In The Lord’s Temple (2)

Continued from yesterday----- Scroll up on this blog for the part1
“WHAT is it my dear husband?” she asked, really perturbed. “You know I told you my destination this morning before leaving. My mission if you recall was to see my Doctor-friend Rotimi about our plight and to find out if he would help me financially. He opened up that the secret behind his wealth is voodoo or juju. That is if I want to be rich I have to perform certain fetish rituals, then wealth will come my way. What do you think, should I do it? I just don’t know what to do.”
“En! Enn! What are you saying darling? You, a pastor! God’s minister and servant! Don’t you ever try it.” She concluded without hesitation.
“I thought as much dear,” Austin replied, “There’s no going back. I serve the living God. No matter my travails or problems I can’t and will never look back. My God is Holy and awesome, I believe I’ll overcome my plight very soon. The storm will soon be over. I won’t taint or smear the Holy Spirit with mud.”
Some few minutes later Austin called for his lunch. His wife stood up and headed for the kitchen to bring it. She appeared the next moment with the food and placed it on the table. Austin was ready to eat his meal. There was actually no inkling or sign that something bad and disheartening was about to happen. He continued eating his food and washing it down once in a while with a glass of water in his front. Just then as Austin took a morsel in his mouth he began to laugh uproariously. It was a very strange laughter.
“What’s the matter dear?” his wife asked.
“He! Hee!! Heee!!! You mean you don’t know the matter? How can you know? Can’t you see I’m dining with the President? Heh, I want to visit the moon. I heard that life in the moon is better and sweeter! He! Hee!! Heee!!!” he ranted loony words.
“God! Good God what’s wrong with you?” Hannah asked again with tears gathering in her eyes. Instantly before Hannah could say another word Austin took off his shirt and flung it at her. The next minute he unzipped his trousers and took it off too. Then it dawned on Hannah that her loving husband had gone mad. She rushed towards the door and closed it to prevent her husband from running out into the street in nude. She wondered what caused the strange illness. That particular moment Austin had started dancing on the couch and singing strange and bizarre songs that made no sense.
Hannah didn’t know what to do about the strange development. She was just shedding heartbreaking tears as the time went by. She was in a state of panic. Then an idea struck her mind. She locked the door behind her husband and went to seek help from neighbours. She explained the sad development to sympathetic neighbours and they followed her to their apartment in a twinkling of an eye. When they entered the living room and saw the pathetic condition of Austin, the neighbours empathized with her. One of them suggested that Austin be rushed to the psychiatric hospital for treatment immediately. So, instantly they organized for a private cab and cleverly took Austin to a popular psychiatric hospital located in the heart of Lagos.
It was a most trying moment for Hannah. She started taking her husband from one psychiatric hospital to the other. She spent all her life savings to take care of her sick husband. His condition seemed to defy all medical explanations as he continued to grow from bad to worse. She became a really sad and frustrated woman. She fell ill in the fifth month and was diagnosed of Typhoid fever. She was admitted in the hospital. Her family had to spend several thousands of Naira for her medical treatment before Hannah’s health improved for the better. Her elder sister, Helen, warned her to tread softly with regards to her husband’s problem or else she’d lose her life. But Hannah was undaunted. She had made up her mind to support her ailing husband, and fight the battle for her own life and the life of her husband. She loved him too much. It’s rare feat for most women to stand by their husband during difficult times. A lot of modern-day wives would definitely abscond when their husband faces terrible challenges in their lives. With tears in her eyes, Hannah would feed her husband with food and water. Austin was now gaunt and really lean. He would not take food from anybody else but Hannah.
About three years later all hope seemed lost; it looked as if Austin would die after all. He had become as lean and thin as a broom stick. Hannah had exhausted all her life savings on her ailing husband and she was left with nothing. One day Austin called her from the depth of his soul. He remembered her name.
“Hannah, I don’t think I can overcome this problem… I see demons every day. Let me die…” he said.
“Oh no, you won’t die…” she replied. “God will sustain you…” she added with tears dripping from her eyes. Then she looked up at the sky and remembered that she has God, the creator of heaven and earth. She reasoned that she’d take Austin from the psychiatric hospital and take her to the church of God and leave him there. If God wished he’d live and if not he’d die. She concluded that God who is the author and finisher of our faith should decide the fate of her mad husband. She started a seven days fasting period for him. On the seventh day Austin started getting better and in control of his mental faculties. The prayer warriors in the church began a powerful prayer session in the church for him. Amazingly Austin’s health improved to the surprise of his wife. Austin spent exactly six months in the church under the care of the whole pastorate. He was now back on his feet again, mentally sound and healthy. It was all smiles and giggles from Hannah and Austin as they left the church premises for their house.
Austin started all over again and with God’s divine hand things got better for him financially within one year that he began his school business again. The Federal Government Educational Fund loaned him four million Naira to pursue his school project. Two years later Austin had about three private schools he personally owned. One of his schools was named Austin International College. After setting up Austin International College he entered a school of Theology to study and know more about God. He went back to his pastoral calling after graduating from the school of Theology and he set up a church all by himself.
 He became the head of Mustard Seed Church which was a church he founded to the glory of God. It was learnt that a couple of years later his doctor friend went mad on the very day Austin graduated from the Theology school. This shows that he had a hand in the problem that rocked Austin’s life and made him insane. Till now Rotimi remains mad. The good Lord has been so merciful and kind to Austin that he became very rich and he had three lovely children from his loving wife Hannah. No one in life is above trials and problems, but with God by one’s side one would surely overcome his or her travails. Almighty God knows what every human being faces in their day-to-day lives. It pays to get closer to God who has the sole power to put smile on our faces. At the moment Austin and his amiable wife are a successful couple with worthwhile investments running to billions of Naira all over Nigeria. To God be the glory.
Concluded.

