Hello people
Welcome to another day in the ‘blogafest’ for Sista Power. Today I
have the review from my sista of the heart; Audrey Joe-Ezigbo. Please
see her blog here: http://uniquely-woman.blogspot.com. As I have been
reading all the reviews that have come in, I cannot help but say that
even for me the PURPOSE of the book Sista Power is becoming clearer and
now I am praying that it will fulfill destiny. I actually saw Audrey’s
copy of Sista Power and all the markings and shadings are any authors
joy. Thanks Sis.
Please note that this post is longer than usual but that is
Audrey’s signature and it all makes sense. Enjoy and thanks for reading
to the end.
SISTA POWER: MY REVIEW – AUDREY JOE-EZIGBO
Unputdownable! I first came across this word (if one can call it
that) about 20years ago. It stuck in my mind and has been the one word
that describes each great book I have been blessed to read. Sista Power
is a great book, truly unputdownable ! It literally held me spell-bound
for a couple of hours as I read it from start to finish. A powerful
message! Very real! Sista Power reads like a guided tour through to the
realization of one’s innate potentials and resources, and towards the
fulfillment of God’s design for one’s life.
Two days later, I started and again read the book all over, only more
slowly this time. I simply had to! I can honestly say that Sista Power
is one out of a very small number of books that have commanded my
attention enough as to merit more than one read. My proverbial green pen
marked, circled, and underlined! Every section was weighty, nothing
trivial. So much I readily related with; principles that not only make
sense, but which with proper introspection are easy to apply and will
clearly bring about an acceleration of destiny and purpose. I loved the
fact that the language used was personal; an honest, no-holds-barred
conversation between the author and myself.
I am a lover of women, a believer in the power of working together.
Since I first heard Bidemi share what the Lord ministered to her on
collaboration a few years ago however, the word ‘midwife’ took on a new
meaning in my life. I have been blessed to have Bidemi and some other
lovely ladies as my midwives. I have understood more in the past few
years than ever before, the power that lies in women that put all else
aside and choose to move forward as a collective, holding each other
accountable to build up themselves, their families and the world around
them.
That said, Sista Power caused me to take a good hard look at other areas
of my life, other relationships and experiences I have had over the
years. I have had to give a million more thanks to God for the midwives
He sent my way but whom I didn’t realize at that point were part of
shaping my destiny for the season.
Many things struck me very deeply in the book Sista Power. If I
really had to review it as extensively as I would wish, I would probably
be reproducing the entire book. It was that potent. But here as a few
of the things that really stood out for me:
‘Your pulpit is where you are!’ This is a clear call to action;
a reminder that time is running out and I must be about my Father’s
business. I am called to midwife others, even as the Lord sends midwives
my way. ‘There will never be a convenient time for the work that God
has called me to do’. Right where I am, I must ‘make myself available
and stretch myself for the Kingdom’. ‘Life is not going to wait and
midwives are constantly on the move’. People are in my life for a season
and in that time, I must deposit as much as I can into those I am
called to midwife; while submitting myself to learn and grow from those
whose assignment is to midwife me. I may only have ‘a few minutes to
make impact (as a midwife) and after that the opportunity will be gone’.
To be able to ‘recognize the timing and be adequately prepared to walk
in it’, I as a midwife must ‘be in tune with the Holy Spirit and with
God all the way’. So true!
‘The Masters business requires haste’. Sista Power
reiterates this often and it resonates deep within me. I cannot afford
to miss my moments. My God is a God of accountability. I must be
constantly conscious of the things that He requires of me and be ready
to deliver on them. I may not need more than a few minutes to make the
impact that I am called to make and after that the opportunity will be
gone. My mandate is to die empty of everything that the Lord has put in
me with which to bless the earth, to bless His children. I must use
those few minutes well.
‘God thrives on collaborations’ and ‘Sista Power is about the common good!’.
There is a reminder that collaboration is not about recognition, for I
have a God Who sees all things and is able to reward my silent labors.
Sista Power is a reminder to take my identity in God who is the only One
that completes and fulfills me.
‘What the world needs can only be found in God and not in a particular individual or groups of persons’.
There is a clear call for me to stay in my strength zone, to remain
true to who I am at my core. ‘Any collaboration requiring you to
reinvent yourself to fit into it is definitely not meant for you’. I
need to know who I really and truly am, to believe in myself completely
in order to effectively midwife others to become all that God has called
them to be. This confidence in self is critical because ‘sometimes our
collaborations may look like they are insignificant’. I must be a
difference-maker, a value addition, even in my smallest of endeavors.
