Just A Thought- The Art Of Giving

I have been working in a financial company for just over a year now and whilst it's a great job with loads of opportunities as the youngest member of my team it get's a little tedious from time to time. 

I was relieved when my manager announced in one of our usual morning meetings that we would be gaining a new team player. Lo and behold she was exactly the type of colleague I had anticipated; we were close in age and immediately hit it off, quickly becoming 'company best-friends'.

At work I was known as a Christian, but my new best-friend wasn't, although she practiced another religion she often questioned her entire belief in God. We were complete opposites with one being a bit of a wild chick and the other not so much. :)

It may sound pretty snobbish but my old belief would be simply there's not a lot I could learn from someone like her but at this present time I can only thank God for using her to teach me more about Him.

She literally goes out of her way to help me, covers for me at work if I am not able to work extra hours, and surprises me spontaneously with delicious treats and gifts on special occasions, listens to my rants at work. I have never met a more generous person (asides from family who I guess I can expect a certain amount from). 

I was initially blown away by her consistently kind gestures and a tad bit suspicious of her motives, but as I got to know her I understood that that was just her being herself.  

Now please I'm not saying that you should be easily trusting of people or accept gifts from everyone, that's why I prayed first and felt at peace that it was just a gesture of kindness (Some gifts are not for good).

Experiencing kindness without a catch has definitely transformed my reasoning. It was like an eye opener to me. Although I had always considered myself generous this babe was like a real life Santa Claus and I suddenly realised that I had to step up my game with those around me.  I am now eager to bless people with gifts, advice, and surprises.

I have learnt my lesson. It is important to not only preach love but to show it. When you give, it is always given back to you. I thank God for using her to increase my appreciation of the people in my life. I can't even express the joy from being overwhelmed at her unexpected gestures of kindness.

So I am daring all of you lovely African Sweetheart reader's to choose someone to 'bless' today. Give someone a phone call to tell them you care, buy someone a gift they would never expect, or treat someone who you feel needs cheering up. You won't realise the amount of happiness your small gesture will bring to them. As you bless them may God surely bless you too.

Lots of Love,

Chidinma

xx

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If A Man Wants You..

If a man wants you
Nothing can keep him away

If he doesn't want you
Nothing can make him stay
Not sex
Not a baby

Stop making excuses for a man and his behaviour

Allow your intuition (or spirit) to save you from heartache

Stop trying to change yourself for a relationship that's not meant to be

Slower is better
Never live your life for a man before you find what makes you truly happy

If a relationship ends because the man was not treating you as you deserve then heck NO
You can't "be friends"
A friend wouldn't mistreat a friend

Don't settle if you feel like he is stringing you along
Then he probably is

Don't stay because you think "it will get better
" You'll be mad at yourself a year later for staying when things are not better

The only person you can control in a relationship is you

Avoid men who've got a bunch of children by a bunch of different women

He didn't marry them when he got them pregnant
Why would he treat you any differently

Always have your own set of friends separate from his

Maintain boundaries in how a guy treats you

Never let a man know everything
He will use it against you later

You cannot change a man's behaviour
Change comes from within

Don't EVER make him feel he is more important than you are...
Even if he has more education or a better job

Do not make him into a quasi-god
He is a man
Nothing more nothing less

Never let a man define who you are

Never borrow someone else's man
If he cheated with you
He'll cheat on you

A man will only treat you the way you ALLOW him to treat you
All men are NOT dogs

You should not be the one doing all the bending
Compromise is two way street
You need time to heal between relationships...
There is nothing cute about baggage...

Deal with your issues before pursuing a new relationship

You should never look for someone to COMPLETE you..
A relationship consists of two WHOLE individuals...
Look for someone complimentary not supplementary

Dating is fun...
Even if he doesn't turn out to be Mr. Right

Make him miss you sometimes
When a man always know where you are and you are always readily available to him
He takes you for granted

Don't fully commit to a man who doesn't give you everything that you need
Don't commit to a man who don't have your time

Keep him in your radar
But get to know others

Remember relationship is for two
Always check if your alone
If u are alone
Don't walk out
FLY OUT

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Happy November Beautifuls

African Sweetheart wishes all our amazing reader's an awesome November.

May it be your best month yet in Jesus mighty name. Amen. xx

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Remy Martin Hosts DJ Jimmy Jatt To A Star Studded Birthday Bash

Celebrity DJ Jimmy Jatt enjoyed a star studded birthday bash hosted by Remy Martin.  The DJ looked like he was having a blast in the midst of celebrities such as footballing legend Jay Jay Okocha, musician Burna Boy, crooners Dj Zeez (pictured far left) Wande Coal and Tiwa Savage.

They were many more celebrities and well wishers who made sure the night was unforgettable.

Happy Birthday to the popular DJ. It seems to be birthday galore this week.

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Aww, Happy 27th Birthday Iyanya! The Singer Can Barely Contain His Excitement As He Show Off $25K Rolex Gift

Today is singer Iyanya's birthday and let's just say he is having a great one. The handsome crooner was presented with a $25, 000 Rolex watch from his manager and partner, Ubi Franklin.

Iyanya also received an array of designer perfume from a friend. Which he took may pictures of..:)
The singer also received some very saucy looking cakes, and some more godly ones, as pictured above. See more pics when you continue.

Happy Birthday Iyanya! 

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Career: What 7 Wildly Successful People Wish They Knew When They Were Younger

Maybe you're having a hard time right out of college. Maybe you're unsure of where you're headed or what you want to do once there. Maybe you're just stuck.

You know what? It's OK. Even some of the most successful people in the world haven't always known what they wanted. Just ask Tina Seelig, author of "What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20."

