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Trusting the authority of God in your relationship

🎶🎷🎤
“You are my sunshine ❤
My darling (only) sunshine ❤
You make me happy when skies are gray🐵
You’ll never know dear, how much I love you🤗
Please don’t take my sunshine away🥰”-Johnny Cash

Hey there! Welcome back! Welcome back, welcome back!🥰

Dear Christian Brothers and Sisters,
I write this to you, to let you know the importance of submitting your relationship life to God.
Never think that because a guy/girl is good to you, that they are good for you. I’ve come to realize the importance of knowing this .

I know and understand you want to be loved and so , when your dream guy/girl arrives, it doesn’t mean you just jump on the bus of relationship and say,” I like you, you like me, let’s get into a relationship “.
My darling reader, relationship is an investment, and whoever you go into it with, determines the amount of yields you get in return.

Are you an asset in the first place? Or do you just want to have an asset and remain a liability .

Let me share a story with you of a young, industrious lady, who loved the lord with all her heart. Always wanting to please God, she finally met the man she had always prayed to God for after so many years of being single. God,” answered” her prayers. Did He?

P.S: THIS IS FOR BOTH BOYS AND GIRLS

” My name is Anthonia Blessing and this is my story .
Once upon a time 🐒, there was a fine young man with all the physical qualities every girl would dream of, his eyes were everything perfect, his height? Girl, don’t even go there. He had to be,” the one”.

Don’t rush in, for you may rush out faster than you rushed in.

For so long, I waited, I prayed, I fasted , I knew my worth and I wasn’t going to let just any man have me. I was laughed at, I mean, at the age of 24, I had never had a boyfriend.

One day, one day, I met my prince charming, about to sweep me off my feet. He was,” gorgeous”.
Our first conversation was a dream come true, I never saw myself speaking to such a fine guy.
Surprisingly, I managed to keep a straight face on 😐.

Not only was he fine, he was a gentle man. An answer to my everyday prayers .

Few months after, we got talking, and guys 😝, he tells me he likes me. 😅”I must have gotten a big Fish”, I said to myself. Guys hardly ever approached me, so for a fine young man to, gosh, I felt like a Queen, CINDERELLA!

But you know na, as a babe, you gats maintain balance 🤦‍♀️..
Meanwhile, in my head 👰🤵, we were on the alter already 😅.

Finally, I tell him I like him as well… I opened up to him though, and told him, I wasn’t ready for a relationship.

I was scared, I mean, he was going to be my first boyfriend. I had to make sure He was God sent and that He loved me truly as much as I was starting to love Him. As a gentle man he was, he said it’s fine, He would wait for me🤗

We prayed together, went to church together, did Bible study together. We even went on evangelism together. To mention, His voice when singing, was like the angels of heaven dwelt within him.

We continued with our,” situationship”

It was a dream, waking up every morning to hear his voice and going to bed everyday, knowing I’ve someone who adores me🤗.
We spoke about,”everything “. Even the not so fairy tale things to speak on. He told me about His past and the mistakes he made before meeting Christ, he opened up to me and I did to.

Something about his imperfections made me more attracted to him as we continued speaking.
Months past, getting to the 6 month, I was finally ready to say,” yes “. He had proven without any shadow of doubt, he was God sent, capable of leading me for the rest of our lives.

I went to God to thank Him for this gift and as I was praying, God told me to stop ⛔. “What? Why do you tell me to stop? , ” I asked. He said,” I never blessed this. “
I started praying again, this time, against every evil voice trying to stop my progress in this relationship.

How can God say such awful words ? I heard again, ” I’ve always told you not to go on with this “. In confusion, I started sweating profusely. He then reminded me of how on so many instances, He sent people to share their stories with me on failed relationships and why, How he spoke to me through dreams and visions. How He even spoke to the guy, but both of us were head over heels In love, we forgot about God being the centre of our relationship.
Yes, we prayed, we fasted, evangelized etc, but we never asked God if the relationship was His will.

