Category: Motivation

Catching a Breath – 5 QUICK LESSONS

It’s been a minute. Scratch that! It’s been SEVERAL minutes since I last wrote a blog post. I am working on changing this because I really do love to write often and share a thought or two. What is the reason for this prolonged bowl of silence on these streets? Well, there are many reasons but I have learnt not to give excuses for the things I desire to do.

While I have a to-do list that stretches from Uganda to New York, I am pausing to catch a breath and share a few lessons I am learning in this season of my life.

  1. Be Present
  2. Pause Often
  3. Use To-Do Lists Always
  4. Love Actively
  5. Stay Anchored

1 – BE PRESENT

While you are running around trying to accomplish so much, don’t forget to be present in all the little pockets of life that you have. The matter of the fact is that by being present in one place, you forfeit presence in another place. Therefore, you might as well be present mentally wherever your body is present physically. It doesn’t help if you are at a wedding as a guest but you are thinking about the work you left undone. Be fully mentally present at the wedding. Then leave later and be fully mentally present while completing that work.

I am not discounting the possibility of doing more than one thing at a time in one place. This is a matter of flexibility, and necessity sometimes. I can write a blog post and listen to a podcast on a totally different topic, like I am doing at this very moment. That said, employ wisdom to know when this absolutely won’t work. For example, it would be really offensive if I did this while talking to my husband. It would do me well to stop what I am doing and fully pay attention to the conversation we are having in that moment.

So, considering that I took this moment to literally catch a breath from my long list of things to do, let’s agree that we will be back in the next post for the next catch-my-breath moment. This literally became a series just now. I will talk about pausing often in the next post.

Okay, back to work. Be blessed.

With a serious intent to return,

Keziah

4 Bible Verses for Writers

It’s been a minute, or two, or three, but I am back. This post is inspired by a prayer meeting I had this morning with a group of writers I am working with this year. I realised that it would be nice to share the verses we prayed through to give other writers guidance on how to pray for their writing. May you be sparked off to pray through these verses and use them for the rest of your life as a writer. Writing is such a powerful tool for change.

VERSE 1

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (New King James Version – NKJV)

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for [a]instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

What stands out for me is the fact that Scripture was written by INSPIRATION of God. Sometimes we forget that the Bible was actually written by human beings like you and me. They were simply inspired by God and because of writing by inspiration, their words were profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction. Wow! What that tells me is that if I let my writing be inspired by God, He can do GREAT things THROUGH my writing. If I offer up my mind to be inspired by Him, He will use my words for His glory. As you pray through these verses, pray to write from a point of inspiration by God.

VERSE 2

Psalm 45:1 (NKJV)

45 My heart is overflowing with a good theme;
I recite my composition concerning the King;
My tongue is the pen of a [c]ready writer.

Can we just say how amazing it is that the words theme and composition appear in this verse? Those are principles we teach in writing classes. I would advise therefore that you pray to have the right theme and composition for your writing. You should also pray to have the tongue(language) of a ready writer. I also love how poetic this verse is! ‘My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.’ What a metaphor! A metaphor is one of the literary devices that you can use to enrich your writing.

A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn’t literally true, but helps explain an idea or make a comparison. … A metaphor states that one thing is another thing. It equates those two things not because they actually are the same, but for the sake of comparison or symbolism.

Grammarly

VERSE 3

Jeremiah 30:2 (NKJV)

2 “Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying: ‘Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you.

What words has God spoken to you? Obey and write them down. Pray to be inclined to obey and to actually follow through.

VERSE 4

Habbakuk 2:2

Then the LORD answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. …”

I love the mention of vision. What images do you see? What vision do you have for your piece of writing, whether it is a book or article? Write it down so that you can enable others ‘run’ with it. This makes me feel like some release and acceleration will happen as a result of your writing, no matter what you write about – as long as it is God-inspired. You could be writing about something as simple as cakes and that could help someone else start a cake business as he/she races towards financial freedom by income generation. So, whatever vision you have been given, esteem it highly and write it down!

I would like to end by sharing something powerful that Patricia Opio, a writer, shared in the prayer meeting. She said that just as the writers of the Bible were the writers of that generation, we are the writers of this generation. WE ARE THE WRITERS OF THIS GENERATION! That impacted me so much. May we be cognisant of this revelation! God is the one who will give our writing mileage into the next generation. However, you have to write first for Him to have something to give mileage to!

