Glo, Author at 1Africa | Page 16 of 27

Be Grateful

Glo

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July 2, 2015

If there was one absolute practice I would recommend to everyone, that would elevate their lives, it would be gratitude. The simple practice of gratitude has the ability to transform lives of bitterness, selfishness, self-pity, negativism, and pride for better.

There are four different kinds of people in life; those who always complain, those who take things for granted, those who are grateful when things are going well and those who always give thanks for all things. It doesn’t take rocket science to know that the last group is the most successful and happy.

Studies reveal that people who practice gratitude are more positive, generous , feel happier and have stronger immune systems.

Some people feel that being grateful in all situations is just delusional. Being grateful at all times doesn’t mean that life is perfect; it doesn’t deny the presence of challenges, burdens, and hassles. But when we look at life as a whole, gratitude encourages us to identify some amount of goodness in our lives. So, every night, take time to think about how the day went and find things to be grateful for.

Be grateful for what went well at work or in your relationship, in your finances or your health. Be grateful for the divine mercy, provision, protection and inspiration you have received. Be thankful for the generosity and kindness you received or gave out.

Keeping an attitude of gratitude will open doors for many positive things to happen in your life. If you are going through a very challenging time and feel there is nothing good to be grateful for, or if you’re someone who’s irritable and prone to complaining about everything, we’d like you to experience the love of God, which grants peace even in difficult situations and an ability to look at life through positive lenses. Please click on the banner below to be directed to a video in which we explain more on knowing God.

Part of content sourced from africanwomanmagazine.net

What Makes A Woman Wife Material?

Glo

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July 1, 2015

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Unlike women, men are fairly simple. Whether we want to listen or not, they’ll usually tell us exactly what they need. Give them what they need and they’re happy. Most guys are fairly low maintenance and have a whole lot in common.

I’ve spoken with several men of all ages, races and backgrounds and oddly–or obviously–enough, they typically want the same thing in a wife. The key word here is wife. As one guy put it: “There are some things that you like because they’re exciting and fancy but that doesn’t mean you want to keep them forever…” He went on to use this analogy: “Just because you are dying to rent the red sports car doesn’t mean you want to own it.”

So, when it comes to wives–the woman a man chooses to be worthy of his last name–there are a few things most men (over 90 percent!) look for. On a recent episode of R.E.A.L. Single Wives TV, Charlie Ervin shared three characteristics of a woman who’s wife material:

1. She’s Ambitious… As one guy put it: “She doesn’t have to have a lot of money but she has to be working to get it…she has to be working toward something.” Believe it or not, men appreciate women who have found their passion and are pursuing their dreams. They appreciate a business-minded woman with financial sense, it puts them at ease to trusting you to manage their household. Plus, it’s very easy to lose yourself once you find someone. Give yourself a fair chance by always setting new goals, both personally and professionally.

What are you working toward that doesn’t involve a man?

Up your stock by starting a new venture, finding another stream of income or coming up with new ways to invest your money.

2. She’s Nurturing… Whether you think it’s unrealistic, disturbing or weird, men are attracted to women who give the same energy as their mother. Men need to be hugged, kissed and cared for just as much as we do. Although we like their tough exterior, we have to remember to stroke their egos and boost their confidence. They need us to be their number one cheerleader while they’re out taking over the world. If you are out working just as hard (refer to the first point, above) then you understand the need for a solid support system when you are working toward your goals. Charlie shared that he had about 15 business ideas when he met his wife Rissy and she supported his ideas instead of killing his dreams! Being nurturing is a key quality that men look for in a wife.

3. She’s Easy to Love… She’s not playing games, making him “prove his love” by doing ridiculous things or creating arguments based on her insecurities. A confident woman who knows her worth, understands her flaws and accepts love and support from others is a woman that any smart man will want to keep around. One thing women often fail to realize is the same barriers we put up to protect our hearts often keep out the men who can help heal them. A marriage-minded man will appreciate a fair chance and won’t waste his time doing petty things to prove himself to you. One guy mentioned that he shouldn’t have to, “Start at zero and earn points with you based on your insecurities.” Instead, he should start with all of the points and lose them based only on his own actions instead of your experiences with others.

