Wednesday 28 October 2015

NOW LADIES! FEMINISM DOES'NT CONNOTES WEAKNESS

See inside my new luxury Banana Island, Ikoyi home..:-) (photos)

I'm sure most of you have heard by now - that I recently bought a house...:-). Of course I had to bring it here and share my joy with you all...my amazing LIB family. God first and you guys second made it possible. So, I bought a two-storey luxury house in the exclusive Banana Island area of Ikoyi...and to be honest, I still can't believe it. It's everything I prayed my house would be. That's me standing in front of my house...:-). #ProudSelfMadeWoman...:-)

The house is on 3 floors consisting of 6 en-suite bedrooms, a master suite with a separate walk-in      closet/dressing room and a massive bathroom suite, 2 living rooms, media room, cinema room, gym room, laundry room, a fully fitted kitchen, with a large pantry. Two room boys-quarters, a gatehouse, swimming pool, waterfall wall, changing room, cabana, and amazing water-view. Absolutely my dream home. Dreams do come true, you know! Click read more to see photos of the house...



My house, my mum and my car...:-)

The compound

 
Sitting room
 
It's a glass house so you can see everything that's happening outside...:-)
Still the sitting room

Now to all the young girls looking at these photos, please read below..

My name is Linda Ikeji. I'm a blogger. I'm 35 years old and I have never...never ever in my life slept with a man for money.
 Not only have I never done it, I have never even considered it...and here I am with a house that cost me over half a billion naira.

Listen, you are beautiful and you are stronger than you know. There's absolutely nothing you can't achieve if you set your mind to it, put your heart and soul into it.
Up until five years ago, I was a struggling entrepreneur. I can't tell you how many offices in this Lagos I sat in for hours waiting to see people who could support my business...but most times, I never passed the reception area. But I never gave up and I never stopped believing and here I am today.

You too can be this..you can be better than this. No dream is too big, no dream is too small, no mountain is too high...it's all in your mind. It's all up to you. If you believe in you, in your God who is guiding you, then the sky is your starting point.

Please stop waiting around for a man to give to you...to put food on your table and put clothes on your back. I promise you, you can do it for yourself. Start thinking big, believe in yourself, be creative and start working. Realize that your dreams are valid...and nobody will make your dreams come true except you. Find what you are good at. Find something that you are passionate about. Work hard at it. Be consistent. Be patient. Start young. Even if you're not young, it's never too late!

I have been hustling since I left secondary school..started modeling before I entered university in 1998. Was running a modeling agency even while I was a student and made it a full time business after I left university. I never doubted that I would succeed one day, because I was determined. And please do not think this happened over night. I've been blogging since 2006...November this year will make it exactly 9 years. God, consistency and hard work brought me here today.

Unfortunately, a lot of our young girls aren't patient and some are lazy, they want it quick and fast but it doesn't work like that. Success takes time - takes hard work - takes passion - takes consistency - but more than anything else, it takes the Grace of God.

I was a 30 year old broke woman and on my birthday, a very sad and depressed me turned to God and begged him. I told Him you promised me, when will You fulfill Your promise? Am I not Your child? Have I not lived according to Your teachings? When will You bless me? Please God help me...and with tears in my eyes, I begged Him. I cried and I begged and I begged and I begged. A few months later my life changed. Never underestimate God's love for you and the power of prayer.

And never stop working. Listen, I make enough money to hire so many people to work on this blog while I go do other things and enjoy myself...but I don't do that. I'm up while some of you are sleeping, and already blogging before some of you wake up. I don't take this for granted. I know to stay on top, I have to constantly work and nobody will be as dedicated as I am because this is not their own thing. It's mine and I have to keep feeding it. So I'm constantly here!

Young ladies, I promise you...you too can do this. You don't need to spread your legs for any bladdy man - because of how much? N200k? That's how much my shoes cost - so why should you give up your body for that? Your sacred body? God's temple? N200k that you can make in a week or even in a day if you pursue your dreams and still have your dignity intact? You think people don't see that you're messing around with all dem old married men and talking about it? Think ladies, think! When next a man propositions you...tell him to get lost, that you will get yours yourself! Abi, aren't you a woman? You know what they say about women? "A woman is like a tea bag, you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.". You are so strong, you don't even know!

