Living my LIFE like itâs golden. The Queen sits on her throne and she LOVES it â¤ď¸
The Renaissance Journey continues …
Do like, comment and follow my BLOG for more jaw-dropping posts coming your way.
Yours in love â The Renaissance Lady Š
Welcome to the Stepping Out In Faith Challenge
About a week ago, I stumbled upon a ‘challenge’ post by Dakore Akande and Feyi Luther Mbanugo called the âStepping out in Faith Challengeâ – #steppingoutinfaithchallenge and it got me inspired to participate as I have discovered that these days, people lack belief in themselves and the power that is assigned to them. This was a 5-day challenge that ended on Saturday but I would still encourage everyone to participate as this will give you all Food for Thought at the end on what affects and also reflects in your life and how to make the change to allow positivity and also productivity!
Day 1 focused on Gratitude and what we are grateful for: I am grateful for still standing in spite of the adversities that I have faced this year and the previous years. I am grateful for His grace upon my life and the new journey that I am currently on. I am grateful for my son and family who have my back. I am grateful for consistency in my career. I am grateful for my blog and the opportunities that have come for expressing my thoughts on paper. I am grateful for friends who have stood by me with truth and love. I am grateful for much more coming my way so I stand and pose with Style, Grace, and ConfidenceâŚ
Day 2 focused on being Mindful and turning negativity into positivity. I decided to post a quote which speaks a lot about how I choose to tackle life situations these days: “If It doesn’t CHALLENGE You, It doesn’t CHANGE YOU.” That has been my go-to affirmation on life challenges and negative thoughts. Besides, there is a popular quote by the famous philosopher – Friedrich Nietzsche: ‘What Doesn’t Kill You, Makes You Stronger!
Day 3 focused on Forgiveness: letting go of hurt and pain. Boy, can I relate to hurt and pain? But through it all, I realised through experience that I should never give another person the power to control my emotions so I forgive them and move on (but with wisdom and caution). Besides Iâm a LEO and we Queens canât allow that kind of toxins into our lives now, can we ??!
Day 4 focused on MANTRA which is positive words of affirmation to inspire and encourage us in our daily lives. I have so many affirmations to go by and have written various blog posts on the importance of affirmations like: âThe Gratitude Challengeâ or Be the CEO of Your Life. My favourite bible verse is from Romans 8:28 â âAnd we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.â & this has been my daily mantra in all situations. When Travis Greene bought the song âIntentionalâ â it was as if he took my thoughts and made it into a motivating song⌠And I end up by saying that the power of affirmations bring us closer to what we want by feeling that theyâre already in our reach.
Day 5 focused on Letting Go and Letting Our Light Shine. This challenge has taught me that life does have its ups and downs but through it all; it makes us stronger and we should always see the brighter side in the midst of the storm (yea, I know it is easier said than done). But I truly believe in that concept and that is what has kept me going through the challenges of life⌠I 
allow myself to always see the good and brighter side thus it has kept me looking much younger than my true age and I ainât stopping for no-one. Just Live: Let Go and Let GOD!
Well, the challenge ended on Saturday and all participants were told to wait for an announcement advising of the best inspiring posts. Well today, I got to work only to get a notification from @flm_mamak that I have been given a âspecial recognitionâ for my posts on the #steppingoutinfaithchallenge which has been enlightening for me.
Drum ? roll !!!!!! Wow, we had so many amazing posts during the #steppingoutinfaithchallenge and honestly, I would have chosen each and every one of you. Well @dakoreea and I came together and chose the 5 best posts and then we just had to give special recognition to two other followers who just blew us away!! So without further ado !!!
The 5 best posts go to:
And special recognition goes to @therenaissancelady and @oluwalonirosay !! Ladies, your stories, and delivery touched our hearts. We are so blessed that the #steppingoutinfaithchallenge touched you all !! I will be announcing a special event on Friday and hope you guys look out for it!! Much love ? cc @dakoreea â˘@flm_mamak
As previously said: I would still encourage everyone to participate as this will give you all Food for Thought at the end on what affects and also reflects in your life and how to make the change to allow positivity and also productivity!
Do like, comment and follow my BLOG for upcoming posts.
