man should force you just because he is ready and you are not, and no woman should force you too, when as a man, you aren't ready.
A friend talked to me some days ago about his ex. According to him, he is already tired because the girl's standard is higher than his and he is not saving just because the girl keeps billing him every time. He doesn't have enough and he is trying to satisfy her but the girl is not being considerate. He had to break up with her since he has talked to her but was not willing to change. If such a guy should marry her, she would drain and milk him dry and there wouldn't be room for savings or planning for the future in having the best life.
Marriage is sweet but with the right person with whom you are building the home together. There will surely be issues and challenges, but being with the right person would make it easy to fight through together and keep loving yourselves. But in a situation where you are going into it with the intention of being called a married woman or man and not for the right reason, it wouldn't be long before both got separated and that is the end.
For this kind of people, once what is making them enjoy the relationship is gone, they will stop loving and being committed because they weren't into it for the right purpose.
Thanks for your time.
Image by Trinity Kubassek from Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/young-couple-in-city-at-night-246367/
[November 11, 2022] (No 314 articles for the year) https://read.cash/@Princessbusayo/am-i-actually-getting-fairer-a5a129a9#november-10-2022-no-313-articles-for-the-year
Am I actually getting fairer?
*“Never forget to appreciate yourself and to reveal your own inner beauty.”*
Debasish Mridha https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/appreciate-yourself#:~:text=%E2%80%9CAppreciate%20your%20own%20courage%20and,%2C%20especially%20during%20difficult%20times.%E2%80%9D&text=%E2%80%9CRemember%20that%20you%20are%20perfect,yourself%20for%20your%20amazing%20qualities.%E2%80%9D&text=%E2%80%9CNever%20forget%20to%20appreciate%20yourself,reveal%20your%20own%20inner%20beauty.%E2%80%9D&text=%E2%80%9CNever%20forget%20to%20smile%20and%20appreciate%20yourself.%E2%80%9D
I am beginning to take notice of my body and appearance for some months now since I know I am getting older and not younger again. I am a black and shiny girl who loves her skin colour and I try to maintain my body skin as I mind the type of cream I use. Whenever I needed to get a body cream, I make sure it is not one that bleached and turn my colour to a fairer or white one. No! I love who I am.
This is why I look for creams to maintain my colour as I don't even recognize good cream. I have been brought up with using Vaseline until I grew up. It was when I was in the 300 level in the second semester, which was early last year that someone advised me to start using lotion since I am not a small girl anymore. She said I am already growing to become a lady and so, Vaseline isn't for me.
Well, I had wanted to get a lotion cream before but it makes me sweat and makes my legs white as if I didn't apply the cream. She told me there are lotion creams that are good and do not make one sweat. She recommended Nivea lotion cream to me which I bought instantly that same day.
Little did I know it was the fake I bought. Since I could not differentiate between a fake and an original, I was given that one and when someone told me, I made sure I used it finish before getting another one. After many months, I bought another Nivea cream but this time, someone accompanied me and I got an original one.
Recently, two months ago, I decided to start using facial cream so the Nivea would only be applied to my body alone. I opted for a facial cream which I started to use immediately. I didn't see the result because the owner selling it assured me that it would maintain my skin and it's a cream that blends well with my face. I didn't even take notice of my face. Every morning, I look into the mirror to see the beauty in me. I would always appreciate and compliment myself.
This is something I do daily to make me happy and know that I do not need anyone to compliment my beauty to know I am beautiful. I see myself changing and people were testifying that I am getting bigger and chubby these days. They kept teasing me that they wish they are also graduate because I don't need to rush to school for lectures under the hot sun or even stress myself reading for exams again.
Yesterday, I went to get something to eat when the owner of the shop looked at me and asked what cream I am using. I told her and she was like my face is fairer. I smiled and thanked her.