"We live in a world full or rules, but we need to know which rules are hard and fast and which can be questioned," Seelig said in an interview with The Huffington Post. "The most successful people have often fought against so-called rules."

So what do some of the world's leaders wish they knew back when they were confused 20-somethings? What do they know now that they didn't know then?

Oprah: Never Doubt Your Path

Oprah once wrote that if she knew when she was younger what she knows now, she would "never have wasted even a single minute doubting my path." With age she said she realized that even the "greatest turmoil" eventually passes.

Warren Buffett: Don't Be Afraid To Work On Your Weaknesses 

The Oracle Of Omaha used to fear public speaking and once backed out of a business school class that he took to try to manage the problem. Eventually, he did sign up for a course in public speaking and said it "changed his life in a big way."

Tina Fey: Say Yes As Often As You Can

In her memoir, "Bossypants," comedian Tina Fey recounts the times early in her career when she doubted her career path and the opportunities that were coming her way. It wasn't until later that she figured out that a majority of her success came from her relentless willingness to say yes to everything.

"'Say yes, and you'll figure it out afterward' has helped me to be more adventurous," she said "It has definitely helped me be less afraid."

Conan O'Brien: Enjoy Your Mistakes

In his 2000 commencement address at Harvard University, comedian Conan O'Brienrecounted how he wished he enjoyed all the mistakes he made on the road to his career while he was making them. Now, he said he has just as much nostalgia for the failures as he does for the wins.

"Fall down, make a mess, break something occasionally. And remember that the story is never over," he said.

Arianna Huffington: Don’t Sacrifice Sleep

The President and Editor-in-Chief of The Huffington Post Media Group learned the importance of sleep the hard way. In 2007, after an exhausting day of work, Huffington found herself bloodied on the floor. She passed out, hit her head and broke her cheekbone.

"I had basically begun to think I could survive on very little sleep," she said. "But there are few wakeup calls as effective as waking up on the floor in a pool of blood."

Ellen DeGeneres: Don't Be Scared Of Who You Really Are

In her 2009 commencement address to Tulane University, DeGeneres talked about how she once struggled with her sexuality, among other aspects of her personality, and feared letting her true self out when she started doing stand-up. It was only once she came out, she told the graduates, that she realized her career had a purpose.

Gayle Ober: You Don't Have To Have It All Figured Out

Gayle Ober, the executive director of the George Family Foundation, once told HuffPost that she had no idea when she was younger that she would go on to be the director of one of Minnesota’s largest private foundations. Instead of worrying about having it all figured out, Ober suggested to be open to opportunities as them come.

Source: The Huffington Post

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Marriage: The Story Of Ian & Larissa Murphy

Please watch this and be inspired.

The Story of Ian & Larissa Murphy is about as atypical as a love story can be, but it begins and ends the way all the best ones do—with young lovebirds beating the odds to finally tie the knot.
But after a 10-month courtship came to an abrupt halt when Ian got into a horrific car accident, there was a time when nothing in their young lives seemed certain.

‘Ian and I first met in 2005 at college and had a blast for 10 months getting to know each other,’ Larissa says in a video documenting their story that has been making the internet rounds recently.
Larissa says she and Ian were ‘dating very intentionally’ and that they planned to get married soon after they were slated to finish college in December 2006.
But before that could happen, tragedy intervened.
On September 30 of that year, Ian was on his way to work near Pittsburgh when he was in a serious car crash.

‘We got a phone call that he had been in an accident,’ Larissa says. ‘ [He] had suffered a traumatic brain injury.’
Suddenly, what had seemed so certain to Larissa, became frighteningly out of reach.
'We watched our future crash with him in that white station wagon,' she writes on desiringgod.org.
But instead of moving on to another man and future husband, Larissa moved into Ian family’s home to help take care of him.


Though Ian was unable to communicate, she continued to date him.
‘I knew where he was so after he couldn’t talk, that helped me so much. I knew that he loved me,’ she says. ‘Looking back, it’s weird because he couldn’t talk and he couldn’t eat, so we probably looked like complete weirdos when we went on dates. But we had a blast and I just talked to him all the time.’

As Ian’s condition slowly improved, the possibility of marriage became stronger.
‘If he could communicate with me,’ she said. ‘Then we could have a marriage knowing it would be really different but as long as Ian could talk to me we could make it work.’
While Ian became incrementally healthier, his father became sick. He was diagnosed with brain cancer during his son’s recovery.
Ian’s father’s sickness became a catalyst for Larissa, who knew how much he wanted them to marry.

When Ian was well enough, Larissa took him to a judge in order to get their marriage approved since he remains unable to make that sort of decision on his own.
According to Larissa, the judge told her: ‘You two exemplify what love is all about. I believe that marriage will not only benefit you both but our community and hope that everyone in this city could see your love for one another.’

They would soon be married, though the new would come too late to share with Ian’s father, who died before their engagement.
Their video documents their touching, family and friend-filled wedding. Instead of standing, Larissa sits at the altar to be alongside the still seriously disabled Ian.
She must even help him stand as they complete their vows, just as she must now help him with everyday tasks.

'Though we chose marriage,' says Larissa, 'we chose it sadly. Sorrow has been a permanent resident in our 20s. It feels like the rest of the world uses these years for really fun things. But in our 20s, we have watched our future crash with him in that white station wagon and we now live with two versions of Ian.

'Weʼve watched all of our friends get married and have health. Iʼve watched as my girlfriends and sisters found husbands who could dance with them at their weddings and drive them to church on Sunday morning.

'Weʼve watched our dad fight and be taken by brain cancer, only to see life keep marching on.'
Despite it all, Larissa says it is worth it to be married to the love of her life.
‘But in light of all the practicals, and emotionals,’ she writes on desiringgod.org, ‘it was so very simple: we love each other.’



Source: Daily Mail

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