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Showing posts from November, 2015

Wildly Grateful

Be wildly, precisely, obsessively grateful.     When you treasure how much you have – from your good health, free evenings, expertise, a loving soul, a bit of cash – you KNOW you have so much to give Danielle LaPorte London town was fabulous, freezing but fabulous! The bookstore staff was so friendly, and interesting, an international group who are concerned with giving back and changing the world! Lot's of synergies. I feel so grateful for all the good vibes and blessings that pour forth on my path! I am not back in Trinidad for one week, feels great to be in the sunshine and back home. My friends told me that I have gained weight! Oh well! Life goes on, I did eat so much good food and drank so much lovely coffee in Kenya. So thank you for accompanying me on the journey! Peace!

London Town

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Write down what you want.   Watch it happen.   Spelling is a spell. Shhh E.BADU Hey beautiful people sharing with me on the journey. I have been travelling over the last day and have been in London town for the past day and a half for my forst book signing event here. London being a significant part of my journey. I am excited yet nervous, grateful and happy. I want to rant a bit here though. The other side of the story showed its face to me over the past few days. I came from Kenya, Wifi access there was free available and almost a given, a so called third world country, come to London, where I have a "history" meaning I have a bank account, a phone line and even an address and to get on line has been a nightmare to put it mildly! My patience was surely tested especially today on the phone with my mobile provider, I even told them that they ought to be embarrassed that Kenya is way ahead of them and I must be on the phone for almost two hours before my phone works...

Self Love Safari

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A safari I have deduced is a type of journey, where the aim is to see, spot, take in the animals and the spoils of nature.  A self love safari for me, is a type of journey to see, spot, and take in the experiences which lead me to live my best life. I am getting ready to leave Kenya, next stop London UK for a book signing event and to catch up with some great friends and of course watch some football! This self love safari has been one where I have met some awesome people and grown in so many ways, I am so grateful to all of them who made me fall in love with Kenya My top lessons on this month's trip 1. Nature does not hoard, it teaches, it provides and guides me. The rising of the sun is silent yet one of the most powerful and beautiful things I have witnessed. We are so powerful when grounded in silence and respect nature 2. We are all connected - The ladies that I met, spent time with this month and have gotten to know, it seemed as if we knew each other forever, we share...

Climate Innovation Center Kenya - Breakfast Session

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Rise high enough above a thing to see it from a new perspective. Until you get to the core of a thing or see it from a new place, you will not be able to determine how or if the experiences of your life serve your highest and greatest good . Iyanla Vanzant This morning the Climate Innovation Centre (CIC) at the Strathmore Business School, Nairobi Kenya hosts a Breakfast meeting at which I will be the feature speaker.This is not my first at this building and each time I visit I am even more inspired by it. Walking the talk, the building is completely green, run by solar and natural light permeates all through. I walk in and I feel light, I feel inspired I feel connected to something bigger than I am, a place of learning in Africa with such a big vision that has indeed been realized, minus the fan fare and the ego tripping "look at me" type of vibe! Something that I strive to do for my own self, to just get on with it, walk the talk and demonstrate that life is about d...

And return full

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I go with all nothings. All the flawings. And return full - Nayyira Waheed I always think about "the other side of the story" As the Course in Miracles says, the illusions and perceptions. We take them and make them our reality and turn it into our world and go on to live by these illusions and perceptions. Illusions are not real. Travelling has helped me to see not just the world but my life in a whole new way, it has made me tolerant, patient and loving. This weekend in Nairobi, I was open to seeing the other side of the story. No judgments, I saw lions, cheetahs, zebras, tall buildings, art, dancing, technology at it's best and now know for sure that I am responsible for shaping my own mind, not just the television and other people's opinion I am truly grateful for the opportunity and vow to remember that every thing before I came, every struggle, every action, is responsible for the ground upon which I now stand. Peace

Abundance

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Abundance is feeling good about who you are,where you are and what you have because you realize you don't have to stay there. To understand abundance is to create what you want without fear . Iyanla Vanzant (the absolute boss!) Do you only feel abundant when there are notes in your wallet or purse or when you view your bank balance/investments online? When exactly do you feel abundant? Or do you ever feel abundant at all? That thought crossed my mind this week, what makes me feel abundant and just like clockwork, I am reading in my daily ritual of reading something positive to start the day and boom! Iyanla's comment just came and smack me in the face. To understand abundance is to create without fear, to use the ideas that come into my mind to create, to see the love around me in the little things, to recognize the number of awesome friends and colleagues around me, supporting me and checking up on me. I truly feel abundant!! So Nairobi, I love the place! Did the Natio...

