Butterfly thoughts...

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Every butterfly starts off as a worm..
Every peacock starts off as a yolk..
The difference between the start and the end is the transformation that takes place.

Wormy thoughts...

The Bible teaches that we should be "transformed by our thinking".

Naturally, unless trained to move towards the positive, our minds will tend to gravitate towards the negative.
This is especially so because life ever has its boxing gloves on - there is never a day without a challenge no matter how positive we are about it.
What determines the end result is how we handle the challenges that come our way. 

It was never meant to be easy...
That is why we are encouraged to train our minds, so to speak. 

Unless we decide to dwell on positive thoughts, life can beat us down even in our achievem

ents. Discontentment will follow us everywhere we go no matter how high we rise.

Butterfly mentality...
Instead of living with a "barely-get-by" mentality, always fill your head with positive thoughts.
When you are tempted to feel like a worm, always remember that..

You are blessed
You are talented
You are valuable
You are confident
You have been hand-picked by the Creator of the universe.

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※ Reprograming of the mind..
This is not just a way to overcome one challenge.
When you think positively, you are reprogramming your mind - opening doors you never thought existed.

When you gain confidence on yourself, you get the confidence to turn things around...

Like...
※ walking out of a bad situation.
※ Saying no when you know you are being exploited.
※ Chasing a business deal that seems out of your league.
※ Approach a very respected person and ask for advice without feeling like a failure..
The list is endless..

As long as you are stuck in the "worm" mentality, your mind will only think on how to get by...not how to get there.

A worm is stuck on the ground.. It can only see as far as it is..the ground. Some cannot even see...so they just get by., so to speak.
A butterfly is in the air and will get to see something that is far from it, spread its wings and get there.

**Perhaps the butterfly is proof that you can go through immense darkness and emerge immensely beautiful**

 

That is what transformation does for us.. You see something that seemed so far off, but you are not scared to reach for it. You believe thay you have it in you to fly there and get there.

This does not happen overnight, its a day-to-day process. And it all starts in the mind.

You may find yourself asking about a particular subject...say about getting someone to finance a project..and the person tells you how you can expand your business without even borrowing!!
Had you not had the courage and confidence to speak up, you would never have landed on that secret.

*Confidence is never about being better than everyone else... Its the secret knowledge that you have the capacity to outdo yourself.*

Confidence can help you think farther than you can see.

They say you always get what you look for...so when you set your mind on a certain goal you will find ways of getting there.
But as long as you believe you can never achieve it, you will not have even a single clue come your way.

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Start each day knowing that...
You are blessed
You are talented
You are valuable
You are confident
You have been hand-picked by the Creator of the universe.

Then go through the day believing that.
Five months down the line, you will be amazed by the result of such a simple exercise.
One year down the line you will be on the lips of all and sundry, and everyone will look to you for inspiration.

It all starts today...

Transform your mind. 

 This is Serenity...

More reads..  

※  You are loved
※  Effective force versus Brutal force
※  The power of Purpose!!
※  Self promotion is not self glorification
※  Sexual violence: A disgrace to society claiming to be civilized
※   For my family and friends; From a crazy animal lover

When You Believe....

When you believe...

♥♥♥It is one thing to ask in faith; and another to receive in faith...

photo credit: http://xpectamiracle.blogspot.com/2013/10/miracles-happen-when-you-believe.html

I remember the first time I was entrusted with the family car; I was beside myself in joy and excitement!! I always wanted this day to dawn!! I had gone for my driving classes, got my licence.. now I had the chance to drive the pick-up truck without a "chaperone"!! 

Problem was, I had no clue if I could survive the trip without a fender-bender!!

I had asked for the chance.. and now I had the key in my hand. The only way to know if I would survive my crazy town was to get in the car and drive to town..

※※Which brings me to my point...

I will use myself as an example (as usual!!!)

Often times, I have asked God for a couple of stuff in faith. I totally believed in the One I was confiding in, His ability to grace me but I had one problem...
I would sit and anxiously wait for my answers.. as if to see if my "request" got through. 

Right now, I wonder what it is that made me so..

※ I was not sure that I actually deserved what I asked for..
※ I undermined my own needs and so I imagined that God also saw them as petty...
※ I wasn't sure I was asking for the right thing or was I being vain...??

... I still prayed for them and surprise surprise!! My prayers were answered!!
Not once, not twice... all my prayers were answered by what I asked for or something even better!!!

**Life is a journey and in this trip, I keep on stumbling into little unseen truths about myself. **

I just realized that while I asked, I never stretched my hands to receive; as if it's a shameful thing to receive.

But then, my relationship with myself was also complicated. I was a paradox.. I believed in myself but then again, I wasn't so sure...

