SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR.

"I don't think you should spend your life praying for things, but I do believe you should thank God for what He's given you..." - Joel Osteen

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep, then you are richer than 75% of this world. If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week. If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, friend you are ahead of 500 million people in the world. If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death you are more blessed than three billion people in the world. If your parents are still alive and still married, you are very rare, even in the world. If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not. If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer a healing touch. If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

It was Mary J. Blige who said, "You can't get around pain and opposition, but you can try to be joyful in the trial ... and thank God for the strength to get through it. Really, having gone through so much turmoil and pain as most of us have, the biggest temptation is to find nothing to be grateful for. It's abnormal to live on earth and not be overwhelmed by challenges.

Beloved, I'm aware that you desire to all the great, expensive and classy things in life. Do you take out time to ponder on the free, important and great gifts you've been blessed with? I'm sure you can remember classmates whom till this day can't read or write but you can. Or, friends who've been imprisoned for years now without bail, but you walk freely unhindered. What about those who lie in the hospital beds, their greatest prayer isn't food or luxury but good health, yet you have the ability to eat and are blessed with good health. It might not be much, but it sure is amazing what you have: but for God, do you know you won't survive any trial? Be thankful today.

RESPECT!

"Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners." - Laurence Sterne

I will always remember this one girl that was in my class in College. (Grace Odonye) She was very quiet, didn't back-talk anyone, always greeted the staff at our school, never interrupted the teachers like other children in the school. My friends thought she was just weird, but I watched her for a while and she was always so polite. I finally had the guts to ask her why she wasn't like the rest of us,"If you ever want to be respected in life, you'll have to respect others and by others I mean not just your friends. Everyone." it paid off for her as she later became our Head Girl.

Respect is appreciating people’s differences, not making them feel uncomfortable. Respect is an important way of being kind and good to other people, it means not making fun of them. Respect puts into consideration how people feel, and treating them the way you’d want to be treated yourself! It’s important to give respect to everyone. Do you think it would feel good if someone made fun of you in public for your differing ideas? No way! Everyone deserves your respect. It is reciprocal! We have a responsibility to be the best we can be in all situations, even when dealing with unpleasant people. The Golden Rule - do unto others as you would have them do unto you - nicely illustrates the Pillar of Respect. It reflects notions such as civility, courtesy, decency, dignity, tolerance and acceptance!
 God created all people, and created them differently for reasons and purposes we may not understand. Regardless of how we perceive them to be, they are God's creations, and it is God's will for us to show respect to everyone. A general attitude of respect also accepts the dignity of others, even when their ideas or values are different from ours.
Always remember to treat others as you would want them to treat you.

TAKING RESPONSIBILITY.

"You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of." - Jim Rohn

If you want more control over your life all you have to do is be responsible - be accountable for others. Stop transferring blame. Do what you are supposed to do, and be accountable for your words, actions, and attitudes. The line between childhood and adulthood is crossed when we move from saying, "It got lost" to "I lost it." Indeed, being accountable - and understanding and accepting the role our choices play in the things that happen - are crucial signs of all forms of maturity. That's why responsibility is one of the main pillars of good character. It's obvious that, responsibility requires us to do things - some of which might be unpleasant. It asks us to carry our own weight, and sometimes the weight of others. It's interesting to note that, the benefits of accepting responsibility far outweighs the refusal to do so. No one can make their lives better by avoiding responsibility. Responsible people show others, by their actions, that they can be depended on and this breeds trust: trust is a key that sure unlocks many doors.
Being responsible or learning to take responsibility is a requirement for advancement in any direction or dimension: physically, or spiritually, even financially. If you've been a child all your life, it's time to grow up and take responsibility. Remember, Responsibility is your " RESPONSE  to your ABILITY "