Also, if you want God to bless you, you have to have a clean heart. All these backbiting, hating on others, trying to bring people down with hateful words/actions etc - God doesn't like ugly. He has over 6 billion people to look after and you think he will pay extra attention to you if your heart is ugly? Wish people well, help people when you can. Be good to others. But more than anything else be good to yourself. Believe in yourself. It's very easy to give in to feelings of self-doubt and back down when things get tough, but you have to know that God will not give you anything you can't handle.

I swear to you, you are underestimating yourself. If you know the power that you have inside. If you know the things that you are capable of. If you know how far you can go...how high you can reach but you are holding yourself back because you're afraid of failing, because you don't think you have it in you. If only you know that you're stronger than you think. You are so powerful, you don't even know it. I'm not more special than you are. I don't have two heads. We serve the same God. Why can't you succeed? Think ladies, think.

Like Barack Obama's sister said, poverty is not an excuse! I used to sell/market beer at Sheraton hotel, Lagos when I was in university for N1,000 a day. I once lived on 'puff puff' and garri for weeks in UNILAG and I was supposedly a top model but nobody knew what I was going through.

Trust me, I knew poverty. Did you know I lived in Idi-oro, Mushin for 15 years? Up until when I was 25? Did you live in Mushin? Eh, so what's your excuse? I can't even say some things here for my family's privacy but here I am today because I never doubted myself and I never allowed all the doubters to distract me. I was focused. I was determined. I worked hard and I knew the God I served won't let me down. The road was long, sometimes very frustrating and painful but look at me now. God did it because he saw that I was willing!
"Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed. If I fail, no one will say, “She doesn’t have what it takes.” They will say, “Women don’t have what it takes.”
Please believe in yourself and watch God use you to set as an example for others.

May all your dreams come true!

Kisses.

Oh by the way (addressing the argument I read online this weekend) I don't do anything else. I blog from 4am till midnight, where do I have time to do anything else? When God wants to bless you, He will bless you...even if you're selling toothpick.

Cheers!

The pool area

 
Happy woman. Had to wear my Selfmade Tee...:-)
The lawn - working on it to make it more lovely

 
Other side of the building...
They are cleaning the pool. Who wants to come teach me how to swim? :-)

And the master suite... my bedroom. I've never seen anything like it in real life...lol. It's so big, I don't even know how to decorate it...

Walking in my bedroom
Still my bedroom. Has a lounge area...lol. Choi!

And my walk-in closet...my bags and shoes are so happy! :-)

I'm having them add some things so work is on going there 


And the most grand part of the house is my luxury bathroom...it has a Jacuzzi, bathtub and shower...

 Me in my bathroom! Can't believe this is my life now...
The view from my Jacuzzi

My Penthouse Terrace
 My parents looking around in amazement...lol. My mum couldn't believe this is her new home...lol

The kitchen...my mum's favourite part of the house 


 
Living in the house with my family. When I marry, I will move out! *sad face*..lol

The house is spectacular at night...

15 Amazing Quotes About Strength









The struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need tomorrow.

– Unknown


Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.

– Napoleon Hill


Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.

– Rikki Rogers


True strength is holding it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart.

– unknown



Strength of character isn’t always about how much you can handle before you break, it’s also about how much you can handle after you’ve broken.

– Unknown


True strength is smiling when you want to cry, laughing to hide the pain, and going on no matter what.

– Rob-Ann


The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.

– Ernest Hemingway


Unity is strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.

– Mattie Stepanek


A true strong person does not need the approval of others any more than a lion needs the approval of sheep.

– Vermon Howard


Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.

– Mahatma Gandhi


One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity.

– Albert Schweitzer


Strength of character means the ability to overcome resentment against others, to hide hurt feelings, and to forgive quickly.