It wasn't until I had faith in myself that I started seeing gifts for what they were; gifts!!
Not crutches!!
Not little reminders of what I lacked; simply something extra to make life more blissful!!
I had to open up and accept what I had received of late wasn't out of pity or charity but out of love..
and then it dawned on me that I needed to apply the same with God.

I would ask for healing but feel so ashamed that I was ill in the first place...
I asked for peace but was too ashamed that I had got myself in that "predicament" that consumed my peace...
So, how could I receive when my hands were balled into fists of agony??!!

♥ I had to let the hate go.. and love myself and allow it to flow....♥

It is one thing to ask, and another to receive...

You cannot receive when your hands are full or hidden. But then, you cannot wish away the fulfilled promise in front of your eyes..

The peek-a-boo game has had to end!!
I have decided that I will not anxiously hide my face then pop in to see if I have been blessed... I had the faith to ask.. I better have the faith to receive!!!

※Faith without action is dead..※

As long as I have asked, I will make my next step in accordance with my plans, for He has gone ahead of me and straightened my path.

I have no business remaining in the same spot out of fear... I better keep my end of the deal and REMAIN faithful, and keep on moving..

God is good enough to answer our prayers.. He was good enough to sit and listen in the first place!!

♥ Courage is the fear that has said its prayers- Anon  ♥

This is Serenity!!

****

※  Of relationship articles: Sow to reap...
※  Learn to let go..
※  Goals and Passions...
※ "If Today Was Your Last Day" - Nickelback
※ The normal man...
※ Learn to love yourself well: Self promotion is not self glorification.

****

Goals and Passions...

PASSION - strong and barely controllable emotion.

From Sir Richard Branson to our own Suzie Wokabi.. the message is clear; if we work with passion we will excel and go far. 

But this being reality; rarely do we end up in careers or situations where our passions are, so we just apply diligence to get through...

In life, nothing is set in stone though. I have seen people literally turn their lives around by "taking risks" and "taking leaps of faith"...

What we do not realise is that these people have had a passion for whatever it was they jumped into; and set a goal on getting there...

SETTING GOALS...

Setting goals can literally turn your life around!!!
This is because; when you set a goal, you literally program your psyche into achieving it.
♦Whether you achieve it or not is usually not a factor; How to get there is the main focus and in the effort to "get there" they discover endless opportunities they would have otherwise missed..

I read Suzie's story; she loved make-up but had a degree in a totally unrelated field. She however got a chance to join her sister in New York and intentionally ended up working in various fashion businesses out of curiosity. It is there that she found her footing and settled on make-up, worked on finding the right products for her skin; then the African woman's skin and now... she runs a beauty empire with her husband..

This story is very similar to other "we-made-it" stories; set a goal according to your passion and the journey will start from there. Suzie's journey has led her to management, marketing, networking, events... name it.
She has been thrust into different pools where her strengths have come in handy yet it all started in one spot; Her passion.

I do not encourage wanton behaviour though; just don't wake up, quit your job and "follow your dream,,,,,"

....USE YOUR HEAD....

Look at where you are now; what resources you have and how they can help you achieve your goals. Like I said, its a JOURNEY!!

Look at how your current job has equipped you; financially or otherwise.

How many people have you met that can help you in your journey? For example, have you spoken to your boss and asked how s/he manages to balance work and family? (Do you even have a relationship with your boss??)

How many new skills have you developed, and which bad habits have you had to drop?

※In my quest to achieve my goals; I had lots of bad habits to drop.
On one occasion I painfully regretted NOT USING MY HEAD.... learned my lesson. big time!!!

I also learned to drop my pride and raise my standards; sometimes criticism was the best counsel I got; and what I thought was good advice landed me in pools of hot water!!!

The biggest lesson of all was to realize who was useful in my life and who was important.

♠Whoever made you feel used is quite useful in your life.. you learned a skill, and if they made good use of you, you can also make good use of them too...

♥Whoever made time to appreciate you and hold you is important in your life... That is a person you can genuinely reconnect with and share your joys and triumphs and celebrate with. These are the people you can call your family even though they may not be related to you..

♣Never let important people go..

♣Never erase the useful people from your phone book either...

♣Never let anyone but you take initiative for your goals; but all help is welcome. Just don't wait for someone to get things going.

♣Never look down on anyone through out your journey; those you think incapable of anything may be the ones to get you out of a hole...

※Each day is a gift and tomorrow is never assured. Use today wisely. ※

This is Serenity!!

****
※ Of Actions and Reactions.
※ "If Today Was Your Last Day" - Nickelback
※ Learn to let go..
※ Of relationship articles: Sow to reap...
※ Self appreciation; The journey towards self reconstruction
※ Love and faith...
***

Sexual violence: A disgrace to society claiming to be civilized!!

