Category

self development

Category

thought this message necessary after hearing a young lady’s account of how her supposed boyfriend’s sick fantasy made a mince meat of her self-esteem. Unfortunately, that is what seems to obtain with a lot of ladies out there. Ladies who are consistently allowing someone’s ‘sick fantasy’ destroy any semblance of self-esteem left in them.

When it is not his obsession with an oversize backside, it’s the mountainous ‘front side’. The unfortunate ‘ish’ is…ladies who should know better are letting themselves feel unworthy, even with their ‘modest endowments’.

Isn’t it for the sole purpose of fulfilling some of these sick fantasises of the menfolk that the beauty industries are flooding the markets with ‘add-ons’ like Silicone brassieres, bum and hip wears- meant to add size to a woman’s backside and hips.

Anyway…back to the gist. They had just started going out and prior to their first ‘real meeting’ (you know what I mean?), he had always told her that he fancies women with extra backside. She felt lucky because her friends have always told her that her protruding backside is enviable. Come the day they made love, she asked if he liked what he saw (especially her back side). Guess what his response was? It was with a bored expression (she said she will never forget that expression he had on his face-so fast) on his face, that he shrugged and said, “it’s okay. It just doesn’t shake.’’

This statement made her self-esteem come crashing so hard, such that whenever she sees fellow women with similar endowment, she begins to wonder if hers measures up-in the ‘shaking department’-even when her friends commend her natural endowment –she still says to herself ‘’but it does not shake.’’

How did she come out of this? The very thing her first guy didn’t appreciate in her was one of the things that sent some other person over the moon –in her physical attributes. It was then that she finally said to herself, ‘’wait a minute, I am actually beautiful the way I am and anyone who thinks I must be in a certain way to be appreciated/accepted-obviously does not deserve me.’’

This singular realisation was the beginning of the end of that affair with the first guy. She said that the funny thing about this character is that she liked him enough not to dwell on his ‘barely larger than a giant groundnut’ sized balls. Now that the door of her feelings has been firmly shut in his face, she wonders why he has not hurried after those with ‘shaky behinds’.

Another lady even told me about how a particular character she was latching up to for ‘true love’ made it categorically clear (as a FORE WARNING, actually) that -if any lady that has interest in him is not endowed with a pair of CHEST PLUMS that are as FIRM as ripened oranges-such a lady should not just bother coming close.

I could not believe that a lot of women still allow themselves to listen to these trash-all in the name of FINDING ACCEPTANCE/LOVE.

For real? 
As a rule of thumb…no relationship will ever hold water with me if it’s all about fleshly desires. There must be substance. I can’t imagine finding myself in a relationship that’s defined by the pleasures that another derives from my body and related services (winks).

I won’t ever be able to get over that feeling of being JUST ANOTHER PLAY THING. I hope every woman out there begins to add VALUE to herself, if any man who claims to want a serious affair with you can’t seem to look beyond your body-please have a re-think about such a relationship. You deserve to be appreciated for the beautiful and wholesome soul that you are and not just a plaything.

Yes, after the steaming bedroom sessions…what other substantial claims can you make about that relationship you find yourself in? Does it add value to your life in any way or are you just a ‘relaxant’?

Some of us will rather be in a worthless relationship than risk being alone. Hello! If the wrong person in your life isn’t shown the exit, there may not be a ‘way in’ for the right person.

As you evaluate that relationship you are currently embroiled in, I leave you with the words of Dawn Raffel …”Letting men determine who we are is the negative hinge that turns desire into vulnerability, changes our bodies from sites of pleasure to sites of betrayal, and transforms solitude into loneliness. I think that when people say they’re lonely, what they’re really saying is that they don’t like their own company. And something should be done about that, because if you don’t like your own company, then you’re the victim of whoever passes by.’’

Source: Guardian.ng

Some years ago, a gospel rapper came to perform at my church. He wasn’t a big name but I’d come across his songs somehow and I LOVED THEM.

I’m a HUGE FAN OF RAP MUSIC, so when I love a song, I memorize the lyrics. When he performed that Sunday, I didn’t rap along though, because packaging. I just nodded to the beat and smiled while he did his thing.

After church, I didn’t talk to him or anything. I went home.