Scientists advance plans to eliminate malaria

SCIENTISTS have made three major breakthroughs in the search for better treatment and control of malaria and the transmitting vector, female Anopheles mosquito.
      The latest of the three new findings is the modification of mosquitoes to produce sperm that will only create males, pioneering a fresh approach to eradicating malaria.
         Scientists from Imperial College London, in a study published in the journal Nature Communications, have tested a new genetic method that distorts the sex ratio of Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes, the main transmitters of the malaria parasite, so that the female mosquitoes that bite and pass the disease to humans are no longer produced.
     In the first laboratory tests, the method created a fully fertile mosquito strain that produced 95 per cent male offspring.
       The scientists introduced the genetically modified mosquitoes to five caged wild-type mosquito populations. In four of the five cages, this eliminated the entire population within six generations, because of the lack of females. The hope is that if this could be replicated in the wild, this would ultimately cause the malaria-carrying mosquito population to crash.
        This is the first time that scientists have been able to manipulate the sex ratios of mosquito populations. The researchers believe the work paves the way for a pioneering approach to controlling malaria.
        Also, a research team at the Institute for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the Faculty of Medicine and the Centre for Biological Signalling Studies BIOSS at the University of Freiburg, Germany, led by Prof. Dr. Carola Hunte has succeeded in describing how the antimalarial drug atovaquone binds to its target protein. The scientists used x-ray crystallography to determine the three-dimensional structure of the protein with the active substance bound.
         The drug combination atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone) is a medication used worldwide for the prevention and treatment of malaria. The data and the resulting findings concerning the mode of action of atovaquone could lead to improved medications against the tropical disease. Hunte and her team conducted the research at the Institute for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the Faculty of Medicine and the Centre for Biological Signalling Studies BIOSS at the University of Freiburg.
     The scientists published their findings in the journal Nature Communications.
      Also, researchers have found the first evidence of an intercellular bacterial infection in natural populations of two species of Anopheles mosquitoes, the major vectors of malaria in Africa. The infection, called Wolbachia, has been shown in labs to reduce the incidence of pathogen infections in mosquitoes and has the potential to be used in controlling malaria-transmitting mosquito populations.
          The study appears online June 6, 2014 in Nature Communications. Anopheles mosquitoes are the deadliest animal on the planet. They are responsible for transmitting malaria, which causes more than 600,000 deaths each year and puts half of the world’s population at risk for diseases.
        Wolbachia infections spread rapidly through wild insect populations by inducing a reproductive phenomenon called cytoplasm incompatibility (CI), and 66 per cent of arthropod species are infected. However, it was commonly thought that Anopheles mosquitoes were not natural hosts for Wolbachia infections, and attempts to identify infections in these mosquitoes in the field had failed.
          Malaria is one of the most dangerous tropical diseases in the world. Anopheles mosquitoes infected with Plasmodium species – unicellular parasites – transmit the disease by biting. Atovaquone blocks a protein of the respiratory chain in the mitochondria, the power plants of the cell, thus killing off the parasites. However, the pathogen is susceptible to mutations so that drug resistant strains are arising and spreading.
       Indeed, since 2000, increased prevention and control measures have reduced global malaria mortality rates by 42 per cent, but the disease remains a prevalent killer especially in vulnerable sub-Saharan African regions.
      Malaria control has also been threatened by the spread of insecticide resistant mosquitoes and malaria parasites resistant to drugs. According to latest estimates by the World Health Organization, over 3.4 billion people are at risk from contracting malaria and an estimated 627,000 people die each year from the disease.
        The Freiburg scientists have now paved the way for the development of improved drugs by revealing the precise binding mode of atovaquone to the target protein. They used the mitochondrial protein from cells of baker’s yeast for their analyses due to its close resemblance to the parasitic protein.
