BACK TO EDEN

I wanted to be a police officer when i grew up. i specifically wanted to be a traffic police officer. i admired how they exercised their authority, i couldn't get over how a police officer could, with just raising one hand, stop a big bus. That amazed me to no end. But, i was about 7 or 8 years old and in my mind, the service and commitment that the police represented fascinated me.
well, i did eventually grow out of it and found something that resonated within me; law. i fell in love with the subject when i was eleven and am glad to say, i am blessed to live that dream which i had when i was a tween. Nobody told me back then that lawyers make money or are respectable members in the society or even that they are 'liars' as society has often misrepresented.  i had a desire to make a difference in my society and i had the rare privilege of having people around me that believed that i could be and  that i had what it took to be one.
i was a child and in my mind, there were no limitations. i only saw possibilities.

i love the mindset that children have. they believe in anything from the tooth fairy, to santa claus going to giants. they believe anything that their elders tell them. its easy to work with the mind of a child, its in-corrupted, genuine and oh, so pure.

it is unfortunate that as we grow older and gain an education, we begin to embrace certain mindsets. we begin to accept that we cannot be doctors or engineers or pilots. we relegate our dreams to the deep recesses of our minds and begin to apportion our God given vision to others that we consider more gifted, more superior or more exposed. we accept limitations as a way of life and many retire to the fact that their children will live the dream they were unable to realize and as a result we have all sorts of people in universities who are living their parents dream.it doesn't help that our education system doesn't prepare us for success either. what we are taught is regurgitated information, which if we cram hard enough, will guarantee us a good life. By good life, they mean a nice house with a picket fence, a toyota (maybe a mercedez if you study hard enough), 2 adorable kids and an amazing spouse. yea, you get all that when you study hard! not true.
while i believe that individuals should study to the highest level of education they can attain, the truth is that a university degree or a college diploma does not guarantee you a good life. you don't believe me, ask the guy who sells mutura and has a degree or the matatu tout that still hopes that one day his stars will align. am sure you know of this one person whose life seems to have taken a nose dive. i humbly submit that the purpose of the education system is to change our way of thinking, period. i believe the reason why people get an education is so that they can expose their minds, their way of thinking. it is at the tertiary level of education that you begin to analyse, critique and question some things about life. you meet individuals and study disciplines that change your way of thinking. the more information that you are exposed to, the more likely you are to transform your mindset.  therefore, learning is a continuous process, an everyday affair and no wonder the bible admonishes us to not be conformed but rather to be transformed by the daily renewal of our minds. while we cannot control the information we were exposed to while having a formal education, we are in control of the information we have access to now. it is disappointing to meet with adults who have a primitive way of thinking, people who have not outgrown the mindsets that were ingrained in their minds when they were still growing up. some of this people harbor a lot of bitterness and anger towards their more exposed peers; some struggle with low self esteem because they haven't learnt the art of negotiating for what they want or deserve.

Education will be of value only if it can change the way of thinking. individuals should be encouraged to study to get more exposure that will ultimately lead to a richer more fulfilling life. A transformed mind will without a doubt create wealth. a human being has the innate ability to think their way into wealth. our answers, solutions and strength lies in our untapped mind.Just like children, we need to see possibilities. we need to open our minds to new ideas, knowledge and most importantly we need to be active participants in this affair called "our life". i advocate for the rise of thought leaders who will pave the way to success by thinking through the challenges facing us. we need to rise as individuals who can take charge of our lives, we need to have a transformed mind, we need to learn the art of negotiating and more importantly we must go for what we want and live a life that is beyond limitations.
m.

DREAM AGAIN

she peers into the horizon, her eyes misty from her tears
every step faltering,unsure if she will make it
she dares not hope
cannot afford to dream
lest the harsh realities quash
the world she so dearly longs for
as has been oft in the past

behind her lies the embittered past
of unfulfilled desires
misunderstandings rejections fear
mistakes....
mistakes she could have avoided
but didn't couldn't wouldn't

with each step carefully calculated
she clutches tightly at the cross around her neck
tis all she has left
its her only hope
she takes a deep breathe and crosses yonder
willing her heart to move on

she lies her back on the manicured lawn
willing her face to feel the warm glow of the spring shine
the flowers have blossomed around her
she listens to the musical notes of the birds chirping
shes lost in the moment
only aware of the rhythmic beat of her heart
beating in perfect unison with nature

her heart finally at home
she closes her eyes
a smile creases her tired face
with a faint whisper
she charts the course of her life
and dares to believe that she can dream again.

m.

DEFY YOUR LIMITS

I would not describe myself as an overly adventurous person eager to embrace change as quickly as it happens. no, i rather think of myself as a sentimentalist that holds on to things much longer than necessary. At times it pays off but other times its simply heart wrenching.