Weeks later, this rapper posted a contest on his Facebook Profile. He dropped a line from one of his best singles and promised a recharge card to any fan who knew the next line.

Excitedly, I dropped the lyrics to THE ENTIRE SONG from memory.

What should have been a WOW moment soon degenerated as he began insinuating that I must’ve googled the lyrics in order to cheat at the contest.

At first I was furious and yelled (in my heart), “Dude, you’re not even big enough for any website to have your lyrics. Don’t hype yourself”

And then the still small voice that I’ve come to recognize over the years said, “Think. Why do you think he’s so adamant? What if he doesn’t think he’s good enough for his ENTIRE SONG to be memorized by a fan?”

In that instant, entitlement was replaced by understanding. And then, empathy.

Thankfully, my angry retort hadn’t yet made it from my brain to my keypad, so I sent him a DM calmly explaining how much I genuinely admired his music.

He sent me the 200 Naira recharge card, but I wasn’t the only winner that day.

Many people think that money and fame will solve their problems. But I can tell you for a fact that there are wounds and insecurities that cannot be covered by mere currency.

The billionaire you envy, secretly feels insecure about his big belly.

The runway model whose body you want, hates the way her eyes are positioned.

The public speaker you adore is pissed at his receding hairline.

That successful businesswoman and philantropist is afraid to find love because she might be taken advantage of financially.
Insecurities will always be around us, but they don’t have to be yours.
Be kind to yourself. Be your own biggest fan.

You can learn this for free. Watch Donald Trump.
Love yourself first, for you cannot pour out of an empty cup and you can only truly give (love) of your overflow.

CHOOSE YOURSELF.
– J.O.

Given how amazing millennials are as a generation, it should come as no surprise that the next generation are following suit. 

People are really about the ‘for us by us’ movement, and when you want something that is not made available to you, the solution these days is to just make it yourself. This is why 16-year-old, Mo Odegbami, with a team of friends – Aima Aig-Imokhuede, Molly Johnson, Tolu Faromika and Yasmin Birch – got started on Childishzine, a magazine that caters to their demographic. Childishzine is a platform created to showcase the work of different creatives from poets to photographers. On their website, they spoke about why they created the magazine:

“We created this in order to showcase the photography, poetry and the general art of young people who may not be well-known in the arts community.

We work to discover the most unique and talented people to feature in the Zine creating a fresh atmosphere to enhance the experience for our readers around the globe.”

This group of teenage girls believe very strongly in the beauty and relevance of art. Through Childishzine, they would like to help other young creatives like them get their work out there. The first issue is available foe download and purchase. 

Follow @childishzine on On Instagram for more info. 

Source : Konbini.com



 

 

Rihanna wows on the cover of Vogue Arabia as she channels Queen Nefertiti on the cover of the mag.

The 29-year-old singer had on Nefertiti’s iconic blue headpiece for the shoot. She also modeled a striking reptile print jacket and in another shot, she had on a semi-sheer embellished dress, which she paired with a sophisticated blue coat.

The incredible shoot channeling one of Egypt’s most-celebrated figures was done by Greg Kadel.

It is believed that the shoot was inspired by Rihanna’s tattoo of Nefertiti, who ruled Egypt alongside her husband Pharaoh Akhenaten, almost 3,500 years ago.

Rihanna channels Egyptian Queen Nefertiti for Vogue Arabia

Despite her reign dating back thousands of years, Neferneferuaten Nefertiti remains one of the Middle East’s most beloved icons. She was known for her unmatched beauty, and had a very active role in the country’s political sphere. It is believed she gave mankind an early lesson in women empowerment.

Speaking about the exciting shoot, Vogue Arabia editor Manuel Arnaut said: “We are dedicating the issue to strong and dynamic women who are changing the world.

“Rihanna, our cover star, is one of them. Not only is she one of the most successful pop icons ever, shaping the entertainment industry with her powerful tunes and unique sense of style, she is also an advocate for diversity.

“With a crown designed by Faeth Millinery, Rihanna pays homage to this unforgettable queen, who still reigns as one of Ancient Egypt’s most celebrated figures.”

