Having A Choice, Say or Both😌: the sequel

"Keep practicing Jeff, keep practicing and you'd be good at it" I can recall my mother telling me whenever I failed to completely lace my sneakers. I'd often do it haphazardly in link to how I remembered her doing it for me prior to leaving for school 😂.

 Truly with practice, I got soo good at it that I didn't need her verification as to if I did it right or not before stepping out. Here the neuroscientist will tell you that neuroplasticity has occurred; also known as brain plasticity is the process where the brain modifies it's connections after the alteration of neural pathways and it's synapses. This happens when there has been an influence resulting from an environmental, behavioural or neural change. Basically your brain has been re-wired to accommodate what has been learnt.

 With even more practice, you minimize indecisiveness or rewire your brain if I should say till what you seek to assimilate, becomes embedded in your subconscious. This is the level you should aspire to achieve if you want to have a say over situations or occurrences in your life.
 Much like me as a child where I didn't have a say over how my laces were done, it was only after practicing that I elevated towards having a say. Nonetheless instead of shoe laces or something less momentous, use this analogy in synchonity with life choices. Choices that you've been reluctant towards taking because you know you can't live with the aftermath yet you're screaming within to take it. Your brain doesn't appreciate indecisiveness as it "takes orders from you".

The whole idea is to be as less indecisive as possible, accepting the fallout from having made wrong choices but not living to reenact them. To learn from each wrong choice you make to the point of when even being faced with two terrible choices, you'd be able to pick the less terrible amongst the two and live by it.  Do not misconstrue me but taking risks without indecisiveness is totally different from making hasty decisions. In the sense that, one makes you learn lessons while the other leaves you utterly disappointed with or without possible chance at coming back.

Afterall one should be comfortable being uncomfortable for life in this world is a great struggle.

Do check back later for new posts and don't forget to share😄. Have a blissful day❤

Having a Choice, Say or Both 😌

If you are not familiar with E40's song, choices then you'd probably be acquainted with that of Sarkodie's Hand to Mouth. In this piece of music the rapper talks about what he did or does with his earnings. From buying lands, putting up real estate which aggregates the basic idea of wisely investing and bagging of assets to knowing when to "treat yo' self". This of which he believes should be the calibre of thinking every growing adult should possess.

Its a choice to take up or do away with what he articulates but he advises that you do take it up so you get to treat yo' self when the time is right.

It's one thing to have a choice, another to have a say or even both when a situation or circumstance arises. Whichever you're faced with, I want you to cognize that there lies a clear line of distinction which when identified, helps to make you connect the dots easily as some seem to have done with their lives.

You should fathom that it all starts from somewhere, in this case the first level which'd be being limited to having choices. We're faced with having to make choices at every single second and or turn in our lives. From choosing what pattern to observe when we wake up in the morning to even how we'd want to have a delicacy done so that we can attain that happiness from having achieved a desireable taste.

Our choices are often made consciously or with nescience and will most definitely have consequential or inadvertent repercussions. James Van Praagh said and I quote,

"I believe life is just a series of decisions we make, and depending on our choice, must live with the result of that decision". 

If we for certain can't live with the aftermath of the choices we make as humans to live our lives, then we cannot live this life.

 Mr. van Praagh goes on to say that the choices we usually make consist of a multitude of possibilities and, whether real or imagined, we must recognize that in some way the decision will change our life forever.

" As a result of there being so many factors involved with our decision-making and with its unknown result, many of us hesitate to even make a choice, thinking it would be safer and that we’d be better off where we are instead of delving into the unknown. Just think of the number of events in history that would never have occurred if someone did not make the choice to do something different, unknown, unproved or un-experienced? How many relationships would never have been realized without making a particular choice?" ~ Choices in Life, James Van Praagh

I'd entreat you to ponder over this as we prepare to enjoy our weekend while destressing and recuperating for the week that awaits us. Take care of yourself and know that God loves you❤.


Do check back next week for the continuation of this post on Having a Choice, Say or both.

Positivity👌🏾

  It takes a lot of strength and in some cases self control in trying to see someone’s view point on the need to think positively after one has been at the behest of back-to-back impediments. At the onset it only fuels rage because you feel the person doesn't have the slightest of ideas as to how you’re feeling or even going through. 

   They may be deficient in the two factors which have led to you being clouded by your  thoughts but the words or advice they articulate are ones that offer a stretching arm of help through those dark clouds which hung over your head – but there’s a catch.

