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


Benefits of Working in a Team

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With permission, I have extracted this picture-quote from the website of Rochester Motor Cars. All rights reserved worldwide.

Shortly before I matriculated at the university in May 2007, I landed a teaching job in a piano school in downtown Nairobi. The school was owned by Shemaiah Mwakodi, or Shem in short, who became a good friend of mine. He still remains my friend.

I loved going to Shem's piano school on Sundays, especially at one time when he imported about ten pianos from Japan. It was during one of my visits to the piano school that I came across a Success magazine which I took home without Shem's permission. (Oh, I hope he will forgive me if he reads this story.)

While flicking through that Success magazine, I saw an article that listed the benefits of working in a team. The article captivated me so much that I cut out a section of the magazine that listed the benefits of working in a team and glued it on a page in an exercise book I christened "Dream Book".

Unfortunately, a cow chewed that Dream Book of mine sometime in 2010 after I left it on our home compound where the cows were grazing. I mentioned that loss to my kid brother Symo who remarked wryly, "Maybe God wants you to change your dreams."

Methinks that the cow chewed my Dream Book as God's way of punishing me for taking the Success Magazine without Shem's permission and going ahead to cut out pages from it. So I no longer steal. Neither do I cut out images from books and magazines.

Anyway, since one of our cows chewed my Dream Book, I have no record of the benefits of working in a team as the Success magazine so captivatingly outlined. But on jogging my memory, I have recalled the following benefits:
  • Diminishes our fears
  • Boosts our confidence
  • Develops our imagination
  • Improves our mental clarity
  • Hones our communication skills
  • Helps us achieve our dreams faster
  • Helps us develop strong interpersonal skills
  • Helps us develop good sportsmanship skills
To be honest, I have never excelled in teamwork all my life, something my friend Michael Njeru mentioned to me when I emailed him a job-hunting CV a couple of years ago. However, I haven't given up on my dream of working well in a team which I plan to achieve through music.

You see, I have talents in singing and piano-playing. And I have always desired to produce inspirational songs. My dreams of excelling in teamwork and producing inspirational songs dovetail nicely because producing hit songs involves working in a team of talented music producers. I have resolved to pursue those dreams with renewed vigor. Watch this space!

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Part 1: Handling Criticism

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With permission, I have extracted this picture-quote from Coolnsmart.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

When I was in Standard 5 at Naru-Moru Primary School, I loved taking part in a boyish football game called Chobo Wa which must still be popular among boys in village schools here in Kenya. Basically, the main aim of the game was to beat up the boy who happened to have the ball pass in between his legs as we dribbled it past one another. So we all had to be cautious not to be caught off guard.

Quite a number of boys were overcautious not to be caught off their guard. They would stand still when the ball came near them or wait from the sidelines to beat up the unfortunate culprit of the game. As for me, I used to be among the few outgoing players who dribbled the ball while trying to pass it in between some boy's legs. And on several of those Chobo Wa games, I managed to come out unscathed until one fateful morning break time.

I was dribbling the ball with my usual valour and vitality that morning break time when it passed in between my legs. And wa! Almost every boy in the game descended on me with kicks and blows. After what seemed like an eternity of getting beaten, I must have gone back to class when the bell rang feeling more like a wildebeest that had escaped the jaws of a crocodile. That was way back in 1998.

On reflecting about that boyish game of Chobo Wa, I have discovered that it bears some resemblance to real life in that most people fear being adventuresome. They just wait for the makers of the world to mess up so that they can descend on them with criticism. Those of us who are out here in the world letting our real selves be known as we pursue our dreams are often the victims of such criticism.

Well, I admit some of the criticism may be well founded and beneficial to our growth but most often, much of it is due to what I call "the pecking order of the society": others want to escape their own insecurities by pointing out how they are better than us.

I want to encourage you, my beloved reader, not to take criticism personally. If the criticism is justified, learn from it. But if it's unjustified, remember the problem is with the critic, not with you. Let's take to heart the following words of Theodore Roosevelt, one of America's greatest presidents:
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
Pretty powerful words, aren't they? They have inspired me to continue pursuing my dreams with valour and vitality like the way I used to dribble the ball during the Chobo Wa games we had in those far-off days when I was in Standard 5 at Naru-Moru Primary School. Adieu!

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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 striving to enjoy each moment even 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. Radios
  6. Computers
  7. Anesthetics

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)