But this year i decided to let my guard down and learn something new; something completely off my radar. A few  months ago, i met a client who has turned out to be a great friend and who introduced me to a great opportunity that promised financial freedom. we all want financial freedom, right? Right.
i was hesitant at first and i mulled over it for months. i was looking for every possible reason on why it couldn't work, why it was not cut out for me and why i was better off doing something else; anything else. except marketing. seriously how does anyone expect me to sell, i have never sold for a living before. the more i thought about, the clearer it became to me that the only reason i was afraid of launching out was because it was the unknown, it was new, it was different and it was downright scary.
so after alot of back and forth with my good friend, i finally decided to give it a shot. i put my fears aside and i dared to believe that i could learn the skills needed to succeed in my new business venture.

it has been six months since i started this business or side hustle as others call it. I wanted to quit within the first month as i did not see any hope of success. i actually felt like i was plummeting through thick darkness into an abyss of uncertainty and failure but alot of pep talk and sound advice from my good friend saw me through this days of darkness. i look back and i am amazed at the great personal growth i have experienced in my life in the last six months. i have developed more social skills than i have in the over 10 years i have been an adult. i have met many more amazing people who have dared to believe in my dream and partnered with me. i have also had my fair share of disappointments but that is nothing compared to the pure bliss of being good at a learnt skill. i have made it my business to let everyone that interacts with me aware of my new found passion and now i have all this people telling me am a natural at selling off stuff, others think am a sales person. i have given up trying to explain to people that i am not a sales person but i am simply selling something that i enjoy taking.

This experience has gotten me thinking about how many opportunities we loose out on in life because we are too afraid to change the status quo. we are constantly depriving ourselves of new opportunities to learn new skills, foster new friendships and alliances.
Napoleon Hill, a great mentor and thought leader aptly states that the only limitations that exists are the ones on our minds. the truth is that we can only go as far as our minds see. it is imperative for us to continuously expose ourselves to new information, we need to wean out old mindsets set by culture and society. the limitations set by our old paradigms must give way to radical mental shift in order for us to rise as transformational leaders. the transformational leader understands that real change begins with a paradigm shift. we have the innate ability to think our way through the problems and challenges facing us as individual and as a society but our minds have to be exposed to new knowledge and information. Just as we cannot put new wine in an old wine skin, in the same way, we cannot add more information to an old paradigm. we will just have a bloated, retrogressive old mindset. Be willing to unlearn some 'truths' passed down from generations that came before us. our grandfathers were not always right, they only spoke from their limited perspective. understand that what works today will not work five years from now if its not reprogrammed to fit the needs of the society five years from now. the society and individuals are dynamic social beings that are ever evolving. the great successes we see and admire with the movers and shakers in our generation are not overnight miracles. this individuals will speak of hours, weeks, months or even years of devotion to a cause; a dream. they have continuously honed their skills, exposed themselves to information, submitted themselves to wisdom and most importantly they have the audacity to believe in the absurdity of their dreams. the long tedious hours of preparation eventually gives way to success.

It is within us to be all that we want to be. take personal responsibility of your dream and vision.  I do not agree with the school of thought that says that only certain people can make you who you are cut out to be, i believe there are people that help us along the path to our destiny but ultimately the buck stops with you. if you are not where you need to be, it is because you have not done your job of taking you there. If you are not happy, its because you have not made decisions that will bring in happiness. no one can make you happy, successful or complete. That is your personal responsibility; the greatest person around you will only complement you. you cannot keep blaming people, circumstances, predisposition for where you are. Get up, take responsibility for your life. re-evaluate your choices. push your limits. extend your frontiers. get the limits off and fly.
m.

PS: check out my website on www.marieshouseofcoffee.organogold.com to see some of the great products that i am selling.

God of my Life

To the God of second chances,
To the God of broken hearts and shattered dreams,
To the God of unfinished songs and unsung melodies
To the God of shameful pasts and hopeful futures...

God of my weary years,
God of my wistful days and teary nights,
God of my painful groans and silent prayers,
God of my life.

The anchor that held me when my soul was on a free fall,
The banner that was lifted for me when my enemies surrounded,
The wisdom that taught me when life's manual was too difficult to comprehend,
The love that comforted me when my tears were my only food

God of my weary years..

You gave me hope when I had given up on myself,
You gave me a dream when all my dreams came crushing at my feet,
You made me a believer for you believed in me,
You gave me a reason to fly for you showed me the light on this tunnel

God of my life...

Thank you for wiping my tears when my hands were too feeble to reach my face,
Thank you for listening to my silent prayers and secret desires,
Thank you for reviving the dream within me that had died along the way,
Thank you for clothing my countenance with your glory and covering my shame with your grace

God, most sovereign

This heart is grateful for taking me through fierce battles and showing me  incredible victories,
Thank you for trusting me with your glory and assigning me distinction,
Thank you for giving meaning to my weary years and indescribable groaning,

Light of my life, I am forever grateful.

M.

