BLOOM AND GROW

I don't take the opportunities that I have been given for granted. My parents were middle class but they were self-made, so they trained us to value the privileges we had. As I have gotten older, I have become more conscious of my society and I try to help my community in the little way I can.  If you are in a position to help your fellow Nigerian, I think you should because in our country today, many people still struggle to feed themselves daily. Also, many low-income families cannot afford quality training for their kids and have to settle for government schools that lack the required facilities for learning. However, I urge you to support low-income families with your money, skill or time. I particularly believe that quality education is one of the sure ways to get out of poverty. So, sponsor a child's learning. Your help could be the very thing that determines whether a child becomes a nuisance to the society or a responsible citizen.   Dr. Paul's A

Good morning Fam,  1. In 2018, I really did burn some bridges and I am glad I did. Those bridge-burning experiences taught me that: My job is not to lift everybody up.  My job is to live your own life.  I am not a shadow.  As I have always said, "when people show you who they are, believe them the first time" 2. Practice your values, don't just profess them. This bugs me a bit because I know there are so many who cut corners and are still thriving. I mean, there are successful. The real question then for me is, why do I need to practice my values. Anyway, I want to believe that there has to be some consequence to cheating and being "fast". Maybe I am naive but at least  I know there are other people who share my school of thought. People like Khaled Hosseini author of  The Kite Runner. Here is a line from the novel I believe and agree with.   "When you kill a man, you steal a life.  You steal his wife's right to a husband, rob h

Today, I learned about integrity. I actually learned about Trust, listening to Brene Brown's Anatomy of Trust on my way to work. I like how Brene defines integrity: A. Choosing courage over comfort, B. Choosing what’s right over what’s fun, easy or fast, and C.  Practicing your values, not only just professing your values. Integrity is not a medal. It is not something you say you have, just for the sake of saying you have something. It is an action word. 2. Teamwork makes the dream work. Everybody you work with has something unique to contribute to your workgroup. You have to appreciate what everybody brings. There is power in collaboration 3. I did some exercise this morning. I actually was reluctant but I made my way out of the house.  The big lesson for me was seeing that there were other people on the streets doing the very thing I was reluctant to do.  If you choose to give up, there will be many others who would not. 4. Your word is your bond. Being rel