#TBDaily Hey Monday... Bring on the 1st Monday in September

I am going to have to start wishing people a Merry Christmas because while January and February seemed to be slow, the rest of the year has gone by pretty fast.

I have had a different kind of ginger lately, thank God.

Thing with me is, when I feel it, I do it. The trick is to also be able to do it even when I do not feel it. May God help me o!

This week, I am looking forward to work, meetings, a dope feed on Instagram (yes, it is a thing), and being on top of my tasks. 

This weekend was a busy one. I bet you guys were kept busy with red carpet pictures and beautiful people. I loved it! It was also Ajebo D Comedian's comedy event and Inspiration FM partnered so we were there to support.

In between all of that, I was working, thinking, and believe it or not, writing and completing short films.. in my head. 

So, what is your prayer for the week?

#TBDaily Let me tell you about a Prisoner named Joe

Okay let me be honest, I do not remember his name. I think it was Joe but let's just still call him Joe.

I was watching my new addiction, 'LockUp', a series that takes a look at prisons in America. The tv crew will go to a prison and spend time there, finding stories about love, dealing with addiction, gangs, punishment and more, within the prison. If you can, catch an episode; it is on Fox Life and I watch it on Kwesé TV.

I watched an episode over the weekend where there was a prisoner named Joe. Joe had been in and out of prison for most of his life, starting from when he was 18. As at the time the show caught up with him, he was nearing his parole period. For some reason, he then began to act up. One of the guards said to the producers that it might be fear causing him to keep misbehaving.

Does that sound weird? Fear of being out? You would think it would be more a case of joy and anticipation right?

Apparently not.

Finally, his release day came and Joe was so excited! He changed into non-prison clothes excitedly, ready to start afresh and definitely not come back.

He came back.

Infact, he ran away from the halfway house he had been placed in, and was found at a petrol-station near the prison. He will now serve the remainder of his term behind bars.

We might be tempted to laugh at Joe but think about how like Joe we are sometimes in our own daily lives.

1. How many times have we done or said things we shouldn't have out of fear? Sometimes instead of letting ourselves be vulnerable and express our fear, we cover it up with anger.
What can we do? Do not deny things you feel; acknowledge the fear and then try to work on it.

2. Joe had freedom but couldn't handle it; he had got so used to another life and went back to it.
Sometimes we let routine become a prison for us and run back to it instead of facing the unknown and using our freedom wisely.
Be careful about things and situations you hold on to simply because that is all you know. Try new things and see what may come from that.

I hope you all have a great Monday!

OAP 101: Do your SWOT!

Hi Media Guy, or Girl!
Thanks for checking out another OAP 101 post.
Now I am not sure if you know that I also have a podcast series? Check out past sets here, and listen to this week's episode on Anchor.

If you are interested in things like branding and positioning as a media person, a S.W.O.T analysis at its' most basic will be beneficial for you.
What does it stand for?

S- Strengths
W- Weaknesses
O- Opportunities
T- Threats.

Simply put, take a look at your SWOT and then use that to plan your next few steps brand and position wise.
Your strengths are the things you do best AND that make you unique. For example. one of your strengths can be that you can talk about any subject on earth! Trust me, not everyone can do this. Another strength can be that you like something others like you do not like. Take me for example, I think I am one of the few women On-Air Personalities in Lagos who not only love but follow and analyse football games. Trust me, it has been an advantage for me.

Your weaknesses are those things that you obviously don't do well, or don't do better. Opportunities speak for themselves. These are the jobs, brands, and other avenues open to you as a media host to grow and include things like reading the news, hosting a show, speaking at a conference, interviewing guests on the red carpet and more. List them.

Last but not the least, taking a look at the space you're in, list your threats; these are competitors and factors that may prevent you from getting certain jobs. For example, I mentioned that I like football more than most. There are some who DO like football as well though and may be a threat when it comes to football based opportunities.

Once you have done this, and please note that this is not something you do once and forget about but rather, something you may need to go back to from time to time to update, you can then see clearly how to BUILD on your strengths, WORK AROUND your weaknesses, LOOK for your opportunities and POSITION yourself ABOVE your threats.