Of the verses shared, which is your favourite one? What other Bible verses for writers do you know?

Have a great day.

Keziah.

On Writing and Perfection

This blog is literally a whatsapp conversation I had with my writing accountability group. Earlier this year, a few ladies and I set out to challenge ourselves to write consistently. We faithfully did a 21-day challenge in which we wrote content for books and blogs. After the challenge, which was nothing like any of us had ever done, I guess we got a bit tired, or a busier or both. That said, we still write, just not as consistently and everyday like we did in those 21 days. Last week, one of our members shared her new blog and we talked a bit about it. I noticed that she was plagued by something that I too had been plagued by in the past – the perfection bug rooted in the fear of how the public would receive her writing. This, coupled with the desire to get us back into the writing groove, I felt led to share that we should all remember that along this journey, we may fail. Scratch that, we will. But, every time we seem to have failed, we are actually learning and growing more. In addition to that, your writing is relevant to the seasons you are in. Yes, there is timeless literature. However, we forget that those that write timeless literature have had looooooooooots of practice. If we look at their earlier writing, even though it may tell of great talent, it may still not be as refined as their more recent pieces of work. Practice definitely makes perfect and practice is the cure to our need for perfection which makes us stagnate in our goals. Here is the actual conversation:

[10:50, 06/10/2020] kezy elaine: This is a message for all of us.

Get over the fear of failure and the need for perfection.

The truth is that you probably will fail. Perhaps you’ll open your blog 3 years from now and cringe🤣.

IT’S OKAY.

I opened my first ever blog in 2008 but in 2016, I closed it for good. I had grown and I wanted a fresh start.

I also had my first business website with my first ever fashion mini collections. I kept it running from 2016 to 2020 and closed it this year. I sensed the shift and I was no longer proud of the website. I felt I needed to have better content and web design in this new season.

And by the way, it was a nice site. But it did not represent the business well anymore.

You are going to have some mediocre content days.

You may fail sometimes …


[10:54, 06/10/2020] kezy elaine: So, what are things within your control currently?

Read through your content before you post. Self-edit it before posting or find an editor to work with.

Don’t detest your content. If you do, who do you expect to treasure it😆(am I being too harsh?)? One of the things to prove you love your content is be the first one to read your own blog post. Yes! Breathe deeply and read.

Congratulate yourself for making the effort every time. Every new blog post is worth being celebrated.

Take your eyes off you and start thinking more about the people you intend to bless with your content.

Pray over your content.

Love on your blog by changing its look at least twice a year to give it a fresh feel and also get you re-energised.

Cut yourself lots of slack!
By taking the step to write consistently, you are already better than most who never ever start.

…

And that’s it for today folks. I hope this encourages you to keep writing, keep blogging. keep learning and keep growing. I was reminded last weekend that every blog post matters. One of my goals is to write many books within my lifetime. To achieve that, I commit to writing often because every time I do, I get better!

Thank you for reading. Share some thoughts and comments. Share this with your friends too :-). You never know who needs it.

With love,

Keziah.

Find The Intersection Between Your Business Values & Clients’ Needs

To make a real difference in the market, whatever you send out has to matter to two parties: your business and your client. As a business, you espouse certain values based your unique value proposition to the market. If you’d like to know more about this, kindly refer to my previous post here.

Because examples really help to drive the point home, I’d like you to imagine you own a fashion business that sells beautiful wedding gowns. You’d need to define how you are better than the rest in the market in your exact field. Perhaps your collection has unique locally-made pieces and as a brand you aim to support local designers while catering to brides’ needs. Next, you’d need to establish what your clients’ real need is. Perhaps your client is mostly young middle-income women between 25 to 40 who want to look stylish at their wedding without breaking the bank. Their need therefore, is to look stylish at an affordable price. Let’s assume you’ve established that their definition of affordable and yours are the same and you can actually provide your stylish gowns at that price while making a great profit. That’s your point of intersection. Much as you also aim to support local designers, that may not be a direct point of concern for your clients and therefore it will act a bonus. Your main focus in your marketing efforts should therefore be to communicate clearly to your client that you are affordable and stylish. It does not mean that your other values and qualities as a business do not matter. In fact, they may even be very important to your target clients. In this particular example given, I’m simply making an assumption for the sake of illustration. 

