Seven Things I Hope To Work Towards

I just celebrated a birthday this week. I turned 22. It’s crazy…I feel as though I have the whole world available to me, but at the same time, I feel the crushing need to “grow up”—be responsible, get my own place, venture on my own. And I suppose I shall have to soon enough, but right now, for this my 22nd year of life on this planet, my goal is to be a better version of myself. I want to be fitter, faster, wiser, friendlier, more creative and more focused. I want to set goals and I want to accomplish those goals. It’s really easy to speak on goals you hope to accomplish, but we tend to glaze over the long hard strenuous work—process—that is necessary to accomplish anything. I’ve always prided myself on being someone who is not afraid of hard work, in fact I welcome a challenge. And this year, I want to challenge myself beyond anything I’ve ever demanded.

1.I want to expand my professional and personal network.
2.I want to get in the best shape of my life.
3.I want to improve my Spanish.
4.I want to write a novel.
5.I want to grow in my faith and understand the Bible on a deeper level.
6.I want to learn how to cook my native foods. I’m from Nigeria and the only thing I really know how to make is rice and stew. A sad sad case for a Igbo chick. I want to learn how to make Onugbu soup Egusi, yam porridge A Nigerian soup, which I’ve never done before…either Okra, Onugbu, Vegetable or Egusi. Hell I want to cook them all.
7.I want to take my personal style to a level of sophisticated utility that it has never experienced.

I just wrote down the first things that came to my heart, and wouldn’t you know…seven is my lucky number J So for the next 365days I want to work towards accomplishing these 7 goals. Are these too many goals to work on in one year? Probably, but I always did believe in biting off more than you can chew….
In my upcoming posts I will be focusing on accomplishing all these things. I hope you will come along for the ride. ..I intend for it to be spectacular.

Should I Stay or Should I Go Part 3

After nights of tossing and turning and literally changing my mind every five minutes for 3 days, I decided to go. I chose to switch jobs and go work for the feds for a number of reasons. The first and most important was the money. The opportunity to almost double your salary is a hard thing to turn down....

The second reason I decided to switch positions was the opportunity for advancement within a field as grand-scale as the federal government. Hopefully, after gaining permanency within the federal government I will be able to transfer my skills and passions to a department that would better utilize my abilities and further elevate me towards my goal of helping young adults and working to improve the mental health of our young people.

I plan to enroll in grad school next year, in fact I'm working on my applications now. If I am able to start Fall 2011, I will be able to work and go to school at the same time. this will allow me to stay better focused toward my goal.

I absolutely, do not want to get comfortable in this position. I can not forget that I have dreams that go further than where I am now. I thank God for the opportunity to be where I am now, but I look forward to further blessing people in my field of interest. :)

Did I sell myself? Just a little bit. But I plan on buying every part of myself back. :)

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Part 1

Although this whole story has played out already, I still wanted to share the latest decision I had to make in regards to my employment. Around the time I applied for my current job as a Family Advocate, I also apply for a job with the federal government that a good friend of mine told me about. After I interviewed for the Family Advocate position, but before I heard whether or not I had gotten the job, I was invited to interview for the fed job. About two weeks into working at my current job I was asked to come in to interview for the other position.

Of course I aced the interview, and a week later they are offering me the position! Wow!!! How awesome is that?! To go from having no job(for lack of better words--being underemployed) to having two jobs is a wonderful feeling and absolutely solidified that all my fervent prayers were heard--all I had to do was wait on the Lord!

I thanked God for giving me the gift of choice and got to work trying to make a decision about whether I should stay in my current job, where I have been for less than 3 weeks or split and go work for the feds.

There's A Purpose And There's A Plan

Everything in my life has led up to this moment and I thank God because you don't ever really get things until hindsight. God has been orchestrating out steps since the beginning all in preparation for our purpose. Whatever it is you have been put on this Earth to do, remember that where you are now is place and an opportunity to prepare for that purpose.

The Devastation in Haiti

Exactly one week ago, an earthquake hit the already devastated nation of Haiti. Thousands of people are feared dead after 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti. The presidential palace and the UN mission in the capital Port-au-Prince are among the buildings destroyed. People all over the world are turning their thoughts, prayers and donations towards Haiti, and wanting to know all about what is going on.