Yours in love â The Renaissance Lady ŠÂ
It’s that TIME to SLAY Cancer
I am proud to announce that as a Brand Ambassador for Breast Health Angels Foundation, Inc. (BHAF) and foundation member of the London Branch, we are having our 2nd Annual 5k Walk ??ââď¸??ââď¸??ââď¸on the same day of 30th of September across 10 cities worldwide
- London, England
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Port-Harcourt, Nigeria
- Abuja, Nigeria
- Atlanta, United States
- Dallas, United States
- New York, United States
- Houston, United States
- Arkansas, United States
- California, United States
Everyone of us know someone â either a loved one or another experience cancer. In the past few months of 2017, I have known so many people passed onto glory from this dreadful disease both old and young, so you see this cancer is no respecter of age or race and words cannot explain how I much I detest it.
Cancer is a broad term for a class of diseases characterised by abnormal cells that grow and invade healthy cells in the body. Some cancers may eventually spread into other tissues. I have seen and known some loved ones have one of the worst cases of cancer â âbreast cancerâ which starts in the cells of the breast as a group of cancer cells that can then invade surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to other areas of the body.
One survivor is a dear sista-friend by the name of Chika Akwiwu otherwise known as The African Barbie, who is a passionate advocate is on a mission to educate us women on how to detect breast cancer very early and ensure that we get treatment and follow the course of a good and healthy lifestyle.
As a result of her new sense of purpose, she founded a non-profit organization BHAF (Breast Health Angels Foundation, Inc.). BHAF has Advocacy deeply embedded in its core and is unique because it combines Chika’s experience as a Breast Cancer Survivor alongside her training as a healthcare provider to Educate, Empower and Engage women worldwide. She is a strong advocate for Early Detection because it can make the difference between life and death. BHAFâs mission is to Empower, Encourage, Educate and Engage women to Embrace their breast health and overall well-being through Early Detection and Support Services.
Last October, Chika organised the very first annual 5k Advocacy Walk held in various cities worldwide like London, England; Port-Harcourt & Abuja in Nigeria; Atlanta, LA, Houston, and other states in the US amongst other countries and it was a great and successful movement which helped raise awareness amongst our various communitiesâŚ
They say: ‘It takes a Village to SLAY this Cancer so what are YOU waiting for! Join the MOVEMENT and let’s make a Difference…
To find more information on cancer, please visit The African Barbie, (link on text).
Do like, comment and follow my BLOG for upcoming posts.
Yours in love â The Renaissance Lady Š
Still Jumping!
So at the weekend, I decided to return back to my Steve Harvey ‘Jump: Take the Leap of Faith to Achieve Your Life of Abundance‘ audio-book and had it on full blast round the house as I packed to head back home to the reality of the hustle life. Once again whilst listening to the audio-book, I was constantly reminded that ‘failure is not an option in this journey of mine and that the power of mindset is everything.
I had previously signed on to do the FREE 21 Day JUMP Challenge with Steve Harvey which was very enlightening, where we were given the tools to get inspired, stay motivated and take the action to Jump to our next level of Success.
With this book/audio-book: Mr. Harvey shows us through his own experiences, how to discover our gifts, envision our dreams and take the steps to become all were were created to be.
I have been an avid admirer of Steve Harvey and have literally watched him do the leaping right before our eyes, thus I am so excited that he is committed to sharing the principles and preparations that he and others used to override their fears and surge into their unique destiny!
I remember watching a YouTube clip that Steve Harvey did titled ‘You have to Jump‘ where his message was that ‘one needed to JUMP like our life depends on it and because it does, then we truly want and will get a life of peace and abundance.’ In that clip, Mr. Harvey uses those uncomfortable moments to explain his core principles and teach us what it means to JUMP like:
- identifying the lesson and the blessing in all that life brings our way.
- isolating particular moments when we must be still and when we must take action.
- implementing “humble aggression” to achieve our dreams.
- placing past mistakes in our rear-view mirror and creating a fresh life story.
- letting go of people who are weighing us down.
- taking responsibility in the face of adversity.
The mean lessons learned from the clip is how the power of ‘faith’ works – on how the confidence in knowing that leaping will elevate our lives and that we will be caught when we fall. As Steve mentioned: “don’t stand on the cliff of life and watch others soar 
by.” Jumping is taking a leap of faith and opening ourselves to possibilities that has been placed in front of us.
Mr Harvey, your words of wisdom is the extract from your pains and experiences so many thanks for this…
Well, you can imagine my excitement when on Tuesday, I saw that my initial weekend post was now re-tweeted by the one and only Steve Harvey. Yeaaaa, this just got me more pumped up to run this race so well.
Mindset even more geared up now. Thanks Mr. Harvey ??
Do like, comment and follow my BLOG for upcoming posts.