        The target protein of atovaquone is the third of four enzymes of the respiratory chain in the mitochondrion. The amino acid chains of the protein form a three-dimensional pocket. The molecule of the active substance fits perfectly into this pocket, binding to amino acids at numerous positions. These interactions are crucial for the effect atovaquone has in Plasmodium cells, ultimately leading to the death of the pathogen.
        The researchers conducted a protein sequence analysis, revealing that most of these docking sites are identical in the pathogen, baker’s yeast and in human cells. Atovaquone forms several bonds that are specific to the Plasmodium protein in the open area of the binding pocket. In addition, the structural analysis revealed the molecular basis of resistances: Due to mutations that change the structure of the target protein, the substance cannot reach the designated binding mode – it doesn’t fit perfectly into the pocket anymore.
      The data provides an important basis for improving antimalarial drugs. Scientists could now modify the molecular structure of atovaquone by means of structure-based drug design, ensuring that the active substance forms necessary bonds – and that the pathogen is no longer resistant to it.
          Associate professor of immunology and infectious diseases at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and at the University of Perugia, Italy, said Flaminia Catteruccia, said: “Wolbachia is an interesting bacterium that seems perfectly suited for mosquito control. However, there were strong doubts that it could ever be used against field Anopheles populations.
       “We were thrilled when we identified infections in natural mosquito populations, as we knew this finding could generate novel opportunities for stopping the spread of malaria.”
       Co-author Francesco Baldini, from University of Perugia, Italy and HSPH, in collaboration with researchers from CNRS, France, collected Anopheles mosquitoes from villages in Burkina Faso, West Africa, and analyzed their reproductive tracts. Their objective was to identify all the bacteria in the reproductive systems of both male and female mosquitoes; they were not looking directly for Wolbachia. To their surprise, they found a novel strain of the infection, which they named wAnga.
        The researchers say they can now investigate whether the wAnga strain shares properties with other Wolbachia strains, which could make control strategies possible by inducing CI and reducing Plasmodium (the parasite that causes malaria) numbers in Anopheles mosquitoes in the field. “If successful, exploiting Wolbachia infections in malaria mosquitoes could reduce the burden of the disease globally,” said co-author Elena Levashina, from the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin.
      Lead researcher Professor Andrea Crisanti from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London said: “Malaria is debilitating and often fatal and we need to find new ways of tackling it. We think our innovative approach is a huge step forward. For the very first time, we have been able to inhibit the production of female offspring in the laboratory and this provides a new means to eliminate the disease.”
        Dr Nikolai Windbichler, also a lead researcher from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London, said: “What is most promising about our results is that they are self-sustaining. Once modified mosquitoes are introduced, males will start to produce mainly sons, and their sons will do the same, so essentially the mosquitoes carry out the work for us.”
       In this new experiment the scientists inserted a DNA cutting enzyme called I-PpoI into Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes. In normal reproduction, half of the sperm bear the X chromosome and will produce female offspring, and the other half bear the Y chromosome and produce male offspring.
         The enzyme that the researchers used works by cutting the DNA of the X chromosome during production of sperm, so that almost no functioning sperm carry the female X chromosome. As a result the offspring of the genetically modified mosquitoes was almost exclusively male.
It took the researchers six years to produce an effective variant of the enzyme.
      “The research is still in its early days, but I am really hopeful that this new approach could ultimately lead to a cheap and effective way to eliminate malaria from entire regions. Our goal is to enable people to live freely without the threat of this deadly disease,” concluded Dr Roberto Galizi from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London.

