Truth Be Told

For the first time in a long while, there won't be a guest post today. I didn't get the email from the person I asked to write today's post, really sorry for those waiting for it to be uploaded. Right now, I have no idea who to ask anymore. So if you'd like to write something for the blog, please send me a mail at dr.dedun @ gmail.com .  or just click on the support page to email me, Thank you.

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If you've not registered for my event, Power Lunch & Workshop coming up on the 1st of October in Debrecen, Hungary, don't worry there are a couple of seats left. You can register in the link below.

• 6am - I'm not a morning person but I've experienced how wonderful a day pans out when you wake up early. Hopefully, I develop this early morning habit and actually wake up at 6am not 8! 
• 7am -  I finally get out of bed by 7am because I was busy tossing and turning for one hour! LOL I just told you I'm not a morning person. I did something productive though, I read my devotional, prayed, called my employees to brief them on today's target and important things to get done. 
• 8am - By this time I'm set to leave my place. Makeup done, I've had breakfast that I really don't care much for but as always, my mother's voice telling me "breakfast is the most important meal of the day", forced me to have one. 
• 8.30 am - Driving peacefully to work with no ridiculous traffic jam, no ruthless driver to yell at. I don't have road rage so I doubt I'd curse out anyone on the road anyway but who knows? I've heard of ruthless drivers in Lagos so that city can turn on my raging side if I ever live and drive there. Twenty minutes tops and I'd be at work. 
• 9.30am - Who was I kidding? Twenty minutes turned to an hour and I'm finally at work at a top consulting firm. I'm late though but my boss is an amazing one that understands that this lateness must have been for a very good reason because I'm always punctual. It's okay, my day is still going fine. 
• 9.30am -12pm - Less stressful work day today. Easy going and finally time for lunch break! Even with the breakfast, my stomach still had the gut (pun intended) to growl and embarrass me. Off to the office canteen to get some delicious Jollof Rice with Smoked Beef and Coleslaw because I don't like the serenren in the 'Nigerian salad'
• 12.30pm-4pm - After the usual post-lunch work flow, it's finally closing time! For me, my real day just started. 
• 4.30pm - Thirty minutes drive to my business complex, I arrive and I'm greeted by an employee, the complex manager. I'm briefed on what the day has been like, the high inflow of customers and clients and how much we've made so far. I'm elated because it's been a great business day even in my absence.
• 4.45pm - I inspect the different parts of the complex, from the Bakery to the Salon, Make-up store to the Restaurant.
• 6pm - Back in my personal office where I do some paper work while waiting for the dinner I ordered from the Restaurant. What did I order? Pounded yam with Egusi and Goat Meat with some Suya to snack on before closing time. 
• 8pm - Dinner done, paper work done. Called my mum to check up on her and it's time to start prepping for closing time. I head back to the stores and monitor my employees while helping in any way I can to make the closing time easier for them. 
• 9pm - Coast is clear. The complex is closed. For the next hour, we have to close the tills and balance the account book. My accountant is busy doing that while I remind the cleaners how they should clean (LOOL the boss mentality. It's never as clean as you when you do it yourself)
• 10pm - Finally heading home and in ten minutes I'm home. Time to indulge in missed episodes of Jenifa's Diary and sleep off on the soft comfy couch in my living room while the glass of sweet red wine stares at me annoyingly "this woman you always pour me and never drink me, smh"

So many people are in chains not because an evil person chained them, They are in chains because they chained themselves. On Friday, I was privileged enough to be featured on not one but two amazing platforms and because I'm one to always read comments anytime I'm scrolling through a blog post, I definitely didn't skip this time. Then I saw a comment that went like "Master of None"... You know from that saying "Jack of all trades, master of none'...

It's funny because I've actually used this saying before and switched the 'none' with 'all'. Why do people stick with the "Impossible?" Freedom to me means doing the "impossible". Everyday I wake up, I think of ways I can challenge myself and not stick to a supposed box that society has defined for me. When do you exactly become a master of all when you are the jack of all trades? Why can't a jack of all trades become master of all? Since I've gone out of the norm to become jack of all trades, they've all worked for me quite well. If anyone has an answer to why jack of all trades can't be a master should let me know. 

So why is freedom important to me?, Natalie Sisson asked.