The agenda is of God and not of self! The building up is for the
collective and not for self.
Sista Power defines collaboration in a way that speaks deep to the
root of what I truly believe the world needs today: ‘Collaboration is
therefore a coming together of two or more people to further the purpose
of God for their lives. The agreement is therefore between you, your
collaborator and God Who honors covenants and agreements’. Sista Power
reminds each of us that ‘God is pushing the original plan… He wants men
and women who understand that it is not about them, it is about the
Kingdom of God’.
The core message of Sista Power from my perspective is aptly summed up as: ‘Change is the objective, Kingdom is the goal, altering the status quo is the method’. The
big question then follows: ‘Who will you join to push God’s agenda?’
This is where I leave it. I pray this great book will minister to every
reader as it has to me. I pray the Lord will help each reader discover
the power of collaborations in their lives.
Be blessed!
NeverTheLess
There is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Monday, March 25, 2013
WHEN YOUR BEST IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH
Lately, I have been inundated with so much that
I have been trying my best to stay
afloat. In this experience I found
myself pushing to the background a lot of things that I needed to do because I
was busy ‘trying my best’.
There is a ton of writing to do, rather than do
it I have been ‘trying my best.’ Anytime
someone asks me why I have not gotten any of the stuff done, I just give them
the line that’ I am trying my best.
Recently, it dawned on me that trying my best is what I say, when I am avoiding
to do what is required of me. In order
not to feel bad or indisciplined, I simply say I am doing my best.
http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/agree-terms.php?id=10079332
Well, it doesn’t matter how much of’ my best’ I
do; if it doesn’t meet the requirement, then my best just isn’t good enough
then.
In living a dream, most of the stuff we will
have to do on a daily basis are those things we will rather not do. I don’t feel like doing any writing today for
instance, but it is required of me.
After all, I am in the business of publishing and writing. I really do not feel like reading today
either, nor do I feel like prepping for the next training… but you know what? All these are required of me if I will be a
success.
If our personal best is good enough then there
will be no need for standards whatsoever, but because we are human, sometimes,
our best will not be good enough; at such times we must discipline ourselves to
do what is required instead.
Here are a few tips that may help you focus on
doing what is required for this week.
1.
BE INTENTIONAL: Like I said, living a dream cannot only be
dependent on what it is that we feel and ‘doing our best’. This is why intentionality is a gift we should
give ourselves. Once you recognise that your best does not help actualise the
fulfilment of the goal; it is time to be intentional. For instance, how am I going to tackle my
writing lull? Tomorrow morning when I come in, I will do nothing else. I will take receive no visitors and I will
not read my emails. I will sit at my
desk and concentrate on writing for the first half of the day.
2.
TACKLE THE HARD STUFF FIRST – Once
you are determined and intentional, it means you have cleared your desk and are
concentrating on the task at hand. The
next step will be to list all that you are required to do. Then prioritise and tackle them from the
hardest to the less difficult ones. In
my case, I find that manuals are a lot harder to develop and write than
manuscripts on life experiences. So once
I settle in, I will stick with the manuals first. Hopefully, I will be able to deal with a few
before I move on to the less difficult writings.
3.
UTILISE YOUR MOST PRODUCTIVE TIME –
Everyone has a most productive time of day.
I find that mine is between 3.00 am and 10.00 am. And because there are a lot of things
required of me that I am behind on, I will be scheduling some writing time
within these hours. That means when I
get up at 3.00 am, I will be dealing with the hardest tasks before I move to
the easier ones. Rather than use this
time to read as I have done lately, I will commit to using it to do some
serious writing.
4.
ELIMINATE TIME WASTERS; DELEGATE –
Even though I said that there are stuff that are required of us that we must
tackle, if we know how to delegate, some of these can be delegated to kick
start the process. For instance concerning
the training manuals I mentioned, I can develop the scope of the material and
assign someone else to collate and have me vet at the end of the exercise. This way, I am free to deal with other
required stuff.
5.
THINK BIG PICTURE – Finally, always
think big picture. What this means is
you take time out to think about how accomplishing this required part of the
work will impact positively upon that which you want to achieve. Remember what success will look like when it
is all done and maybe even picture what it will be like should you not be able
to get it all done. My thinking is that
realising how not doing the required stuff can adversely affect our end result,
is enough motivation to knuckle down and get it done.