A woman who’s ready for marriage will be open to receiving real love and freely give it away.

So, how do you add up? Although there are hundreds of qualities men look for in a wife, mastering these three are sure to set you apart from the typical woman on the dating scene. Whether you want to accept it or not, we’re fighting a losing battle in the numbers game. There are far more eligible women than there are men which means men have more options than we do. Please get out of the mindset of thinking that a man should come along and accept you flaws and all, whether you are working to improve them or not. Men don’t mind being a part of your growth process as long as you are in progress. Your goal each day is to be better than the last and when you know better, you do better.

So ladies, now you know what makes a woman wife material!

Source: mommynoire.com

How To Say No

Glo

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July 1, 2015

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One of the greatest time wasters that many people struggle with is the ‘disease’ of living life trying to please everyone and saying “yes” to every request that comes your way. I’m one of those people often referred to as kind, respectful, helpful and these pretty descriptions have not always been a positive thing. I’ve had (actually still have, but to a lesser degree though) difficulty saying “no” to people and their endless requests. Anyone who is like me will be familiar with the feeling of frustration and resentment experienced at the end of the day when you realize that you have prioritized things you shouldn’t have and the consequences are that you end up not having time for yourself or your own work. In this world where everything happens at a crazy pace and everyone is working hard to make ends meet, time management is of the essence if you are to succeed in your own endeavours, and learning how to say “no” is a must-have skill. Howcast.com shares some tips on how to say no politely in the video below:

Remember that every time you say yes to something, you are in fact saying no to something else. So, next time someone approaches you with a request or an invitation to which you are quick to say yes, think of that next item on your “To-do-list” that will suffer in favor of the request you have just received and before you give your response, decide what is of priority and don’t compromise on that. Failing to say no is just one of the many things that slow progress in life, without us even realizing it. If you find that you easily give in to people’s demands, and always bow to the needs of those who are selfish and opportunistic, or maybe you find your worth in what people think of you and therefore you constantly make efforts to be ‘loved’ , we’d like you to know that you too can become a confident and responsible person, able to make right decisions, right choices at the right time. Your worth should not be formed by the opinions of men, this is a perspective with which we’d like you to live your life, and if you’re interested in knowing God as a solid, reliable and lasting foundation on which to build your life, please click on the banner below.

Ask And You Shall Receive

Lifestyle

Glo

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June 30, 2015

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In many situations, for you to be able to get what you want or need, you have to be willing to “ask for it.” That is, you need to be able to engage with others to request something specific – help, support, an answer, an action, an item, etc. Sounds simple; but reality is that few people ask for what they really want. Most merely ask for what they feel comfortable articulating and it is up to the person dealing with them (e.g., boss, spouse, friend, salesperson, customer service person) to read between the lines and guess what is going on and how to solve the problem or fill the need. Why is it so hard to ask for what you want?

There are key factors that often keep us from asking, here are the major two:

1. You don’t know what you want

A large majority of people don’t feel comfortable asking for what they want because they live with an embarrassing secret – they actually don’t know what they want. Sure, they may have some vague ideas about the end-state they want to achieve – for example, “I want to be happy, less stressed, financially independent, respected, etc.” – but they can’t seem to fill in the details sufficiently to identify concrete things they might be able to ask for.

2. You have a limited perspective on what is possible

What you think to ask for will be constrained by what you view as possible or probable. If you can’t envision viable options to investigate or pursue there are no opportunities to ask for help or support in making them a reality.

The kind of asking we are talking about here is not lame asking where someone decides to fold their hands, put their legs up and refuse to work or take ownership their life and expects to live on donations. But it is recognizing that as an individual, you may be limited in an area, and that there’s someone out there who has the skill, the wisdom or the right connection that you need in order to break through a particular situation in your life. The greatest teaching ever given on asking is found in the Bible. In that book, God promises to give His children anything they ask from him, “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. John 14:14. So if this is the promise, why do we lack as much as we do? The Bible goes on to say “…Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.” James 4:2-3

Everything we will ever desire in this life can be obtained, and as Africans, our eyes should turn towards God, He is the giver of all things that this world contains. And unless we learn to ask for His wisdom, intelligence, creativity, etc.. And do so with the right motives, and believe that He is able to do what we are asking, we will be left at the mercy of others who will likely be more than happy to tell us what we should need and what is best for us. God desires that Africans have it all and not be beggars. Ask and You shall receive!

