Reasons Why Marriages Fail

We live in a time and age when relationships and marriages are breaking apart with unprecedented frequency. It seems to be worse among celebrities. Except for a few, celebrities around the globe are the worst hit with this worrisome trend and unfortunately millions of youths want to adopt their lifestyles. It will do the world a lot of good if celebrities start seeing marriage as a covenant not to be joked with or take lightly. Generally, we all need to understand the gravity of the world ‘marriage’.

This is why I am led to share this with us today and hopefully conclude it this week. This part of this series is directed at those who are yet to marry or find a partner.

1. One of the reasons why marriages are failing is because people ‘fall in love’ and leave their senses behind. Before we proceed, it is important that we look at the phrase ‘fall in love’. What does it mean?

To fall in love means to begin to have strong feelings and desire to be with someone, having romantic love for someone and it is a state of mind where the emotions take over the control of the mind rather than reason or logic.

This is why a professor can fall in love with an uneducated village girl. Natural reason is suspended for emotions when you fall in love. This is why a beautiful lady will keep going back to someone who keeps beating and abusing her.

Falling in love without listening to your sense of reasoning or logic is wrong. DON’T EVER ignore your intuition or nudging in your mind that things are too fast. As a matter of fact, I will advise strongly against falling in love, but gently slide into love. Sliding into love is a deliberate act of balancing your emotions and reasoning, paying attention to all the signs of danger, addressing those signs by asking questions, weighing your options if they are things you can live with, and either accepting or rejecting the suitor. Be guided by these two rules when love comes calling :

– Pay attention to your sense and voice of reasoning. The little signs you ignore before marriage will become major cracks in your marriage.
– Don’t be in a hurry. ‘He that believeth shall not make haste.’ – Isaiah 28:16b. It is better to age peacefully alone that to age painfully in marriage.

Summary of this point is to hold your head and take things easy. Give it time

Talk to you tomorrow.

God bless us all.

Good morning Africa!

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adewumioni.com

Mail me at adewumioni@gmail.com for questions and comments. Thank you.

Break Out of that Mould

It is said that the only constant change in life is ‘Change’ itself. Change keeps changing and is a constant factor, nothing else is constant, especially in our world. As we grow in life we experience a lot of changes, physical, emotional, physiological, spiritual and so on. We change over time.

Likewise, opinions, beliefs, traditions, cultures, practices and conditions change over time. It is therefore necessary that you subject your thought processes, response systems, biases, opinions and long held beliefs to emerging realities. It is a dangerous thing to be rigid and not to be responsive to realities.

One of the reasons why some people fail to make any reasonable progress is their inability to shift from their long held habits or positions. ‘This is how I have been doing my stuff and I can’t change it.’ Such positions will limit your growth in life and will make you live an unfulfilled life. You will miss out on new opportunities and breakthroughs. Break out of that mould.

‘Try to open up your mind a little, and move away from rigid opinions of what people should do and be – unless you have been there.’ – Ann Rule.

The only exception to this rule is when you have to do something spiritually, morally, mentally or physically wrong or harmful, then you can maintain your position. But when you are confronted with superior ways or ideas, wisdom requires that you bow to the superior. Don’t rot away in that position, accept change.

God bless us all.

Good morning Africa!

Take Care of Yourself

Lately, both print and social media have been deluged with news of death of young people, all over the world, but particularly more in our space here in Nigeria.

Most of the deaths are linked to heart and lifestyle related diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney failure, cancer and so on. While some of these are hereditary, a lot can be done to either prevent or even manage it if it is an hereditary case.

One of such is regular sleep. Please ensure you get minimum of six hours sleep on daily basis.

Also make sure you exercise at least three times a week and you may try to check on your physician for the proper exercise that fits your health profile.

Avoid fatty food, sugary food and lower your consumption of alcohol and caffeinated drinks.

Worry less and pray more. Don’t carry the world on your shoulder, you don’t have the capacity for that.

Carry out comprehensive medical check up periodically, at least once a year, especially once you attain the age of forty.

Avoid heavy late night meals. If you must eat at night, try vegetables or fruits. Eat balanced diet. Take a lot of water and fruits.

Finally, pay attention to your health. If you notice any strange development, see your doctor. Don’t overlook anything that has to do with your health.

Remember, you only live once, so live it right.

God bless us all.

Good morning Africa!

You May Just Be The Last Hope

Life can be very unfair and we often complain so, especially when it seems life has chosen to deal unjustifiable blows at us. When Job (in the Bible) recorded unprecedented losses, the wife was angry and saw God as an unfair God. Meanwhile before the losses she never thought that God was unfairly fair to her husband! That is our natural thought pattern, we complain when we don’t get the expected, but forget to appreciate when we get the undeserved, unexpectedly.

When life is cruelly unfair to us, one of the things that can make it bearable is the presence of friends and relatives who are there to support, encourage, pray and help out in any way. Unfortunately, most of the times, we don’t get such supports when we need them and this has sent many to early grave and truncated many great destinies. We are often betrayed by our very own, just like Job’s wife asked him to curse God and die.