I got home and I confirmed again with people and that was when everyone started giving their analysis on my body. A guy who has always been teasing me in the house said my breast is intimidating and anytime he sees me, he would wish to go down with me. Hahaha. He wants to have sleep with me. But I am not the type he wants as he would always bring in different girls home to sleep with them. In fact, he isn't my type of man 😁
Others gave their compliment that the facial cream is working effectively on me and it helps maintain my skin which I love too. It was really funny yesterday, especially with what the guy confessed. I know he got the chance to speak his mind that moment and I don't give a damn because I know my value and worth.
Just looking at who I am becoming every day makes me happy. Though I want more care for myself and I will do my best in that aspect. I believe strongly that I am beautiful because I am and no one can make me sad or make me believe what they say when they pretend to care.
A new supermarket was opened in my school and I decided to be there for the first time. I couldn't take a picture while inside as I was focused on what to get even when the prices were high. Since I am there, I had to get them and I don't think I will go there again. Those were the pictures I took outside the supermarket.
Thanks for your time.
*All images are mine and not permitted to use against my consent.*
[November 10, 2022] (No 313 articles for the year)
An unexpected happened yesterday.
*“Life is not what you expect: it is made up of the most unexpected twists and turns.”*
Ilaiyaraaja https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/ilaiyaraaja-quotes
Perhaps if I had heard such news earlier yesterday, I wouldn't have been online but I just finished visiting 20 articles on this platform in the morning when I saw a message from my younger sister that we lost a relative. She died of cancer. I never expected her to die just like that. When I heard such news, I closed my laptop and broke down in tears. It's been a long time since I cried that way. I will surely miss her so much.
She was my Uncle's mother and her love was dear to me. She was a nice woman. Wow! Such is life! Someone turns from “she is” to “she was”. Death is wicked but we would all die because it's inevitable.
She had been sick with cancer for a long time and it has taken a lot of money from the children. Her husband already lost his senses for years now and it makes him not remember anything including the names of people. This is called amnesia. He doesn't recognize even his children and when you sit with him, he would ask for your name more than a hundred times. Because of this, the children hired 8 maids to work with them.
There is someone taking care of the husband and another taking care of the wife. There is a maid who cooks and another who cleans the house and so on. The children just want the best for their parents.
They spent a lot of money on this woman until she gave up yesterday at 10 am. Though it was so painful, we believe mama has gone to rest from the pain she had to go through. I cried to the extent that my eyes hurt and I developed a headache. I couldn't even look at my phone and it stopped me from doing anything. Throughout yesterday, I kept thinking and I couldn't believe she is gone just like that.
My big sister called me too to inform me. According to her, she already cried on Sunday when pictures of her deteriorating were sent to her and that was when everyone accepted their fate that mama was going gradually. So, when she died yesterday, it didn't come as a shock to them because they couldn't wish for her to continue living in pain and were also, hopeful that God can perform the greatest miracle but the way she was, life has already left her body.
They immediately took her to the mortuary and soon, they would be planning on giving her a befitting burial.
I asked my sister how they would communicate such an incident to her husband since he doesn't remember anything. My friend who was with me, consoling me said it would make it easier for him not to cry much looking at his condition. I feel for him and the best thing for him now is for the children to keep him with them. Though it would be hard for them, it is not right to leave him behind to the maids
Who knows what might be happening in their absence since they know Baba cannot say anything to the children or remember anything. We cannot trust everyone.
Till now, I am still in shock that mama is gone just like that and forever until we see each other in heaven. May God forgive all her sins and be merciful according to the generous life she had lived. Mama has gone to rest. I don't know her age but she should be around 75+ and I believe that is a good age to have lived before death came. We all want to live longer and I pray to God to spare our lives.
I had to cheer up after then so as not to hurt my eyes more as the pain was not making me comfortable. I wanted to get an eye drop before but I went to get a pain reliever instead and that was when I returned from church later in the evening. I took my drug and wrote a post to be submitted on Hive early this morning which I already did.
It's another wonderful day and those still alive like you and I should still be grateful. For everything that happens, give thanks to God because He knows why things happened the way they did. Though we all want to keep being around our loved ones and seeing them gives us joy but when God says it's time, we don't have a choice but to accept and move on with life.