If you just let it

What you want might make you cry What you need might pass you by If you don't catch it And what you need ironically Will turn out what you want to be If you just let it Lauren Hill Stop searching, start finding.  What is it that you believe is "out there" that you must have, must find, must do, must eat, must drink, must wear, must must must to arrive, to do the right thing? Believe it or not that was my self talk yesterday. Then I had to stop and ask myself" How are you feeling? (twice) Give thanks and breathe it in because you are blessed was the eventual response. In Nairobi and was tripping out because I could not access the cash from my bank account.  I stood at the machine and looked at it with my sad eyes, as if the damm thing could have seen me! Then I decided to go into "fix it" mode, spent the entire day doing that, calling home to chat with the bank, sending whatsapp to one of my friends, going online to transfer the cash - nothing materia...

You are the common thread

 Your relationships and experiences are merely a reflection of you. Your worth cannot be measured monetarily. It cannot be quantified by other people. The only accurate calculation of your own value, comes from you. It is always about you. You are the common thread that runs through every interaction and exchange. You are your own connection to the world, tethering every piece together. What you see and experience outside of yourself is mirror of what you feel inside. If you want to change your outer world, you must begin within. Stacy Hereera The ability to have difficult or awkward conversations is an essential element in being authentic. It aids in avoiding people pleasing which many times leads to resentment. Failure and the lessons from it is what I would consider an awkward conversation and kudos to Nailab for taking the initiative in having these conversations on a monthly basis in a way which promotes authenticity and sharing. The conversation we had yesterday ...

After, this, Pardee time

"True failure expresses itself constantly as an excuse, a reason to stop, an obstacle you have never seen, a barrier bigger than ever existed. Failure is constantly there, presenting itself as a comfortable option, an excuse, a good excuse, the best excuse you could state: “I have never done that before.” Even better than that: “no one has done that before.” I spent all day yesterday at a coffee shop preparing for the FailUp talk today hosted by Nailab and TechSahara, who are an innervation hub doing some awesome things out here in Nairobi.. I am pulling out out the lessons on positive self talk, being authentic, showing up as myself and doing my absolute best in the moment. Somehow the nerves still get me especially when today when the talk is about me being not just the first Non Kenyan speaker but also the first woman to be featured! Exciting times I am ready I am rearing to go I am humbled, grateful and excited After this, pardee time! Peace!

I like meeting nice people

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Let's all lighten up about our self improvement journeys.  There's no joy in these self-imposed denials and everyone walking around Edgar Allen Poe-faced in their suffering instead of high kicking Gene Kelly style "gotta dance!" positivity. Carole Ann Rice Yesterday I met with the Climate Innovation Center in Nairobi. I was completely blown away by the building and their mission. Firstly it is in a green building, solar powers everything, natural lighting, open spaces, green spaces. They are walking the talk it's not only about preaching about what "we need" or what "we cannot do" yada yada yada. They are demonstrating by their actions that we can start where we are with what we have. Then, for me, most importantly, the people. What a lovely group! Wanting to make a difference and just genuinely nice. I really like meeting nice people, makes all my trips worth while The more I meet people I realize that we are really all connected and  ...

Your obsessive control will eventually control you.

It's an intense urge. The one to control. You hold tight. Want. Want hard. Lock in. Obsess over the details. Think, rethink, and over think. Ultimately, you try to get what you want by attempting to control the process for the outcome. Your obsessive control will eventually control you. Maxie McCoy Being in Nairobi has brought the controlling and overthinking urge back to the front of my mind and that being said, it has also proven to me that I control none of the things that I believe I do. It really is such a freeing feeling when I just do the work and surrender to the outcome. And by surrender I don't mean give up.  Control can be like a drug and with a drug when the high is gone, the lows are major! When you have done all the at you can and it is not the outcome you want it really is the Universe trying to get your attention and when you ignore, shit blows up! Yes, the Universe loves you that much. One of my favourite teachers says "Chose, expectations or expect...