Haiti is a incredibly poor country and this earthquake has precipitated the crippling of its infrastructure and economy. But I believe in all tragic circumstances, God provides us with hope and mercy. As a worldwide spotlight has been shown on this small country that occupies half of an island, one can hope that some good will come of this tragedy that could have happened to any of us.

As people begin to research ways they can help the people of Haiti, they will stumble upon organizations that have claimed to help Haiti for decades. But what relief could these organizations truly have brought if the country has remained virtually unchanged these past years?

With news coverage at such a high in Haiti, I hope people will begin to demand to see proof of aid that many organizations claim to bring to impoverished nations.

Additionally, the issue of adoption has become a widely discussed topic. I believe--and hope--that in the next few months to years, we see an increase in the adoption of Haitian children.

This earthquake shook the infrastructure and removed what little stability was left of a nation. With the spotlight now focused on this amazing country with a rich heritage and history, hopefully, we can globally work to rebuild and strengthen the country.

Five Days Going Strong!

So far so good.

I have been keeping to my new years resolution(knock on wood) and I am looking forward to seeing positive results.

This year I am believing in positive thinking and expecting good things to happen.

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort". ~Herm Albright

New Year, New Me

The new year starts tomorrow and I am rested and ready to get back to blogging. In a state of exasperation, I stopped blogging because I felt I wasn't really writing about anything I passionately cared about. Or better said, nothing that meant enough to me to write about it day after day.

I can write about my opinion of celebrities, but to be perfectly honest--they aren't that interesting. I could write about fashion--but I don't even have the money to support my own shopping habit, nor am I really that couture. I love talking about natural hair care, but it can get pretty old to write about it over and over.

So what to blog about? What in my life is so spectacularly interesting? What is worth coming back day after day to update whoever is out there reading?

With only a day left in 2009 and resolutions being made, I've gained a new appreciation for short-term goals. I need some non-negotiable goals for next year, 2010. Something I can hold myself accountable to--that other people can hold me accountable to. Weight loss? No, that was so last year. Baking? Who has the energy for all that?!

Something in my life has to change. Yes, change is inevitable, but I need to create and inspire my own change as well.

I'm tired of living a life I'm dissatisfied with. A life that I can only describe as dismal. Well, that might be a little melodramatic... my life isn't dismal, or I don't really think it is. But I do want my life to be dynamic and incredibly inspiring. I want to be making a difference and I've asked God to give me one pure and holy passion.

Currently, I have a job where I feel constantly exhausted from suppressing rage. A social life that I would describe more as me at home watching movies, drinking wine, and living vicariously through my crazyfabulous friends, than out partying, dating, or exploring the area. I know, I know, I'm 21, I should be out shaking my young booty and partying it up, but I've never been a big socialite and I'm broke s a joke.

But enough excuses. It's time to do something about this. About my situation and about my off-track life. It's time to grab hold and steer things in a Minah-approved direction.

So what am I up to? You ask. An experiment that I hope will leave me better for wear. In a Julie & Julia inspired move I want to make a short-term goal that will hopefully help me accomplish my New Year's Resolution.

I plan to apply for 2 jobs a day for 5 months beginning Jan 1st 2010. They say the average time it takes for a college graduate to get a job is 5 months. So although I graduated 6 months ago, I want to give myself 5 months to see what happens.

I don't know what will come of any of this. I hope a fulfilling job and some excitement. But I do know I want to accomplish something tangible and so begins a crazy journey, 2010--it's gotta be better than 2009. That leaves me 151 days to send out 302 job applications. And no, Craigslist jobs don't count.

By the way. My New Year's Resolution is to get a job with health benefits.
See you in 2010

Back On It

I can't be leaving my loyal readers waiting so I'm back stronger and better than ever and believing that things are gonna get better.

Life is good. I'm at work right now blogging instead of doing the bazillion things expected of me so I know I'm gonna get quietly "spoken" to later, but it's important to blog when you feel the urge so that's what I'm trying to do.

For a while I've been feeling sort of complacent about life. That I had little control over the overall picture and even though God is in control of my life, I am not a crippled passenger.
"Faith without works is dead."

So I am making movings applying active optimism--which is the conscious, PURPOSEFUL mental decision to approach life with a positive perspective. So far it is working and keeping me focused.

You must put out your best in any and every situation in order to receive something good.

Working on it.