I hope the example has helped to drive the point home. Think very carefully about the intersection between your business values and your clients’ needs. It will make a real difference. See you next time. I’ll leave you with this video below. Enjoy. 

With love, 

Keziah. 

(The feature image was taken at an EABC conference I attended in 2017.)

Value & Its Importance (In the Marketplace)

When we think of doing business, we mostly think about the product or service we offer to the market. That product or service in and of itself though does not cover all the value perceived by the market. Your value proposition is way more than the product or service itself. I feel that this is especially pertinent in the creative industries because customers/clients buy the value they perceive based on their unique situations in life, as well as varied tastes and preferences. 

It is therefore crucial that as creative entrepreneurs, we take the time to ask ourselves what our unique value proposition is and why it even matters to our clients. Why should your client/customer care about your product or service? If you stop serving or producing, who would be affected, and would they be affected greatly or not? What unique value are you adding to people’s lives in a way that matters? When you’ve answered these questions, you are one step closer to providing value that matters. 

I’d like to add that you can differentiate yourself in the market by having an especially creative product or an especially creative delivery system. If you are a designer, you can be that designer that has exceptional never-seen-before pieces at a premium price or you could be a designer that follows the trends creatively, prices as the market prices, but delivers excellently and on time even more than any other designer. I recently read Good to Great by Jim Collins, an American researcher. One of the things he advises in the book is to figure out what you can be the best at in your market, and go for it tenaciously with laser focus. That will require that you carefully look at your strengths and perhaps even ask other people that know you or your business well, to help you define what you do exceptionally better at than other people. 

Vusi Thembekwayo, an established entrepreneur and global speaker who hails from South Africa, says you can either be cheaper, better or faster to have a real edge in the market. That’s something for you to think about. 

I’ll close this post by sharing a bonus treat. I did a YouTube series about creating value that matters and attached here is the very first episode. Enjoy and see you again, soon. 

With love, 

Keziah. 

(The feature image is from my fashion brand The House of KEA during the CDEA bootcamp in 2017. The model is the beautiful Angela Kilusungu.)

PAUSE! Burnout is Real

Over a month ago, I walked into my mum’s kitchen where she was frying pork. Ladies and gentlemen, her pork is amazing I must say. Plus, the aroma filled the kitchen in such a heavenly manner. However, that’s not the point of this post. I stood at the door and looked at her. No words came out. She asked how I was. I looked back at her, confused, as if I couldn’t understand the words she was saying. My mind travelled to five different places in a space of about 30 to 60 seconds. All that came to my mind is the number of tasks I had not completed and yet the day was practically done. I had slept late the previous two or more nights because I was working late to make up for whatever I wasn’t able to finish during the previous days.  This sleep deficiency was punctuated by the fact that I had been working day in, day out for over a month, even on Sundays.

She asked again, “How are you?”

No words came out. I just looked at her. I wasn’t doing this intentionally. Nothing like this had ever happened to me, at least not that I remember. I should have responded with a one-word answer, at the very least, but no sound came out. I felt that if I even dared speak, I would fall apart the next minute. I had reached a point I hadn’t planned to reach. My whole body felt weird. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I was on the edge of tears. I didn’t understand myself at that moment. So, what did I do? I turned back and walked out of the kitchen, without a word! I apologized the next day or later that night, I can’t quite remember exactly when. She understood and reminded me ever so gently how she’d been advising me to rest.

Friends, I am not like that. I wasn’t trying to show mum any attitude. That kitchen-mute scenario though, was my cue to pause. I switched off my phone for two hours that night and did nothing work-related. I remember taking a warm bath and unplaiting my hair. I just paused. I did nothing that involved my brain or body in a very active manner. I didn’t even watch a movie or do anything special. I just paused. I didn’t talk to anyone in those two hours. After those two hours, I felt like a new person. I had a meal and slept earlier than I was used to in that period. 

I think the point is made. Burn out is real. To my fellow recovering workaholics out there, pause every day. It’s not a crime. This is a lesson I am still learning. In all this, I thank God for good health and the fact that nothing extreme happened despite my bad habits. He’s such a God of grace. Until next time, which will be soon, PAUSE, because burn out is real. 