Being mentally positive isn’t like taking some sort of neurologically manipulative serum to induce a state of equilibrium in one’s neurochemistry thereby making you impervious to the emotional turmoil that’s associated with the aftermath of experiencing hindrances. 

It’s more of a process which you can start today.  To the best of my knowledge, there are no standard steps to take to achieve this but we can map out something for ourselves, tailor it to suit our needs so we become better if not passionate and or persistent.

Someone once said, “Thinking positively isn’t about expecting the best to happen every time but accepting that whatever happens is best for the moment”.   Truly if we can hold on tenaciously to this sort of mantra whenever we’re faced with setbacks, I can be very certain that we’d witness the rise in a new breed of humans showing resilience in both the mental and attitude aspect..

Believe and make a conscious effort to tell yourself that no matter how bad it is or how bad it is going to get, you’re going to make it because greater is He that is in you than he that is of the world (1^st John 4:4)

Love❤️, a Feeling or Choice?

So I found this on Tumblr and goodness gracious did it shine some light of perspective unto the issue of love being either a feeling or choice. I can only hope that after reading this, you find much lucidity in this too.

“ - Is love a feeling or a choice?

We were all a bunch of teenagers and so naturally we said it was a feeling. She said if we clung to that belief, we’d never have a lasting relationship of any sort.

She made us interview a dozen adults who were or had been married and made us ask them why it lasted or failed. At the end I asked them if love was an emotion or a choice.

Everybody said it was a choice

It was a conscious commitment

It was something you choose to make every day with someone who has chosen the same thing. They all said that at one point in their marriage, the “feeling of love” had vanished or faded and they weren’t happy.  They said feelings are always changing and one cannot build something on such shaky foundation.

The married ones said when things were bad, they chose to open the communication, identifying what broke and how to fix it by recreating something worth falling in love with.

The divorced ones said they chose to walk away

Ever since that class, that project, I never looked at relationships the same way.

I understood why arranged marriages were successful; I discovered the differences in feelings and commitments.

I’ve never gone for the person who makes my heart flutter or my head spin. I’ve chosen the people who were committed to choosing me, dedicated towards finding something to adore even 

on the ugliest days

I no longer fear the day someone who swore I was their universe can no longer see the stars in my eyes as long as they choose to find them again”

Who is your friend? 🤔

 " I want you to take a moment and think of all the things that define your life, all the people you love, your job, your co-workers etc. Now imagine that in a flash, all of these were taken from you; will you just accept your new life and move on or fight for what you've lost?"

-Culled from Barry Allen, The Flash

  Someone once told me, "Your life actually starts when you meet the right people and at the right time. It may be quite hard to tell whom the right people are and when the right time is. At the onset, you find yourself doing things for them which you'd logically not do. But just because they fill a certain void in you, you subconsciously accept them as the right people". Based on personal experiences, I've realized that when one is engulfed with the right people, it induces an inexplicable happiness and not that kind of happiness which results from happenings. One which lasts long enough to keep you afloat till the silver lining in that cloud is discovered.

  In recent times the word or title "friend", whichever way you'd want to call it is thrown about easily. Making us prey to being hurt and extremely vulnerable or one could see it as learning curve where an invaluable lesson is learnt. One which can warp and or change our entire perspective of whom a friend is to us. Nevertheless, we shouldn't allow such lessons to harden our hearts but be receptive towards being informed.

It took me long enough for the dawn of realization to hit me pertaining the identity of whom a friend is or even more a defining moment as to if the person is a friend or someone you just know. Mind you the two are not the same and as such, I ask you today, do you know who your legit friends are?

The answer to this question is imperative to your well being, answer wisely. Enjoy your day!

Reboot 🍃

*long pause*

I've had this coming for a long time and it is about time I got right to it. I just didn't know when it was going to be but then I guess, when you've had once maybe too many epiphanies, one ought to pay attention. Unless you're too broke to do that😂.

So a reboot..  basically, I've always wanted to cause a positive stir with what I do and or write. The daunting factor of what exactly to write about is that which has left me pondering enough to realize that Theodore Roosevelt of blessed memory was absolutely right when he advised and I quote, "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are" .

I'd ascribe this reinvigorated series of posts to come to Teddy's quote I aforementioned. Thanks Ted!