To cut the long story short, I had to end things with the guy, I had to obey God, I knew it was His voice I heard.My relationship with God mattered more to me. But it was hard, this guy was my first love, he was the guy I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, I wanted him to be the father of my children. He was my crown, the reason for my joy. We had come so far together, I felt like his rib.. For 8 months, although we stopped speaking, I would replay all the voice notes he sent to me, look through our gallery together etc.

Then, after months dealing with depression and not being able to forget him..
I realized I learnt 7 things. 7 things I wish I knew before I told him how I felt.

They are,
(To be continued in next blog post )

For now, please, don’t make any hasty decision to enter into a relationship or sleep with that guy/girl ! Please, no matter how long you’ve known each other, if you’ve not gotten a confirmation message from God by yourself. Wait! Keep praying and please, seek counsel. “

Best Regards,
Sharon Paulina Boye
14th February 2020

Is social media for me ?

Hey you! Welcome to another quality time with me. I really do hope you’re doing well today! Are you?

For those in Lagos state, 🇳🇬. I am super sorry on the ban of Okada (Bike) and keke (tricycle). I can’t imagine how tiring it must be to walk long distances.

😂i saw a tweet that suggested using horses instead and guess what? People literally started riding on horses to get to their various destinations. Hmm.. The power of social media. A platform to express yourself and be heard.. Indeed.

Guys! Can you imagine a world without social media though? No WhatsApp, no Facebook, no twitter, no Instagram etc. How fast do you think news would spread? Or should I say, slow? I mean, look at how fast we all got to know about coronavirus.

I am really grateful for the power of technology.

🤔 How about those who don’t just get the hype? They don’t see the use of the social media world.. And sadly, how about those who see the use and don’t just know how to fit in ?

Let’s get into the thoughts of some. Join me 🥴.

“I really don’t think I fit right into this thing called social media or the whole generation y ( generation x and z )stuff. This technology era is just not my thing.”

“I go to school/work from 7am to about 5pm. I’ve to get home and squeeze out time to spend with my family. What time do I have to be posting and telling people about my life ? Do I even have a life if no one but my co-workers and family members know I exist?”

Do you try to interact with others online and don’t fit in? How many followers do you have on Instagram? Not up to 100 ? Did you have to buy followers just to catch up with the trend? How about Twitter #️⃣ ? Do people even react to your tweets 🐦? Or are you just left in the shadows?
Have only 30 contacts on WhatsApp? How many friends do you have on Facebook? 600? Do all 600 speak with you or it’s just something to boast about ?

Oh boy! Not only do you have to post and post and get the followers and likes, you even have to have the right captions, know the right people and what not.
Seems like social media is much more stress than having an actual job these days.
Turns out being on social media is actually job to some.

Hey! If this has ever crossed your mind and you just don’t understand your situation anymore, this article is for you.

I’m going to make this as short and straight to the point as possible .

Highlighting 2 things.

If you don’t like the idea of posting about yourself and your life, don’t do it, no one will beat you for it (I hope) . If you have a successful business, and you are flourishing one way or the other without necessarily having to be on social media, don’t stress yourself. Do you! Do you. Do what makes you happy! Go places, have fun, make memories. You can live your life without people having a say and having to be a particular kind of person in order to be socially accepted. Kudos! Just make sure to be in touch constantly with those who love you and vice versa .They matter.
If you don’t mind putting your life out there but you just don’t know how to have the social media presence and what not, the first thing I would say, is, don’t try to fake it and don’t over do it!However, post as much as you can . If you have a business, or are involved in something the world would be blessed by, social media is most likely going to help with it. Take it one step at a time though, don’t spend your whole day trying to get 10 followers when you can spend it building your brand and self. Don’t be a people pleaser. Again, just do you. Try to upload as much as you can, the best quality you can (not unnecessary stuff). Simply, do your best to let your content/product get out there. Try to interact with others , without trying to be someone you are not.