With love,

Keziah

P.s.

Feature photo by photosforyou–124319 (canva)

And I chose the cat because why not?

Celebrating My YouTube Journey So Far

About two months ago I started a YouTube channel. First off, I am glad I simply started. Sometimes we wait to be perfect for too long and realise later that perfection never comes. I am happy that I am growing. I am on a journey to being more regular by doing series and posting a video per week. Some of the lessons I have learnt so far are:

  1. Simply start and grow along the way.
  2. In the beginning, you’d rather do short videos of not more than six minutes because you are gaining an audience and growing into your voice. For my first video that was about nine minutes long, the average watch time was about two minutes. I noticed that from the analytics, and also got advice from a mentor that shorter is better as I learn to create better and more engaging content.
  3. Celebrate every milestone. I can confidently report that I have 37 subscribers after posting two videos. Also, My next video goes up in a few hours so don’t miss it this Saturday. I will provide a link right after the first video of my current series(coming up) which I know you will enjoy.
  4. You grow in practice. I know that I had the latent potential to be a good speaker in front of camera but I would’ve never known that if I didn’t simply jump and start practising. I am becoming more confident in front of the camera. I still have to do lots of takes but that’s okay because the growth is evident. TED, here we come!
  5. Create a channel about something you are passionate about. I love, love, love my channel because I love, love, love the reasons behind the channel, which are all purpose-driven in my mission to nurture and grow creatives as I grow too.
  6. IT’S ABOUT THE PEOPLE. Every single like, comment, share, retweet, subscriber represents a human being who truly believes in me and wants to hear what I have to say or contribute in some way to my content. I HOPE TO NEVER EVER GET LOST IN THE STATISTICS. IT IS ABOUT PEOPLE, ALWAYS! I do not take the people for granted.

On that note, how about we watch a video?

For a link to my channel, click here. While I wait for you there, this video is a gift for reading to the end. See you soon on these streets. I’m signing out with love as always. Until next time.

11 Things That Make Me Happy (Day 21 UgBlogMonth)

As the UgBlogMonth draws to a close, I am delighted to share the things that make me happy. 

Life would be one huge dull blob if there was nothing to look forward to. I am grateful for moments of smiles, laughter and warm goodness. The following are what make me happy:

  • Understanding Grace 

Understanding the grace that comes from a relationship with God truly freed me to live a guilt-free life. I was very legalistic in the past and though I was raised in the church world, religion kept me enslaved to a life of tradition devoid of freedom. I wasn’t fully happy in my Christian journey; in fact, I was one of those Christians that didn’t make Christianity look attractive. However, when the revelation of grace started sinking in, it released me into a new kind of happiness. I’m getting happier with each new passing day and I am thankful for the blessings that come from being a child of God. 

  • Family

I love my family. As most families do, we have experienced issues too. That said, my family has also had some really happy moments. I am happy we are in a good place now and we experience a lot of peace and laughter with each other. My favourite moments are when we all gather together in my parents’ living room and share a meal while watching TV. God has brought us out of some murky waters of the past. Currently, we are all more understanding of each other and happy to have each other. Watching Nigerian programs with my parents really makes me happy; we always share lots of laughter in those moments because as we all know, our Nigerian brothers are not short of drama. I treasure those moments; they are golden. 

  • Bae

On one of my birthdays, bae took me to the lakeside where we watched the sunset over a good meal. A few days ago, he walked a distance to come see me, since public and private transportation is not operational due to the lockdown. Apart from the many acts of service, gifts and more, we have great conversation and lots of laughter. He and I haven’t had a perfect run but I can say without doubt that he makes me happy.

  • Great Friends

Where would I be without good friends that support me and understand me? The friends with whom I can talk effortlessly for hours on end are the absolute best. Time seems to stop, the tea is poured and a new world is formed for hours of pure bliss. I am so blessed to have great friends with whom I can share such moments. 

  • Great Music

Music is my first love of all the Arts. Listening to great music does something to my soul that feels so divine. It’s like entering into Heaven for a moment and being totally transported to a surreal world of happiness. Music nurses my heart so well if I am feeling sad and it has the ability to instantly shift the mood and give me hope. I am very picky with the music that I love and I ensure that it’s uplifting and positive either because of the beat, the lyrics, or both. 