– Lawrence G. Lovasik






Sunday 25 October 2015

9 TIPS TO START YOUR DAY IN A POSITIVE WAY



Positivity is a key to seeing things and situations from a different perspective; a different pair of eyes. These result in prompting a different reaction to situations that could save you time and perhaps help resolve the issue and make the future brighter. Every day we wake up from our sleep indicates a new day with new chances and opportunities; a day with a lot of freedom and power of choice.
The first and very interesting choice we have as soon as we wake up is whether we are going to get out of bed or press that tempting snooze button on our alarm, which starts a chain reaction. This causes you to pull the blankets, continue sleeping, and possibly feel lazy or tired for part of the day. No one is going to make this choice for us (well sometimes, this is going to happen if someone is force-waking us up). Moreover, generally the way we begin our day could have an influence or impact the remaining of our day.
One party of people begin their days with motivation, optimism, and dedication. The other party, the one that usually hits the snooze button, choose to stay in bed and sleep that extra 5 or 10 minutes only to realize when they wake up that they missed a very important meeting or appointment. Hopefully you do not wake up to a distressed environment, one filled with lots of arguments and stress, because you can end up carrying that stress with you to the workplace.
This stress will then impact your work and performance negatively and it could feel even more irritating to your colleagues because your attitude could affect them. We always know that negative energy, just like positive energy, could be transmitted to others easily. Be aware that starting a day right is possible, regardless of what comes your way. Experiment by trying a different strategy every day of the week for a week and discover what the best way to start your day is.
Doing this will help you start your day on the right foot and radiate positive energy within yourself and also to other people. Positive energy is important and will help create a positive environment full of comfort and joy. Below are 9 tips to start a positive day:

1. Spend A Few Minutes Meditating

This is one way we can start our day on the right note. Have you tried to apply the method of simply spending some time awake in bed breathing before you actually get out of bed? This breathing seems simple and is in fact simple. The most important thing is doing it regularly so that it becomes a habit and so you do not end up doing it one or two times and then forgetting about it. Try breathing in for a count of 4 or 5 seconds, allowing your body to rise and your lungs to fill up with air. Then also breathe out for a count of 4 to 5 seconds, this time allowing your body to drop back. Remember to take a pause between each breath. What this exercise does is allow you to create a sense of comfort and peace within and will allow you to be in a good mental place before your feet even hit the ground.

2. Plan For Tomorrow

Is planning one of the strategies you implement in your life on a regular basis? Do you start your days with organization? If not, then hurry up and begin planning your life in order to stay organized and on the right path. Did you ever try to plan and organize your day still to come; organize your to-do-list, clothes, and perhaps any books you need the night before? This will allow you to wake up feeling in control of your day. This preparation will not take a lot of your time and will save you a lot of time the next morning when you are super busy. You do not want to be running around in the morning looking for your car keys because you did not prepare the night before. Moreover, this is will help tackle more important aspects of your mornings.

3. Boost Your Productivity

Who would not like to be really productive every day and get things done easily and effectively by not wasting so much time on any given task or activity. A study done in 2010 by a team of economic researchers revealed that happiness induced productivity in the workplace. Negative thoughts and actions will just waste your energy and make it worthless. Instead, you want to think positively and have this positive energy. Would you have ever imagined that the simple act of smiling could be a vital step to success in relationships and career?

4. Do Your Inspirational Reading

Are you someone that tries to always be inspired through reading an inspirational text or video? It is never too late to start. This is really a great way to start off your day because inspiration is a very powerful tool that can help push us forward in life when we are in uncomfortable and undesirable positions. We are used to reading the news every morning, but that can be a sad way to begin the day. News is often filled with politics, bad events; more than the good ones. However, you can buy a few books that are inspiring and uplifting, or maybe just simply go online and read an inspirational quote or text and live by it. This is an amazing brain stimulus that puts you in a very good position for your day with positive thoughts and energy.

5. Smiling

Did you have any idea that smiling could actually make you look and feel younger? Well, I bet you did hear something about this or maybe believe this. There is no need to consider the possibly expensive wrinkle and face creams, because smiling might be a strong, potent tool that helps with anti-aging. More than just helping with anti-aging, smiling could help brighten your day. Are you used to smiling as soon as you get up and roll out of bed? Smiling is an incredible tip to start off your day and make it a positive one. Smiling does not only benefit you, but also benefits others and loved ones around you. Would it not impress and satisfy you to make others’ days too?