Social media has a very funny way of affecting how one sees himself/herself. Some go the extra mile trying to be someone else. The best you can be is yourself and be the best version of you. Social media or no social media, you have to be the best version of yourself, for you !
You will find your kind of people or should I say they’d find you.
Take life one step at a time.

I know we are all meant to be somewhat technologically sound. What of those who aren’t? Are they/you useless? Of course not.
You are still very much valuable be it you’re an influencer online or just a casual person who loves life as it’s.

15 years from now, however, would you be proud of the decision you make today? Would you be happy you kept to yourself? Would you wish you were more social? Or for those who post, would you wish you were more deliberate and careful about the kinds of things you post?

Think on these things.

Live, online or offline, just live happily!

Boye, Paulina Sharon

7th February, 2020.

There’s more to you than your achievements !

Hey guys! Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back !🎉.
I’m really excited as I write this one. Why?
Guess what? I have a good news for you today and that is,” you can achieve better and greater!”Did you know that?
I bet you did, or ?😿

🎶Music of the day – Ancient one by Davidic Minstrels

Hey! Wait, don’t go just yet, I’ve something I need you to grasp before you get into the weekend and before we Welcome the Month of Greater things.

For a while now, I’ve been speaking on achieving things; going after your goals despite the pain and so on. Now, I want us to talk about, when you finally achieve those goals. What do you do when you get that thing you’ve always wanted? How do you react to success ?

I want you to understand one key thing!

Your past success, the cheers, the applauds, the standing ovation you perhaps got yesterday, that award you just received , is in the past! Now, I’m beyond excited for you. Gosh, congratulations 💖, Girl/boy, you got that project done , you just graduated, you got a promotion.. Woo, that’s huge. You started that business, awesome. I’m indeed happy for you.. And so today, I want to tell and encourage you, not to dwell on these things for too long , though great, it may be a testimony that only belongs in your memories.

You’ve not made it! Lol, I’m sorry to break the news to you, but there’s more to you, my darling.
I promise you, there is more. So far you are still breathing, there’s more for you to do!

It’s like a doctor who finds the cure to let’s say, Leukemia (A cancer of blood-forming tissues, hindering the body’s ability to fight infection). How awesome is that? Huge right? Now, imagine that doctor just finds the cure to 1 type of Leukemia (Many types exist such as acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, acute myeloid leukaemia and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia) and thinks that’s it. He doesn’t perhaps find new cures to other types or even test to improve his findings . He believes because of his current success, he doesn’t have to work anymore. For him, he’s done helping people. How long do you think he will be celebrated? Yeah, a while, but in the blink of an eye, one may even forget his name.

Dear reader,

I’m not writing for you to just achieve, and think you’re done. I want you to go beyond and above. Let your name outshine your days. A good name is better than riches after all 💯.

One day, as I sat back thinking about my life, of which I do a lot, something popped up in my head, and I asked myself, “If our failures shouldn’t dominate us, why do we allow our successes do? “

I mean, I find it funny when everyone tries to run away from failure. Who says failing is wrong? 🤕.
You can never learn to walk fully as a toddler without falling a few times, right? It’s your ability to keep going, that matters.

My point is this though , ” if you are of the mindset that one should not be defined by his failure; let’s say you get an F in a paper, and we are told we can do better, we just need to keep trying. How in the world, do we automatically think, when we get an A we’ve achieved everything, and there’s no better? There’s different scores to an A, you know?!”

So, don’t just sit and stare at your awards, recollect the applauds and standing ovations and remain in that place, whereas you fail to understand you need to keep reevaluating yourself.
Hey! They didn’t cheer for you or give you an A cause of you in particular, but what you can do and offer.
Now, you better get up and read those books or whatever it’s you need to do, and learn to improve yourself!