Scientists advance plans to eliminate malaria

SCIENTISTS have made three major breakthroughs in the search for better treatment and control of malaria and the transmitting vector, female Anopheles mosquito.
      The latest of the three new findings is the modification of mosquitoes to produce sperm that will only create males, pioneering a fresh approach to eradicating malaria.
         Scientists from Imperial College London, in a study published in the journal Nature Communications, have tested a new genetic method that distorts the sex ratio of Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes, the main transmitters of the malaria parasite, so that the female mosquitoes that bite and pass the disease to humans are no longer produced.
     In the first laboratory tests, the method created a fully fertile mosquito strain that produced 95 per cent male offspring.
       The scientists introduced the genetically modified mosquitoes to five caged wild-type mosquito populations. In four of the five cages, this eliminated the entire population within six generations, because of the lack of females. The hope is that if this could be replicated in the wild, this would ultimately cause the malaria-carrying mosquito population to crash.
        This is the first time that scientists have been able to manipulate the sex ratios of mosquito populations. The researchers believe the work paves the way for a pioneering approach to controlling malaria.
        Also, a research team at the Institute for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the Faculty of Medicine and the Centre for Biological Signalling Studies BIOSS at the University of Freiburg, Germany, led by Prof. Dr. Carola Hunte has succeeded in describing how the antimalarial drug atovaquone binds to its target protein. The scientists used x-ray crystallography to determine the three-dimensional structure of the protein with the active substance bound.
         The drug combination atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone) is a medication used worldwide for the prevention and treatment of malaria. The data and the resulting findings concerning the mode of action of atovaquone could lead to improved medications against the tropical disease. Hunte and her team conducted the research at the Institute for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the Faculty of Medicine and the Centre for Biological Signalling Studies BIOSS at the University of Freiburg.
     The scientists published their findings in the journal Nature Communications.
      Also, researchers have found the first evidence of an intercellular bacterial infection in natural populations of two species of Anopheles mosquitoes, the major vectors of malaria in Africa. The infection, called Wolbachia, has been shown in labs to reduce the incidence of pathogen infections in mosquitoes and has the potential to be used in controlling malaria-transmitting mosquito populations.
          The study appears online June 6, 2014 in Nature Communications. Anopheles mosquitoes are the deadliest animal on the planet. They are responsible for transmitting malaria, which causes more than 600,000 deaths each year and puts half of the world’s population at risk for diseases.
        Wolbachia infections spread rapidly through wild insect populations by inducing a reproductive phenomenon called cytoplasm incompatibility (CI), and 66 per cent of arthropod species are infected. However, it was commonly thought that Anopheles mosquitoes were not natural hosts for Wolbachia infections, and attempts to identify infections in these mosquitoes in the field had failed.
          Malaria is one of the most dangerous tropical diseases in the world. Anopheles mosquitoes infected with Plasmodium species – unicellular parasites – transmit the disease by biting. Atovaquone blocks a protein of the respiratory chain in the mitochondria, the power plants of the cell, thus killing off the parasites. However, the pathogen is susceptible to mutations so that drug resistant strains are arising and spreading.
       Indeed, since 2000, increased prevention and control measures have reduced global malaria mortality rates by 42 per cent, but the disease remains a prevalent killer especially in vulnerable sub-Saharan African regions.
      Malaria control has also been threatened by the spread of insecticide resistant mosquitoes and malaria parasites resistant to drugs. According to latest estimates by the World Health Organization, over 3.4 billion people are at risk from contracting malaria and an estimated 627,000 people die each year from the disease.
        The Freiburg scientists have now paved the way for the development of improved drugs by revealing the precise binding mode of atovaquone to the target protein. They used the mitochondrial protein from cells of baker’s yeast for their analyses due to its close resemblance to the parasitic protein.