I sincerely hope you'd find them well inspiring, informed .. *runs out of adjectives* urm you know the rest. Enjoy your day! 👌

The Mind of a Game Changer IV

A great philosopher once said, “The pen is mightier than the sword” An adage which has been known for so many decades and of which has been the weapon for almost all intellects from their arsenal of tools when called upon to mediate issues. A weapon which aides them to emancipate and inform the populace on the essence of having being educated. This I believe was part of the numerous reasons why  people like Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, J. E Kwegyir-Aggrey, J. Mensah-Sarbah (all of blessed memory) just to name a few, advocated for such a course. This then led to the present system of education we have in the country although several adjustments have been made to suit changing times. But then I ask, have these changes really reflected the motive some nationalists back in the era of the Gold Coast dreamt of?
Education is said to have impacted someone when it moves them physically and mentally such that it leads to unexpected discoveries. Sitting on the fence and waiting to be told what to do after having acquired knowledge rather seems absurd due to the fact that the learner is expected to put to use what they have gotten a hold of.  It’s rather unfortunate that what I just stated seems to be the order of the day most often due to the kind of system we have now and its perspective it comes with.
For knowledge to be useful to both country and oneself, it ought to be assembled and obtained by the learner (actively) than received hook line and sinker from the tutor or lecturer. Hence it is given the name, “spoon feeding” way of teaching and learning. The error usually begins from the elementary through to secondary and still continues in the tertiary level because the aspect of education which is characterized by the stimulation and provision for exploration or discovery as well as importantly, action is absent. The system rather teaches us to be well guarded by the so called traditional education’s “correct answers”; not knowing that this weighs heavily against the use of creativity and innovation (the essential ingredient for unexpected discoveries).
True meaning is made out of acquired knowledge when we are able to connect what we learn by our thoughts and curiosities and not through the version of the marker or chalk wielded instructor. Ideally, it is the responsibility of the learner to make multiple meanings from their thinking through deliberate efforts by being a critical thinker and doer as knowledge is being imparted. This then allows the learner to extract multiple viewpoints on themes, texts and concepts. This skill allows clear reasoning which supports one’s interpretation of life itself by considering alternate and diverse views.
Humans are biologically creatures of habit and as such do not easily breakaway from a way of life. A learner who is literally raised to sit and prepare for exams only to discard the information stored will find it difficult to change as against the one puts into practice what they have been taught.  It is quite clear that useful knowledge comes from experience and experience is earned from working. Blatantly the one literally trained to sit for almost 16 years won’t be able to boast of doing “work” hence not having experience as against the other type of learner who’d have acquired some form of experience from the little work they do every now and then. Should these two class of learners graduate, one will always expect things to be in a certain pattern (like waiting on the government in getting them employed etc) whiles the other category of learner will go out there and create that pattern because they have that useful knowledge which they acquired from and experience they got from “working”. One can say, every graduate sure have something to offer to the nation. They just don’t know what. Like
a friend once said to me, “GPA and grades look good on paper; Translating those practically is what guarantees one a job”
What then can those caught up in this rat race of expecting things to be done in a certain pattern do? They can start of by updating their attitudes to leverage their talents with the time on hands since they can’t go back in time to reverse the errors done. It’s what you do now that counts and can amend your concept of life.
Secondly, a man without a goal or objective is like a blind man gallivanting on a land mine. One needn’t be a rocket scientist to know what is going to happen to such a person. This then throws more light on the reason why everyone ought to have a realistic objective(s) in life. Else our fate will be like that of the blind man walking on a land mine.
Thirdly, society since time immemorial has been bombarded with soaring unemployment percentage figures. What has anyone really done about this? Instead graduands rather add up to this menace than solving it. We ought to find a societal issue that is dear to our hearts and make conscious effort to solve them. Maybe not alone but with other people who share the same philosophy as we do.
Fourth, we should always keep an open mind to issues and suggestions and be ready to even change our initial viewpoint about something we may have spoken or thought otherwise of. It is through this that we’d always be ready to learn something every single day whiles applying on the go.
Fifth, the art of listening more than we speak should be learnt. This allows one to be more attentive than a loose mouth in any situation. The same goes for speaking up and doing less of the listening. One should be able to do this interchangeably.
Sixth, be prepared to go the extra mile in life or in anything one does as well as step out of one’s comfort zone to help others in need.
Seventh, we seem to be forgetting our health not bearing in mind that all this is surely going take a toll on us. Eating right, having enough rest and exercising just to mention a few so as to keep in shape is definitely the right way of living.
Eighth, as famously it has been observed by renowned physicist, Albert Einstein. Only the one who devotes himself to a cause with all his strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason one should be willing to give in their all.
Finally I wish everyone all the best in their quest to being game changers and be an ambassador living in the positive influence got from parents, teachers, friends etc.