  • Beautiful Spaces & Items

Beautiful spaces, clothes, jewellery, décor and other items, make me feel very important. I love feeling like royalty. Beautiful spaces and items boost my confidence and desire to continue living in ways that I can’t explain. When I enter a space, I instantly start either appreciating it or redesigning it mentally. 

  • Nature

Nature is God’s genius creation filled with beauty. I feel closer to God when in beautiful natural settings where the sun shines warmly, casting vibrancy over the horizon. Calm and peace fill me up and I am easily happy. 

  • The Performing Arts

Watching good performing arts gives me goose bumps out of feeling pure wonder. I can also remember a number of times when I have stepped off stage, after performing poetry, thinking ‘I was born for this’. The wide range of performing arts excite me. In fact, to kick up my energy and enthusiasm, I often watch talent shows such as The Voice and the ‘Got Talent’ series. 

  • Good Fantasy Stories

Good fantasy literature and movies transport me to other worlds and I love being transported to places I won’t ever go to physically. I can get lost in these made-up fantasy worlds willingly. The happiness that fills me in those moments is immense. 

  • Being Around Talented Positive Artists

Being around these kinds of artists energizes me tremendously. There is something about being with likeminded and driven artists that confirms my purposes to me every time I am with them.

  • Good Comedy

The laughter industry makes me happy without a doubt. Comedians like Trevor Noah and our very own Pablo add a lot of humour to a serious world. 

I am very happy about the above 11 and more. Life is certainly not dull but rather, filled with so much colourful variety. Thank you for reading. Like, share, comment and subscribe.

Stay safe. Stay HAPPY. Stay grateful. 

Regards, 

Keziah. 

The Child I Love to Remember (Day 20 UgBlogMonth)

I had to dig deep down for this day of the UgBlogMonth Challenge. Thankfully, the Arts came to my rescue with some happy childhood moments. 

When I was around 8 years old, while seated at home one sunny afternoon, something like a tune started dancing in my head and along with it, words. I was a reserved child which meant the world in my head was rather eventful. However, even for my eventful mind, this was a new experience. I picked up a pen, and wrote the words down in an exercise book. I don’t know where the book is anymore however some of the words stuck with me and so did the tune. I’ll never forget the tune. It resounds in my head even as I write this paragraph. Perhaps one day this song will see the light of public day. I started writing more often from that day forward. Strangely though, the pieces that came to mind after that came with no tunes despite the fact that when I wrote them down on paper, they followed a similar structure to that first one. Somehow, the words that I put down on paper helped me explain what my emotions couldn’t. I never shared those pieces with anyone. It was much later in life, when I joined secondary school, that I found out that those pieces I loved to write had a specific name. It was Poetry; and I’ve been in love with it ever since. 

On a different day when I was about 10 years old, without anyone instructing me to do so, something in my mind told me that it would be nice to draw the front facade of the house we lived in. I had been drawing little sketches of people for a while and I needed a new challenge. I picked up my clipboard, ruler and pencil, and positioned myself in front of our home. It was a rather engaging process. Just when I was about to finish, one of my brothers returned home. He saw me drawing something and asked to see it. Please note that the age difference between him and I is almost 9 whole years so he was about 19 years old and must have just joined university. 

He sounded pleasantly surprised when he said, “Wow, did you do this? You should do Architecture when you grow up.” Architecture. That was a new word that was introduced to my world. I was very blessed to have that word introduced to my heart and mind so early in life. 

The third and final memory is from the age of 11. There was a channel called Lighthouse TV where one of my favourite shows was aired – Colby’s Clubhouse. Oh, how I loved that show! I loved the music and the kids. I loved that they were so proactive and creative. It opened me up to a whole new world of possibilities. I decided with great resolve that I too would form my own group of young musicians. The band would be made up of my friends and I. 

My parents had a beautiful big radio which could record on tape. If you don’t know what tapes are, I don’t know how to help you (insert smiley face). I asked someone to buy empty tapes for me, I don’t remember who. I told them that I wanted to record some music. Then one weekend when I was set to go for a sleepover at my friends’ place in the Bugolobi Flats, I asked mum if I could go along with the radio because I wanted to record some music. She agreed without asking many questions, which was really sweet of her.