 

In October 2016, 40 year old DeShonjla “Shonni” Peterson found a lump in her breast and shortly after, on November 22, 2017, she got diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer which was during breast cancer awareness month.

Fastword to the day she was scheduled to have a double mastectomy, DeShonjla discovered she was pregnant! Left with two choices, her breast surgeon suggested she terminated the pregnancy and treat the cancer or continue with the pregnancy and delay treatment.

DeShonjla and her husband Kevin made the decision to protect their unborn child. So they kept the pregnancy.

Talking about it in one of her blog post, she wrote: “If I choose to start chemo today, I risk something possibly harming Zoe . While there are plenty of chemo babies out there, there isn’t enough evidence to support me risking any additional part of her health.”

At week 20 of her pregnancy, on April 7, DeShonjla had a single mastectomy.

In her words: “If I did the bilateral and with reconstruction my baby would be under anesthesia for close to 5 hours and I couldn’t risk that so I went with the lesser of the evils and only had one removed”.

On Monday the 31st of July 2017, DeShonjla  welcomed a healthy baby girl, Zoe Jade. Talking about her new baby, she said: “I couldn’t be more ecstatic to meet her”

Talking about her experience, DeShonjla said:

“Vulnerable is one of those things that I never wanted to be. Vulnerability always equated to weakness to me. Any vulnerability was calculated to make myself feel and look more human. Now as I sit today, transparent in my thoughts and emotions about this journey I feel nothing but strength and relief from my vulnerability. I feel beautiful in this space.”

Her Instagram post is below

453 likes
96 comments
📸 by @nceephotography – – Vulnerable is one of those things that I never wanted to be. Vulnerability always equated to weakness to me. Any vulnerability was calculated to make myself feel and look more human. Now as I sit today, transparent in my thoughts and emotions about this journey I feel nothing but strength and relief from my vulnerability. I feel beautiful in this space. This outward body is not where my beauty is housed. It is well within and courses through every fiber of my being. I share this image as another level of vulnerability and transparency. I don’t owe anyone this, but this is where my beauty now resides. It resides in everything I do. It resides in everything I am. It resides in everything I am affiliated with. It resides in everything that I love. Thank you all for walking on this journey with me. #shonnissupportgroup #mastectomy #breastcancer #cancer #uniboob #love #zoeskeeper #kelsismom #pregnantwithasideofcancer #pregnantwithcancer #pregnant #survivor #freedom #badtittymeat

 

DeShonjla has since started chemotherapy after she was able to nurse her daughter for about three weeks.

 

 

culled from fabwoman.ng

Nigeria based makeup artist, and business woman, Teniola Kashaam popularly know as Tennycoco has revealed how she started bleaching her skin at age 19, in a new IG post. She also went ahead to talk about how she now regretted her decision and urge people to love themselves and be comfortable in their own skin.
See her post below;

6,084 likes
698 comments
My Road to Melanin At the age of 19, I started lightening my skin….. By the time I was 20, I had become a heavy Skin bleacher… at the time it felt almost normal, I felt like I looked more attractive….. it became an addiction, I just couldn’t stop. I craved so much to be lighter.. I felt being black wasn’t beautiful enough. What a stupid way to have thought… I guess the society we live in played a little role in my decision to bleach my skin… coupled with being very Naive at that age. It’s widely perceived that the lighter you are, the more beautiful you look. To be honest I always knew it was a bad thing… I mean, I had seen loads of people with ridiculously damaged skin courtesy the effects of bleaching but I was just so deep into it… like I said it’s actually an addiction. As my 25th birthday started approaching I started to do a lot of Soul searching, a lot of self evaluation… concerning every area of my life and I finally started to see the light… to see how crazy I had been all these years… how crazy it was for me to have believed that my black skin wasn’t beautiful, to have allowed myself to feel inadequate or to try and tell God ‘ how you created me isn’t good enough’ what a silly, crazy way to have lived. Today I’m more than grateful that I finally saw the light. Black is beautiful! So beautiful! Never have I ever felt as beautiful and as at peace with my skin tone as I do now… Please Love your skin/Yourself the way God has made you…. you are beautiful, you are enough. Time will always tell… imagine how I would look 10-15 years from now if I had continued to bleach my skin. Please don’t do it… I did it and I Had/ have so much Regret… it’s not worth it. You are beautiful just as you are. I get a lot of messages asking me, how I was able to transition my skin back… I will be sharing all the tips soon enough. Thank you to everyone who helped me get through this…… the Amount of support I have received is enormous… Thank you.