WAITING TO EXHALE

“How would your life be different if…You stopped allowing other people to dilute or poison your day with their words or opinions? Let today be the day…You stand strong in the truth of your beauty and journey through your day without attachment to the validation of others”
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

I am often amused and somewhat wary of people that i meet and they say 'oh, i know you!' or when referring to a mutual friend they say 'i know him/ her that's just who they are!' what amuses me is the fact that this individuals will presume to know a person so well that they imagine they know their ability's, gifts & talents, limits. i shudder at the thought that someone else would claim to know me more than i know myself.

God created a masterpiece in each and everyone of us. Human beings are dynamic creatures that are ever transforming to fit into God's perfect mold. yet the thing that has for long crippled many of us from fulfilling our assignment is those simple 3 words- i know you! we meet individuals who want to limit us to the perception they had of us when we were still teenagers or when we could not figure out what we want in life and we sadly allow their subjective opinions to derails us, hinder our progress or dilute our passion in our pursuit of our God given assignment. i do not believe that just because you caught a passing glance of me at some time means you know me. there's much more to an individual than the occasional mood swings, the bad wardrobe choice, the broke-busted-and disgusted seasons, the out-rightly bad choices days.

God speaking to Ezekiel told him to ' go sit where they sit...' and i believe that God in sending him to the people wanted him to understand this people, feel what they felt and see what they saw. many of us need to adopt that approach before we express an opinion towards another person. i would ask that before we castigate our brothers and sisters, before we conclude it is the sins in their lives that's causing them to go through the issues they go through, before we sideline them for ' not toeing the line', before we brand others anti socials because they didnt say hi, before we spit venomous words on another person dreams because it doesn't tally with our opinion....sit where they sit.
People will always have dreams that seem strange to us and unless that person has allowed you to speak over their lives then you have no business discouraging them from doing what God has spoken to them in their prayer closets.

my strong conviction is that everyone on earth deserves a second chance in life, no matter where they are coming from or what they have done. the truth is you dont know that person as much as you think you do and you have no idea what they are capable of doing simply because you are not them. lets allow God's people to exhale peacefully without having them wait for us with bated breathes to validate their call, understand their purpose and to support their vision.

we are beautified in our purpose and as we pursue our passion, we allow others to pursues theirs too. there is always enough space high in the skies for eagles to fly. do not allow an opinion to stop you dead on your tracks..go ahead..exhale and be all you were called to be.
m.

The Church-My School

Growing up in church in my younger days, I knew without any doubt that the church was a one day affair that I had to do as a religious rite and ritual to ease my conscience, break the week’s monotony and socialize as well. Like many, I relegated the role of the church to the center for purging sins and really nothing else. Lately I have greatly questioned that mindset and with recent years of gradual albeit absolute break of religion and ‘churchiness (playing church)’, I have come to the simple conclusion that we were not redeemed (saved) to showcase our flamboyance on the front row seats while our lives reek with hypocrisy and poverty for the two in my opinion are bosom buddies.

In my humble opinion, there’s a bigger reason why we are redeemed and placed within a church;

The Church is a social institution, a learning center where we unlearn the old paradigms and embrace new principles; we shift mindsets to align with the kingdom principles. If a believer is to leave an impact in this generation, then a radical mind shift is paramount.

Today’s church cannot run away from the fact that in reaching out to the masses and winning souls to the kingdom, then the gospel of hell fire and ‘get saved God will meet your needs’ will and cannot with all due respect carry the day. What mankind is looking for in this day and age are solutions based on practical principles. Jesus, during his time on earth taught about the principles of the kingdom, he used parables to create a mental picture of what the kingdom of God was like. He appealed to the people’s minds and not their emotional or social needs as today’s church has sadly capitalized on and he correctly told his followers..’seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all this things shall be added to you’ (Matt 6:33) now Paul goes ahead to explain what the kingdom of God is and he states that righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost is in fact the kingdom of God. Righteousness encompasses right thinking, right communication, and right action among many others. Understanding that every word and action is preceded by a thought then means that the kingdom of God is founded on accurate mental paradigms. I strongly believe that the 21^st century church will have greater effect by raising thought leaders.

Thought leadership is solution based. I strongly believe that Jesus Christ was a thought leader who raised 12 leaders to affect the entire humanity. He spent time with his disciples seeking to change their world view, breaking religious dogmas that limited their potential and greatly curtailed their ability to influence. We see God visiting the great apostle peter in a vision and rebuking him for isolating people on the basis of their creed and might I add religious belief. In essence, the Lord made it clear that his love for mankind is unequivocal and it traverses color, creed and culture. If the believer today is to influence our society we must be willing to penetrate through societal barriers and cut through all seven nations with principles laced with godliness and virtue that will be the solution to our fallen social and administrative justice system.

The believer needs to be agent of change in the society by taking an active and leading role in decision making bodies. We need a rise of thought leaders that will penetrate the social strata with timely solutions in the boardroom, the senate/parliament, policy making bodies and the church of course. My experience in the corporate world has taught me that people don’t listen to prayers in the board room, they listen to solutions and it doesn’t matter who gives the solutions.  For the believer to affect the marketplace then solution based leadership (thought leadership) is the way to go.