• Freedom pushes your creativity. 
• Freedom is liberating. 
• Freedom doesn't keep you in a box. 
• Freedom does not define you but rather, you use your freedom to define yourself. 
• Freedom gives you power. 
• Freedom challenges you. 
• Freedom is in your mindset. They way you see and live life. 
• Freedom let's you find your shortcomings. 
• Freedom gives you the pass to make mistakes, to try and fail. 

So many times we discourage ourselves because of our present situation and mindset. Aside from the already numerous negative energy from outside ("friends", "families", naysayers), we make things worse by succumbing to the negative forces and accept defeat. We belittle ourselves and limit our potentials.

I remember when I started, I had nothing but my skills. I didn't want to put myself out there because of fear of negative comments or because I won't get clients. I tried telling a few people to make their hair with me but generally, I was mum with major advertisement for Hair by Dedun. As time went by, I realized I enjoyed what I was doing and I decided to put my focus on the skill. I started yearning for more clients and at the same time looking for ways to improve so in turn more clients will come. Thankfully, a few loyal clients allowed me to practice on them and that turned out amazing by the way. If not for their trust, I wouldn't have pushed harder to make sure I don't lose focus on what I loved doing. The fear of negative comments was my first challenge as an entrepreneur. This fear makes you lose focus on what you had your eyes on from the start whether it's your dream job, life etc. You forget that what you have within is greater than what is/coming from outside, in return give up and live non-chalant and unbothered about your previous goal.

My second challenge was the fear of failure. Life got so busy for me when I added Dedun's Cakes to my list of businesses. I was scared I would repeat and fail exams. I was scared I would have to make a disappointing call to my family to tell them how they have to look for extra year tuition because their daughter decided to be superwoman and mix business with Medical School. You know what I did? I decided to turn that negative thought into something positive by always reminding myself that I have to make sure I never make that gruesome call. I used that thought to find my focus in Medicine and told myself "by 2016, I will be done with Medical School come rain or sunshine". So any day I find it hard to study because I just spent hours in the kitchen baking or cooking away, I find strength in my end goal, my focal point, and push harder. It cost me sleeping time, fun time but I had to pay the price because I wanted to achieve my two goals of business success and Medical degree by 2016.

I won't lie to you and tell you I never thought of quitting. In fact, I almost quit Dedun's Cakes less than a year into it. That was how tedious and draining the beginning years were. It was a new territory, I had no mentor or even someone that had done it before me to call. I felt I was alone and nobody really understood my struggle combining both businesses with school. This feeling was also one of the things that almost made me lose my focus.

How do you find your focus? By having a set plan ahead of time. Write it down if need be so you can revisit when you are struggling. Do you plan to have an established life at a particular age? Plan it out and remind yourself, when things get tough on the road to the life you want, that the plan must succeed. Your mindset should be ready to go through all the different euphoric and disappointing phases that would come along. Do you want to start a business but no money? Research on businesses you can start without money, yes there are loads out there. Submit yourself to a period of learning prior to you starting one. If money is a must before you can start one, start saving any little you can in a day. It will definitely add up. If I had the mindset of "Whatever comes, I will accept it like that", then I wouldn't have finished Medical school this year or even worse, I would have given up and moved back to Nigeria to start a business. After all, they said we go to school so we can make money with the degree. Might as well leave school and make money with the business I already started but no, I had a 'can-do' spirit and it brought me here. If you are finding it hard to study, remind yourself that failure is not an option and this will drive you to look for many ways you can study efficiently.

I'm saying all these because when you find your focus, you have no choice but to preserver, find strength and motivation in your focal point. Put your eyes on the goal and march on without turning your heads to the side. Don't focus on the negativity around you but stay true to you and your goal. If it's money holding you back, you would definitely find every means necessary to make way for yourself because you are assured of what you want at the end of the journey. Don't use your present situation to give your future a death sentence. Many mountains and hurdles will come your way but never lose your focus! 