6. Try Green Tea Rather Than Coffee

Who does not drink coffee in the morning as their waking up recipe? I mean there are a lot of people who do not drink coffee in the morning, but the vast majority do. Moreover a lot of people overdose on coffee and have side effects. Coffee is a great stimulant, but in some conditions it could over-stimulate and make your stomach uncomfortable and not at ease. How about you try a cup of green tea to give you a soothing start to your day? It is the caffeine in the coffee that people crave and need for energy.
Fortunately, green tea always has caffeine in it; just with less quantity. However, green tea has an additional benefit over coffee and that is the healthy antioxidants it contains. Antioxidants are those substances such as vitamin C or E that has the ability of eradicating potentially damaging oxidizing agents in a living organism. You do not have to do the switch right away from coffee to green tea.
Take it step by step; maybe try green tea once a week at first, while maintaining coffee for the other six days. If you feel that there is a positive change, then maybe you could start having green tea for more days each week. Remember, at the end you have the option to stick to what works best for you.

7. Set Clear Intentions For Your Day

Let me ask you this: Do you start your day by being grateful and setting clear intentions, or do you wear this gloomy, sad, stressed face every morning when you wake up? It is very vital to be clear when doing anything, because this will just save you time and effort. For example, your goal can be as simple and clear as having a productive day.
Moreover, you could be more specific and decide that you want to spend quality time with your family and friends without any interruptions. Other options include intending to have a good and fun day, a peaceful and calm day, an active and lively day, or maybe learning or helping day. There is no right or wrong for this; it is your choice and that is the best part. Whatever you choose you want to do with your day, one of the most important things is to set a clear, believable, and achievable day. You need to have the belief that you will be able to achieve and seize the day.
A lot of people underestimate the power and potential of thoughts and how thinking differently can help you get ahead in life. We tend to live on autopilot, doing things out of habit and not really thinking about what we are doing. This causes us to paint our reality unconsciously, even though we might not like our current life.
However, we need to start realizing and being aware that we construct our reality with our mental power (thoughts) and attitude; this means we have the power to choose to do things we want and not just end up doing things because we are used to doing them without noticing that.
Keep in mind that you are the leader of your life and you are the one that picks your own thoughts and decide on your behaviour for the day. Moreover, these choices then determine how we feel mentally, physically, and emotionally.

8. Go For A Morning Run

Do you wake up late because you are a night person or are you a morning person that wakes up early? Sleeping early at night and waking up early can have a positive impact on your day. First off, you will get a good night’s sleep and wake up without any problems and without feeling like you have 20 pounds of weight on your chest.
Furthermore, waking up early allows you more time in the morning to do your favorite activities; one of which could be going for a morning run. Did you know that going for a morning run helps you release endorphins? Endorphins are the feel-good hormones that are produced when you do something exciting or exercise. Start off your day by going for a nice run around your house in the not-so-cold and not-so-hot weather before it gets too hot later on in the day.

9. Prepare A Good, Healthy, And Delicious Breakfast

Do you have enough time in morning to have a proper breakfast, or do you usually not have enough time to do so and need to race your way out of the house? Well, as you might know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and thus we need to make sure we have this meal before we leave for work or school. Who knows someone, maybe themselves, who wakes up every morning to check his Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter feed before he does anything else. It almost seems like he is waking up for the sheer purpose of checking his social media? Instead of wasting your time on such a task that belongs at the bottom of your to-do-list, focus on something more important such as your breakfast. A good morning breakfast can set the tone for the day.
In conclusion, there are numerous ways or tips to start a positive day. A lot of these tips depend on you and your personal interests. Do whatever you need to do to feel happy to lead positive days and thus a positive life in the long run. Also, do not be afraid to experiment. We will never learn if we do not fail. If we keep on succeeding all the time and never slipping, we will not be able to adapt and improve in the many rooms of life.

How do you make sure your day gets started in the right way? Please tell us in the comments section below.