Thanks for your time.
Images by Andrea from Pexels https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-sitting-on-floor-3767426/
[November 09, 2022] (No 312 articles for the year) https://read.cash/@Princessbusayo/i-love-to-be-challenged-eb63dc2a#november-08-2022-no-311-articles-for-the-year
I love to be challenged.
*“Sometimes it's like: If something terrifies you, you should totally do it BECAUSE it terrifies you. And then you'll do it and you'll realise what you're capable of.”*
Jonathan Saccone-Joly https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/challenge-yourself
I love to be challenged and that is it! It helps me to identify my ability in dishing such a task out and I wouldn't mind doing it over and over again. One thing about me is that I love to make my presence known wherever I am unless I just don't want to focus on it. But if I decide to focus, I wouldn't hesitate to give in my best.
I remember those times I joined Steemit some years ago. I never relented as I was always active during the day and night. I put in my efforts and while I was teaching, it didn't stop me from being active because when I see someone engaging, I love to compete with the person and this has helped me a lot to be a part of engagement online that I don't find it difficult at all. It helps me grow and know more people.
I later joined Uptrennd too and it got to a point, I was taken as the Princess of Uptrennd. I never stopped engaging which makes people think I was one of the guardians on the site. It took people time to believe that I wasn't because I was even doing the work of the guardians in stopping spammers. My own was even too much but I enjoyed the fun.
When I became a student at Uptrennd University, it was fun because the owner of the platform had to give us more levels even higher than some guardians. My engagement was amazing which made people say they are always looking up to me because I am working hard. Well, I love the compliment because it keeps encouraging me to do better. Once I am being complimented, I make sure not to deviate from it but keep improving.
Then came Readcash. Seriously, I dedicated my time here more, still doing that today because I can't stop coming here. My engagement made me meet new people and it helped me a lot because I am always excited when people come over to read my posts and drop comments. When the leaderboard was still active, I see myself on the list too and it made me work more as I didn't want to leave such a list.
Finally, I knew about Hive. This platform has been amazing but I never focused on it as I do now. I became focused as of March this year which made me feel sad not being committed to it at that right time. I think there were many things on my plate and it reduced my focus over there.
Some weeks ago, I saw an engagement league post where I see people on the top 100 lists. I felt sad because I could have been among them if I had my focus there too. Then, I became committed and interested to be on that list but I have to sacrifice myself and time there which isn't a problem because it is what I do.
Someone had to challenge me because I saw him as the second person on the list. I felt challenged and decided to do my best. This is what I want and love. Just challenge me! Lol
Last week, I was surprised to see my name among the top 100 in the engagement league. Though I was happy, but I wanted more. I was given 1 HP and another 5 Hive for being one of the special lucky numbers which I used to power up. I felt great about it and said to myself that next week would be great. I did my best on Hive and just yesterday, the post was out again and I found myself at number 9 among the top 100. That was fantastic! I felt great within me.
I told myself that if I want to be committed to something, I will put in my effort. I was also part of the lucky special numbers and waiting for a little token which I will be grateful for.
It made me feel happy that I was challenged and I didn't disappoint and the guy had to thank me for such effort. Right now, I am working towards making the list before next week through the Ecency frontend. I won't relent because it's also fun on Hive just as it is here. What I do is balance both so I wouldn't be leaving any behind.
Yesterday came great for me and I hope today becomes greater for every one of us. Let's do our best and never forget to take care of our health because it's important. While we are chasing the bag, let's chase our health too so we don't end up falling sick. It's less than 9 weeks to the end of the year and I can't wait to celebrate with my family.
In three weeks, a friend would be getting married and being one of her friends, she wants me to be there. Though I contemplated whether to go or not, I concluded that I would attend to make her happy. I am already getting ready for things I would need plus sending gifts to her.
Thanks for your time.