I got there and gathered all the kids. I told them we were going to record music and one day be on TV. I had very big dreams. I led us in practice. I can’t remember what songs we practised but after that, I got the radio and started recording. I recorded once and asked that we repeat the recording. I think it was on the third recording that the other kids started to look out the window. They were tired. I was so determined but there was no way for me to convince them to continue. And that was the end of my dreams. There is no Colby’s-like band for my friends and I, to this day. 

I’ll sneak in a quick bonus memory. I don’t know what age this happened at, perhaps because it looks like something I probably did more than once. Because of the massive age gap between my older brothers and I, I often had only myself to entertain me. I remember locking myself up in the girls’ bedroom, tying a cloth on my head (to mimic long hair) and going to stand in front of the mirror. 

I would strike a pose, smile and say something like this: “Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to this week’s show. I am your host Keziah….” I proceeded to say a bunch of things I can’t remember. A part of me still thinks I’ll be a TV show presenter in this life, someday. 

Thanks for reading to the end. Like, share, comment and subscribe below. 

Stay safe. Stay happy. Stay grateful. 

Keep dreaming like a child. 

Regards, 

Keziah. 

What I Wish People Would Stop Doing (Day 19 UgBlogMonth)

It’s never too late until it’s too late, and it’s not yet too late. I’m delighted to join the #UgBlogMonth Challenge albeit only for the final three days. It’s commendable that the Ugandan Blog Community is doing this. A new era is certainly with us and blogging is becoming a mainstream activity in Uganda, or at least more respected and loved than it used to be. 

On to the business at hand: there is one thing I truly wish people would stop doing and that is…(drumroll)…COMPLAINING!  

I feel that complaining can be likened to a sick person drinking poison in the hope that people will rush to his or her aid because suddenly things are harder. My point is that complaining actually makes you feel worse and not better. I’m not presiding as judge over this matter. I am in the defendants’ corner with the rest of the world, erring on the side that’s guilty as charged. There are all types of complaints. Some complaints are clearly easy to judge; the complainer may be loud and obnoxious. And yet it’s the subtle complaints that are even more dangerous. You know them, don’t you? Those that seem justified because after all, someone or the ‘universe’ is behind the cause of pain. Moreover, you are human and you deserve to air out the injustices in the world. Right? Maybe not. 

In his book Secrets of a Millionaire Mind, T. Harv Eker talks about the negative impact that complaining has on your ability to get rich. He even goes as far as saying that if you stopped doing this one thing, it would dramatically increase your ability to earn more. He goes further to mention that he has given this advice to his clients over the years and it has tremendously made a positive difference to their finances. He says that rich people with a rich mindset don’t complain. And even if they did, no one would pay them any attention because people don’t take too kindly to complaints about the size of a yacht, for example, especially not while so many others have ‘real’ problems. 

I am more conscious about the need not to complain and I grow daily in that regard. Some days are better than others. Yesterday in particular was not one of my strongest days on this front. However, I am grateful that I am no longer in the frame of mind where I’d make justifications for complaints. I feel terrible when the negative energy from the poison of complaints runs through me and I am instantly in a better place mentally when I choose to stop complaining. More than this, I want to be rich, I mean who doesn’t? I have no illusion that not complaining is a magic wand that will put money in my pocket. However, I know and believe that a better attitude and outlook in life greatly affects every action therefore instilling more willpower to make better choices daily. If you make better choices daily from a point of choosing to focus on the positives rather than the negatives, the opportunities instead of the challenges, you are then able to move everything in your life forward. 

That does not mean that we aren’t allowed to be sad. That’s a normal human emotion dependent on circumstances. However, to complain or not to complain is fully a choice. Yes, you read that right! We can learn to control our emotions and completely remove complaining from our default settings. This is one thing I really wish everyone would learn to do. 

Thank you for reading. If this is your first time here, subscribe, like, follow and comment below. 

Stay safe. Stay happy. Stay grateful. 

Resolve to stop complaining.

Regards, 

Keziah. 

The Limitless Creative

To say that I am very excited about the new look of my blog, is an overstatement! Actually, that’s not true, because though I don’t exhibit any visible signs of this internal euphoria, I am truly super-excited.

