Positive Quote For Today

"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."— Maya Angelou


Thinking, Believing & Daring

A True Story
by
Copyright ©
Picture related to the title of the story
With permission, I have extracted this picture-quote from Quote Fancy. All rights reserved worldwide.

In a thought experiment, I am imagining myself 50 years from now. It's 2068 and I'm 80 years old. Sitting on a sofa while listening to Handel, I begin to reflect on my life: the career successes and how I've been able to provide for my family. I think of all the great moments I have had with my friends.

But then I start to regret all of the things I didn't do well. I can guess what my regrets will be.

In 2068, I will wish I had appreciated my parents and told them how much I valued them before they passed away. I will wish I had married a better partner - someone who filled me with joy and emotional contentment, with whom I shared similar values and interests, who respected me for who I am.

I will wish I had spent more time with my children. I will wish I had used my gifts to empower others and make the world a better place. I will wish I had pursued my passions: music, writing, gardening and public speaking. I will wish I smiled more, laughed more, danced more and created more.

As I am regretting my shortcomings, an angel of God appears and tells me, "Thuita, you are a good man. For that reason, God has decided to give you a second chance at life." All of a sudden, I find myself where I am seated today.

It is 2018 and I am in my pleasantly fit and pain-free 30 year old body. I actually have the chance to do it all over again. To have the same career successes and deep relationships I will wish I had. Now I can smile more, laugh more, dance more and create more.

My parents are here with me again, so it is my chance to love them like I will wish I had done before they passed away. I can be the source of positivity that I wished I had been the first time around. What a lucky young man I am!

Following this chance I have been given by God, what do I need to do with it? Okay, let me tell you about it.

Firstly, I need to greet each day with a smile and be a source of positivity. And if I may borrow the words of a writer I can't recall, I need to realize or even rationalize that the grass is truly greener on my side of the fence. Just the belief that it is becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Secondly, I need to pursue my passions and follow my heart. If I may again borrow the words of a writer I can't recall, I should remember that real success comes not from external status or money or praise but from a feeling of contribution. A feeling that I am using my gifts in the best way possible.

Last but not least, I need not be depressed or overly worried about anything. When I feel stressed, I should look up at the night sky and ponder the distance to the next star and the age of the universe. That will help put things in perspective.

The ball is in my court. I need to be inspired to achieve my dreams so that when the year 2068 comes, I will look back on my life and gladly say to myself, "I have made the most of my life. It has been fulfilling."

My beloved reader, I beseech you to also take time to think about your future and the life you'd love to live. Identify your talents and tap into them, for that is the key to having a rewarding and a fulfilling career. That's all I am saying. Sayonara!

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"Be Inspired Before You Expire"

A True Story
by Thuita J. Maina
on Jun 11, 2018
Copyright ©
Picture related to the title of the story
This is the front cover of Pepe Minambo's delightful book, "Be Inspired Before You Expire". More about it in the story below.

Today, I will write about Pepe Minambo's Be Inspired Before You Expire, a motivational book I have enjoyed reading twice and occasionally thumb through for inspirational quotes. The book talks about the usual yadda yadda we've heard about what it takes to succeed in life. For me though, reading it has served as a powerful reminder of those success principles.

And what are those success principles that Pepe Minambo reiterates in his book?

First, it is the need for inspiration. Pepe Minambo begins his book by noting that all great achievers in the long history of the world attained their success because they were inspired. In short, inspiration is the oxygen of success.

Pepe Minambo encourages us to acquire knowledge by reading books. He says books give us new insights, provoke our imagination and expose our intelligence to new horizons. As a result, we become more creative and express ourselves in a unique way that reveals our impressive identity and personality.

He also encourages us to connect with nature regularly since nature can be a great source of the inspiration we all need to succeed in life. And he counsels us to believe in ourselves. He says we can succeed even when others don't believe in us but we can't succeed unless we believe in ourselves.

Pepe Minambo acknowledges that we live in a world full of cynics, sceptics and doubters - people who discourage and put us down. He encourages us to ignore such criticism by reminding us that even God, despite the fact that He is real, doesn't have everyone believing in Him. I agree with that.