Let us Build

You can't always know where the road ends up but with some luck I know we can go - whereever we imagine. Jamea Ingram Today is the African Women in Technology Conference - Let Women Build. It has been an absolute pleasure being a part of seeing this dream unfold. So what I have learnt is a vision, self-belief, a super team and action makes things happen and there is no perfect way for it to unfold as we learn as we go. The best laid plans can go differently but out of it comes the best and perfect outcome. So the place for the Conference is right at the edge of a national park. We were sitting chillaxin with a mohito overlooking this vast expanse of land and the talk was how over the years there are less animals like lions being killed by coming on people's property. Huh? Ok then. And when you spot an elephant or lion who wonders off call the rangers. Different to what I am used to the occasional wondering dog or cat. The laws have changed over the years to protect the a...

I am merely a catalyst

I am grateful for the awareness that whatever someone says about me, my writing, or my work... has nothing to do with me. Whether the comment is positive or negative, it's never about me. Whatever feelings are evoked by something I say or write, is about where you are and how you feel about yourself, in that moment. I am merely a catalyst. Stacy Herrera Vulnerability is a strength, I have learnt that over the last few years.  Showing up as yourself, open, authentic, being willing to be different, misunderstood, forge your own path, get beat up and bloodied in the ring facing what you want, that is courage  Setting and playing by your own rules. It gets tiring and its certainly no fun having the disease to please, and that battle in the "please other people ring" is never won. What would people say? That comment no longer has much effect on me and getting there was a process, sometimes a very painful one How would I look? Ditto Letting down myself has more of an...

The real revolutionaries

Soon we will find out who is, the REAL revolutionaries - Bob Marley My bags arrived tonight, oh joy, oh joy!! Put things in perspective that I really do not need much to love on, and that is really AOKAY! Full on plans have been in force for the African Women in Technology Conference which is on Saturday. I have been working with an awesome group of ladies, the Akira Chix. They after graduating from University wanted jobs in the technology field and found it difficult being a male dominated field, and so created what they wanted and extended that by creating opportunities for young ladies by training them to produce apps, websites and codes free of charge and then placing them in jobs. I am completely inspired by this as it was a challenge for them to start and grow their organisation but they persevered, they love what they do and they work well together and it spills over in everything that they do, there is a joy, a comrade-ire, a sense of fun in the space. It made me think a...

The other side of the story

Use yesterday to inspire  tomorrow, not to discourage it.use yesterday to inspire tomorrow, not to discourage it. The use of technology here surprised me and also reminded me of the "other side of the story" there are two sides to the story and then there is the truth! What is sometimes shown on the television or other media is usually one side of the story. Being in Nairobi this week reinforced that. The use of mobile phones and mobile money is widespread, I wanted a taxi, I needed my phone, there is an app to book the taxi and then to pay the taxi one also uses the mobile phone, no cash is used! Cash is slowly becoming a thing of the past, mobile money is all the rage! Where I am from, cash is still holding on to its king status Technology is everywhere and being used to great benefits to the masses Bank accounts are no longer required - have a mobile phone, it can be used to pay all bills, transfer money, you name it In the buildings that I have been in, WiF...

Fail Up

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There is no reason and no need to "play up" to anothe or to try to remain in their good graces. Remain in your own, by not betraying yourself. Simply speak your truth, with gentleness and love. And have courage, for what you seek is not outside of you. It is not a gift from another person. It is yours -- to give, not to acquire. Let no one, therefore, hold you hostage. Not your partner, not your boss, not your family...and certainly not your God. NDW Day 3 in Kenya, still no luggage and I absentmindedly came home to the flat without going to the store to get a change of clothes, then as I got in the mini storm comes, oh well scratch going out! And so it goes, I am not even going to fuss, life must go on. Today I was confirmed as the speaker for the Nailab project and I am very humbled by it all! Talking failure as we chart our way to success! I am liking Nairobi so far, well the little that I have seen, it is buzzing, like a few African...