10 hours ago

In a new Instagram post, Writer, publisher and the founder of Genevieve magazine, Betty Irabor recently shared how she was able to overcome stage fright in a powerful message.
See post below;

 

 
 
 
1,770 likes
 
78 comments
In 2005, just before the first Pink Ball when I was still afraid of public speaking, I vowed “if God makes it possible for me to Spk to the over 800 guests without passing out, I will become a church lector”. God fulfilled my wish as He sent me an angel to Spk thru me.. I was unbelievably calm as I spoke but I reneged on my promise. I did not become a lector! Who does that without consequences? This yr, I sat in church as the 2017 harvest/ bazaar committee was inaugurated and on impulse I later offered to serve in the committee and the Market Place Sale was born to raise funds. A few Sunday’s ago I climbed the altar to make an announcement and invite parishioners to the market place event. Years back I would have died of fright climbing the altar but I was both calm and excited.. as I left the altar it occurred to me that it was time to redeem that pledge to train to be a lector. Selling the Market Place and trying to hand out fliers has been humbling as no one really cares abt your fliers , no one has the time to look up and see who is distributing them darn fliers as they race past u right after church. You want to know what snobbery is? Try distributing fliers! Ask @monalisacode @yvonnejegedefawole &@theonlychigurl whom I hired to help me distribute fliers. Funny thing is, I was once like that! But after my experience I will be kinder to pple handing out fliers. Initially it seemed strange and embarrassing shouting “come and book your stalls o” but now I can even do it at Tejuosho market! No shame! 😄The Market Place Sale is here this Sunday and I am so very excited to have made myself useful.. It feels so good to serve in the harvest committee. For the first time I see the effort/ sacrifices others make quietly. I feel so inspiredto do more than go to church.. & I am looking forward to serving as a lector.. meanwhile, my invitation to you to come shop or take a stall is still open.. and pls pls pls , next time someone offers you a flier for their business or event accept it, smile. Don’t snub them. It takes courage to stand there and be distributing fliers.. who knows, you may find yourself in my shoes handing out fliers and shouting “Market Place Sale”🙏

1 day ago

In her new book, My Glory Was I Had Such Friends, Author Amy Silverstein, tells her story of surviving a heart transplant, a double mastectomy after her breast cancer diagnosis, and another heart transplant when her first donor heart failed, and the role her friends played in getting her through those hardships.

The book highlights her female friendships, though its dedication is to her husband, who she focused on in her first book Sick Girl.

“I want to mention here the vital presence and extraordinary role played by my husband, Scott, who was with me in this story every day in every way with infinite heart and mind,” she writes. “Scott has been gracious to support my writing him into the background of this book when, in fact, the inimitable power of his love was front and center.”

See excerpts from the book below:

Can you describe the health issues you’ve faced throughout your life?

Due to sudden heart failure, I had my first heart transplant at age 25. I would be out of breath walking, my feet were swollen, and when I would lie in bed, I felt uncomfortable, like something was sitting on me. My doctor sent me for a bunch of tests.

Long story short, after much testing (and an admission to the hospital, where I had invasive testing including a heart biopsy and an angiogram), it was determined that I had a virus in my heart and that it would get better in about six months. But, instead, the heart failure worsened and in six months I needed a transplant.

It wasn’t until the surgeon removed my native heart that it was discovered, on autopsy, that I was born with a severe heart defect called ARVD (arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia), which meant that my heart was fated for an early demise.

Doctors gave me 10 years to live with a new heart, since over time, the body will reject the transplant organ, but I went on to live nearly 26 years with it. Around the same time it failed (26 years later), I was also diagnosed with breast cancer. Doctors advised a lumpectomy because the tumor was small and seemed to be in an early stage, but I opted for a double mastectomy—I knew that my transplant medicines were cancer-causing, so I figured it was smart to do all I could to rid the cancer from my breast.