        The target protein of atovaquone is the third of four enzymes of the respiratory chain in the mitochondrion. The amino acid chains of the protein form a three-dimensional pocket. The molecule of the active substance fits perfectly into this pocket, binding to amino acids at numerous positions. These interactions are crucial for the effect atovaquone has in Plasmodium cells, ultimately leading to the death of the pathogen.
        The researchers conducted a protein sequence analysis, revealing that most of these docking sites are identical in the pathogen, baker’s yeast and in human cells. Atovaquone forms several bonds that are specific to the Plasmodium protein in the open area of the binding pocket. In addition, the structural analysis revealed the molecular basis of resistances: Due to mutations that change the structure of the target protein, the substance cannot reach the designated binding mode – it doesn’t fit perfectly into the pocket anymore.
      The data provides an important basis for improving antimalarial drugs. Scientists could now modify the molecular structure of atovaquone by means of structure-based drug design, ensuring that the active substance forms necessary bonds – and that the pathogen is no longer resistant to it.
          Associate professor of immunology and infectious diseases at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and at the University of Perugia, Italy, said Flaminia Catteruccia, said: “Wolbachia is an interesting bacterium that seems perfectly suited for mosquito control. However, there were strong doubts that it could ever be used against field Anopheles populations.
       “We were thrilled when we identified infections in natural mosquito populations, as we knew this finding could generate novel opportunities for stopping the spread of malaria.”
       Co-author Francesco Baldini, from University of Perugia, Italy and HSPH, in collaboration with researchers from CNRS, France, collected Anopheles mosquitoes from villages in Burkina Faso, West Africa, and analyzed their reproductive tracts. Their objective was to identify all the bacteria in the reproductive systems of both male and female mosquitoes; they were not looking directly for Wolbachia. To their surprise, they found a novel strain of the infection, which they named wAnga.
        The researchers say they can now investigate whether the wAnga strain shares properties with other Wolbachia strains, which could make control strategies possible by inducing CI and reducing Plasmodium (the parasite that causes malaria) numbers in Anopheles mosquitoes in the field. “If successful, exploiting Wolbachia infections in malaria mosquitoes could reduce the burden of the disease globally,” said co-author Elena Levashina, from the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin.
      Lead researcher Professor Andrea Crisanti from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London said: “Malaria is debilitating and often fatal and we need to find new ways of tackling it. We think our innovative approach is a huge step forward. For the very first time, we have been able to inhibit the production of female offspring in the laboratory and this provides a new means to eliminate the disease.”
        Dr Nikolai Windbichler, also a lead researcher from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London, said: “What is most promising about our results is that they are self-sustaining. Once modified mosquitoes are introduced, males will start to produce mainly sons, and their sons will do the same, so essentially the mosquitoes carry out the work for us.”
       In this new experiment the scientists inserted a DNA cutting enzyme called I-PpoI into Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes. In normal reproduction, half of the sperm bear the X chromosome and will produce female offspring, and the other half bear the Y chromosome and produce male offspring.
         The enzyme that the researchers used works by cutting the DNA of the X chromosome during production of sperm, so that almost no functioning sperm carry the female X chromosome. As a result the offspring of the genetically modified mosquitoes was almost exclusively male.
It took the researchers six years to produce an effective variant of the enzyme.
      “The research is still in its early days, but I am really hopeful that this new approach could ultimately lead to a cheap and effective way to eliminate malaria from entire regions. Our goal is to enable people to live freely without the threat of this deadly disease,” concluded Dr Roberto Galizi from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London.