Part of content sourced from witi.com

Take Care Of Yourself

Glo

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June 30, 2015

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Every so often consciously step off life’s ceaselessly churning wheels to catch your breath, take care of yourself and connect with your inner self. We all know of people who seem to take care of everyone and forget to do just a little for themselves. Many people, women in particular, are far more compassionate and kinder to others than to themselves.

Having personal high standards is different from being too self-critical or putting oneself on tremendous pressure to perform and succeed. The society we live in has taught us that to succeed we need to strive for more, work even harder, aim to be the best. We blindly follow this gospel without stopping to even consider whether our goals are possible, or whether they would even bring us lasting happiness. The more we accomplish, the harder we work and the more anxious we become about losing it all.

Our fight to retain our position at the top brings with it plenty of stress, pain and confusion. The problem is worse when the inspiration to do our best comes from the outside. The maddening competition to be better than the next person or to impress them with your success yields nothing but anxiety and depression.

If only we knew that it is impossible to be better than everyone at all times. If only we took time to celebrate and find the value in what we have achieved and learn to enjoy it for now. Start treating yourself with value not because of what you have done better than the next person but because you deserve care and appreciation like everyone else. When you do this, you will eventually replace the powerlessness caused by negative competition with inner strength and empowerment.

The secret to empowered action is learning not to beat yourself up – Confucius

If you feel overwhelmed at all times and are struggling to put a balance between the demands of life and your well-being or peace of mind, we’d like to invite you to consider a relationship with God, He is to us a very present help in times of need and the strength and peace that sustains us every day. Click on the banner below, you will watch a video that takes this message further.

Part of content sourced from africanwomanmagazine.net

AMAA releases the nominees

Glo

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June 29, 2015

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After several weeks of anxiety, organisers of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) have announced the nominees for this year’s edition. The awards which usually holds earlier in the year had been delayed for reasons that may not may not be far from the recently concluded general elections in the country. At the nominee’s gala held in Los-Angeles, U.S, over the weekend, names of movies and movie makers shortlisted for the awards were announced. The organisers also announced that the awards would hold this year in South Africa and not Nigeria as usual

The jury, chaired by the Zimbabwean, Mr. Keith Shiri, unveiled the list of the nominees, with Mauritania, Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia, Angola and Mauritius, leading the pack in terms of the numbers of films from the countries, while United States led the pack in the area of films from Africans in Diaspora.

Works from Nigerian filmmakers such as October 1, Cheetanah, Iyore, Dazzling Mirage are very prominent on the nominations list, while Triangle Going to America from Ethiopia, Timbuktu from Mauritius and Queen of Angola from Angola are very strong in various categories of the award.

In a move that may not surprise pundits, Ghana-born actress, Jocelyn Dumas and her Nigerian counterpart, Ini Edo are once again in big battle for the best actress category for their roles in While You Slept and Silver Rain. The two leading female actors were nominated in the same category in 2014.

Two new revelations in the Most Promising Actor/Actress category are: Demola Adedoyin for his role in Kunle Afolayan’s October 1 and Kemi Lala Akindoju for her role in Tunde Kelani’s Dazzling Mirage.

September has been set for the awards, but the organisers are yet to release the exact date. In a phone chat with Chairman of the College of Screeners and member of the Jury, Mr. Shaibu Husseini, he noted the improvement in the quality of films coming to AMAA every year since inception 11 years ago.

“It is gratifying to note that filmmakers from the continent and beyond are investing more into their trade and the evidence of their investments are the quality films we see even though there will always be room for improvements,’’ he added.

For a full list of nominees, please click here.