As we work on believing in ourselves, Pepe Minambo advises us to build a high positive self-image. He gives an example of the way the Hummer, a classy car that captured the imagination of Kenyans some years back, was advertised in a local daily:
It's time to cut loose from the rest. Unmistakable looks, unrivalled performance, unbelievable value and a unique personality. It speaks volumes about you and your attitude.
Such is the kind of high positive self-image that Pepe Minambo advises us to have.

Sparing some space in his book for those of us who had a suppressed childhood, he encourages us to overcome it and move on with life.

I, for one, had a suppressed childhood. During by childhood years, I was often ridiculed as dull and dumb. And when I joined Starehe Boys' Centre for my high school education, I was often criticized for being confused. But now with people like Pepe Minambo encouraging me through their books, I have overcome that suppressed childhood.

Pepe Minambo didn't have a suppressed childhood himself but he reveals in the book that his father was irresponsible. Had it not been for his mother, he wouldn't be the success he is today.

Having grown up in such kind of matrix, Pepe Minambo beseeches all parents out there to be excellent role models for their children, and to bring them up in a way that makes them realize their dreams.

All told, Be Inspired Before You Expire is a great read. And it isn't that long; you can finish it in a week if you are a slow reader. Unfortunately, it is currently not available on Amazon.

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Bible Quote

"Always be full of joy in the Lord; I say it again, rejoice! Let everyone see that you are unselfish and considerate in all you do... Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand."

~Phillipians 4:4-7 (TLB)

About the Author

Name: Thuita J. Maina
Nationality: Kenyan
Lives in: Kiserian, Rift Valley, Kenya
Mission: To inspire the world to godly living, one person at a time.

Just For Laughs

There was this drunkard named Azoge who loved drinking at Josiah's Bar. On being told a certain Hon. Nanga was flying to America to be conferred a law degree so that he could be admitted to the bar, Azoge replied, "Why fly all the way to America to be admitted to the bar while you can get into Josiah's Bar any time?"



The 7 Deadly Sins

  1. Pride
  2. Envy
  3. Gluttony
  4. Lust
  5. Anger
  6. Greed
  7. Sloth

Author's Note

I am learning to treat life as a journey, not a destination. So I am trying to enjoy each day as I anticipate to fulfill my dreams especially meeting my soulmate and traveling abroad. Tomorrow may never be mine.

Fun Facts

  1. The fear of having no cell-phone service, running out of battery, or losing sight of your phone is called Nomophobia, reportedly affecting 66% of people.
  2. A single Google search needs more computing power than it took to send Apollo 11 to the moon. The Apollo computer was less equipped than a modern toaster.
  3. Besides being some of the biggest names in the tech industry, HP, Apple, Google and Microsoft share another commonality. They all started in garages.
~Extracted from Codingforums.com

Health Tip

So many of us take for granted the wonderful construction of the human body and the workings of its various parts. Some of us even expect it to function efficiently with less than the minimum care and attention. Learn the much you can about your body and how the care of it can help to give you that greatest blessing of all - good health.


Wonders of the Modern World

  1. The Simplon Tunnel
  2. The Sky-scrapers of New York
  3. The Boulder Dam of Colorado
  4. The Panama Canal
  5. The Golden Gate Bridge
  6. The Taj Mahal at Agra in India
  7. The North Sea Oil Drilling Rigs

Great Example for Politicians

"My life in politics was a joy. I loved campaigns and I loved governing. I always tried to keep things moving in the right direction, to give more people a chance to live their dreams, to lift people's spirits, and to bring them together. That's the way I kept score."

~Bill Clinton

Scientific Marvels

  1. Space travel
  2. Heart surgery
  3. Fibre-optics communication
  4. Concorde
  5. Computers & Radios
  6. Anesthetics
  7. The atom bomb

My Supreme Desire

Although I'd like to be rich and famous, my supreme desire is to be radiant: to radiate health, cheerfulness, calm courage and goodwill. I wish to live without hate, guilt, worry, jealousy, cynicism and envy. I wish to be honest, natural, confident, clean in mind and body - ready to say "I do not know" if it be so and to treat all men with kindness - to meet any loss, failure, criticism and rejection unabashed and unafraid.



