Memories from ROTH 2012...

Hello People. Return of the Helper 2012 was a huge success and we thank God! I'd like to share some of the memories with you.

Me, Mama Linda Wallace and Coach Anna McCoy

With Coach Anna McCoy

Audrey Joe-Ezigbo

 

Mama Linda Wallace

Coach Anna McCoy

 

Sistar B

It Is Worth It!

Welcome!  It is only a few daylight hours into my birthday and I am overwhelmed.  The calls, text messages, Facebook messages and emails have poured in from all over the world!  And I mean that literally!  With each message, each text and each call, I cannot but ask myself; “why do these people even know about me? Why do they remember me?”  I take a look back over twenty years ago when I graduated from the university with no clue in the world who I was meant to become. I reflect on the search high and low; looking for the thing that will satisfy!

And I look at myself today, and I see how God can take a nobody who discovers His purpose for her and begin to spin something so grand it terrifies in a good way! 

Who knew those days running around in Bendel State, Nigeria, now Edo State that there was a place for me anywhere near recognition?  Who knew that in all the ignorance and naivety God had deposited something that needed to come out? Who knew? (Apparently God knew)

I go back to twelve years ago when I took the first step towards purpose. I remember the trepidation then and the trepidation even today when I have to step forward. I remember the frustrations of when things didn’t seem to be working. I remember the number of times I made costly mistakes while in growth. I remember all the scarring that one had to take to prepare; and today all that I can say is that it is so worth it!

Living your dream will not be easy. Living your dream will not be clear a great deal of the time. Living your dream will look like you’re going nowhere sometimes, and the number of times you are alone may outnumber the times you have people with you!

However, in the end, it will all be worth it!  If what I have experienced today is anything to go by, I can tell you that it will be worth it!  I will like to reproduce two messages that came in this morning, one from my blood brother another from my adopted brother, and you will see that it is worth it.  Yes! It is so worth it!

Here is the chief captain of my family, who charted a cause and navigated all the huddles for a better future. U are my sister, mother and a friend, if given a second chance, I will be your brother just the way I am today. You wore the shoes of the leadership of this family and you have done great things beyond human comprehension. It might not be your choice but you took the challenge in all fairness not questioning God and made the best out of it.   Thank you for your love and friendship. God bless you.   I love you. HAPPY Birthday MAMA.  

Innocent

Happy Birthday to you ma.  You have been an inspiration to a lot of us.  I know for sure that if my biography will be written, your name will appear on every page.  You taught me some of my very first lessons in life and ministry.  For this and many more, I say thank you and ultimately Happy Birthday, big Sista. Enjoy your day.

Kunle

Folks no matter the pain right now, it is so worth it!

Blessings!

Sistar B

THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM!

We are in the thick of planning another of our Annual Conferences; The Return of The Helper (ROTH), and as with every year since inception, we have tried to push the envelope to see what room will be made for us.   Recently, I heard a very wise man (in my opinion) say that you never get what you deserve but what you can negotiate.  So this year, we are not just pushing the envelope we are asking that room be made for us!

In the spirit of pushing the envelope, living your dream and growing, the question then becomes do you think there is space for you? Do you believe that you deserve what it is that you are asking for?  Do you believe that there is room at the top for you?

With every dream, there will be those times when you feel an uncertainty and a hesitation that maybe, just maybe you now have all that you can and should get.  Every one of us does behave like that.  But do you want to know something I am finding out these few days before ROTH 2012? It is the fact that there is always room at the top.  Your place was always reserved, the reason you are not getting it is probably because you have never even bothered to ask yourself if you want it.   Or maybe you want it but have decided that it is not meant for you.  There is always room at the top.

So how do you go about getting your rightful place at the top? 

            .               Believe for yourself that you deserve it.  I struggle with the feeling that I don’t deserve stuff sometimes, or even let others tell me what I deserve or don’t deserve. But I am through with all that! I shout it at the roof top today, I truly deserve the best, and if there is room at the top, I want it, I deserve it, and I am willing to pay the price! 

            .                  Surround yourself with others who tell you that you truly deserve it.  Why do you want to hang out with those who only see your limitations?  It is time to change where you hang out and with whom.  Pick those, who are not flattering you, but truly believe that you have what it takes and are even willing to hold your hands till you are confident to walk the road alone.

           .                     Next time before you negotiate, ask yourself, do I deserve it? Give yourself five reasons why you deserve it!  This is not been immodest; this is being true to yourself and standing up to be counted.  

So do you wonder if we deserve room at the top this year with the Conference?  Oh Yes! We do! Want to know why we deserve room at the top? Well for a start, we organize and bring to our participants a classy and enjoyable event, we also plan impact and God helps us deliver impact!  Our participants can tell that at the end of every event, it is always clear that they were on our mind all the while.

So yes! We are moving up, because we know that we not only deserve it, our track record tells the story and honestly, we are about the people we serve! Move over, that is our place at the top.

What about you? Is there room at the top for you? You will make it NeverTheLess.

Hugs

Sistar B

STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING! TIME TO REAPPRAISE

I have been running and working so hard at my dream that I didn’t even realise that I had run out of steam and was running on an empty tank.  It took a trip outside Lagos, for three days to see how we can be so distracted being focused on our dreams that we do ourselves harm.

The thing is that we are working on our dream and there is nothing as important as getting our dream right! At least on this page, nothing compares to the fulfillment and satisfaction that we can derive from living our dream… Afterall, it is the reason why we are.  However, I find, all of a sudden, that what gives me the greatest joy started to cause me the greatest pain, which is not new really. What was new however, is the fact that this time; I couldn’t find a place in me to draw strength from at all!  And I realise, that I am burning out trying to live my dream.

So here are a few tips I have for you when you begin to feel that you are burning 
out.

•           Step away from it all. Even if for one day, go somewhere no one will ask you to buy diesel, where no one will ask you to review any  document… If you must go there with your phone screen your calls. Leave all business related matters behind and just focus on renewing and refreshing yourself.

•        Renew your mind by taking time out to think about other stuff different from what your dream is about.  I took time off, attended a Conference that had nothing to do with Publishing and I generally just went around for two days without a care in the world!  It felt really good I tell you.

•       Think about what might be causing your burnout.  Maybe you have bitten off more than you can chew or you have allowed other aspects of your life to seep in and distract you from that which you are doing.  In my case, I was totally distracted by someone’s bad attitude amongst other stuff.

•       As your time alone is winding up decide what changes you may need to make to allow you breathe even as you walk/work on your dream.  I have decided that once we are done with the Conference we have coming up, we will (my team and I) take one week off to unwind. 

•          Look for something else you are also passionate about that is not as tasking and consuming as this dream and take short breaks to do it.  For me, I love to cook so I am taking cooking breaks, not to just cook for my household, but to create food others can enjoy while I relax and enjoy them enjoying my creation.  Who knows where this can lead!

•          Read a novel for a change!  I am going to take time out and read a novel, with nothing in mind but just to enjoy myself.

What will you do to take a breather?  You need it, I can assure you, you do need it.  Till next week, remember that even in taking action, sometimes being quiet and resting is part of the action you need to take.

You will make it NeverTheLess.

Sistar B