Love,
Dedun

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I'm sure you are rejoicing that I'm writing a second post for today. That is because I signed up for a Freedom Blog challenge by The Suitcase Entrepreneur. This blog post is in response to Natalie’s 10 Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge Day 1 .For the next 10 days I will post twice on the blog. Wish me luck :) 

Today when I logged on the blog, I started typing something else then this topic just laid in my heart and I had to cancel what I wrote. Dry bones.. What comes to your mind when you hear dry bones? Last night, I was so tired because it was a really long and busy day for me. I had dinner at 12.30am and I just dumped the plate on the table beside me. When I started typing the post I cancelled, I turned to my table and saw the plate. The bones of the chicken I was too tired to crush and chew laid there in the plate, dry and cracked. I just said no, there must be a reason why "dry bones" has been laid in my heart so I opened my bible to Ezekiel 37, where we have the valley of dry bones from Verse 1 - 14.

Summary of these verses is that God gave Ezekiel the authority to prophesy into the dry bones to come back to life but there was a process to it.

1. Prophesy: If God wanted to make things quick, He could have just told the dry bones to come back to life with just one word. But He knew that men like to understand a process before they can believe and moreover, we learn more from lessons right? There was a lesson to this. Sometimes, like the children of Israel, we Christians wallow in self pity and say God has abandoned us when in truth, He has given us authority to command and bring life back and just waiting for you to perform what He has taught you in His word. Are we tapping into that authority? 
2. A force (the rattling sound and noise): Verse 7. Even after prophesying, nature has to take it's course and obey your command too. You need a force to work for you in the process. 
3. Layer by layer assembly: Verse 8. It started with the tendons, then muscle then skin. It was a beautiful process to behold. 
4. Another Prophesy: Now that it looks like everything is ready, there's still one more step. You are to take that last step of breathing new life into what you just created. 
5. Life: It can live again.
6. Where there's life, there's hope: The new life has another chance. To revisit old mistakes and not repeat them again. To hope for a better journey and ending. 

Relating it to us, there are a lot of things in our lives that died unexpectedly, prematurely etc but do you know that they have another chance? Perhaps it could be your walk with God that died when you experienced something traumatic. You wanted God to show up for you so badly but He didn't, so you gave up on Him. Do you also know that as believers of the word, we have been given authority over the world, over the devil and his schemes and God is just, ever patiently, waiting for us to make the move so He can help us? He's waiting for us to rise and stamp our feet down against the devil. He's waiting for you to tap and use the anointing He bestowed upon you when you gave your life to Him.

I want us to know that there's a process to rejuvenation. Yes, sometimes instantaneous miracles do happen but even in that miracle there was a process. From your faith having a role, to the command that caused the miracle and the forces that joined to perform the miracle. It's all a process. Remember, God is not friends with a lazy man,a lazy man than can't carry his bible to know and worship God but yet thinks he can command life to dry bones without preparation. You can curse Him and say He abandoned you in your trying times but did you find Him in His word? He is always there. He just wants you to meet Him where He promised to be always, the Holy Bible.

To you my dear reader, don't convince yourself that your situation is irreversible. My God that performs wonders and miracles just wants you to exercise your faith and prophesy with His word. We should not be like the Israelites that said ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’  Even when we abandon Him, He doesn't cut us off so don't believe that you have no hope or that your bones are dried because in God's sight, everything has life. Your perspective determines your reality. I can only pray that we put to good use the authority we have over situation in our lives. Let every dry bone rise and live again!

Love,
Dedun

"Onise Iyanu
You are the God of awesome wonders
I’ve tasted of your power
Onise Iyanu
You have shown me so much mercyMuch more than I deserve"

Dedun: So many times I've failed but God's mercies remain. Only His undeserving mercy brought me this far.

"My eyes have seen, my ears have heard
The wonders of your praise"

"Meet us at the graveyard now!"

A husky voice pierced my ears like spears through the phone in the most authoritative tone I had ever heard.
I swallowed as I adjusted my glasses and stared intensely at the wall clock in my small room.
It was 11:33pm.

My phone rang again. I ignored
Soon, I noticed an intermittent flashing white light hovering the compound.
Disturbed, I got up quietly from my bed and peeked through the window.
The light came from a car parked just outside my room.

"Martha!" a familiar voice called from the car. It was Bukky.

Now, Bukky was the kind of girl who could lend you a penny in the dark and warmly tells you to keep mum about it, but then she sneaks out in public and aggressively calls you out for ripping her off her entire fortune! To say the least she was unpredictable, well-calculated and I have to say this....devilish (that's if she's not the devil herself. Okay, maybe I went just too far)
From her malicious grin to her signature hand poses, I had a love/hate relationship with Bukky.