Source: dailyindependentnig.com

Love Wins

Glo

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June 29, 2015

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Last week-end I watched social media networks break into a frenzy of celebration at the news that the United States’ Supreme Court has legalized same sex marriage in all 50 states of America. From the White House to the streets of America, there’s been a bright splash of rainbow colors accompanying the celebrations. It was a huge event, but what caught my attention most in all this, was the trending hashtag #LoveWins.

Passing this law was to the LGBTQ community a victory, hence the hashtag #LoveWins. We’re often quick to claim to love, but most times, the true meaning of love just eludes us. Needless to say, we’ve seen far too many sad stories or perhaps have experienced them ourselves, where someone would offer their significant other the world, putting in unimaginable amounts of resources to celebrate a marriage union that only lasted two months. It always seems to be love at first, but is it always love?

We live in a world with divided opinions on matters of love. When we hear “love”, we tend to assume we know what it’s about, but this one word “love” has proven to have a somewhat different and unique meaning to each person. When it comes to marriage though, we at 1Africa are not ashamed to declare that we believe it is a sacred union meant to exist between a man and a woman.This is not on the basis of anything other than our understanding of how it is defined in the Bible – the book we use as a manual for living. This is really not about hating anybody.

So, as I scrolled down Twitter pages over the week-end, I kept seeing “love wins” trending like a flu, so I began reflecting on one undying love I know that has always won the day – the true and unconditional love of God. See, this love is for everyone, no one has to fight or defend themselves to obtain it. God’s unconditional love is one whose victory was never ruled by men in a court of law but on a cross in an act of sacrifice, where through His son Jesus, God laid down His life, so that today whoever calls on God, any day, any time, from anywhere, will receive His love, care and compassion. If you would like to know a bit more on the love we are talking about, or engage in a conversation, please click on the banner below

I Don’t Like My Family

Glo

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June 26, 2015

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If you are not one of those whose parents ‘coerced’ into a specific field of study, you probably chose what course to pursue, which career path to follow, the city where you live, what to wear or not to wear this morning :-), you chose who to allow into your circle of friendship and if you’re married and are not a victim of an arranged marriage, you chose your spouse. In most things in life, we have a choice, except , obviously, when it comes to biological family. We never get asked what is our opinion on who we would like to have as parents or siblings and not everyone gets born into the best of families and sometimes, as soon as a child arrives into this world, parents take off , never to be seen again.

One day I was chatting with a friend who had major issues with her family, and as she explained her situation to me, she added “I wonder if things at the same in every family”. Have you ever had those moments were it feels as if your friends at school or in the neighborhood have the best parents and family in the world, the kind that hug and kiss you as they drop you off at school, or tell you stories and laugh with you, or those in whom you are confident enough to tell your little secrets. We get exposed to different people, different families and as is usually the case with many things in life, what others have always seem to be the best, and we think to ourselves that perhaps God made a mistake in giving us the family we have, or maybe, He didn’t love us as much He loved our friends.

When we hear someone saying “I don’t like my family”,we can think they’re cruel. If you reached a place of hating your family because perhaps you are/were mistreated, oppressed or even molested by family members or simply had a difficult experience with family, remember that no family is perfect. Even those you envy most have challenges of their own. There are people in this world who have no one they can call family. Your family may not be perfect and your parents didn’t do what is expected of a parent but you were born in that specific family for a reason, and no matter who your parents are, what they’ve done to you, still, give them the honor and the respect due to a parent. This is one of the greatest principles taught in the Bible for one to have a prosperous life, and it will not change because of who are parents are. Where they may have wronged you, forgive.

Don’t live your life in conflict with family members and regret your choice one day when they are no more. There’s no one closer to us than family, because they are very close to our hearts, whenever they hurt us, we hurt badly. But don’t let conflicts and tension in the family stop you from enjoying the joys of having someone to call dad, mom, brother, sister, aunt or cousin.