Photos: Actor Chiwetalu Agu grabs actresses’ bosoms on movie set

Funny---Comment

Photos: Actor Chiwetalu Agu grabs actresses’ bosoms on movie set

Funny---Comment

Belief: Why Do Some People Find It Hard To Believe In Themselves?

Expert Author Oliver J R Cooper

When it comes to being successful and achieving what one wants to achieve, it is important that one believes in themselves. Without this belief, one is going to find it difficult to achieve anything. So not only will it be impossible for one to thrive, it could also be a real challenge for them to just survive.
And as Theodore Roosevelt once said – “Believe you can and you’re halfway there”. This shows how much of an advantage one will have if they believe in themselves. This is not to say that one doesn’t have to do anything and everything will simply fall into place.
However, what it will mean is that one will show up in life and give something a go; they might go all the way or they may decide it is not for them. The belief that they have in themselves allows them to take action.
A State Of Mind
Having self belief doesn’t mean that one never experiences challenges or that they ignore them, what it means is that one knows they will be able to overcome them. And this is unlikely to be the result of thinking logically; it will be something that they just ‘know’.
Challenges will then come and go and yet, their self belief is likely to remain. And with each challenge that one overcomes, their self belief is likely to increase. The power of momentum is then at play, and one success can end up catapulting them onto another.
The Onlooker
In the eyes of other people, they may believe that the reason one believes in themselves is because they are highly competent in what they do or in life in general. Or they could believe that one is simply deluded and can’t see where this belief comes from.
And while their outer reality and what they have achieved is going to reflect their inner belief, they had to believe in themselves first, or their outer reality wouldn’t be what it is and they wouldn’t have achieved what they have. One may seem deluded, but then, belief is not something that one attains by meeting certain requirements.
It is not based on anything external or through receiving other people’s permission either. How other people view someone who does have self belief will be the result of their own interpretations. Therefore, one may have no idea why another person believes in themselves.
They’re Different
To say that people who believe in themselves are different to people who don’t would be partly true. They are different to a certain degree, but they’re not inherently different.
At some point in this person’s life, there is going to be a least one person who believed in them. And like a seed, this support would have allowed them to gradually develop their own self belief.
External Support
No one is their own island after all; each and every one of us needs other people to be able to grow and develop. This external support could have come from a family member, a friend and/or teacher, for example.
It may have been something that one experienced for many years or it may have been something one experienced for a short period of time. But no matter how long it lasted, it was enough to make a difference in their life.
Developing Self Belief
The reason one doesn’t believe in themselves is then not because they are missing something, it is because they have not received what they need to receive in order to develop self belief. And this means that if one gets the right support, they will be able to develop self belief.
To use a quote by Dov Baron – ”every one of us needs someone to believe in us long enough for us to develop the inner strength to believe in ourselves… Find yourself a Mentor!”.
This quote shows how important it is to receive the right support from others. So if one hasn’t received this support until this point, it doesn’t mean this has to continue for much longer.
Awareness
Everyone needs help form time to time and this is not something that one should feel ashamed of or that they are therefore incapable. This support can come from a coach, trusted friend or some kind of teacher.
It doesn’t matter who this support comes form, what matter is that one reaches out for it. One could read books that are supportive and yet, this might not be enough

Belief: Why Do Some People Find It Hard To Believe In Themselves?

Expert Author Oliver J R Cooper

When it comes to being successful and achieving what one wants to achieve, it is important that one believes in themselves. Without this belief, one is going to find it difficult to achieve anything. So not only will it be impossible for one to thrive, it could also be a real challenge for them to just survive.
And as Theodore Roosevelt once said – “Believe you can and you’re halfway there”. This shows how much of an advantage one will have if they believe in themselves. This is not to say that one doesn’t have to do anything and everything will simply fall into place.
However, what it will mean is that one will show up in life and give something a go; they might go all the way or they may decide it is not for them. The belief that they have in themselves allows them to take action.
A State Of Mind
Having self belief doesn’t mean that one never experiences challenges or that they ignore them, what it means is that one knows they will be able to overcome them. And this is unlikely to be the result of thinking logically; it will be something that they just ‘know’.
Challenges will then come and go and yet, their self belief is likely to remain. And with each challenge that one overcomes, their self belief is likely to increase. The power of momentum is then at play, and one success can end up catapulting them onto another.
The Onlooker
In the eyes of other people, they may believe that the reason one believes in themselves is because they are highly competent in what they do or in life in general. Or they could believe that one is simply deluded and can’t see where this belief comes from.
And while their outer reality and what they have achieved is going to reflect their inner belief, they had to believe in themselves first, or their outer reality wouldn’t be what it is and they wouldn’t have achieved what they have. One may seem deluded, but then, belief is not something that one attains by meeting certain requirements.
It is not based on anything external or through receiving other people’s permission either. How other people view someone who does have self belief will be the result of their own interpretations. Therefore, one may have no idea why another person believes in themselves.
They’re Different
To say that people who believe in themselves are different to people who don’t would be partly true. They are different to a certain degree, but they’re not inherently different.
At some point in this person’s life, there is going to be a least one person who believed in them. And like a seed, this support would have allowed them to gradually develop their own self belief.
External Support
No one is their own island after all; each and every one of us needs other people to be able to grow and develop. This external support could have come from a family member, a friend and/or teacher, for example.
It may have been something that one experienced for many years or it may have been something one experienced for a short period of time. But no matter how long it lasted, it was enough to make a difference in their life.
Developing Self Belief
The reason one doesn’t believe in themselves is then not because they are missing something, it is because they have not received what they need to receive in order to develop self belief. And this means that if one gets the right support, they will be able to develop self belief.
To use a quote by Dov Baron – ”every one of us needs someone to believe in us long enough for us to develop the inner strength to believe in ourselves… Find yourself a Mentor!”.
This quote shows how important it is to receive the right support from others. So if one hasn’t received this support until this point, it doesn’t mean this has to continue for much longer.
Awareness
Everyone needs help form time to time and this is not something that one should feel ashamed of or that they are therefore incapable. This support can come from a coach, trusted friend or some kind of teacher.
It doesn’t matter who this support comes form, what matter is that one reaches out for it. One could read books that are supportive and yet, this might not be enough