I ignored all of that. Well, at least for the progress of my grades. Yes, I needed Bukky. I had to swallow her sick attitude to master her study pattern to get good grades. I had to follow her lead, even if it meant sneaking out!

One second, she's all night partying, and the next, she's screaming so loud about having one of the best scores in our department.
How does she do it? I was desperate to know.

"F-four eyes..you....you received a call?"  She asked, almost choking on her own laughter.

Others in the car joined in. A cackle of Hyenas was all I saw.

"Bukky" I whispered under my breath.

"Hop right in" she yelled

The rest joined in to yell.

I panicked within as I grabbed my bag and jacket, switched off my table light, and jumped out through my window ignoring the possibility their voices could have woken my parent and two younger brothers.
In no time, I joined the group heading somewhere down the dusty road.

"Bukky" a voice in front of the car playfully called her.
"One more stop"
Bukky nodded her head in approval.

'Do the call' she urge.
The exact same prank call played on me was done.
They all laughed.

It was Jeremy. He was standing just outside his gate when we drove in.
Jeremy or should i say 'Bukky 2.0' happened to be the only child of his parent. He often bragged about getting whatever he wanted from his parent, and of course he was always spotted in College hanging out with Bukky.

"You guys have nothing on me with your lame calls"
He spoke in a surprisingly calm way as he entered the car and we drove away.
Few minutes later, the car came to a halt. I recognised the surroundings. It was our College building.

"Bukky, what are we doing here?" I asked her calmly trying to suppress my anxiety.

"Shh..Keep quiet" was her response.

I watched in awe as she easily broke into the school main building from one of the back doors with some tools.
I was shocked at first.
One could tell she was definitely not new to the trick.
She ordered Jeremy and some of her members to stay outside the building and be watchful
Still shocked, I followed her lead and I saw myself down Mr. Maxwell's  office.
Mr. Maxwell was the college registrar as well as our History lecturer.
Bukky successfully hacked into his computer. She pulled out a white paper and was already busy at work. It became very clear to me she was changing the final grades. Those names listed on the paper must have been students who paid her one way or the other to change their grades.

"Why you staring at me like that!?" she asked while on her own grades.

"I'm leaving" I said bluntly

"Leaving? wont u change your scores?" she frowned without looking up. She was carefully doing her job.

"You pleaded with me to show you my special study pattern, didn't you?" she still wasn't looking up. Her voice was louder than ever.

Bukky and I soon started exchanging bitter words.
I was disappointed, I stupidly believed she had a 'special' study technique or something. At that point, I knew I had only myself to blame. I shouldn't have ignored her sick attitude at first.

Angrily, I reached out to the door to leave Mr Maxwell's office. Coincidentally, Jeremy rushed in and slammed the wooden door to my face, my glasses broke from the accident.  I was partially blind without my glasses.

"Ouch!"
My entire face was on fire.

"I think someone else just got into the building" he announced. 
"I heard the front door open"

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Hey guys, if you are in Debrecen, you can still register for my event here. 

It's been a long time coming planning this event and I really took my time because I want to give you the best of me, nothing less. This is really dear to me because I know the level of impact it will have on the five guests that will attend. I shared my Success Story  yesterday and I held back on some in-depth stories I will love to share with you at this event so you can also grow yourself and be financially stable regardless of your age or degree you are getting. 

Aside from the delicious 3 Course Lunch that will be served, you will have the opportunity to network with other people like you that really want to achieve more than what life is currently handling them. That's not all, whether you are business savvy or not, any idea you have can be actualized by submitting your idea before the event and I can evaluate it then present it to you during the workshop section. I will also give a talk session on how to fast track your personal growth and development. This talk session will touch on every aspect of our lives that need to be developed. 

It promises to be an amazing time in the presence of like minds and goal achievers like you. We will challenge each other to be limitless and courageous when taking giant steps. You will have to be there to feel the impact! 

Lastly, because I want the event to be intimate and highly interactive, seats are limited to just 5 Guests. Yes FIVE. As I write this, the seats have been reduced to four because a lucky subscriber registered before it became public info. You should subscribe too so you don't miss awesome giveaways and opportunities from me in the future. Please click the link below to register, thank you. 



Please note, your seat is only guaranteed after you've paid. I hope to see you there. Please click the pictures for all the info you need. Cheers.