It is therefore important we show up for our own when it matters. Let us be there for one another. Your call may be the last thing that will restore that hope. Your words of encouragement via sms may just be what will save that fellow from committing suicide. Your prayers and gifts may just be the ray of hope for another, that perhaps God has not forgotten him. Your little seed may be what will save that other fellow’s dream or business. You may just be the last hope, succour, comfort, or lifeline. Don’t withhold that love, care, concern or prayer. Give it out for it might be a lifesaver.

Let us make the world a better place for ourselves by being there for ourselves.

God bless us all.

Good morning Africa!

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adewumioni.com

Unavoidable Pains of Life (2)

Still on the subject of unavoidable pains, I was challenged yesterday by two people (apparently not Africans), that the examples of circumcision and ear piercing are culture-imposed pains and not life-imposed, because in some part of the world, circumcision is not done for boys and ear piercing is also optional. My response was that, both examples may not be applicable in all climes but they are still examples of some of the unavoidable pains.

Another argument was on jackpot or lottery winners. My response was that ‘I do not consider jackpot or lottery as’ ‘gain’ in this context.’ How many jackpot winners have been able to maintain the sudden wealth? You can check this link for the discussion. https://disqus.com/home/discussion/channel-theatlanticdiscussions/unavoidable_pains_of_life/.

I am sharing this to encourage such discussions. No one has monopoly of ideas, so please feel free to share your thoughts on any of my broadcast.

Today we will look at one more pain tagged Pain of Maturity.

4. Pain of Maturity: Maturity is defined as the state, fact, or period of being mature. Cambridge English dictionary defines it as ‘the quality of behaving mentally and emotionally like an adult.’ My definition is ‘a state of readiness of the intellect and emotion, to accept responsibility.’ As you mature, life begins to place responsibilities on you, usually with consequences. It is important to accept responsibility if you desire to grow. Some responsibilities may be huge and demanding, but when  you succeed in meeting that responsibility, you would have become a better person than you were before. Maturity brings responsibilities. Responsibilities are often burdensome. For instance, as you age, a time will come when you have to fend for yourself  rather than relying on your parents or guardians. Rents, clothing, feeding, and even raising your own family are unavoidable. There are also certain positions (secular, political or religious) you take on either by election or appointment, that literally turn your life upside down. You struggle for a while until you reach a balance, after you have matured into the new role.

Perhaps you are experiencing the pain of Maturity now, be strong and hold it out. Hear this ‘Fire tests gold, suffering tests brave men.’ – Seneca.

God bless us all.

Good morning Africa!

Unavoidable Pains of Life (1)

Just as a child would have to accept some pains in the process of growing up, so we must need accept some pains as part of life. A baby boy has to endure the pain of circumcision, while a baby girl has to endure the pain of ear piercing. When a baby start the teething process, it comes with pain and discomfort, but it must happen.

In life, you cannot gain anything without some pains. Nothing worthwhile happens without sacrifice. Some of the pains you have to endure in life are:

1. Pain of Learning: You have to subject yourself to the rigor of learning either formally or informally in order to become informed about a trade, skill or profession. Learning requires discipline, sacrifice of time, sleep, money and sometimes relationship. If you want to become a medical doctor, for instance, you must be willing to stay up longer at your reading desk more than an aspiring engineer. You cannot become a leader without learning to be a servant. Leaders are made through the process of learning. If you desire to become an actor, you must be willing to learn how to act. Whatever you desire, you need to pay the price of learning it. This is an unavoidable pain. If you don’t learn you can’t earn.

2. Pain of Giving Birth: If you cannot stand the pain and discomfort of carrying a pregnancy for nine months, plus the pain of labour period, you have no business expecting a child. For you to birth anything great, you must bear the pain of carrying and nurturing the dream. If you dream of owning a house, you must bear the pain of savings towards land acquisition. You must deny yourself a lot of things during the building process. Whatever it is that is worthwhile that you want to achieve, if you are not ready for the pain, then stop hoping for it.

3. Pain of Dying: We are not referring to literally dying here. We are talking about letting go of certain habits in our lives in order to become a better person. You sometimes have to let go of some of your indulgences, in order to become matured and capable of taking higher responsibilities. If you seek spiritual power from God, you must be willing to tame your appetite. You must be given to praying and fasting. Even in the political world, if you desire certain position, you must be ready to sleep less, have less privacy, read more and so on. You want a better relationship and you are not ready to deal with yourself first, then forget about it. Living starts with dying first. We die to self so that we can live for others.

We will look at some more pains tomorrow.

God bless us all.

Good morning Africa!