Images by Julia Larson from Pexels https://www.pexels.com/photo/crop-sportive-couple-clasping-hands-in-gym-6456305/
[November 08, 2022] (No 311 articles for the year)
Stop bragging, please.
*“How different would people act if they couldn't show off on social media? Would they still do it?”*
Donna Lynn Hope https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/bragging
In life, it is not a bad thing with having a healthy self-esteem and celebrating your achievement. That's surely great! But if you feel you are turning it more into bragging and less celebrating, it is important to look into it and be cautious. Some people have taken celebrating their wins and achievement into oppression where they feel others aren't up to their levels. That is bragging to me. Of what use then? Too much of it could lead you to a downfall if you aren't careful.
When you brag a lot, it might be an issue where people do not feel comfortable again and that will hurt your view about it.
The first reason you shouldn't brag is that it might lead to envy much more than just sharing what you have or do. When you brag, you might be playing too much over the importance or success that you have accomplished or achieved and others, who believed it could feel jealous of it and get frustrated and sad because they could not achieve it.
This doesn't mean you shouldn't celebrate at all because to some people, it's like getting inspired and motivated by what you have done to get to such a level but when it has gone to the level of you over hyping your achievement, thereby turning it to something else, this has termed it to mean that you are bragging.
Although they might not know you are exaggerating the wins which could make them more frustrated. One has to be careful.
Some people might feel envious in other situations but when you brag sometimes, it provokes and stirs up this emotion. When you put a lot of focus on your achievement and add more bells and whistles to it, you are encouraging other people to feel envy, which can hurt your relationship and bring negative behaviour from people that might otherwise be avoided.
Another reason you shouldn't brag because if you do might be danger looming around is when you believe your hype. Everyone is different and because you are celebrating your wins, to you, it is the right and best thing while to others, it is not. You start feeling too confident thereby making you lose the caution and doubt that can sometimes contribute to decision-making.
Overconfidence isn't a problem but often, it will lead to poor choices. You might agree to things you shouldn't do at first but in the end, you find yourself doing the worse you never expected.
When you brag a lot, it brings overconfidence and when it gets to an extent or situation, it might make you lose your confidence totally in yourself. This is why you should find a balance because bragging could lead to some unintended consequences which will end up convincing you that you are great and can't make mistakes.
Another reason is that you might focus more on those material things rather than what is important in your life. When you start bragging about what you have and own, it might shift your mindset and push you to pursue more things rather than achievement and growth goals.
It's fine to value things you have and talk about them, but if you focus too much on them, it makes you feel like your worth is dependent on material things. It can also make you pursue the wrong thing.
When you are bragging, it makes you feel that you have made it. If you are bragging, you feel like what is the importance of getting better and growing as a person when all your mindset is that you are on top already. This mindset surely isn't good for someone who keeps aspiring to become better and improve.
Bragging could take your mind away from being humble. Humility helps you to recognize what you don't know yet and leaves room to get improved day by day as it pushes you to do better continuously. Bragging will deprive you of showing humility to others and it will blind your flaws and fault.
This article doesn't mean you shouldn't feel satisfied or happy with what you have done but that you shouldn't treat your achievement as if it's the end of the road.
It is very important to share your achievement with people close to you, but know the difference when you are bragging. With bragging, it brings a sense of seniority and superiority to you which others might dislike and this can damage and ruin relationships you have built for years.
Thanks for your time.
Images by Julia Larson from Pexels https://www.pexels.com/photo/happy-women-dancing-on-new-year-party-6113610/
[November 07, 2022] (No 310 articles for the year)
It's a beautiful Monday already. Woke up feeling energized and ready for today's task. Already in front of my laptop as I want to engage on Readcash first before moving onto Hive.
Always remember that God is the source of everything and we should be grateful for all we have, no matter how small or big it is.
Ability to sleep is a blessing
Ability to eat is a blessing
Ability to laugh is a blessing
Ability to walk around is a blessing
Ability to pray is a blessing
We have enjoyed blessings from God.