Just like the doctor, if he sits and says, “yes, I helped a cancer patient get healed” and fails to learn more of other diseases coming today, leaving other people to die, of which he could have helped if he improved, of what use is he really ?

It’s not wrong to be successful. What’s wrong is letting it rule your life thereby making you some what relaxed.

Your most current achievement is done! Hey! Get out there and keep placing value on yourself!

Boye, Paulina Sharon
31st January, 2020

EVERYTHING BUT ACCEPTANCE FROM OTHERS.

There’s some sort of emptiness that comes with the feeling of not being accepted. A place you get to in life, where the void you feel is so strong, it’s almost a dwelling place as you spend days and nights drowning in tears. It almost becomes an everyday routine. The endless head pains that come along with the thought that you are just, not enough.

The moments you feel it so deeply in the eyes of those around you that you are not wanted, slowly,you begin to feel rejection.
Why me? You may ask. Why do I always have to be the one spoken ill of or perhaps never even spoken of at all. Don’t I matter?

Waking up everyday, confident that the only messages you’d receive are messages from group chats, cause no one, just no one remembers you. No one remembers the times you gave up things for them, the times you helped them rise when they were down, the times you chose to be a friend and overlook their wrongs and so suddenly in the blink of an eye, you don’t speak anymore, just cause, “the vibe died down”. Just cause,” you aren’t cool enough “, just cause,” they found a replacement ” or perhaps, just cause “they never saw you as a friend”.
To think, that the one’s you held so dear to your heart are the ones who go round to shoot their shots just where they know it hurts. Tragic.

Where do I start from now? Who do I call? I have over 600 contacts and I’ve no one to call, no one to text, and even when I try, they all seem to busy.

Of what use is my existence if no one thinks of me as a good person?

You then think to yourself, “how about I post it out there and let them know I’m not fine or just post enough for them to notice me , perhaps someone would reach out to me”, and so you do and yes, finally you get the help you so much desire only for you to realise that your story is now trending just cause they couldn’t keep their mouth shut and they wanted to be carriers of the latest gist.

Finally you come to the conclusion, ” I am useless, I am a problem “

These words are from the thoughts of those I’ve come in contact with who were at the edge of giving up.. But not anymore.. Why ?

Darling, listen to me, read this and be sure that as I write this, I understand you, and I’m not saying it just because I’ve to, but because, I do.
Darling, know that you are worth everything, know that you are ENOUGH. I promise you, you are not a mistake. I know it’s lonely, I know it’s hard, I know how sad and hopeless it can be to taste your tears daily, but more than anything, I know, that you are.
Yes, you are loved, you are not alone, you are useful, you are needed, you are beautiful, your imperfections are the most beautiful there are and darling, you are a solution.

Oh yes, YOU ARE . You are everything but harmful, wicked, a liar and what not. You were created Good. It doesn’t make sense now, reading this won’t make them text you, but I sure hope it does help lift your head high.
Why do you walk with your head faced to the ground? Why do you cringe at the thought of being in a crowd? Do you know who you are? You are Royalty, carved in and with love! Understand this.
Know, oh, please know! That you are worth dying for, cause if Jesus could come one more time, just to die for you , He’d do it without question. That’s how valuable you are!

You need to rise up, wipe those tears and become the best version of yourself.
Yeah, they said you’re rude? Learn to be respectful. They said you lie, learn the truth. Oh, you are 25 and you can’t keep the house clean?
Your English isn’t good? Buy a dictionary and learn. You smell? Learn to take good care of yourself . Pick up yourself and learn to be better through the pain!
When next they see you, be everything but who they thought you were! Now, that’s what I call, “Jackpot!” . Cause Boy/Girlfriend, there’s no time, to sit and do nothing and wallow in your tears.
I know you are a good person, so be that, don’t go around proving to them that their words are true. I mean there are times you have to ignore them cause they are probably just being jealous.

My dear, if however, more than 3 people are telling you something along the same line, you should listen and improve .Turn their mockery into something you can learn from and become a better person.