Feel free to hit me up privately with your own S.W.O.T analysis via my Instagram DM.

How Staying in the Moment can Hurt

If there's one thing we may not do well, it's this staying in the moment thing.
The idea is to be present in the moment you're in and not worry about what's coming an hour later or bothered by what happened an hour before.

Now that's sound advice.  It's great advice people!  Stay in the moment.
But!

There's a balance needed.

Ever gone for a party and eaten everything on offer then had to battle a stomach ache all night long?

We may forget that things we do, say and eat (or not do, say and eat)  have an effect on us; effects we may not notice till later.  Like how not sitting properly when we were younger means battling back problems now or road rage biting us in the behind later.

Living in the moment is great but be sure to make your present full of benefits.
What do you think?

#MondayMotivation How to UNLearn

If I asked what you learnt recently, you would probably have a million responses.

What if I switched it up and asked what you UNlearnt recently?

There you may hesitate and look at me like I was mad.

I do believe though that life is about 

- Learning

- Unlearning, and 

- Relearning.

Let me explain.

The average person will learn something new everyday, either while on our daily commute, while watching or reading the news, or from something online.

I recently learnt that President Macron of France will be visiting Ghana, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast while covering the news for Kwesefied. (I then wondered, 'what happened to Naija na?!')

French President, Emmanuel Macron

But i digress.

Learning is easy, especially if we open ourselves to it.

ReLearning is also easy. There are things we have learnt before that we either take for granted or do not use and so must relearn them. I for example, had to relearn how to move my arm after I fractured it and wore a cast for weeks. The first day the cast was taken off, the doctor and nurse said, "Move your arm" and I thought I was doing it but guess what? My arm was NOT moving.

I then had to undergo a series of physiotherapy sessions to RElearn how to move my arm.

That was not fun I can tell you.

What may be fun or not fun depending on our attitude to it is UNlearning.

Imagine you grow up thinking something and 'knowing it for sure', then growing up and finding out you were wrong!

There are people who still argue the earth is flat while most say it is round.

If you do not open yourself up to letting go of wrong or false information you have, you may find yourself stuck in the mud and not growing. Learning, Unlearning and Relearning are all essential aspects of growth.

Can you s.h.a.r.e one thing you recently Learnt, Unlearnt or Relearnt, with me?

Does Red Lipstick make you look Older?

I loved my mum's bag when I was growing up because I swear she had everything in it.

I should do a series on that. Lol.

One of her favourite items in her bag was her red lipstick which I would watch her apply. My mum can skip anything- brows, blush, powder, but never her lipstick.

Years later, she still swears by red.

I on the other hand have had a love hate relationship with red lipstick- I love to hate it. I think it ages me and never use it directly. My Make Up artists love to use it on me though and I try not to protest too much.

Truth is from your hair to your skin to the colours you wear, there are things that can make you look older or younger depending on what you are looking for. Purple for example tends to sympolise royalty or age while pinks and florals are more girly girl.

You can get away with red though if

- it is the perfect shade for you

- it is applied and lined properly.
- it is not red. Loooooool

What do you think?

Does red lipstick age?

#Skincare 3 cool ways to drink water without actually drinking water...

By now you know that staying hydrated is good for you. It not only helps you internally, but it is also great for your skin.

If you are like my sister and i though, you probably HATE drinking water. Let us be honest, for most of us, water is one of the most tasteless things out there. It is easier to reach out for a soda ('soft drink') than it is to get that recommended daily dose of water in.

Is there anything you can do to cheat?
I have 3 for you!

- Healthy fluids
A lot of things are actually made with water right? You can reach out for green tea, freshly squeezed juices, and other types of healthy alternatives.

- Infusions
These days, people go around with water bottles containing water and infusions like fruits or spices. I like doing lemon or lime in my water in the mornings as it gives the water a little oomph and makes it less boring. Add some mint or orange slices and you will have something tasty to enjoy.

- Water based foods
One of my favourite fruits ever is the watermelon. It is such a great way to enjoy yourself and the good thing is it is healthy as well. You can try things like cucumbers, salad greens, melons and grapefruits as well.