So, in all you do today, don't stop praising God in your heart. God is everywhere. This is why He is the omnipresent.
Today is Sunday and a new week. I had to do an online service today and so, I didn't go to church but I was glad joining others to worship God online. It was really interesting.
Here is fried potato 🥔 and egg.
Power supply decided to surprise us. They brought the light last night around 9 pm and it's 1:55 pm, they haven't taken it. This is really surprising because something like this has never happened in my almost four years of living in the city.
We are not perfect. Just doing our best.
Do you believe that no one is perfect? Yes, no one is! Everyone is only trying their best and working towards perfection. To be perfect means to be without fault or mistakes. I have never seen anyone on this earth that hasn't made any mistakes or has no fault in them. No matter how beautiful and intelligent we may be, there is something called disorder in us. We would always exhibit that trait anytime and anywhere and this trait would make people not get interested in us.
A person who loves to give and smile every time has a bad habit of judging quickly. There will always be a but in our lives and that is okay because God never made everyone perfect. If he did, this world would have been so fine that we don't need each other to survive since everyone is doing fine on their own.
Do you now know that with such a creation, no one will come to ask for help or even need help since everyone is doing better without seeking advice? Life would surely be boring which I know of.
You might see a person who is so gentle and one would think they are perfect but do you know what is happening secretly? That same person might be acting evil in his or her hiding place and only using gentleness as a pretence. You and I aren't perfect and we need to understand this one thing in life.
It is not our right to judge other people when we have what we are dealing with. I wouldn't say I have not been the type of person who judges. I was so good at it until I came across a book that opened my eyes some time back. This is why it is good to be updated through reading books. Don't think you know it all, you will only be limited to your knowledge until you explore elsewhere to see what the best is.
If you need to judge or criticize another fellow, ask yourself this question: **“Am I perfect too?”** Many of us are quick to judge other people because we think what they are doing is bad since we aren't doing it or hasn't happened to us. Whatever we think is bad for us should be bad for another person, but do we take our time asking them why they are involved in it first?
No one has the right to judge another fellow unless you have moved closer to know why they are doing it even if we have to conclude on judging them. Even at that, whatever their reason may be, let's respect that!
It is easier to blame other people when we see the outcome of their bad ways but can we pause and ask this question again: **“If it were to be me, what would I have done?”**
The scripture says we should, first of all, remove the log in our eyes before removing the speck from someone's eyes. A blind man can never lead a blind man. Both will fall into a ditch.
Is it possible for a prostitute to judge her fellow being? Unless she had desisted from such an act and found good reasons to share with the other person even if you want her to listen and change too. When a lazy person is advising another fellow being who is always procrastinating, what do you think will happen? Fight will certainly occur.
There was a day, I and my friends were supposed to be in school very early so we wouldn't miss sitting in the front. One of my friends was delayed and the time was running. I was so vexed and had to start judging her. The other friend calmed me down making me understand that something might happen to her. I wasn't patient to see the reasons why she was late.
No one predicts what could happen anytime and we are always met with unexpected circumstances. The following week, the same thing happened to me and I was delayed because something happened. The other friend now reminded me of what happened to the friend who got us late, I couldn't say anything because I know I was at fault to blame and judge her.
Some years ago, I was living with my aunt and my friend came to visit me. When she saw my room, she started talking about how untidy my room was and advising me to always make my room clean as a lady. I smiled and thanked her.
The day I went to visit her too, her room was worse than mine and I remembered how she was talking and giving advice on how to make my room clean but see her room as a lady. I didn't say anything to avoid any argument.
I am always careful now with what I say to people because I look at myself first so that nothing would be held against me. Of course, that doesn't stop us from giving our own opinions if we are asked but talking and judging without our opinion or say is what could put us into trouble. Think about the reasons why they engage in such acts before you say anything or criticize them. We aren't perfect.
This article is mainly for every one of us including myself and it's a way to check ourselves too before making any judgement. Am I doing it right too before I judge, complain, condemn and criticize another person for the same thing?