5 Unexpected Things that Could Be Destroying Your Marriage

 
Often when we think about what damages a relationship our minds turn to money troubles or infidelity, and although those are very real issues for many couples, there are several other things in life that can contribute to the demise of your marriage.

We’ve all heard how maintaining a marriage is hard work. Well, it’s true. But it’s not only about putting in the work. It’s also about keeping an eye out for those day-to-day things that creep up on your relationship and start to become a problem. And typically, these are things that you don’t expect to cause much damage. Sometimes it’s even stuff that you thought was there to make your relationship stronger. But you see, even if something has the potential to make your relationship stronger, it can definitely make your relationship weaker if you aren’t careful.
Here are a few unexpected things that could be destroying your marriage.
Technology. I love technology as much as the next person, but I also know how distracting it is, particularly if it’s a critical part of the work you do. Whether it’s navigating the web, completing a project, or catching up with social media, too much time on your computer can begin to damage your relationship. Consider blocking out times during the week where you unplug and spend more time with your spouse.
Your friends. Friends typically mean well, but that does really matter when their “well-meaning” actions and words start to interfere with your relationship. You and your spouse both need friends, but you also have to think about what role those friends play in your life and in your relationship. How much are you telling them about your marriage? Do you spend more of your free time with them than you do with your spouse? These are just some of the questions you should ask yourself to determine if your friendships are strengthening your marriage and not damaging it.
Your kids. I love my kids and so does my husband. But, if you are not careful, a funny thing happens when you have kids. You start to have your life revolve around them and they become the priority—all the time. As a parent, certainly having your kids as the priority seems like the right thing, but your spouse should still be a priority in your life too. Focusing only on your kids and forgetting all about the person raising them with you can become a problem.
Your career. I’m a pretty driven person, and I have no intentions of changing that. But I also know that there is a need to pace myself because I have a husband and kids. If I become consumed by my drive to succeed, I can begin to ignore their needs. My husband is my biggest cheerleader, but if he realizes that cheering for me is causing me to forget about him, imagine how he’ll feel? Focusing on your career is critical and commendable, but not at the expense of your marriage and your family.
Your Self-Esteem. Low self-esteem has a negative impact on every area of your life. If you don’t feel good about who you are, you end up in this unhealthy pattern that compels you to look outwards for validation. The problem is, your spouse can’t give you anything that you aren’t willing to give yourself, nor should they have to. You may not realize it, but low self-esteem is one of those things that slowly eats away at the relationships in your life, and your marriage is certainly one of them.
Source: Candidbelle.com

5 Unexpected Things that Could Be Destroying Your Marriage

 
Often when we think about what damages a relationship our minds turn to money troubles or infidelity, and although those are very real issues for many couples, there are several other things in life that can contribute to the demise of your marriage.

