vision

Why it's important to celebrate your successes

Why it's important to celebrate your successes

If you were to ask me to sum up October in one word, I’d say it was a CELEBRATION

Here’s why 👇🏾

I celebrated and was celebrated

I celebrated because it was my birthday on October 3rd and it is my custom to spend the whole month celebrating

I celebrated by doing the things I enjoy andseeing the people that I love

i.e. those who fill my heart

Then, the ultimate cherry on top of all the birthday cakes I had in October was going to Paris, where I had the privilege of speaking and receiving a Legendary Woman Of Impact Award

So, it really was a month filled with celebrations and reasons to celebrate, including my goddaughter’s birthday

What was interesting about this season, when I really think about it, is that I don’t often celebrate myself

I’m the sort of person who’ll hit a milestone and be like, “Okay, what’s next? What do I do now?”

I don’t always take time out to pause and reflect on what I’ve achieved because I’m constantly thinking about what I need to do next or what I’m yet to achieve

And so, when people point out my achievements and praise me, I’ll accept it. However, because I’m aware of the gap between where I currently am and where I want to be, I often don't savour those moments of praise. But in October, I feel like I was forced to look back at my journey from where I started (as a blogger) to where I am now (as an award-winning blogger, international speaker and PR specialist)

This month, I remembered that although I’m not where I want to be, I’m not where I used to be, and that’s worth celebrating

If you've been nodding while reading this, thanks for validating my experience but, more importantly, keep reading because this message is for you too

Why you should follow your dreams

Why you should follow your dreams

I'm so totally honoured to share that I spoke at The Rise to Millions Conference in Paris and received a Legendary Woman of Impact Award there recently 🥳🥳🥳

It was the last weekend of October to be exact

As I stood in front of the crowd, trying to find the words to express how honoured I was, I ended my speech by saying something like: “Well, this wasn’t on my bingo card, but it’s real, and it’s happening because I chose to follow my dreams...literally"

Here's what I meant by that 👇🏾

How working less can make you more productive

How working less can make you more productive

Just before my birthday, I had a lovely brunch with my good friend, Eunice

It was so good! 🤤

We laughed and chatted

And, like how it always goes, the conversation fluctuated between serious topics to the both of us just belly laughing

One of the topics that stood out for me was the one we had about the 7-F Framework or the Wheel of Life

There are different versions of it but the one I follow covers (in no particular order):

  1. Faith

  2. Family

  3. Friends

  4. Firm (business or work)

  5. Fun

  6. Fitness

  7. Finance

In my conversation with Eunice, I told her about the “Fun” aspect of my life

i.e. how I’d shifted my mindset, and how doing so has not only improved my productivity but my relationship with being productive

For example, if you know me, you know I always say “October is my birthday"

In the past, this meant I’d reserve this month for fun, being with friends, brunch dates and just letting my hair down a little more

So I always had great expectations when it came to October, in the past, but this year was different

Here’s how 👇🏾

3 reasons you're not as successful as you want to be

3 reasons you're not as successful as you want to be

On October 5th I attended the Next Level Speakers Conference

This was all thanks to one of my close friends who got me a ticket as a birthday gift

One of my all-time favourite motivational speakers, Eric Thomas (ET), was a keynote speaker

I’ve followed him for years and had seen him twice in London before this (I wasn't kidding about him being one of my faves lol). But seriously, every time I see Eric Thomas it’s incredible, and the copious notes I took are testament to that

Here’s what I learned 👇🏾

How to increase your productivity in one simple step

How to increase your productivity in one simple step

In September, I found myself asking myself a series of questions

I know you’re thinking “Such as?”

Well…

Like: "What is it that makes me the most happy, and how can I incorporate that into my life on more of a daily basis?"

But that was very much at the beginning of the month

I think that anybody who knows me well, knows that I love traveling

Yes, it's because I get to experience different cultures and spend time with the people that I love and eat delicious food and all of that sort of jazz

But I also realise that part of what I love about holidays and traveling, is also the person that I am when I'm on holiday

I know what I'm going to wear on each day, and I'm hyped to wear those things. I know what I'm going to do, I know who I'm going to see

So, not only am I more relaxed, but actually, I am more organised

With this in mind…

In line with that, one of the things that I started to ask myself every day in September (after this realisation) was:

Why you should share your gifts with the world

Why you should share your gifts with the world

What kind of birthday celebrant are you?

Are you the sort of person who:

A) Is very low-key (as in “I don't celebrate at all” or “if I do, it's just on the day?”)

B) Is more of the mindset that the whole month is your birthday?

I'm the latter, as in:

I always say “October is my birthday” even though it’s only technically today

(October 3rd, on the day of sending this email)

This whole idea of October being my birthday is not just this self-centred wish to make it all about me, though

Believe it or not…

It has always been a celebration of life and an acknowledgement that there but by the grace of God go I

Why you are already enough

Why you are already enough

Earlier this week I attended the funeral of Mr Williams, my old secondary (or high) school teacher

He was my very first form tutor and my chemistry teacher throughout

More than that, though, he was one of my favourites

It's literally impossible for me to talk about my best memories from that time without mentioning his humour, passion and huge impact

One of the things I remember most about him is that he practised something called “peer teaching”

I.e.

If I managed to solve a problem or really impress him with my work, he would have me come up to the board, write out how I solved the equation and talk both him and my classmates through my process

But the reason that he did this wasn't because he thought I was a science genius, but because he wanted to:

  • Check my understanding (or that I didn’t cheat!)

  • Give the class the opportunity to hear an explanation in language that they could understand and relate to

When Mr Williams was calling me to the front of the class to help my classmates, he didn't require me to:

  • Become more of an expert

  • Gain more experience

  • Jump through a bunch of hoops to prove myself before diving in (or further)

That wasn't an issue or what he was even looking for

What he wanted was someone who knew just a bit more than his other students and could share it effectively

And that's all you need when it comes to PR too!