I know it’s hard to forgive and let go of these things. Trust me when I say this, ” your life and peace of mind, matters more than their words, so point your finger back at you and focus on you. Ignore them and learn to love yourself”.

Turn their negatives into your positives and remember, please remember, Jesus is your Friend .

“Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest. For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light.”
Matthew 11:28‭-‬30 GNT

Sharon Paulina Boye
24th January, 2020

Pain or Success?

Have you ever had a muscle pull/strain ?
Ah! It’s the most painful thing I’ve personally gone through physically.

Welcome back guys! It’s Friyaay!! And Friday means it’s another weekend to restrategize and get ready for a fantastic week ahead.
As you restrategize, permit me to share this story with you, I’m sure it will help a lot.

Song of the day – New Wine by Hillsong
Alright! Let’s get right into it.

Year’s ago, as a young girl with many dreams, one of which was to be the fastest athlete at my age, ( trying to sound as though we are watching a movie 😅) I partook in a relay race competition and I was the 1st leg.
I was so geared up, ready to win the race.

However, as compared to other race tracks, ours wasn’t so advanced, so there was a bump that was there which I didn’t see. As i started the race, I ran with all of me, putting in effort, I was excited as i was winning, finally , few seconds to handing the baton over to the 2nd leg, my feet raced into the bump and I fell .
That was it guys, that was the moment🤕. I tried to ignore the pain, my team and I winning was what mattered most. As I was on the floor, trying to pass the baton over, doing my best to stretch.. Lol, I couldn’t move, i couldn’t bare the pain.
Alas, she got the baton and we ended in the 3rd position. It was a sad moment for me. I was so confident we were going to carry the trophy home. Well, that didn’t happen.

Heading home in pains, my mum and my aunt Theo (Her Banga soup is the best, by the way !! My taste buds always crave it ), had come to support me. Shout out to great women. They kept telling me to endure. As i got home, they helped massage my leg. First of all🤣, getting an African mother to massage your leg is a once in a life time opportunity🤫, i mean, who is meant to the do massaging? I was surprised she actually massaged my feet, my mum is not the whole mushy type. She will tell you sorry, and go😅. Love you mum 😆.

Back to my story, Guys! I thought i saw death before me, my God, I was in pains.
Hehe😅, you may find this funny, but 8 year old Sharon didn’t! .

My mum then started sharing her experience of a muscle pull/strain, and guys in a split second, the pain seized, her story was so unbelievable, I began to wonder if i was really in pains. Guess my mothers story ? 😯 While she was in labour giving birth to me, she had a muscle pull! Now, that’s pain!
How did she manage to still push me out, I asked?
She said one the nurses told her, “focus on the baby’s life and ignore the pain, the baby is more important right now “. As at that point, i was the most important thing that mattered to my mum as she pushed me out despite the pains of both labour and muscle pull.

Sigh, Mummy, thank you!. You are an excellent woman and great mother. I appreciate and hail you❤.

Why am i sharing this story?
I want you to understand 2 major things.
1.At times, you have to focus on the goal, not the pain! Looking at my story as compared to my mum’s, there’s a difference.
I focused on the pain I was going through more than handing over the baton and that resulted in my team and I becoming 3rd position. My mum, on the other hand focused on delivering the baby, rather than the pain.
Now, in life, you will go through obstacles and pain, there will be trying times, as you decide to live fully, it won’t always be roasy. I therefore encourage you today, focus on achieving, focus on attaining. Ignore the pain, ignore the setbacks and focus on finishing strong. If you work in an office and your boss is not so easy to get along with, focus on being your best rather than how your boss makes you feel. As a student, focus on getting better grades next semester, instead of pondering on your past failures.
I always say to myself, ” it’s Temporary pain for worthwhile success”.

I know it’s hard, but trust me, I’ve seen that this works.