We’ve all heard how maintaining a marriage is hard work. Well, it’s true. But it’s not only about putting in the work. It’s also about keeping an eye out for those day-to-day things that creep up on your relationship and start to become a problem. And typically, these are things that you don’t expect to cause much damage. Sometimes it’s even stuff that you thought was there to make your relationship stronger. But you see, even if something has the potential to make your relationship stronger, it can definitely make your relationship weaker if you aren’t careful.
Here are a few unexpected things that could be destroying your marriage.
Technology. I love technology as much as the next person, but I also know how distracting it is, particularly if it’s a critical part of the work you do. Whether it’s navigating the web, completing a project, or catching up with social media, too much time on your computer can begin to damage your relationship. Consider blocking out times during the week where you unplug and spend more time with your spouse.
Your friends. Friends typically mean well, but that does really matter when their “well-meaning” actions and words start to interfere with your relationship. You and your spouse both need friends, but you also have to think about what role those friends play in your life and in your relationship. How much are you telling them about your marriage? Do you spend more of your free time with them than you do with your spouse? These are just some of the questions you should ask yourself to determine if your friendships are strengthening your marriage and not damaging it.
Your kids. I love my kids and so does my husband. But, if you are not careful, a funny thing happens when you have kids. You start to have your life revolve around them and they become the priority—all the time. As a parent, certainly having your kids as the priority seems like the right thing, but your spouse should still be a priority in your life too. Focusing only on your kids and forgetting all about the person raising them with you can become a problem.
Your career. I’m a pretty driven person, and I have no intentions of changing that. But I also know that there is a need to pace myself because I have a husband and kids. If I become consumed by my drive to succeed, I can begin to ignore their needs. My husband is my biggest cheerleader, but if he realizes that cheering for me is causing me to forget about him, imagine how he’ll feel? Focusing on your career is critical and commendable, but not at the expense of your marriage and your family.
Your Self-Esteem. Low self-esteem has a negative impact on every area of your life. If you don’t feel good about who you are, you end up in this unhealthy pattern that compels you to look outwards for validation. The problem is, your spouse can’t give you anything that you aren’t willing to give yourself, nor should they have to. You may not realize it, but low self-esteem is one of those things that slowly eats away at the relationships in your life, and your marriage is certainly one of them.
Source: Candidbelle.com

Akunyili To Be Buried August 28

Former Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili, will be buried on August 28, 2014, the family has announced.

“Details about the funeral arrangements will be made available to the public in due course,” her husband, Dr Chike Akunyili, said in a statement issued in Awka, Anambra State, on Sunday.
Dr Akunyili thanked Nigerians for the love they extended to Dora, both in life and at death and also expressed the appreciation of the family to President Goodluck Jonathan for the special valedictory session of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) held in honour of the deceased.
Dora Akunyili former DG of the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) died after a protracted battle with cancer. She was 59.

Akunyili To Be Buried August 28

Former Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili, will be buried on August 28, 2014, the family has announced.

“Details about the funeral arrangements will be made available to the public in due course,” her husband, Dr Chike Akunyili, said in a statement issued in Awka, Anambra State, on Sunday.
Dr Akunyili thanked Nigerians for the love they extended to Dora, both in life and at death and also expressed the appreciation of the family to President Goodluck Jonathan for the special valedictory session of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) held in honour of the deceased.
Dora Akunyili former DG of the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) died after a protracted battle with cancer. She was 59.

World’s Highest Earning Model To Present World Cup Trophy To Winners

According to the Boston Globe, the world's highest-earning model, Gisele Bundchen of Brazil has been asked to present the winners of the 2014 World Cup tournament with the FIFA World Cup Trophy in place of Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff, who has been made a recent subject of abuse for spending $11 billion to host the World Cup when tens of millions of Brazilians are poor.

Gisele who earned $42m last year will present the cup to the winning team on the final day. It has also been revealed that the trophy will be presented in a custom-made Louis Vuitton trunk.

World’s Highest Earning Model To Present World Cup Trophy To Winners

According to the Boston Globe, the world's highest-earning model, Gisele Bundchen of Brazil has been asked to present the winners of the 2014 World Cup tournament with the FIFA World Cup Trophy in place of Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff, who has been made a recent subject of abuse for spending $11 billion to host the World Cup when tens of millions of Brazilians are poor.

Gisele who earned $42m last year will present the cup to the winning team on the final day. It has also been revealed that the trophy will be presented in a custom-made Louis Vuitton trunk.

Ini Edo Posts No Make-Up Photo

Ini posted a no make-up photo of herself after Super Eagles played a 0-0 draw this evening with Iran. Which look do you prefer? With or without makeup?

Ini Edo Posts No Make-Up Photo

Ini posted a no make-up photo of herself after Super Eagles played a 0-0 draw this evening with Iran. Which look do you prefer? With or without makeup?