If you’re young, planning to have your own family, learn from your experience and do everything you need to do, to offer your kids what you never had. Be to them the parent that you wished to have in a healthy family environment you dreamt of being born in. If you’re struggling with unforgiveness towards your family or would like to know how to live in a way that will position you to be a better family man or woman, we’ve got a video we’d like you to watch.Please click on the banner below.

What Africans Are Using The Internet For

Culture

Glo

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June 25, 2015

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What Africans Are Using The Internet For

Within the past five years, the rate of Internet use in Africa has increased by a staggering five hundred percent – one of the highest in the world. In an era where the market place has moved to World Wide Web, this has naturally led to a keen interest in what Africans are using the Internet for.

According to an article on The Economist tittled ‘What internet searches reveal about Anglophone and Francophone Africans’, there is a correlation between what Africans look for on the Internet and their colonial history. Apparently, video game searches is what is foremost on the minds of Africans from Francophone countries; Anglophones love their job searches and pornography while African countries colonized by Portuguese want to know about topics related to kids such as school subjects and bullying. The article has been dismissed by commenters as being a result of shallow research and broad categorization, and rightly so.

While it seems far-fetched that colonial history and Internet use have any significant connection, one thing is for sure when it comes to Internet use in Africa, social media sites are the most frequented.

According to a survey conducted by Google Consumer Barometer in Kenya, 89% of people use Internet for social sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram; in South Africa, What’s App and Facebook topped internet users’ priorities according to We are Social, a social media marketing and communication agency. Internet World stats’ Internet usage statistics for Africa 2014 confirm social media giant Facebook as one of the most popular reasons for Africans visiting the Internet.

One of the main reasons for excitement about recent African usage statistics is because of its market potential from a business and investment point of view, both on the continent and globally. However, IT expert Michael Niyitegeka says that at the moment, most Internet users are a young educated section of the population who don’t spend much. It will be interesting to see how Internet trends in Africa change as the first generation of Africa’s Internet boom grow up, become responsible and financially independent.

Source: africanwomanmagazine.net

Why Is This Happening To Me?

Glo

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June 25, 2015

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I always imagine that if we could have a chance to see inside someone’s brain, among the many shocking things we will see, will probably be the question “why?” floating somewhere in there. Things happen in life that can make a person slip into a state of madness. Many years ago, I used to ask myself why do people commit suicide, how can this thought even cross someone’s mind? But now, though to us here at 1Africa suicide is simply not an option no matter how deep in trouble one may be, I have a much better understanding as to why such things happen. Without a good support system to help us in our most critical times in life, we’re prone to doing unthinkable things, suicide being one of them.

Let me paint a scenario, which might well be the reality of someone’s life today: a young lady who grew up with no problems with anyone, got an education and employment, kept herself for marriage just like her mother taught her; diligent and a hard worker – then she finally meets Mr Right. A few months into marriage, the lady comes to discover that she is HIV positive, disease contracted from none other than her “Mr Right”. Won’t this young woman begin to question God, and ask why this had to become her story after living her life “the right way”?

What often makes difficult situations even more painful is the fact that most times we don’t understand why certain tragic things are happening to us. And this mystery just destabilizes the best of us.

The question Why is this happening to me is asked by old, young, single, married. We all have an experience, a situation which we wish someone could tell us why it had to happen. In Africa or other parts of the world, it’s not uncommon to meet teenagers growing up with no parents, no shelter, no picture of the future, wondering why they never got a chance at a peaceful childhood with mom and dad present to provide and protect.

Life has its many mysteries. If you are facing a situation today that’s making you ask “Why is this happening to me”, we’d like to share with you the love of God that provides the strongest support system one could ever need when life does not make sense. There are many things we may never get to understand, but we can surely have the peace needed to positively look forward to the future. This peace is a promise from God. What is hurting you today, will not continue to hurt you forever, and if you’ve reached your limits, and perhaps are even contemplating suicide, consider giving God a chance to turn your life around. Often God is presented to us as this “mysterious being” hiding somewhere behind the clouds, disconnected from the realities of our lives, but this could not be further from the truth. He has His eyes and heart on you, and if you would like to know Him better and feel His comforting presence, please click on the banner below.

Glo

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