The truth is that we will sometimes get in that
place where our passion wanes and we are not exactly jumping over the moon to
get our dreams moving. However, while we
feel that way, we still have to keep moving until we get to the goal.
My prayer is that you will make it NeverTheLess.
Because of your goal, remember that
making it might mean doing not just what you feel like but even those you don’t
feel like but are required of you.
Here is to your success!
Bidemi
Monday, March 18, 2013
HOW TO SUSTAIN YOUR WIN AND KEEP WINNING
Welcome! On today’s post, I want us to look at how to Sustain A Win and keep winning. Most of us have been blessed with success at different points, and while some of us have been able to sustain the win and continue to use them to spin off more success, some of us have lost the momentum that success brought with it and are back on the grind trying to make another success happen?
Question then is; how does one sustain a win, while continuing to win? Here are a few points you may find useful:
- REMEMBER WHERE YOU ARE COMING FROM – These days where everyone is an expert at something even though most are just arm chair pundits; always knowing what is wrong never knowing how to fix it. It is extremely important that we don’t forget where it is that we have come. Remember when your dream was just an idea; never forget when nobody could see what you saw. Do you remember the days when you had to answer the phone by yourself, manufacture the product alone, market it and keep your books all by yourself? Do you remember why you always went back even when others thought you should give up? Well, all these came together to give the win you celebrate today. To sustain it therefore, it will be great if you always remembered that there was a day when you were small with no win in sight.
- DON’T FORGET THOSE WHO BET ON YOU – Every business or dream when properly executed becomes big and successful. However, most times, they also evolve and find it cumbersome to do business with some types of clients and customers. Unfortunately, these were the clients who even though weren’t quite sure how far the business will go put themselves out for you anyway. Growing and succeeding to the point when they become ‘those people’ you don’t what to deal with anymore, is extremely risky. Because success attracts, the tendency is much bigger and established clients will come knocking… to be able to keep sustaining the wins however, we must give priority to those who went out on the limb for us when no one else would.
- KEEP LEARNING TO KEEP IMPROVING – Yes you are now a win and for some a point of reference, but it is wise to recognise that you still have a lot to learn. One success or ten do not negate the fact that life is a forever learning school. So despite the wins you have today, ask yourself; ‘what else do I need to learn and from whom’? This is the only way to keep growing. Remember it is said that the day one stops growing, that day he begins to die.
- BE CONTENT YET NOT SATISFIED – The very religious usually will quote that ‘godliness with contentment is great gain’. They use this scripture as the excuse not to want to grow beyond where they are; instead they keep revelling in out dated and expired wins. There is always new territory to conquer so if you want to sustain the win you have today and keep the winning streak, one thing you must do is to recognise that even though you are content with that which you have, it is okay to aim for more and want to be more. One win is not enough to rest on our oars especially where there is room and opportunity for other wins and successes.
- KEEP UP WITH THE TRENDS BUT AVOID COMPLICATIONS – Change we are told is the only constant thing and even with our dreams and businesses, change is a constant. The processes we started out with are bound to change over time… which means that what gave you this win may have not be able to give you the next one. Change that does not compromise the quality of your product or service is something you should want to embrace if you want to be able to sustain your win and keep winning.
- NEVER FORGET WHY YOU STARTED – I didn’t start my business because I wanted to make money, I started because I wanted to make impact. It was while making impact that I realised that one cannot make impact and not profit therein. So when things become challenging as they can be sometimes I am quick to remember that the reason why I embarked on the journey wasn’t money alone. It is the same for you… to be able to sustain your win, never forget why you started. Even if circumstances pushed you to start there must have been something you hoped to see in the end. So as challenges come if you don’t forget why you started you should be able to keep standing.
- NEVER, NEVER ARRIVE – I know a business that used to be the pride of all – those who ran it, those who worked there and those of us who were just customers. We wore our badge with pride, we were too glad that we did business with this entity… professional bodies even attested to the fact that they were winning. But then they arrived! And when they arrived, they became sloppy, they became rude and they became ineffective… and slowly but surely we are no longer proud to wear the badge, we are quietly looking for others who we will be proud of. In walking/working your dream, arriving is a bad thing… because arriving makes you do things you said you wouldn’t do when you started. So my take? Never arrive if you will sustain your win and keep winning.
Here is to your success!
Bidemi
Friday, March 1, 2013
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