Clinging to the unchangeable

      E nle beun o, E si kuu deede iwoyio.

Cultural customs and popular habits seem to swing, pendulum-like, from one extreme to another. At times, people seek adventure for their leisure and high - risk challenges in their work. They revel in swift changes, swooping exuberantly from one trend to the next. Then at other times, as a society, people swing back to the stable and predictable. People cocoon at home instead of roaming, they vacation at nearby instead of exotic destinations, and they invest conservatively instead of riskily. You can almost hear them crying out, “ No more change. ”Then times change again — the pendulum swings back, and the giddy excitement returns. People abandon stable jobs for the exhilaration of joining a start - up company, and they travel the world on their vacations lusting for the latest thrill. Are human beings creatures of habit, preferring the reassurance of the familiar, or do humans love the spice that variety brings to life? Considering the complexity of the human race, the answer is that both are true. One of the most important distinctions you need to learn to make is between those things in your life that should be constant and unchangeable and the kind of change you should welcome. Sometimes you can control the change your experience, and occasionally you can only react as a canoeist does caught in the rapids — coping with the wild ride of change by lunging with your paddles to avoid the largest boulders and prevent the canoe from capsizing. Other than that, you try to hang on until the ride calms down and your ability to make meaningful changes to your course increases. If you are having a bad time, you can rest assured with the knowledge that things will be different a few months later. Very few people would have described their present lives accurately had they been asked to predict the course of events a year or two earlier. People’s lives are constantly changing — that is part of what it means to be human. The other part is the yearning for complete stability with no changes at all to shake up the predictability of existence. The trick is to resist granting it control over your emotional and psychic state. The human part of your being revels in change. You constantly find within change all kinds of unexpected opportunities to grow and prosper. We celebrate with you if you were born in October. Wishing you prosperity today and always. Have a wonderful October everybody!

Olusegun Thompson

President, YAJ.

PRAYER OR CHARACTER ?

Hello everyone,E ku deede iwoyio.

Many times, we pray, fast and bind demons that don’t exist when our real demons are just our greatly flawed character. Many have insulted people that were divinely placed and orchestrated to help them fulfill their destiny. Some people are keeping malice with their destiny helpers. Abigail Van Buren said: “The best index to a person’s character is how he treats people who can’t do him any good, and how he treats people who can’t fight back.”What we often call our destiny is truly our character, and since that character can change, then destiny can be altered. Character is destiny. Treat people with respect. Treat strangers with courtesy. Never look down on anybody. Anyone can be used to change your story. I felt compelled to share an extract of a fantastic, but a rather long piece. This write-up is not meant to trivialize prayers in any way. I have observed that many people take the character for granted, while overzealously tuning on into their spiritual mode. I think we are missing out something. You must change and learn to treat people with courtesy. That Shulamite woman must have been praying for a child all through her life. She eventually got her much-awaited miracle. Assuming she wasn’t hospitable, she would have missed a critical miracle. What do you have inside of you? Is it hate or love? Violence or peace? Death or life? Capacity to build or capacity to destroy? Team spirit or pull down? Think about it! It may impact you as well as your association. 

We celebrate with you if you were born in September. Wishing you happiness today and always. Have a wonderful September everybody!

Olusegun Thompson

President, YAJ.

Time & Change

Hello everybody,e ku asiko yi o!

Taking it a bit further from last month`s post. Take the time to allow your views to change. Or leave it unchanged. It seems that change and time are inseparable. Changes take time, are located and ordered in time and they are separated by time. The inseparability of time and change is a kind of logical truth. Time, it has often been said, stops everything from happening at once. If everything happened at once, the material world would seem to be in a permanent state of self-contradiction. Time, it seems, would not be required to stop everything happening at once if there were no time in the first place. It is, therefore, Time to change from your unsupportive attitude toward fellow man when they need your back or being unappreciative of them when they have a little success such as though you cannot produce a pin and they produced a spoon you start telling people that you can produce a two-headed spoon trying to pull them down. I once learned the simple principle that when you rejoice with people, people will rejoice with you which I know is a fact.

So, try to change now and you will experience something wonderful which we will all benefit from.

