Your Own, Your Answer, Your Power!

Ever felt the impulse to do something extraordinary, something different, something worth admiration from people? Yeah I guess we have being there at some point. It may sometimes turn out like we expect, other times we may find ourselves in a situation where we ask ourselves the question, 'What on earth am I doing here or why am I doing this?'.
There is always some instinct in us to be better. Better in the eyes of our friends, families, co-workers and basically with every person we share a little bit of our lives with. Unless you're a psychopath with clinically proven and psychologically valid social issues, everyone of us aims to be better in some way if we can help it. Now does this mean it actually gets better for a lot of people? The answer is no! Not because the individual gave up trying, but because they must have encountered another person(s) who for some reason consistently brings out the worst in them.
I have read some books, articles and so-called 'self-help' guides on how to deal with people who bring out the worst in us, and quite surprisingly, the consensus solution almost always involves staying away. Yeah, staying away from those who remind us that we are basically a higher form or species of animal. Do I agree with this? Not really, and I would love to disprove this theory of moving away from negative energy, but seeing as I don't want to be the guy who thinks he knows too much, I'll just beg to differ. I'm sure whoever came up with that solution spent a lot of his/her time thinking the sh!/t up.
With a lot of people in print, media, the internet, and in reality, acting like they are an encyclopedia of answers, it is hard to tell whom is really practicing what they preach. The truth for all intents and purposes will sound very realistic and true to itself, but so also will a lie. What I am trying to say is, if the lie gives us an idea or a suitable explanation for a problem, it is quite difficult to be objective without attaching sentiments. As long as a lie solves some perceived problem of ours, we will adhere to it like it came out of the mouth of God himself.
So we got to that point where we wanted to be different and extraordinary, and we started out by getting something done in the right direction. We continued, basking in the euphoria of it until a day came when we didn't know what or why we were doing what we do. We realized that maybe we just found ourselves on this-road-to-extraordinary because we wanted to get away from something or someone and prove to them we could be better. Was it a good idea looking back at it? We ask ourselves. The answer might be maybe or maybe not, depending on how well we are doing at that moment of self-awareness.
At this point, we start depending on the admiration of others to fuel our desire to be different. In other words, the original purpose of our predisposition to greatness disappears and is replaced by the need to feel appreciated. This need becomes our motivation, which is not totally a bad thing, but if by no fault of ours we encounter those whose sole job is to kill our vibe, what happens? Are we to face them, or are we to ignore it and move away from this developing negative energy?
This is where most people cook up the turn-around-walk-away-route, and if I am right, this hardly ever solves anything; instead it just makes one unprepared for the next wave of negative emotions coming around the corner.
There will always be evil people around us, and I call them evil because, even if they don't know it themselves, anyone who derives pleasure seeing the misery and sadness in others, definitely has a dark spirit working in them. And please, for the love of God, never turn your back on people like this. Very little good comes by staying away from those who drain the extraordinary in us, that just feeds their power; and unless this is what you want, the offensive is a lot better choice.

Liebster Blog Award

I can't believe I got nominated for this, seeing as I am quite a newbie in this inspiring, beautiful world of gifted writers, authors and poets. I really am honored Laura Hebbeln for granting me this nomination, thanks for believing in my style of writing and encouraging my devotion to it.
The Liebster Blog Award is for up and coming blogs with less than 200 followers, and getting nominated in this category tells a lot about the level of appreciation I'm getting from the Google plus community. Thanks once again Laura.

Here is the link to Laura Hebbeln's Blog (Diary of Laura): http://diaryoflaura20.blogspot.com/

These are the rules I'm to follow regarding my nomination:

RULES FOR NOMINEES

1. Post 11 facts about yourself.
2. Answer the 11 questions posted by the person who nominated you.
3. Nominate 5 other bloggers with less than 200 followers for the award.
4. Create 11 new questions for your nominees.
5. Go to each bloggers site and let them know about the award.
6. Thank the person who nominated you and link back to his/her blog.


HERE ARE 11 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME!

1. My favorite Nigerian dish is Pounded Yam and Egusi Soup.
2. I have not seriously dated anyone new in the last 2 years, I just keep getting back with my exes. Weirdo! LOL!
3. I am a sucker for red wine.
4. My Nigerian celebrity crush is Chindinma. I know right?
5. I can't stand some of my extended family members. But I love them all the same. :-)
6. Good music is my favorite drug, I cannot go a day without listening to something.
7. I bite my nails when I'm alone or relatively in my comfort zone. Talk about a bad habit!
8. Please do not let a snake come near me, I will by all means kill it even if it were your pet.
9. I'm complicated, the only way you can figure me out is if I want you to.
10. My favorite movie is Armageddon, I still don't have the guts to stop watching it. But why should I anyways?
11. I am a perfect gentleman, the only time you see an outrageous reaction from me is when I'm backed into a corner.


THESE ARE LAURA'S QUESTIONS FOR ME!

