Author: Doyin

  • Chicken Lesson

    Chicken Lesson

    Chicken Lesson

    I must have been in my teens, and my brother, in his early twenties. I remember him coming home one day with what looked like a cage. Apparently, he was going to start a poultry. All through that weekend, he cleared a spot in the garden and positioned the cage in it. He bought a few hens, a rooster and put some light bulbs in. initially, it all freaked me out but I soon got used to the idea. Even now, I remember how we used to check the cage for newly-laid eggs, which we sometimes ate. The thing though is, once the eggs, are eaten, that signified the end.

    As time went on, my brother was no longer satisfied with the eggs being laid and eaten, he wanted continuity and so he decided to leave the eggs for the hen to hatch. So after many days of laying eggs, it got to a point where the hen sat on the eggs. It seemed like forever and we realised that this period is called ‘Incubation’.

    Don’t ask me how or why, but I suddenly had this whole experience come up in my head a few days ago and I couldn’t help but seeing some life lessons in it. I went on to research eggs-incubation-hens-chics and everything else linked to the process and I found that it takes roughly 21 days to hatch the eggs. ‘21 days’ jumped at me and I will tell you why in a minute. More interestingly is the fact that the temperature of the environment had no bearing on what was being done by the hen. As long as the hen conditioned itself to maintain a certain temperature, the chics will emerge! In other words, be it summer, winter, spring or autumn, the hen simply needed to maintain a certain temperature to condition the eggs and the chics will emerge. The success of the process of creating new life was the responsibility of the hen and no one else.

    How true is this of our life? Like the egg, we are full of ideas, seeds of potential and we can either stall it or choose to develop it. When we choose the latter, it’s also interesting to see that we determine the outcome of the process – we are responsible for maintaining the right temperature! ‘Our actions today have a bearing on our results tomorrow’. Many coaches will enlighten us to the importance of developing habit; many say it takes 21 days to form one (remember my inference to 21 days above?) the great thing though is that once the habit is formed, motivation is no longer require to carry out the tasks. Take for instance, jogging – until you form the habit, it will remain a struggle. But once you do, it becomes easier to get out of bed and get going.

    As we countdown to 2017, I encourage you to form the right habits and condition your potential by maintaining the right temperature.

  • Get Organised – Part 2

    Get Organised – Part 2

    We started off on the subject of getting organised in October 2016. I remember promising to put together a home study course to teach you practical ways to get organised. Thankfully the course has now been launched and you can access it by visiting www.minute-motivation.thinkific.com.

    Today I want to continue the discussion from the 4Ds – Decide, Declutter, Debug and Design by focusing on the last word – DESIGN! How exactly do we design a system that works? My answer to this will be the acronym PERK

    P – Plan: set time aside daily to put a plan in place. I find that last thing before bed works for me. Write out a To-Do list and schedule items from this list into your calendar for the next day

    E – Execute: it is not just enough to write out a plan, you must be discipline enough to execute what you have written down. Follow through with the items in your calendar

    R – Review: Before making a new set of plans, review that the current plan worked. If it didn’t, decide how to fine tune it. If it worked, then choose to keep it.

    K – Keep: Keep what works and get rid of what didn’t

    I hope this had further enhanced that journey to getting better organised and I look forward to hearing your stories of success!

  • Get Organised

    Get Organised

    I took my daughter out with me for one of those mum-daughter days out and towards the end teased her about how much she’s becoming like me. I was surprised to have her accept and then she chipped in ‘I am truly your child mummy, my friends can’t stop talking about how organised I am’/

    Being organised is one of my foremost skills. I remember a disagreement I had with my mum when I was about 6/7 years old. She had ironed my uniform for me for school the next day and was shocked to find the uniform neatly laid out on the polished shoes on the floor by the door of my room. As far as I was concerned, it was the best place to put the uniform – it will make it easier to get dressed in the morning! As I got older, say me early 20s, I remember my sisters teasing me cos every Sunday, I would iron and line up my clothes in the order they would be worn for the week. Today, a working wife and mum of 2, I employ my organisational skills in meal planning, holiday scheduling and running the house. Yes I know I was quite extreme in my bid to be organised but one thing I can’t deny was it freed up my mind to concentrate of other things that made me productive. Other advantages of being organised include:

    1. You are free of stress and all the ailments that result from stress. I once had a fridge magnet with the words ‘Organised people are just too lazy to search for things..’. Just think. Becoming organised would mean everything has its own place and you never have to look for them
    2. Your brain is in a calm mode because it isn’t constantly searching, therefore it is more productive and you are more successful
    3. You appear more confident because you always feel in control
    4. You are able to enjoy variety and a better quality of life because you plan ahead
    5. You have more time on your hands

    Now that I have listed the benefits of being organised, you might be wondering if it’s something that can be learnt. My answer is YES. Being organised is a skill and while it will come more naturally to some, everyone can learn to be organised and enjoy the benefits. Here are a few tips