While you’re in pain, you can still very much help other people in pain. Don’t see life as though it’s all about you, as there may be someone around you going through a worse situation than you are. At times, you’ve to ignore your pains, and focus on others. Help them. Message that friend you know is going through a trying time. This is called,”selflessness”.
It falls back to proverbs 37:3a, which says, ” trust in the lord and do good”. No matter your circumstance, always do good. While helping others, God will help you. If and when you focus on others, God will focus on you.
Again, I’m a testimony to this.

There’s always someone around you going through pain, maybe worse than you are. Choose today, to die to self and see the amazing things that will happen in your life .

Now, I’m not saying you’re not important or you should neglect yourself completely.
All I’m saying is, don’t be so focused on yourself, you ignore someone who needs, perhaps more help than you do. You are always capable of helping others.

Get it?
Thanks for reading. Have you been blessed?
Are you ready to head into the new week and year more focused? I hope you are .

Please, don’t forget to like, share and comment.

God bless you and remember,” Jesus is your friend.”

Sharon Paulina Boye
17th January, 2020

LIVE FULLY, DIE EMPTY

Hello 👋! Welcome to your year of grace and abundance. This year, I pray for excellence in all you do, may you be triumphant and may you sing for joy always.

At the beginning of each year, I would ask God, what’s next, what do I share this time? I have come to the realisation of one thing, I had an idea about it before, but I don’t believe I understood it indepthly and that is, “the fact that I am alive means there’s more of me and there’s more to me. Life is a never ending process of giving myself to be useful wherever I find myself “.

Before we move in to today’s message, I would love to announce, I will be posting every Friday. Yes! Not monthly this time around , but every Friday. So, get ready for a great year ahead with me, my darlings. We are about to dive into some deep and real stuff.

Let gets right into this weeks message. Oh, by the way, as I write this, I’ve on at the background a lovely song by Judikay, titled, ” Song of Angels”, to go with my mood. Feel free to try it out😉 .

Few days ago, I was thinking and looking back at my life, just few minutes before the new year, and guys, I was tensed. This may come out as weird, who in the world gets tensed when 2020 is finally here , we’ve been waiting for like ages for this year and it’s here and your reaction to it is, ” tensed?”. Sharon, really?

Unfortunately, yes, I was tensed, my mind was racing back and forth. I kept asking myself questions. 2020, how would I live, what more? Lol, this seems funny, like I am not in control of my life, God is, but then it was deeper than the word, “live”.
In my mind, I wondered, what am I offering to this year, to those around me? What part of me is left to give? What more? I just don’t want to wake up and just go on with the day. I felt an urge to release a part of me, at that point, a part of me was saying, ” yo, Sharon, calm down! One step at a time “. Another, was like, ” you have something in you, you need to let that out “.
At this point, as my mind is racing, I couldn’t help but speak to God, He’s my friend, I tell him everything. So, I go to Dad ( that’s what I call God, you should try this🤭) and I’m like, ” Dad, what’s up? What’s next?” And it almost felt like I was brought back to reality, as I hear Him telling me, ” live fully, die empty”

Live fully, Die empty? What does that even mean?
Hence, this article.

This year, in everything you do, remember these four words, ” Live fully, Die empty “.

Myles Munroe has been of major blessing to me.
I listened to a message of his few years back that focused on this.
While he spoke he said something that has never left me since i heard the message. He began His message by asking the audience, ” What’s the wealthiest place on earth ?”, think about it. Don’t search, just guess.

I’m sure you’ve guessed so many countries as at this point. So did I😰.
To my surprise, He responded and said, ” the wealthiest place on earth is the graveyard “. Yes, you just read that right. How, can that be?!

The thing is this, if we know how many people have died unfulfilled, the number of books left unwritten by those in the grave, the ideas buried that could have transformed the world… Indeed, you’d agree.
Can you imagine if Albert Einstein lived a life just casually? Or the Great Marthin Luther King? Imagine if they, amongst other great people, woke up every day and went with the flow of the day, not having any goals, dreams, plans they ought to achieve. Would we be here today?