Plus, all of the invasive tests that go along with heart-transplant life—the angiograms (I’ve had 32 of those) and the heart biopsies (I’ve had 93) are done under a prolonged X-ray to the chest, which can also raise the risk of breast cancer over time.

Two months after that is when I found out my donor heart was failing. I had felt pain down my arms during exercise and rest, but my transplant doctor told me it could not be cardiac pain (transplanted hearts are severed from nerves and these nerves cannot be reattached). But my exercise became really hard, and I couldn’t run anymore. And then I realized my feet were swollen, and I knew from experience that this meant trouble. I told my doctor I wanted to have another angiogram, and it revealed extensive transplant artery disease, called vasculopathy. It’s deadly and incurable. Because of my complexities, my husband and I found out that we would have to go to California to wait for another heart.

What role did your friends play throughout those difficult times?

My friends watched me go through my first transplant at 25, but with the exception of driving me to the hospital in the event of an emergency, there wasn’t much they could do for me at that time, so my parents took care of me.

Then, 26 years later, after my double mastectomy surgery, I was out of the hospital in less than 24 hours. Even though it was the easiest surgery I’ve ever had, my friends were amazed. I think that really solidified for them the strength that I had garnered over the years with the heart transplant.

When I found out that my donor heart was failing and my husband and I would have to go to California for a heart, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to go through another transplant. But my friend Jill, my best friend from the second grade, put together a spreadsheet for nine friends to rotate flying out there to be with us while I waited. Here was an opportunity for them to finally do something. And once I saw that these woman could commit to me, I realized that I could commit to going through this again. So a spreadsheet was born with nine women on it, and they all flew cross-country from wherever they lived, and I never slept a night without one of them beside me.

How did having them there help you?

I literally never spent a night alone, and as I got sicker and sicker waiting, two friends would come at once and there would be two cots in that room with me.

For the first month, I was able to slowly walk the halls with them, but there was a swift downfall to the point I could only walk a few steps. I was getting much sicker.

My friends would have to straighten out my bed and pillows because I didn’t have the strength to do that. They rubbed my feet, and I needed them to help me shower.

At first it was a little weird to stand naked in the shower next to my friend or to have her hands on my back in that way, but it really got me through. We had spa nights, and they decorated my room.

We also had laughs and our best talks ever because I thought I was going to die—that really was the anticipated outcome because after only three weeks in the hospital, my condition worsened, and I was bumped from a middle-point on the transplant list to a high priority status (typically meaning that you have a life expectancy of about two weeks). But having my friends there saved my life as much as the transplant did because I had to make it to that point of getting one. Throughout the two months I waited, I never had to suffer through a night of heart pain without them there.

How has this experience changed your friendship?

We know what happened in that room, and it was war-like in many ways. And we won, incredibly so. And we are all here to tell that story. We get together for barbecues, or whatever, we’ve had some gatherings, there’s a look among all of us, there’s a sparkle in our eye because we know what took place.

What can other women do to support their friends in need?

I appreciated them listening to me even if they couldn’t help, but I also wanted to hear about their problems and feel needed. I wanted a two-way relationship because I could only open up to them if they opened up to me as well. There was an complete openness and understanding among us.

Since your second transplant a few years ago, how is your health now?

I am living a completely different life after this second heart transplant. I do not live with daily debilitating illness anymore, I am taking only the smallest amount of transplant medication (and less medicine means fewer side effects). And Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles (where I receive my care) is also devoted to the minimum of heart biopsies, which means less trauma to the body and mind.

That being said, I have lived with a transplanted heart for 29 years, which means that I have taken transplant medication for most of my life. That plus all of the invasive testing that I have accumulated means my body has been exposed to extensive X-rays, leaving me at a significant risk of having cancers. And because I am a patient with antibodies (proteins that might attack my donor heart), I am at a higher risk for vasculopathy.

And this is why I live every day with enormous presence and energy and gratitude. I literally bend down and sniff flower after flower. When I jog, I can’t help but smile with each step. When I sit with a friend, I am all hers—my attention does not wander for a second.

Same thing when I am with my husband or son. I am determined to enjoy the hell out of feeling well—it is such a gift. That sounds trite, I know. But life has taught me this lesson and it is deep in my core: today, today, today. It’s as simple as that.

credit: pulseng