Copyright
adewumioni.com

If Your Life Was A Movie

There are certain movies I saw as a child that remain stuck in my memory for different reasons. Some have characters  that are lovable and who kids would want to emulate, like Veeru and Jai in Sholay (Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra). Some have terrible and wicked characters that you just detest as a kid, like ‘the bad’ in the movie ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ by Clint Eastwood. Titanic is another movie that told the story of love in a better way than Romeo and Juliet. Jack (Leonardo di Caprio) played the lover who sacrificed his life to keep his lover alive after the Titanic sank. It portrayed sacrifice in love and love without holding back.

We all have such movies with heroes and villains whose roles still flash through our minds. Now try to imagine that your entire life is a movie and it is being shown to the whole world. What perception will the audience have about your role? Heroic or Villainous? Would the world dislike your role like that of Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan) in ‘Sholay’? Or would you be loved like Jai and Veeru (Dharmendra)? We know leaders who are like Gabbar in our times. We equally know leaders who are like Veeru and Jai. Who are you like?

It is time to pause and reflect on your life and see it as a movie. Do you like your roles so far? Are you proud of your contributions thus far? Are there things you wish you could undo? Begin to make amends and necessary adjustments as you deem fit. Truly, our lives are like storybooks, we daily write our stories with our actions. The parting questions are ‘what kind of story am I writing with my life?’ and ‘if my life was a movie, will I be seen as a hero or villain?’.

God bless us all.

Good morning Africa!

Laws of Life (4)

Today we will round up on the Laws of Life. There are other laws but we will pause here while we focus on applying these laws in our lives.

9. Law of Appreciation: This law is a derivative of the law of Seed and Harvest. It states that whatever you appreciate and consciously show gratitude and value for, tends to increase. Simply put, appreciation brings increase. This law is applicable in every area of Life. Try appreciating the efforts of your spouse more and watch the effects. Or show gratitude for the output of your workers and give positive or constructive criticism, you will be amazed at how it will impact greatly on subsequent output. A small gift in your life can become your major source of income if you appreciate it.

The converse of this law is the law of depreciation. Simply states that what you don’t appreciate will depreciate. So start checking your appreciation quotient. The higher your Appreciation Quotient, the better your standard of living. It is not how much you have that determines your standard of living, but how much value you place on what you have. If you want your marriage to become better, start appreciating your spouse. Show that you are grateful for his or her efforts. Give kind words. Stop focusing on his or her weakness. Praise his or her strength.

This law can be applied to career, life, politics, and just anything. If you show love to even your domestic animals or pets, you will be amazed by the kind of loyalty you will get from them. Start today.

God bless us all.

Good morning Africa!

Question
What time of the day would you prefer to have this daily broadcast? Kindly be as specific as possible. Thanking you all as I await your responses.

Feedback

Good morning friends and followers. I trust that we are staying in charge of every situation and circumstances in our lives.

Life comes with different spices. Sometimes it is sweet, sometimes just plain and sometimes bitter. Whichever life brings, make something good out it.

Today, I want to crave your indulgence to give me feedback on the daily broadcast. It could be in form of suggestion, criticism, complaint or even request. I will really appreciate a response from all my followers so I can know how helpful or otherwise this daily broadcast has been. You can either respond on this platform or send me a mail on adewumioni@gmail.com.

Thank you all and God bless us all.

Good morning Africa!

Good morning Nigeria!

Laws of Life (3)

We continue again today on our series on Laws of Life. It is my hope that as we begin to apply these principles in our lives, we will begin to experience positive changes.

7. Law of Focus: This law emphasizes the importance of directing one’s energy and passion at a single task or goal per time. If you focus the sun on a piece of paper with a lens, after one or two minutes, that point on the paper will start burning. The speed at which this will happen depends on the intensity of the sun, how powerful the lens is and the thickness of the paper. This simple illustration can be applied to any task or dream we set out to achieve. The sun represents your energy, skills, resources and passion, while the lens represent your mind (undivided attention) and the paper is the task at hand. If you direct all your energy and resources with a focused mind on any task, you will easily and quickly accomplish the task better than if you have divided attention. Have you been finding any task difficult? Try the law of Focus and you will surely accomplish the task.

8. Law of Replacement: This law stresses the need for continuous replacement or replenishment of resources, either of the mind or body. You must regularly create time for your mind and body to be renewed through the process of rest, relaxation, exercise and meditation. The body is like a container holding the mind, no matter how sharp your mind is, it needs the body to execute its thoughts, and the body has a limitation, it ages. You can however reduce the aging process through constant rest, retreat, and exercise. Sleep at least 6 hours every night, no matter how busy you are. The mind also loses its sharpness if not exercised and well rested. Create periodic time of retreat where you can do nothing but meditate and refresh your mind. Fill your mind with the Words of God, positive and inspiring messages. Exercise your heart through regular exercise. Many people are dropping dead everyday due to accumulated stress and tiredness of the heart. Don’t be a victim, apply the law of replacement.

Till tomorrow.

God bless us all.

Good morning Africa!

Good morning Nigeria!

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adewumioni.com