This upgrade of my domain and the effort I have exerted to express myself creatively through this blog symbolizes new beginnings for me.

See, I’ve been told quite a number of times that I do too much or that I can’t be involved actively in all the gifts God has given me. One person actually told me one time that I was finishing activities for the rest to do.

Her exact words were, “If you do everything, what do you expect the rest of us to do?”

I wish I could properly express the laughter emojis that I picture in my mind at this point because her insecurity was clearly coming from a place of not knowing herself well enough, and not believing that her own abilities were enough. A person who is insecure will naturally want to pull another person to the level they are at in their minds.

Thankfully, I paid her no attention.

On a different occasion, I asked a business man for guidance on how to utilize every talent God has given me fully, because I recognized that to those whom much is given, much is expected. Much to my disappointment, despite my desire to steward my gifts well and fully, I was told, “No, it can’t be done.”

Thankfully, I paid him no attention either.

I have continued to do many things and to exploit my creative potential as much as I can. I am not saying that I am perfect at everything, certainly not. I simply seek to give my very best every time. And even when I seek this, sometimes I still fall short. But that’s okay. I desire that when I stand before my God, unutilised potential will not be one of the things I cry over, not that there will be any tears there, but you get my point.

I am presenting myself here in a new light, with all of me, or at least some major parts of me. Some of you might not know that I do some of the things I am sharing on this blog/personal website. And I like that. I like that we are discovering new dimensions of eachother because I am certain that you too are not a one-hit-wonder. God made us all so multi-faceted and we should stop limiting what we expect from ourselves and others.

Allow me to welcome you to Keziah, the limitless creative. It’s not that I have an infinite level of creativity. That’s not what I mean but rather that there are no boundaries to my creativity and I celebrate my limitlessness because I am truly gifted.

Through this blog, I hope to share more of me with you and I am super-excited that I am going to write about more of the Creative Arts than I previously did. The Precious Series which was mainly for encouragement has been superseded by www.keziahelaineayikoru.com in all her fullness, or at least most of it – the parts I will show you.

Stay blessed and remember: we can all be all God created us to be, in the seasons that He has commissioned us to be, and we can do so without apologizing for our light! We are never too much. God made no mistakes.

With love,

Keziah.

P.s. All blog posts from the previous domain still exist here, under ‘Inspiration’ on the menu bar. This is simply an upgrade. Tell your friends to tell your friends. Follow, like, subscribe.

P.p.s. I also have a youtube channel now. See you too on that side.

New Things Under The Sun

Ecclesiastes 1:9 NKJV

That which has been is what will be,
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun.

In the past, I applied the above verse in resignation because I felt there was after all, nothing new that lay under the sun. Sometimes, I used it with great relief because I felt that I didn’t have to think so much because the solution already existed somewhere on the earth. I guess my feelings were valid in as far as my knowledge was at that point. However, ignorance of a truth still prevents one from walking in the freedom of that truth. 

I got a revelation a few days ago while watching a sermon. The preacher said that God is waiting to give some secrets to the children of God that will dwell with him and commune with Him. His opinion was that there are new things that don’t exist yet, that God will reveal to a chosen few. Right there and then, the following scripture came to mind and quickly connected the dots for me. 

Ephesians 2:6 New King James Version (NKJV)

and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

See, it’s true that nothing is new UNDER the sun but THAT’S NOT WHERE WE ARE POSITIONED. As children of God, we are seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus! In addition to that, the Bible says in 1st Corinthians 2:16  that we have the mind of Christ!

In short, this matter is sealed. We are spiritually seated in HEAVENLY PLACES so that we can bring NEW solutions from there to here, UNDER the sun where the world currently sees us. As children of God, made righteous by salvation, we are able to do this. 

Because of this, I would like to believe that there are still new innovative businesses that are going to be born, new scientific discoveries, new artistic ventures and new positive human advancements of great value. 

Because this is true, I believe that new terrifying situations like COVID-19 also have new Heavenly solutions.  God isn’t running around Heaven holding His head and wondering where the treatment will come from. He already sorted this matter at the cross. Because of that, Christians can appropriate the healing for it straight from Heaven to earth because God has a new solution to combat this “new” negative situation. I watched a testimony on Faith TV about a healing from COVID-19 after a word of healing was sent over the phone to a couple that had tested positive. Instantly, they were healed. Such is God’s power. 