We rejoice with you if you were born in August! You are wonderfully and fearfully made and you are one of a kind and special. Enjoy the month everybody!

Eric O.Thompson

President, YAJ.

Timing of Change

Hello everybody,e ku asiko yi o!

What happens when you try to make a change at the wrong time? When is the right time to make changes? There are better times for changes than others. This is a checklist of some questions that could help navigate the best possible times in the process.

a.Is this change compatible with the purpose?

b.Is it possible to test this change before making a total commitment?

c.Is this change reversible?

d.Does this change have both short-time and long-term benefits?

e.Is this change the next obvious step?

f.Does everything else indicate the timing is right?

If the questions on the list have too many no by them, then the timing may not be right. Change makes us feel awkward sometimes, it is not wrong, it is just different and it takes us out of our comfort zone. Humans by nature love to seek and pursue happiness and pleasure. This is why we come together to learn and share. You need to learn to change and adjust your life at the right time to make yourself happy. Congratulations if you were born in July, we rejoice with you. We wish you happiness in all things that matter to you. Have a wonderful month everybody!

Eric Thompson

YAJ President.

How can I change?

Hello eku deede iwoyio!

Major change can seem daunting, but it is entirely possible if you are willing to set and stick with clear goals. Changing what you do can ultimately lead to a change in how you perceive yourself overall. Good news for you is that I personally struggle with most of the things I share with you, but it gives meaning and enables me to love, to serve and to try again. Two major suggestions for a change are to follow your conscience and change your role. Ask yourself; what is the most important thing I need to start doing that will bring a positive impact? That may be in your personal life or in your society. Also, if you want to make a significant change, work on your mindset i.e. the way you see the world and the best way to change your mindset is to change your role. When you change your role in your community or association, you will begin to see the world differently. When you listen to your conscience, you will recognize that important thing-the voice of wisdom that will cause your changes and help you make a positive impact.

We rejoice with you if you were born in June. Happy Birthday to you! We wish you good health and prosperity always.

Happy joyous June everybody!

Eric Thompson

President, YAJ.

Courage & Change

Hello and Eku deede iwoyi o.

Courage is one of my core values.

I am not talking about the type of extreme heroism we see in movies, such as the soldier who throws himself on the grenade to protect his comrades. You see, everyday courage does not require sacrifice. I firmly believe that the most courageous thing you can do is to be yourself or what you want to be. To stand true to who you are in the face of adversity. Everyday examples of courage include: Voicing your disagreement or disapproval, especially when it is unpopular to do so. To keep pursuing your goals, even when you have not been getting the results you desire. Giving your best when you are faced with bad health Ending a relationship which, you know isn’t right for you, Expressing your feelings, Getting out of bed when you are really struggling. These are just some of the endless examples of everyday courage. You take these actions, not because you want to but because deep inside you know it is the right thing to do. Because when courage is one of your core values, you hold yourself accountable for each decision you make and action you take to bring about change in your community, etc. It is not only the outcome which is important to you, but it is also the fact that you do what is right by you. You ensure that you do what is right, even when it is the most difficult/inconvenient option. Nobody said that being courageous was easy but when you live true to your core values, peace, joy, happiness, and confidence come naturally. We rejoice with you if you were born in May. We wish you a Meaningful May! May you all have a peaceful May, everyone!

Olusegun Thompson

President, YAJ.

What are you not willing to change?

Hello and Eku deede iwoyi o.

People resist change sometimes because of tradition too. The assumption is that if something is tradition it must be the best way. To some extent, it may be true, but it is not necessarily so. If a tradition connects you to other people or to your personal history, it may be a good thing. If not, then it may be time to try something else. I have to admit that I am a personal growth fanatic. There are few things I enjoy more than learning something new. But as much as I am dedicated to progress, there are some things that I am not willing to change such as my faith or my commitment to integrity, family, and generosity and believing in people. Some things are not worth compromising at any price. I want to encourage you to think about the non-negotiables in your life. Once you do that everything else should be open to change. We rejoice with you if you were born in April. Some call it April fool, for you and everyone it shall be April Full. Full of goodness and favor all the way through. Have a wonderful April! 

Olusegun Thompson 

President, YAJ