※※Refuse to play a role in someone else’s pain
Don’t let your ‘fun’ mean a lot of pain to someone else.
Remember there is no joy in hurting someone who did nothing wrong to you - NAMUNYAK NKURRUNAH※※

                            

Sexual violence: A disgrace to society claiming to be civilized!!

Rape is something that is traumatizing to anyone; man, woman, boy, girl, elderly or child.
The worst part is that sexual violence and rape are perpetrated, not automatic or as a response to stimuli!!

A rapist or sexual offender usually comes to a pre-meditated decision to defile; just as a first degree murderer, it never just happens!!
They plan, and actually look forward to committing the act; whether in five minutes or five years; they WANT to do it even though they KNOW its wrong!!

No person deserves to be touched or violated, regardless of whether they are naked or not.
When we see a mad person stripping in public, the first reaction is to restrain the person THEN cover them up.

So, what's with the excuse that she looked so sexy in that dress, or that he was so handsome he could make cute babies??

And our little boys; their innocence and naivety is beautiful to look at, but not to destroy!! Our little girls; she will indeed grow to be a gorgeous siren but that is no reason to traumatize her just because!!!

Sexual violence is despicable, and a putrefaction of society covered in swagger and glitz!!!
Its disgusting!!!

No man deserves to have Valium and Cialis in his drink just because he won't sleep with you!!
No woman has to pay for your filthy thoughts against women!!
That is plain rotten.

Do you know the worst part?

Its that the PERPETRATOR is usually protected to save face, for the victims' and perpetrators' families!
Its even worse when both come from the same circle of family or close family friends!! And everyone will ALWAYS know the truth, but choose to save face!!!

The victim will not know whether to report because he or she does not want to be sidelined; violation is trauma enough!!!
So they live with it until something happens;
-a disease is diagnosed,
-a pregnancy occurs
-or when the mental state of the victim is so compromised it takes professional help to help them cope..
and its normally too late!!

Like I said, we live in a swaggerific and glamorous society; apparently, these things happen only to the poor and defenseless; not the rich, educated, polished members of society - the same class with the most deviance of morals, suicide and depression!!!

Sexual violence of any form should not be tolerated at all!!

BUT GOD DOES NOT ASLEEP...

For the affected though; God never sleeps. He will lift you beyond your circumstances, and He will prepare a feast in front of your enemies!!
You will need to pour out your pain to Him though; healing starts from the spirit, then pours out to other areas of our lives, then to those around us.

※※For He has good plans for us, no matter our circumstances; He will establish us and even those who have no clue of what happened will surely acknowledge that God is indeed for you.※※

※※never carry the ulcer in your heart.. there are many humans who can help you cope and move forward stronger, and you will lift others in the process.

Not everyone is an animal...

There are many who care; or you can reach out to me for connection to some of them ※※

Call/text/whatsapp +254725733412 for more queries and quotations regarding a support group, therapist, spiritual leader or counsellor.
Or email me at mburu.njeri88@gmail.com .

This is Serenity!!

Because Life is Beautiful...

Related articles:

※ ONE STEP AT A TIME....
※ Mental Health: Stress
※ GRIEF: Exploring, Dealing and Coping
※ Learn to love yourself well: Self promotion is not self glorification
※ THE SYNDROME OF FUNCTIONAL DYSAUTONOMIA
※ For my family and friends; From a crazy animal lover!!!

Firework (song by Katy Perry)

Fireworks by Katy Perry

※ Maybe the reason why All the doors are closed is So you could open one That leads you to the perfect road※

Do you ever feel Like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind Wanting to start again
Do you ever feel Feel so paper-thin
Like a house of cards One blow from caving in
Do you ever feel Already buried deep
Six feet under, Screams but no one seems to hear a thing

Do you know that there's Still a chance for you
'Cause there's a spark in you

You just gotta Ignite the light
And let it shine, Just own the night Like the Fourth of July

'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on show them what you're worth
Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky
Baby, you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave them all in awe

You don't have to feel Like a waste of space
You're original Cannot be replaced
If you only knew What the future holds
After a hurricane Comes a rainbow

Maybe the reason why All the doors are closed
So you could open one That leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt Your heart will glow

And when it's time you know

You just gotta Ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night Like the Fourth of July

'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on show them what you're worth
Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky
Baby, you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave them all in awe

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through

'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on show them what you're worth
Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky

Baby, you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make them go, "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave them all in awe

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

This is Serenity!!

*******
++ One step at a time
++ You owe no one an explanation
++ Perfect
++ Gratitude: the ingredient in faith that moves mountains