Statements of Encouragement: No Surrender.

 Eku deede iwoyi o! Good day everybody!

I've often admired Michael J. Fox. I loved his acting and think he's a wonderful person. He says, ‘One’s dignity may be assaulted, vandalized, and cruelly mocked, but it can never be taken away unless it’s surrendered.’ Now Michael J. Fox has Parkinson's disease. I happened to watch an interview a couple of years ago where Michael was on television and you could see by the movement of his body, that Parkinson's disease was taking some major control over him. To be honest with you, it was a little difficult to watch. But it was also inspiring because even when he was making awkward movements, his words were so positive, so uplifting, so encouraging that I was mesmerized by this man who is going through great physical difficulty and yet was not ready to yield. And so, when he said those words, I thought to myself, probably that happens to him because his difficulty is quite visual. But it's not what happens to you, the assault and the mocker from the outside, the pandemic crisis. It's what happens in you. And Michael J. Fox has learned something that I want to learn myself. But I want to pass it on to you, also. It's not what happens to you. It's what happens in you. Like I`ve posted some time ago, it's your choice. It's my choice. Michael made the choice. Choose not to surrender to the adversity in your life, this pandemic. But as you consistently weather the tough times, you become tougher, or stronger, here's what I know, the tough time you're going through and that I'm going through right now will not last. Let`s keep that positive mental attitude. Keep the motions going in a good way and after this tough time is over, we'll look at each other and smile and I'll just kind of point to you and say, Hey, tough people, we lasted, didn't we? Thank goodness, it seems the COVID is losing its grip as the medical personnel, the scientists have been working hard to get rid of it or as they say, see how we can live with it. Thank you, Michael. You inspire all of us.

We celebrate with you too if you were born in October and we are blessed to have you in the family! 

Have a wonderful month everyone. Stay safe, get vaccinated, stay strong, mask up, and stay healthy until we will be able to gather again possibly soon.

 Eric Thompson

 YAJ.

Statements of Encouragement: Overcoming

 Eku deede iwoyi o! Good day everybody!

Helen Keller said, “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.”

Helen Keller was a political activist, and was a huge influence for the women's suffrage movement. She was an author, a lecturer. But what I want you to know about Helen Keller is that she was deaf and blind.

Take a look at this story; during a class prank, a student stuck a paper on his classmate's back that said “I`m stupid, and asked the rest of the class not to tell the boy. Thus the students began laughing on and off.

Then came the afternoon math class and their teacher wrote a difficult question on the board. No one was able to answer it except the boy with the sticker.

Amid the unexplained giggles, he walked toward the board and solved the problem.

The teacher asked the class to clap for him and removed the paper on his back.

She told him: "It seems that you didn’t know about the paper your classmate has pasted on your back." Then the teacher looked at the rest of the class and said:

"Before I give you a punishment, let me tell you something:

Throughout your Life, people will put labels on you with many nasty words to stop your progress.“All you have to do in life is ignore the labels people give you and seize every opportunity you have to learn, grow and improve yourself.”

“Had your classmate known about the paper, he wouldn't have gotten up to answer the question.”

“It’s clear that he doesn't have any loyal friend among you all to tell him about the sticker.”

I would encourage you during this difficult time to listen to overcomers. You see all around us, we have people that are being overcome. They're kind of like victims, and then we have overcomers. These are victors. These are people that rose above the difficulties of their situations.

Helen was saying, I’m deaf, I'm blind I have all kinds of reasons not to succeed, not to do well, but I want you to know I've overcome. The fact is, she had a helper who literally taught her through touch.

Who you listen to determines how you respond to this crisis. So I encourage you, find some overcomers and listen to them. What they'll tell you is this: It's dark. It's difficult. It's not easy, but you can overcome, keep going, and keep running your race.

We celebrate you if you were born in September! The world got a little bit better on this day because you were born and we are blessed that we are your friend!