    1. Decide – it starts with a Decision. If you think you can, you sure will and if you think you can’t, you never will. Set a goal and a time frame to become more organised and stick to it.
    2. Declutter – by this I mean declutter everything – your wardrobe, your home, your brain, everything! Start from the easiest and develop the confidence to take on the trickier ones.
    3. Debug – write out a diary of your typical day and critically assess what needs to be changed. You might find the way you make meals, your laundry schedule or even your free time can be better utilised
    4. Delegate what doesn’t need to be done by you. My rule is ‘if someone can do it better, then let them’. You are never going to be able to
    5. Design a system that works. I can’t remember where I saw this but it struck me. A SYSTEM Save You Some Time Energy & Money. Make a plan from the results of your Debugging that have not been delegated. I have a friend who organised her dressing by picking a colour every fortnight and allowing it guide her clothes choices. I organise my meals on a monthly basis because it was an area that cause me stress but could not be ignored. Designing your life is all about doing whatever needs to be done so you have no stress when you wake up in the morning!

    Check out I am Organised – An Online Course

     

  • Choose to Win

    We have just concluded the Olympics and while I didn’t watch as much as I would have loved to (because of the time difference), I stayed up a few nights to watch Athletics. There’s just so much inspiration and energy I get from seeing men & women push beyond the pain barrier to excel in a sport, breaking records and giving us all a thrill as we journey with them towards achieving their goals. I particularly like the races because it speaks a lot to me as an individual. Take the 100m for instance, the athletes see the finishing line from where they are at the start. They know that before we count from 1 to 10, the race will be over, yet while lining up alongside others, they have just 1 goal, to reach that finish line in the fastest time they possibly can.

    Have you ever wondered what goes on in the minds of athletes as they run? I remember listening to Mo Farah’s interview after he won the 5000m and even now in my head I hear his words ‘I win because I just really hate to lose’. People that make a mark and leave a lasting legacy have a keen desire to win – to be the best they can be and to leave a lasting legacy in the process. So whether it’s the Olympians like Michael Phelps, Mo Farah, USian Bolt; the Tennis giants like Roger Federer or the Boxing Legend, Muhammad Ali, the discipline that takes them to the top is the same and there’s a lot we can learn from them.

    I believe these lessons, when applied to our day-to-day life can help us reach our goals and reach them well… Coupled with defining our end goals and focusing on the finish line, we need to have the desire to WIN. Seeing as I like acronyms so much, here’s one to summarise what it takes to WIN and reach the goals we have in life that enable us to leave a lasting legacy

    Willingness to Work Hard and suffer discomfort to perfect your skill – many sportsmen deprive themselves of what we call ‘the everyday pleasantries of life’ to ensure they are in shape. Many will not drink, smoke and have a very strict diet and exercise regimen.
    Inspire others and draw inspiration from those that have excelled in your chosen field – another hallmark of most successful team members is to set a standard for others to aspire to. Most of those competing take inspiration from others before them and use their past successes as a benchmark for what they want to achieve. It’s always about breaking records and creating new ones.
    Never give up and see the next step as the needed step in achieving your goals – it’s always about endurance, resilience, determination and grit! These are the words that set winners apart from others. Mastering today guarantees a successful tomorrow. Taking todays step to the best of your ability means you will keep winning as you run your life’s journey.

    ‘Let’s Read’ for this month will be a book we have read before, simply because the principles and ideas shared really crystalise our discussion this month. It is ‘How Successful People Win’ by John Maxwell.

  • CROP it!

     

    As we build towards our dreams, it very common to have full on plates. Time just never seems to be enough. Piles of things to do and not even sure which one to tackle first. If you feel like that, I might have some good news for you… learn to CROP.
    C – Create a list of all you need to do
    R – Rate them in order of importance
    O – Optimise the list – how best can I do the items I need to do on my list
    P – Put a plan in place – your plan will include when to execute the item on the list and who can help

    The method CROP can be applied to the most mundane things like choosing to have a fulfilling week for the family to a project of writing a book. At our workshop last June, we had a go at CROPing. It was great to see the girls tackle tasks with CROP and it will be good to see you tackle your too. Get out a sheet of paper and write your list to begin with. Thanks for being listening today. Please share and subscribe and visit doyin.co.uk for more info.

  • Dream Seeds

    Last month, I finally did it! I lived a dream that has always been on my mind – gather women together to have a wholesome experience of being ‘MAPed’. For me, MAP means MOTIVATE, ADORN, PREPARE! At the workshop, we had a style expert who showed us how we can become more confident by knowing what colour or style works for us and embracing it. We also had a good friend of mine, who shared how she has been able to live her dreams inspite of her life circumstances.

    The core of the workshop was however the Dream Seed. We journeyed with the story of a cabbage seed on its way to becoming a plant.