Make Friends With Reality

You have lessons collected in your brain; you have lessons collected in your heart; you have lessons of great difficulty; you have lessons of great ease. All these lessons are produced from pure light passing through the lenses of perception, passing through the opinions of your history, passing into the mysteries of the future, while sitting in the presence of the present . . . producing the fabric of life that has no weaver.   Guru SinghYogi Make friends with Reality! Ah-free-Ka!  I am back! Yea I am back and it’s like I never left I am in Nairobi for some very exciting projects which I will be sharing the lessons on the Journey. So your girl arrived, after two days of travelling and not one of my bags in sight and for those who know me I travel light so I had on me my passport, laptop, phone, a book and my toothbrush. I went to report the bags and the guy looked at me and said “Your bags  will eventually come, I do not know when. It seems that they tagged it to Amst...

If you want to get to the root

Discomfort does not feel good. And it is difficult to be present, when life gets tender. The tendency to pull back and retreat is perfectly natural. But what if you stayed? What would happen if you stayed in the midst of the dis-ease? It will probably begin to hurt. Your instincts will kick in, but rather than pull out, can you hunker down and go a little bit deeper? When it begins to throb and pulsate, are you willing to take a breath and bear with it? The ache will inevitably turn into suffering, and you will be compelled to concede, but don’t. Stay with it… the threshold is near. The difference between treating a symptom and solving a problem, is the willingness to endure. If you want to get to the root, you must be prepared to be uncomfortable. Stacey Hererra I am off today to Kenya via London today for a month. People ask me what will you be doing out there for a month and I have a general idea but I have very limited details and  I am sitting in the "not knowin...

You have two choices: to do or not to do.

Nearly everything that you do is 100% optional. So you have two choices: to do or not to do. It’s one or the other. You’re in or your out. There is no in-between. No halfway, only no way or all-the-way. The choice is yours. You’ll either be the one who did it, got it done, and made things happen… or not . Stacey Hererra Today was a day I will always remember, I spent the half day at the Women's Prison at their library sharing lessons on the journey. As I walked into the hall to greet the 40 odd women, I stopped and greeted every one and as I was going around I noticed a friend of mine, I stopped literally! What are you doing here? We spoke in September? What? Hello? She started crying and at that moment I decided to move on and return to that As I spoke with the women, her tears flowed for the entire morning I stood there my mind racing!  After the session she tried talking to me the guards told her she had two minutes, she said she's in there for fraud and please c...

Noise drowns it out

“ Go out into the countryside and teach the Gospel”, they said to him, “What will we say?” And his response to them was, “I’ll tell you when you get there.” Book of Thomas The small voice within is a guide, it tells us what to do and where to go, and it works particularly well when we ask, it works even better when we get still, when we pause. It's usually a small voice, sometimes a whisper, you will miss it if you are too "busy" if you are moving around too much, if you are drowning it out with excessive "noise". "Noise" can be judgement, drinking too much alcohol. working too much, toxic relationships, judgement and not taking responsibility for your actions, too much TV and Internet to keep you occupied. Noise can also be not being present and minding other people's business. To teach is to demonstrate, the combination of demonstrating what you have paid attention to when the small voice speaks to you works miracles, it never leads you ast...

Enough-ness..

I’ve learned instead is that I have to walk next to my fear, holding its hand. Because creativity asks you to enter into realms with unknown outcomes, and your fear hates nothing more than a realm of unknown outcome. Your fear is programmed to stop you from doing that, because its like a security guard all hopped up on Red Bull. Your fear believes that any unknown outcome ends in your death. So…I actually just walk side by side with it, holding its hand, saying “Thank you so much for trying to protect me, but all’s I am trying to do here is write a poem, no one is going to die. And I know this scares you, but I am going to do this thing, and your going to come with me, and were going to do this together.” So if we can develop this loving relationship with fear, rather than a denial or eradication of fear. The only fearless people I’ve ever met are sociopaths and I don’t wanna be fearless, I wanna be someone who can be afraid and be emotional. Elizabeth Gilbert This thing called fea...