1. What is your favorite non-alcoholic drink?
That would be Pepsi.
2. What is your favorite magazine?
Don't have one; I read anything I come across.
3. Are you a dog or cat person?
I'm a dog person.
4. What are your hobbies?
Watching movies, Listening to music, Hanging out, Writing and Reading.
5. What do you do for a living?
I'm a Chemical Engineer, though I'd rather view myself as an entrepreneur.
6. What is your favorite genre of music?
Hip-Hop/Rap.
7. What is your favorite board game?
Scrabble it is.
8. How many siblings do you have?
I've got three siblings; all guys.
9. Do you prefer showers or baths?
Showers definitely; I can't imagine doing baths all by myself.
10. What is your favorite way to exercise?
Lifting my dumb-bells and doing push-ups. I also play football(soccer) when I can.
11. What is your favorite restaurant?
I really don't have one; I'm more of a stay-at-home eater.


My nominees for the Liebster Blog Award are:

1. Mazi Omenuko: http://maziomenuko.blogspot.com/
2. Bekkie Sanchez: http://bekkieswonderland.blogspot.com/
3. Jawaad Saleem: http://ablogwithoutanswers.blogspot.co.uk/
4. Frank Sayre: http://brotherhoodeternal.com/
5. Robert Price: http://fromacloggedmind.wordpress.com/


11 Questions for my nominees!

1. What inspires you most about writing?
2. What do you love most about your spouse?
3. What is your favorite sport?
4. Why do you write?
5. If you could do anything over again, what would it be?
6. Do you like snakes? If yes, why?
7. Do you have a nasty habit? What is it?
8. In your quiet time, what would you be caught doing?
9. How many kids do you have? If none, how many do you plan to?
10. Music or Movies, which gives you the best satisfaction?
11. What would you consider a romantic gift or gesture?

And Then There Was Us

No one in their right minds ever admits to wrong-doing, in fact those who have been clinically and medically proven to be out of their right minds still refuse to admit to wrong-doing. Psych wards are filled with people who believe they’re not meant to be there, prison cells are packed full of convicts claiming innocence, and the rest of the sane world is complete with people who believe in their ideals and are ready to compel others into believing them as well. Understandably, what I am referring to here has nothing to do with structure, standards and guidelines (or laws); these actually keep the world order in check. My reference centers completely on the area of personal convictions.

I love to point out a statement made by a Google plus friend of mine whom I respect for his constructive critique and writing pointers for me – He had this to say about truth and opinion (not in his exact words): “opinions are strictly individualistic, they are subject to the level of knowledge available to whomever offers it and at that specific time...it is also believed to be the truth as they know it. However, truth is not exact; it is shaped by what we see around us, it is sometimes a product of the lies we tell ourselves on how things should be (which might really not be the exact way these things should be in the natural sense of it).” In other words, absolute truth in opinion is never 100% exact in authenticity. No one person, and I mean none whatsoever, should completely regard his or her personal ideal, belief or opinion as sacred and universal. That said, herein lies a problem – we have for sake of not being classified as being selfish in our opinions, opted to give credence to the known and widely accepted ideals of a recognized larger force or system. Some of these larger systems include: Religion, Tradition, Ethics, and cults (remember, a cult here is any group with laid down guidelines and/or code of conducts designed to unite its members in purpose).

My parents have this prayer they offer anytime we have a family gathering, I never told them but I love it. It goes something like this: “Father in heaven, make our children and family come to know you personally. Not by what they hear the pastors preach, but by their own personal convictions impacted in them by the Holy Spirit.” Yeah, I sound a big Amen anytime I hear such prayers.

"I never try to change anyone or try to make them feel bad for doing what they do. I just offer them my opinions along with the pros and cons associated with doing what they do, and thereafter hope to heaven they are sensible enough to choose wisely, Joe Dennis Imiewanlan."

Have you ever wondered why you hate someone or anyone at all? I mean have you wondered if it is ever in one’s best interest to hate. Okay, maybe I should rephrase that question. Why do you think people hate? Well, let me answer this and then you can draw up your own conclusions:
Humans feel the involuntary need to have some degree of control over certain situations, this has nothing to do with being domineering or being a control freak. We don’t just like the feeling of helplessness. When someone becomes irritating or just plain disgusting to us, we become upset and in that moment, it is as if we are not in control of this feeling, and we can’t help it. To give ourselves some degree of satisfaction or control, we fight back. Some people go straight up and say exactly how they feel, but most people get angry, and in retaliation, develop some form of hatred. This hatred is actually unknowingly to us, a subtle and secret need for the other person to feel bad. Yes I said so! Most of the time, we want the other person to notice our hatred for them and subsequently feel bad for it, otherwise, I don’t see why we would care to hate anyone if we really didn’t want them to know that we did in the first instance. That just defeats the purpose, doesn't it? Plus there is the possibility that this person might not care about what we feel, so why bother.
As a young man, I know that the only people I’m probably going to successfully pass on my ideals, opinions, convictions, and insinuations, without them feeling minutely skeptical or doubting to any degree, will be my own (future) kids; and this will only be binding until that stage when they begin to develop their own intuition, ideas or opinions about the world as they see it.

Like previously stated, everything read in this article is the truth of opinion as I see it with the level of information and knowledge available to me at this point in my life, LoL. Some will concur, others will refute, and that's just the point.

Have a nice weekend you all...