Have a wonderful month everyone. Stay safe, get vaccinated, stay strong, mask up, and stay healthy until we will be able to gather again.

 Eric Thompson

 YAJ.

Statements of Encouragement: Decisions

 Eku deede iwoyi o! Good day everybody!

I will like to encourage you all again this month with another amazing story.

Thank you for the feedback on the previous stories.

First look at this quote on decisions: 

“It is our decisions, not our conditions that determine the quality of our life.”

A businessman said to his employee: I want you to build me a house; here are the plans,

I want you to do it according to this plan! I do not want you to miss anything!

The employee read the chart and was upset because he only had 3 months left until his retirement, he started saying: 3 months on retirement and this guy is giving me a job that will last six months.. ..., I don't really mind, I'll do what I can, it will save me more money!

So the employee began to work and made the pillars of the house without much care, and he also used cheap and low-quality materials for construction, in every building in the house he used materials that did not match the structure, and only worked on the facade to deceive the owner from the outside, and what could be left was left, and that

"To earn” the time he usually needs to do so and leave as quickly as possible.

When the construction was completed, the owner appeared and looked at the house. He was very impressed with its appearance from the outside, so the employee thought that he had deceived the businessman.

The businessman looked at the employee and approached him and said: Take the keys! ...it's your gift! ...for all the years you served me! It’s your home!!!

Wow! That's kind of a turnaround, isn't it? It's our decisions, not our conditions that determine our quality of life.

How do you think this guy felt when he heard this? Unfortunately, he reaped what he sowed because of his decision.

We rejoice with you for another trip around the sun if you were born in August!!! We hope you`ll remember to keep having a good time in this journey we all call life, especially during this trying time.

Have a wonderful month everybody!

Eric O. Thompson

 

PS. Get vaccinated when it gets to your turn because FYI I`ve got mine, it helps.

Statements of Encouragement: Inner Strength.

 

Eku deede iwoyi o! Good day everybody!

How time flies, we are already in the second half of 2021. I will like to encourage you all this month with another amazing story.

Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot.

He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing.

After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.

He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. Turning to her he asked. “Daughter, what do you see?”

“Potatoes, eggs, and coffee,” she hastily replied.

“Look closer,” he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.

“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.

He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs, and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity– the boiling water.

However, each one reacted differently.

The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.

The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.

However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.

“Which are you?” he asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean? “

In life, things happen around us, just like this pandemic, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us. How we respond to adversity or crisis. Which one are you? Are you taking advantage of the crisis for your good or the other way round? This pandemic will soon be over everybody!

Happy Birthday to you if you were born in July! May your life be full and wishing you many, many, more birthdays!

Have a wonderful month everybody!

Eric O. Thompson

Statements of Encouragement : Add Value to People.

 

Eku deede iwoyi o! Good day everybody! Every person has value, and to make a difference, we need to intentionally value others and express that value to them. It’s not optional if we desire to be significant. We’ve all benefited from someone’s contribution in the past. Adding value isn’t just about your career, of course, it is about your whole life. The value here doesn’t automatically mean money- although of course, it could if that is the way you help people. No matter how we contribute, it’s important to add value in an authentic way—without an ulterior motive—genuine and helpful, and unassuming.

 I remember this Kenyan runner Abel Mutai who was just a few feet from the finish line but became confused with the signage and stopped, thinking he had completed the race. A Spanish runner, Ivan Fernandez, was right behind him and, realizing what was happening, started shouting at the Kenyan to continue running. Mutai didn't know Spanish and didn't understand. Realizing what was taking place, Fernandez pushed Mutai to victory.

 A journalist asked Ivan, "Why did you do that?" Ivan replied, "My dream is that someday we can have a kind of community life where we push and help each other to win."

 The journalist insisted "But why did you let the Kenyan win?" Ivan replied, "I didn't let him win, he was going to win. The race was his." The journalist insisted, and again asked, "But you could have won!" Ivan looked at him and replied, "But what would be the merit of my victory? What would be the honor in that medal? What would my mother think of that?"