He is such a gracious God and has already prepared for conclusive treatment in the form of medicines and healthcare too, to make sure more people get well. His mercy surely endures forever and He wants us well!

I don’t in any way belittle anything that’s happened. I also do not deny the severity of the situation. However, I simply can’t deny the power of our God who already put in place measures for new multiple solutions to be found even way before this situation occurred. Because of these solutions, the world has seen many recoveries and will continue to see many more. 

COVID aside, there is a lot to be grateful for; God is still in the business of doing NEW, awesome things every day. I am happy that we can trust such a good father. 

Stay safe under God’s shelter of His word and presence. He is good.

Rich People Spend Lots of Money

The title of this blog post sounds obvious, doesn’t it? However, this was a revelation for me this week; not because I didn’t know this before, but because it sank deep in my soul in a way that it hadn’t before.

I am doing a leadership course at the Harvest Institute and part of the tasks in this course is to self-fund a trip by air to Nairobi for the Fearless Summit. This comes with looking for your own accommodation and food, in addition to paying for the summit itself. In between, there are many other small things you may need such as toiletries and whatnot. I tend to think of the details. I wished this was the only extra thing apart from tuition fees for the course but no – it isn’t! In addition to this, there are costs for publishing and printing a book, royal gifting, transportation for the monthly classes, and so on. When you add up all the money needed, it could easily end up around 6 million UGX.

My strategy coming in was to do my best to economize as much as possible and hope for as much miracle money as possible to be able to meet the financial obligations. However, God wanted to teach me something else. His agenda was to teach me abundance. 

That is why when I received the poster below, there was an inclination towards signing up for it. I dismissed this inclination though because I felt I could do this on my own – book the ticket, look for accommodation etcetera. Later in that same week, I interacted with a friend who said she was paying for this package. She spoke about how convenient it is and the fact that one wouldn’t have to hassle. She also reassured me that the people organising are trustworthy and legitimate. She actually told me the name of the founder. My inclination towards this increased. However, I did not commit to it. photo

A few days later, God further prodded and directed me because that week, someone else shared a testimony with me about their experience with Speke & Grant. He had used their services last year for the very same summit and was so impressed. He had absolutely no bad thing to say. I still didn’t commit immediately.

I waited. I told God that the bills were high and I didn’t know whether I shouldn’t just hassle it out and save about 200,000 UGX or slightly more by doing my own bookings and follow-up. Then He highlighted to me that the rich live in convenience and abundance, which my friend had alluded to.

I still tarried. Then, He reminded me that this year I had committed to breaking the back of a poverty mindset for good. He said, “But what kind of money do you think the rich spend? You are scared of spending 6 million but the rich spend lots of money!”

I was stunned! It hit me that if I’m going to become rich, I’m actually going to have to spend WAY MORE than I currently spend, rather than way less, in the name of “economizing”. The point is, spending huge sums of money should not be something that scares me! Why? Because I am rich and the rich spend lots of money!

You can now see why it was a revelation for me. I have since then committed to the no-hassle package, despite not having a cent towards the package yet. I am perfectly peaceful about it too because I know I am rich and that whole package is already provided for.

Furthermore to this, our lead pastor did a teaching on “the blessing” and my attention was drawn to Abraham, in the bible who had a prosperous household of thousands. Clearly, his “bills” weren’t small.

My attention was also drawn to some of the most powerful cars I admire on the roads. I often feared to even look too long at these cars because, in mind, this was ” a thing for those people”. One day while I was riding on a boda boda, a sleek black car that looked like a range rover was turning the corner ahead of me. I was thinking about how expensive that car is, along with all related bills such as fuel and maintenance.  And God whispered in my ear, “That’s normal for a rich person.” I could swear that something within me vibrated. I could see that the poverty mindset was being challenged! 

In conclusion, the rich spend lots of money. Of course, they do not spend it unwisely, or they wouldn’t be rich in the first place; but the truth is, they don’t think cheap and they don’t compromise convenience and efficiency over a few bucks. 

I am rich and I spend lots of money wisely. The same applies to you. 

With love and sincere desire that you be released too,

Keziah.