Yours in love â The Renaissance Lady Š
How long will it be …?
I have tried to stay away from American politics even though I am so opinionated about this ‘thing’ called ’45’. But listening to trump’s comments at yesterday’s press conference was a total disgrace to Americans and The World as a whole. His responses in relation to the incident that happened in Charlottesville, Virginia during the violent white supremacist rally over the weekend (where one person was killed and dozens injured) was just unbelievable, despicable and not acceptable at all in any shape or manner. Note that this is the follow-up to his initial response which came 2 days later…
Well, lil man and I whilst on our way to Central Park that afternoon came across a protest in response to the fascism that happened in Charlottesville and especially due to trump’s lack of speedy response (seeing that his hands type faster than he thinks). So in light of that, we felt it was the brotherly & British thing to do and join the protest by showing our support to our Americans counterparts on what a disgraceful man they have as their leader: a man who does not represent their views or morals …
Yesterday, I was speechless and that’s all I could say. But for how long will it be …?
How long will it take for this man to be removed from the office (that was so sacred to the world) which has now been abused since he came into power.
- What president gives white supremacy, alt-right and neo-nazis the benefit of the doubt by subtling endorsing them?
- What president lies through his teeth as if he is slipping water and expects you to accept his lies without questioning?
- What president claims that the white supremacy, alt-right and nazis groups were partially to blame for the disgraceful disturbance at Charlottesville?
- What president speaks unfiltered without any remorse to a country which he is supposed to lead?
- What president gives white supremacists an unequivocal boast in this era in America?
I guess this type of secret messaging was a way for trump to signal his continued support without playing into “MSM (mainstream) media” narratives. On Saturday, he did not denounce the racist mob about the events that unfolded after hundreds of neo-Nazis, white supremacists and Ku Klux Klan members first marched through the city. Instead, he blamed âmany sidesâ for the violence without specially identifying any group. These people support ideas which cost the nation and world so much pain, and yet, he sees nothing wrong with that…
Then yesterday, he turned around and said that counter-protesters did not have proper permits to march and claiming there were good people âon both sides.â The words spilled from his mouth apparently left his WH staff so stunned. As part of a quick PR strategy, I would have thought it will be wise to fly down to Charlottesville to weather the storm of the city and the nation but according to White House officials, there are no plans for ’45’ to visit. Instead of constantly attacking the press (which should be his constant companion at this stage in his seemingly failed leadership), he should step back and listen as they have covered years of other presidents and know the game to help the leaders win over the country.
So until trump hastily calls out racism as a systemic issue in all scenarios instead of the moral failing of a few individuals (as he frequently does), his responses will always be too little too late for the country to accept.
So my advice to ’45’; take time out to study past presidents and their diplomacy and you ‘might’ see yourself admired and respected but then again, going by your business history and presidential history so far, I doubt it…
So again, back to my question: how long will it be …?
Do stay in touch and like, comment plus follow my BLOG for upcoming posts.
Yours in love â The Renaissance Lady Š
Once Upon A Time …
How many ‘once upon a time…‘ moments have you had in life and how has that affected you in this present time?
I still am encountering the ‘once upon a time …‘ moments at this stage of my adult life (which has been rather interesting and somewhat overwhelming) but have decided to journal each step or moment and reflect on the aftermath!
What about you?
#lifechanger #purposedriven #womenoffaith #lifestyleblog #motivator #mylifemystories #deepthinking #Faith #dailyencouragement #instapost #instaphotos #PositiveThinking #Influencer #IntentionalLiving #lifestyleblogger #blogger #londonblogger #lifestylebloggers #bloggerlife #ukblogger #bloggerslife #africanblogger #melaninpoppin #blackbloggersunited #bb_blogger #browngirlbloggers #nigerianblogger #blackgirlswhoblog #savvyblogging #therenaissancelady
Do like, comment and follow my BLOG for upcoming posts.
Yours in love â The Renaissance Lady ŠÂ
‘Invest In Yourself’
Yvonne, you are not ordinary but Extraordinary’ and that is what I tell myself daily and I Stand by that Affirmation!
Why, I hear you ask? I have always this deep desire to make a change in the world and be successful in all I lay my hands to. And defining Success can be quite relative?
So what does Success mean to You?
Success starts with being hungry. I have always been hungry for success I guess all my life but got somewhat distracted along the way until I understood the principle of Self-Belief and Affirmations. Sometimes, it helps to talk with and to âselfâ – do refer to an old blog-post titled ‘Be the CEO of Your Life!‘ about how affirmations can help your mindset to achieve even the impossible.