 What would you do if you were in the Spanish`s shoes?

 Let us pass on the beauty and humanity of a helping hand.

 Contributing to other people—adding value to their lives—is the only way to gain another person’s respect and it’s one of the few ways to get others to believe in you. For obvious reasons, this is important in many facets of life: leadership, friendships, relationships, connecting with new people, and especially with your family.

 Here are Some Proven Ways to Add Value to People; Lift people up with your words.  Support people by offering to help them. Encourage other people's professional growth. You add value into the world through every relationship you have- every friend you help, every stranger you care about, every family member you support, every child you bring up, every time you care about anyone else. When you add value to others, the world will be better for all.

We celebrate with you if you were born in June. May your special day and the month bring you a better tomorrow. Happy birthday!

Have a wonderful month everyone. Stay safe, stay strong, mask up, stay healthy until we will be able to gather again.

 Eric Thompson

 YAJ.

Statement of strength and courage

 

Hello everybody! Eku deede iwoyi o!

Robin Roberts said ‘It takes courage to believe the best is yet to come.’ That's a good statement. But the context of the statement makes it a great statement. She said it when she was diagnosed with cancer, severe cancer. The picture didn't look good. That was a very courageous statement for her in the very bottom part of her adversity. But here's what she knows. Courage doesn't remove our crisis. Courage moves us in the crisis. Courage moves us to a better position in the midst of the storm.

Do you remember some posts back when I mentioned Robert Frost where he said “ what we focus on determines what we become”? He says focus on finishing. Focus on getting all the way through. I also found out that FOCUS means Following One Course of action Until Successful. This takes time and effort, learning from mistakes, and of course, the strength of character. That means in whatever you do and wherever you are.

The good news is Robin Roberts is still alive and doing well. But remember, when she made that courageous statement many years back, she wasn't doing well. It's easy on the back end to say, well, I kind of thought things would work out. It's much more difficult in the middle to say, I think things will work out. Courage isn't after the fact. It's right in the middle.

We celebrate with you if you were born in May. Our wishes are; May your days and years be full of good health, prosperity, and accomplishments. 

Stay safe, stay strong, and stay healthy until we will be able to gather together again everybody.

Eric Thompson

YAJ.

 

Statement of encouragement: Act !

 

Eku deede iwoyi o.

Here is this month`s statement of encouragement;

Henry Ford said, “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”

He's basically saying that the airplane has no chance of getting off the ground unless it has some opposition. It has to go into the wind to be lifted to the heights of its possibility.

Similarly, when we come into the winds of opposition and the winds of adversity, there are three possibilities. First of all, it can drift us. The winds of opposition can get us off course. And, drifting is never good. So if you're drifting during difficulty, that's not a positive move. But, secondly, it can sift us. And sifting can be very good because sifting, you think of that as separating the good from the bad. And if we let difficulties separate and get the bad out of us, and we begin to hold onto the good. In those cases, sifting is good. But what I also know, as Henry Ford knew about that airplane, is that the winds of opposition can lift us. They can take us to higher ground. These are possible things you can do during difficulty especially now;

 

1.           Stop complaining and appreciate how lucky you are every day.

2.           Embrace loneliness and reinvent yourself in the process.

3.           Say goodbye to the people that don't bring positive energy into your life.

4.           Throw off the TV and set Internet controls.

5.           Pick one skill you want to cultivate and put all your effort into developing it.

6.           Commit to the goals you set and never look back.

7.           Sweat every day to boost your mood.

8.           Fail forward. Learn from every mistake you make.

 

I'm betting that drifting will not be on your calendar anymore. We're going to let it sift us and make us better and lift us and make us bigger.

We celebrate with you with the spirit of Ubuntu if you were born in April. We wish you good health and prosperity as you add one more year to your age.

Have a great month everybody. Stay safe, stay strong, and stay healthy until we will be able to gather physically again.

 

Eric O.Thompson.