Greatest American Presidents

  1. Abraham Lincoln
  2. George Washington
  3. Thomas Jefferson
  4. Franklin Roosevelt
  5. Theodore Roosevelt
  6. Woodrow Wilson
  7. Andrew Jackson

Making Peace With the Past

"Dwell not on your past. Use it to illustrate a point, then leave it behind. Nothing really matters except what you do now in this instant of time. From this moment onwards you can be an entirely different person, filled with love and understanding, ready with an outstretched hand, uplifted and positive in every thought and deed."

~Eileen Caddy

Toughest Colleges to Get Into

  1. MIT
  2. Princeton
  3. Harvard
  4. Yale
  5. Stanford
  6. Brown
  7. Columbia

Why You Should Trust God

"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will find out that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities and pour out peace."

~Ezra Taft Benson

The 7 Greatest Scientists

  1. Albert Einstein
  2. Isaac Newton
  3. Galileo Galilei
  4. Nikola Tesla
  5. Aristotle
  6. Archimedes
  7. Charles Darwin

You Matter

"Always be yourself. Never try to hide who you are. The only shame is to have shame. Always stand up for what you believe in. Always question what other people tell you. Never regret the past; it's a waste of time. There's a reason for everything. Every mistake, every moment of weakness, every terrible thing that has happened to you, grow from it. The only way you can ever get the respect of others is when you show them that you respect yourself and most importantly, do your thing and never apologize for being you."

~Unknown

The Most Industrialized Nations

  1. United States
  2. Japan
  3. Germany
  4. France
  5. United Kingdom
  6. Italy
  7. Canada

Keys to Success

"...in his effort to withstand temptation, to economize, to exercise thrift, to disregard the superficial for the real - the shadow for the substance; to be great yet small, in his effort to be patient in the laying of a firm foundation; to so grow in skill and knowledge that he shall place his services in demand by reason of his intrinsic and superior worth. This is the key that unlocks every door of opportunity, and all others fail."

~Booker T. Washington

The 7 Social Sins

  1. Politics without principle
  2. Wealth without work
  3. Pleasure without conscience
  4. Knowledge without character
  5. Commerce without morality
  6. Worship without sacrifice
  7. Science without humanity

Cherish What You Love

"Cherish your visions, cherish your ideals, cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts - for out of them will grow all heavenly environment, of these if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built."~James Allen

The World's Largest Cities

  1. London in England
  2. New York in the United States
  3. Tokyo in Japan
  4. Berlin in Germany
  5. Chicago in the United States
  6. Shanghai in China
  7. Paris in France

Benefits of Optimism

"In terms of success, optimistic people out perform their pessimistic colleagues. Research shows that they are consistently promoted higher and make more money while working fewer hours than those who think pessimistically. Optimists also contribute more significantly to social progress. It is the optimists who start and run successful companies, who win elections and carry out reforms, and who make breakthroughs in the realms of science and technology."

~Pepe Minambo

The World's Greatest Lakes

  1. Caspian Sea in the Commonwealth of Independent States, C.I.S. (formerly U.S.S.R)
  2. Lake Superior in North America
  3. Victoria Nyanza in Central Africa
  4. Aral Sea in C.I.S.
  5. Lake Huron in North America
  6. Lake Michigan in North America

Demonstrating His Love

"Take your communication for instance - the way you address others. It ought to be with loving, gracious and edifying words. Never talk people down. Never use words that hurt and demean people. Communicate excellently with others without destroying their self-image or making them feel sorry for themselves. Talk to people in a way that they never forget the excellence of your words, the love and grace of Christ that you communicated. It's how God wants us to love."

~Dr. Chris Oyakhilome

World's Longest Rivers

  1. Missouri-Mississipi (U.S.)
  2. Amazon (Brazil)
  3. Nile (Egypt)
  4. Yangtse (China)
  5. Lena (Russia)
  6. Zaire (Central Africa)
  7. Niger (West Africa)