Instead of being all bitter and mad at words said to you; turn that around as motivation. That should be your power. Go out there and say: I’m going take this and do something with my life. I’m gonna better myself. I want to better my condition. I need to break the negative cycles that are going on in my house with my family and everything around me. The power of positive words is amazing to a mindset.
We all have heard the saying: ‘If at first you don’t succeed; try, try, try again.’ And that is the daily mantra in my household! The word ‘can’t’ is not allowed to exist at all. The word ‘failure’ is banned as I
believe you allow yourself to fail – the power is all in your hands. Hence the phrase: ‘Failure is not an Option‘ is constantly repeated when negative thoughts or doubt sets in.
Invest in things that will lift you up to greater heights to be the Best You that You can Be: be it motivational books, empowering friends and network amongst others. Part of my 2017 manifesto was to change my environment settings and surround myself with things and people that will help bring out the best Yvonne that lies within. Hence the famous quote: Your Network is Your Net Worth!
I tell people all the time, that success is a race and most times, it’s not about coming in first place. It’s about finishing. It is about keeping your word. It’s about being loyal. And just knowing the most important investment that you could make in this race is in yourself.
So what are you waiting for? What is holding you back? Go ahead and make that most important investment – Yourself!
Do like, comment and follow my BLOG for upcoming posts.
Yours in love â The Renaissance Lady Š
What’s Your Legacy?
After this past weekend events of laying to rest Richie and the turn-out of people who came to celebrate his life; the stories told amidst the cries and laughters of the impact he had on people; it left me thinking of what my legacy will be when I leave this mother earth cause death (as much as we hate to admit it) is inevitable to us all. So, What’s my Legacy?
Oprah says that no amount of money can fill your life with substance, and calls on us to offer ourselves in service and think about the legacy we’re building (extract and commencement video via Goalcast – Oprah: What’s your Legacy?).
She continued by saying ‘âYouâre nothing if youâre not the truth. The biggest reward is not financial benefits, though itâs really good, you can get a lot of great shoes. Nothing wrong with great shoes. But, those of you that have a lot of shoes know that having great shoes, and a closet full of shoes, or cars, or houses, or square footage, doesnât fill up your life. It doesnât. But living a life of substance can, substance through your service, your offering of your whole self. The baseline for how do you live a life of substance, is whatever is the truth for you, what do you stand for? Oprah ended her speech by saying: Your legacy is every life youâve touched.â Your legacy is every life youâve touched. Feel everything with love, because every moment you are building your legacy.âÂ
This talk on leaving a legacy is constantly something I have heard along this journey of my forty-something year-old life and I have often questioned its definition? My mother always says: “everyone is known for something but Yvonne, what do you want to be known for?” And truthfully, I have never truly thought about what my legacy will be but just live my life the way I have been living it; hopefully impacting people along my journey with love, compassion, giving how I know how either through a word of wisdom, or either through physical or financial help or just being a friend in need whenever I am called or needed.Â
A legacy does not have to be something physically handed down to your children but I see it as your name being ‘the’ legacy that is handed down from generation to generation impacting your community and the whole world. If we think of our legacy as a gift, it places an emphasis on the thoughtful, meaningful, and intentional aspects of legacy.Â
How do you want to be remembered? How do you want to change the future? How do you want to inspire change in the world? What actions would it take to create your legacy?
Start viewing your goals as the legacy you will leave. Actionable steps to make your legacy epic.
For me: knowing the legacy I want to leave behind helps me stay focused on what I’m doing in the present so my goals are in line with that. My legacy will be a world made better while I am here, and a world left better when I am gone.
So, again I ask: What’s your Legacy?
Do like, comment and follow my BLOG for upcoming posts.
Yours in love â The Renaissance Lady Š
One Day!
At the beginning of the year; I truly had to define relationships and what it has or hasn’t contributed in my life especially the love-interest ones that failed and concluded how grateful I am that it didn’t work out (even when I so wanted it to) cause in this new age of 
the Rebirth; my eyes and head have opened up to ‘my worth’ and what I truly deserve.
So I patiently await The One that my soul needs and in the meantime; consistently work on what will make me the best Me for Me, for Him and for US! So here’s to practicing my African name: Ndidi (which means Patience) and wait for that ‘One Day’?
Do like, comment and follow my BLOG for upcoming posts.
Yours in love â The Renaissance Lady Š