Thanks for your time.
Images by Michelle Leman from Pexels https://www.pexels.com/photo/emotionless-diverse-friends-in-white-lingerie-6774861/
[November 06, 2022] (No 309 articles for the year)
After eating boiled potatoes and fried egg in the afternoon for lunch, I went for fruits — Oranges for dinner. I don't need to eat anything again until tomorrow.
I had a dream and it came to reality.
https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photography-of-woman-sleeping-914910/
I still do not know the meaning of the dream I had two days ago. They say dreams come to pass and I hope this is for the good.
I slept and in my dream, I damaged someone's torchlight and I tried fixing it back but it didn't work. I woke up to pee and while I was holding my torchlight, it fell and was dismantled. Thank God I was able to fix it back and it was working. What does that mean?
Does it mean I need to be careful with someone's property or mine? Does it mean I could fix anything I want if I am focused on it? Any meaning from you? I would be excited to hear from you.
Give us our daily bread.
*“The Lord is close to everyone who calls out to him, to all who call out to him sincerely.”*
Psalm 145:18
That title sounds familiar, right? That is part of a powerful prayer Jesus taught His disciples when they ask Him to teach them how to pray and so far in today's world, we have come to include such prayer into our lifestyles.
*“Yesterday is history*
*Today is mystery*
*I'm just grateful for today.”*
This was a song I listened to this morning while taking my morning devotion. We already spent yesterday and it has become a thing of the past while we are here today, hoping for the best even though we don't know what tomorrow might bring which is why it is a mystery. Something we don't know of. But it is amazing to always depend on and trust in God for the next day.
We only know of today because we are already in it and the best prayer is to say the Lord's prayer believing that we cannot do all on our own except God gives us the strength and ability. He is the source of everything.
How God has been providing for my daily needs is something I am still yet to understand but I am always grateful I get to eat and be provided with basic needs that are necessary for my growth. Do you think you have a Job and so you can get anything for yourself without realizing or understanding that it has been God?
The word of God says if it has not been God who builds the city, the labourers are doing it for nothing. If it has not been God who provided this platform and other earning sites for us, how do you think you would survive? Even if the platforms are existing, what if you don't have the strength or ability to write or grind, how do you expect to feed?
Sometimes, I get sad at some people who think it is their power of doing tasks that bring food to their table. The food we eat, God provides them. The water we drink, God gave to us. So, why don't you acknowledge that and keep showing gratitude for what you have?
This is another day and most people do not have anything to feed on while they are hoping for the best. Someone who hasn't eaten anything today will never brag about what to eat tomorrow. Do not think of the next day when you haven't seen the next minute today.
Giving us our daily bread doesn't mean bread alone but His provision. That starts with what we want to eat, drink and put on. Our basic needs come from God who is the sole provider and we would only come to the awareness that without His provision, we can't survive.
Perhaps some of us already ate something in the morning and afternoon, while we await dinner. Others haven't still decided on what to eat because they are still trusting in God which is the best thing to do. We all should remember that it is God who gives strength to be able to work and earn. Paul planted, Apollo watered but God gives the increase. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. So without God giving you strength and ability, you can do nothing on your own. Always remember that.
It's the end of the week already and we are grateful for what we could eat for the past six days. Even if you only ate a meal each day, be grateful because you are still better than someone who never ate anything and was forced to fast. It didn't come from their mind but they have no choice. Be grateful for what you have because others are wishing to have what you already have. When we are grateful for the little we have, God will always be pleased with our actions and would be willing to keep sending us our daily bread.
Finally, always trust God each day you wake up for your daily bread and in whatever you are doing, always remember without God strengthening you, everything you do is in vain. Show appreciation to the one who can give you the grace to work and earn some cash.
Thanks for your time.
Images by Cats Coming from Pexels https://www.pexels.com/photo/baked-bread-served-on-basket-2000498/
[November 05, 2022] (No 308 articles for the year)
@Princessbusayo