Everything you know today is as a result of someone’s sacrifice. Everything you don’t know yet is something you can very much create so that others can benefit from or perhaps is lying in someone’s mind out there who hasn’t just come out to give their all yet. That probably got you upset right? The fact that you don’t know something today not because it’s entirely your fault but because someone out there who has that information is just not out with it yet. Now, you see why you need to go out there and live fully? Do you see why the graveyard is the wealthiest place on earth? Why don’t we change this, today?!

Today! I dare you Kings and Queens, this very week, I dare you to take risk, live fully, give all you’ve got everyday of your life, knowing fully well, you did your best at the end of each day.
2020, may not be the year you achieve all your dreams, but let it be the year, you gave all of you.

Success never comes comfortably.
Keep striving, keep going.

My father once told me this and well, he still does and it’s shaped my life since I was a child. I was about writing for my common entrance exams into secondary school, and while studying, i got tired.. I was discouraged.. I thought, ” oh well, i would continue studying tomorrow”. My father, sitting beside me, perhaps saw that my countenance had changed, and he said to me, ” do something that Sharon of tomorrow will say thank you to Sharon of today for “. To my father, i honor you for those words, thank you!

It simply means, every decision you take today will have effect on your tomorrow. So do something so well, that the you of tomorrow will look back and say, ” you did well, thank you ” not, ” I wish i put in more effort “.
Today, is the day to change, i charge you therefore, go out there and get that project done, sign that deal, draw, write, compose that song, invent that thing. Focus! And give your all.
One day, one day, you will look back and say to yourself, ” thank you ”

I charge you to live fully so that at the end of life, you will have nothing left to offer indeed, cause you gave it your all.
It doesn’t matter if they see you or not, if they applaud you or not. Just keep going.

You are ENOUGH.

See you next week and remember, Jesus is your friend.
Please; follow, like, comment on what spoke to you most and what you would love me to write on next and please SHARE.

Sharon Paulina Boye
10th January, 2020.

CHARACTER IS IMPORTANT!

2020 is in a day! Isn’t this exciting!?

I’ve been thinking deeply, however. I wonder and ask myself, “am I ready, i mean, equipped rightly for it?”. I’m truly anxious as to what it holds for you and I.

Well, before we welcome the new year, why don’t we have a look back at the year 2019…

In this post, I will be sharing my highlights for this year.

As I began this year, I placed my focus on a lot of things. One thing that stood out for me, of which i believe really helped me is, “Character”. My attitude towards self, towards others, and towards the things I did.

My character had to match my integrity. It was my integrity.
My character matched what I stood for.

My character defined my name.
My character was my discipline.

In all, I’m saying, your character is your identity. I was deliberate to live in a way in which i would look back and be grateful.

Guys! It wasn’t easy, i was tried, sometimes i wanted to do what i felt like doing. However, it would be going against something, something so key , people read you through it, “character “.

As a woman, i realized the great vitality I’ve within me, and I realized the strength I’ve can either be multiplied with good character or weakened with bad habits. Not to say that this post isn’t for the men, i just personalized it, so please, keep reading.

This year i achieved so much but more than anything, I learned more.

The first thing i learned to study that helped build my character is Respect: Respect for my time and others, respect for people. Let me just say before I move on, this wasn’t easy, in fact, at times, when you don’t feel you’ve disrespected someone, the person may think you’ve.

I had to study the art of giving honour to people be it i thought they deserved it or not. Now, not many people will agree with me, but in this, I found great testimonies. You never know who you are with, and who they will develop to be. Now, it was really never about others, it was really more about me. I desired to respect people, because i wouldn’t want anyone disrespecting me.

So the first thing i looked out for, was myself. I first decided to respect myself; this includes how i talk, walk, dress, what and how i eat and so much more.