    Three different seeds and three different possibilities that could happen:

    1. The seed lacked nourishment as it hadn’t been exposed properly and the leaves were yellow. This is the same with us – when you do not continue in the habits and life choices that grew you, you become a shadow of yourself and are no longer attractive to those around you.
    2. The seed was infested by pests and parasites. While this was a really sad outcome for the seed, this is the case with so many of us. Life experiences, life challenges have a way of imprinting on our hearts and preventing a big shift forward in our life and our progress.
    3. The manured seed. This was a beauty to behold, it looked vibrant and alive. This can be the case with our lives too. We can enjoy the benefits of #LivingFull and #LivingWell by simply focusing our lives on doing more of the things that make us better.

    In summary, we concluded that to live your dreams, you must expose yourself to what nourishes you and eliminate what sabotages you. You must do the journey of discovery and embrace all that makes you win!

  • Leaders are Readers

    June is my birthday month and I juggled my brain on what I could give back to you amazing people who have supported my vision and helped me live my dreams with Minute Motivation.  In response to the most asked question – ‘How do I develop the habit of reading?’, I thought I could perhaps share my experience and what I do.

    Apart from school books, I never had the habit of reading and I remember being asked to fill out a ‘Fun facts’ form at an event I was speaking at. One of the questions was ‘What book are you currently reading?‘ I thought ‘Am I supposed to be reading a book?’ Well I went back home that day with a determination to have something to write the next time anyone asked me such a question 😊. Still I found myself still reading sporadically until I heard someone say “Readers are Leaders and Leaders are Readers”. Well my life ambition is to lead in every sphere of my life and if reading would make that happen, so be it.

    Many who know me would agree that consistency in the systems I set up is one of my biggest strengths so I proceeded to write what conditions help me read and which ones slow me down.
    Following my analysation, I concluded that
    1. I was more likely to read from an electronic device than paper
    2. I didn’t like the feeling of forgetting everything I had read in the book
    3. I liked authors who were conversational in their writing, rather than factual
    4. I was more likely to read a book that taught me life lessons or moved me forward in my thinking

    With this, I developed my reading strategy –
    – I read 1st thing in the morning from my mobile phone. This way, I didn’t have to worry about waking everyone in the house up because I switched the lights on etc.
    – I read only one chapter a day. This enabled me to have time to think about what I learnt and fully absorb the contents. Also because majority of books were less than 30 chapters, I was guaranteed to read a book every month
    – I write down what I understand from the chapter on 1 or 2 sentences. Again this help me comprehend what I’ve learnt better and therefore apply it better
    – I talk about the book with as many as I can. This way I form a community of people who share my enthusiasm and commits me to finishing the book.

    Have these tips sparked hope in you?  Why not pick a book today and let me know how you get along?

    Book of the month – “Make today count” by John Maxwell

  • Live Your Dreams

     

    Live Your DREAMS

    There’s something attractive about spring. Actually, the word is not just attractive, I think it’s actually ‘LIBERATING’.

    I would normally buy flowers for my office and it’s been interesting watching them bloom – a few weeks back daffodils and this week, I’ve really enjoyed seeing the carnations come to life.

    There’s something empowering about seeing items come to life,
    there’s something empowering about seeing people come alive and
    there’s something empowering about seeing our dreams come alive.

    And this leads me to my subject of the day ‘What makes dreams come true?’ ‘What helps people come alive?’. As you know, I’m an avid reader so I have scoured books to find the answer to this question.

    The common thread in the answers include hardwork, commitment, clarity, vision, focus, persistence…. to name a few. Everyone should have a dream, a dream that changes her world, which can be of any size she can conceive. Your dream might be to change the inhabitants of your home and make anyone that comes into your space feel better than when they came in. It could be as big as your street, your city, your nation or the world – whatever it is, the ingredients that guarantee success are the same.

    As I like acronyms so much, I wrote one on what it takes to achieve your dreams
    Desire
    Results;
    Expect
    Antagonism but
    Maintain your
    Self-Confidence.

    This summer, I have chosen to live my dream of ‘Empowering women to #LiveWell and #LiveFull’ and scary as it seems, I am organising a 1-day workshop title ‘Be the best you: #LiveFull, #LiveWell‘. I invite you to join me, as we brainstorm together to help you birth your dreams and watch me in the zone as I live mine. Wish you well as you live to fulfil your DREAMS

    Book of the Month– “The Dream Giver” by Bruce Wilkinson

  • #BeTheAnswer

    April // #BeTheAnswer

    I have a new hashtag, but before I tell you what it is, let me tell you about the experience that birthed it.

    Towards the end of last year, things became a bit unsettled and I had lots going on. As you would imagine my thoughts were geared towards who could help me, who I needed around me and generally a keen search for ‘who’! (more…)

  • While You Wait

    March // WHILE YOU WAIT

    The press has had a fill day with the story of Olajumoke Orisaguna, the bread seller who rose to prominence because she ‘photo – bumped’ Tinie Tempahs photoshoot by Ty Bello.
    A lot has been said of how lucky she is etc and today, I would like to draw some life lessons from her inspirational story. (more…)