It was only reasonable for me to give that out if i wanted it. How can i give out what i don’t have though ?

To me, everyone deserved to be respected, right from the little ones, to my age mates, and to my elders. No matter the time of the day, I would make efforts to greet you in a way befitting of a human . At times I even referred to my friends as sir / Ma , maybe a little much, as they wondered at times, but It adds up to how I see them.

I respect people’s privacy; the mere fact you are very close to someone doesn’t mean you ought to feed into their personal Iives if they don’t let you in.
This year i had the best fun I could, but one thing I focused on was to respect myself and those around me.

Another thing i believe builds character and helped me is, being someone who,” says and does”.
I focused on being a woman of my words and not be two-sided. Now this was even harder, as you know, it can get very easy to be in a state of inertia and Just not feel like doing something anymore or how things could pop up and distract you from doing what you ought to. So for this year, i was very deliberate to ensure my words matched my actions. If i couldn’t keep up to it, it had to be very urgent and i would apologize. This attribute helped me in ways you would know if you are already practicing it or would start soon .

Love and forgive: this year, I came across all manners of people, I met people that tried to get me on my last nerves( they tried, but did they succeed? Hehe, that’s a story for another day), I met people I loved but hurt me and so on. It was a process. But every time I got hurt by someone, I made a conscious decision to love, forgive and grow. I made mistakes and i was forgiven. I decided therefore, that because my character defines me one way or the other, the only me I’ve to offer is a Sharon of love and forgiveness. This is not to say you just keep quiet when people offend you, no, but there are ways to handle things, I decided to focus on building that side of me. Trust me, it wasn’t easy though .
This year, actually the past 4 months almost highlighted my entire year, I met someone that changed my thought process for the better. In a very short period, that person made me see things differently. I learned to have the character of honesty and openness, from one person. Lol, you see how your life can impact another ?
At times, one would think the best thing is to cover up pain and not open up so as to be seen as strong. But my friend taught me one of the greatest strength one may have, is the strength of being vulnerable or saying sorry. The strength in saying the truth when it wasn’t convenient. It wasn’t easy achieving this . At times, i fell my hand( typical Nigerian slang for i failed) , but God continuously helped me rise again.
This brings me to my next point, in 2019, I learned that my character is determined one way or the other by who I spend my time with and what I spend my time doing with them. Guy’s! I can’t tell you how much my circle has helped me grow.
This year, I achieved so much. I was given many recognitions including a citation of Honor, I’m currently heading few associations, I interned in one of the top Organizations in the world, I represented my school in a major competition, I met people that helped build me, build my character and how I saw things and this was majorly as a result of who i surrounded myself with. They helped tell a story of my character and life.

My final lesson I would say I learned that helped build my character, is to be ready for every opportunity that comes my way. In simple terms, “discipline”.
I have always loved public speaking. I remember growing up, I would act as though I was speaking in front of a crowd and today, that’s a reality. I learned in that , to not just sit and expect my dreams to come true, but to work at it continuously, so that when the opportunity comes my way, I’m able to deliver and well.

This year taught me that character matters, how I carry myself matters, my thoughts do matter and my actions matter.
Thank you 2019! You have been amazing.
Thank you 2020! You will be greater.

I will like to use this opportunity to say I’m grateful to all who supported my dreams thus far. Doing what I love is everything. ( lol, not to be dramatic but, I just took in a deep breath) And I just want to let you know, don’t you dare give up! Keep going! Not everyone will support you! Not everyone would love you! People may laugh at you and mock you, sometimes you may feel lonely; like no one’s there, just keep going, keep striving and i tell you, you will make it! And also, build character .

I pray for you, “God will open new doors for you and as you enter into the new year,you are stepping into grace and excellence!”. Get ready, it’s about to be big! It may not be easy, but just keep going and remember, Jesus is your friend.

From yours truly,

Sharon Paulina Boye
30th December, 2019