THE HUNGRY GIRL: YOU MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!

#365Days Of Impact🔱

THE HUNGRY GIRL: YOU MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!

Afua was hungry. It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling to her. She was almost always hungry. Her parents would have fed her if she had been at home, but she wasn't at home.

She was in boarding school. Grandma had spent good money to send her there, so she dared not show ingratitude by asking for money to buy food as well. No, she just wanted to study as hard as she could, to make her grandmother proud. But she was hungry.

Studying on an empty stomach was hard. Maths was complicated enough after a hearty dinner, but Afua hadn't eaten for two days. It was a pity though, when there was so much fresh food at home: Yam, kontommire, plantain, tomatoes, eggs, fish… just thinking about it made her all the hungrier.

That weekend, she went home to visit her parents, and on her way back to school, brought along some fresh produce. The jeers and taunts of her schoolmates as she crouched over a makeshift hob to cook everyday was the least of her worries.

Her biggest concern was the fact that most her fresh produce would often go bad before she had a chance to cook it. With time, she figured out that if she ground the tomatoes, parboiled her plantains and greens, smoked her fish, all in advance, and packed them airtight, not only did they last longer, but they took less time to cook. Afua now had the time - and strength - to study just as hard as her classmates.

The results were phenomenal. In 1936, Afua won a scholarship to Achimota School. She was now in the big leagues. But instead of savouring her achievements, Afua was worried about what to do for food, now that she was so far away from home.

Her school mates were rich kids - children of diplomats and British expatriates with larders full of all manner of foreign goodies. Afua spent ages marvelling at exotic jars of marmalade and tins of sardines in her schoolmates' chopboxes. How was it that the white man could make these foods last long enough to travel by ship from England to Ghana, and she couldn't make her kontommire last from Peki to Accra?

Well, if there was anything Afua could do well, it was adapt. Her parents hadn't named her Esther for nothing. Before long, she had started making Marmalade and Orange juice using the sweet local oranges. They tasted so good that her mates started buying from her. Soon, the teachers joined in, and by the time she graduated with a Cambridge School Certificate in 1941, Esther Afua Nkulenu had a contract to supply Achimota School with enough Marmalade and Orange Juice to feed all their staff and students.

By 1949, Esther had a roaring enterprise. She was the first Ghanaian to run a formal food processing business in the country. With sponsorship from Achimota, Esther travelled to study cooking in London, and Food Preservation at Bristol University. When she returned, she immediately put her skills to use protecting local food producers from the cheap competition from imported foods. One year after independence, she organised the nation's first ever Made In Ghana Exhibition. Kwame Nkrumah noticed her efforts and pushed her to stand for President of the Federation of Ghana Industries. And that was how Esther Nkulenu (now Ocloo) started an illustrious career of public service.

Most people find it hard enough to run a small business, but Esther Ocloo  successfully managed and grew Ghana's biggest food processing company for many years, while holding several public offices at the same time. Through the fifties, sixties and seventies, she served as Executive Chairman of the National Food and Nutrition Board, adviser to the Council for Women and Development, a member of Ghana's National Economic Advisory Committee, and a member of the Council of State in the Third Republic of Ghana from 1979 to 1981.

Throughout the eighties, Esther devoted herself to the economic empowerment of Ghanaian women. She promoted the availability of credit to women as a founding member and the first chairman of Women World Banking from 1979 to 1985.

By the time she died of Pneumonia in 2002 at the age of 83, the hungry girl from Peki had made such an impact, not only in the Ghanaian food processing industry, but also in the economic lives of women around the world.

She had evolved from the girl who struggled to feed herself into the woman who fed the nation.

You Make A Difference!

Make An Impact!

Stay Blessed!

 

Copied from: Kojo Yankson(The Morning Man) via myjoyonline.com 

TO AVOID CRITICISMS, SAY NOTHING, DO NOTHING AND BE NOTHING!

#365Days Of Impact🔱

TO AVOID CRITICISMS, SAY NOTHING, DO NOTHING AND BE NOTHING!

At the tender age of 10, Johan was touted to be one of the very best vocalists his generation would see. His vocal prowess was second to none, his age not withstanding.

By age 15, he was in high school and decided to audition for the school's annual talent show.

He was full of confidence to sail through the auditions and win the ultimate.

Contrary to expectations however, not even one of the three judges gave him a pass. As a matter of fact, they laughed heartily at him and used all manner of words to describe how terrible his voice was.

They even 'advised' him not to take up music as a career, if that's what he ever thought of doing, as he was never going to succeed at it!

Johan listened well, and very well indeed, and from that day, cussed never to sing again. He changed schools as well as course of study(from music), with the intention of starting all over again! Music which was once a passion, had became a great enemy. Johan sought to do just one thing, AVOID CRITICISM, and like Aristotle rightly said, "to avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing and be nothing"!

Johan became successful in his own way anyway. He became a banker and resorted to living quite a reserved life.

Several years had passed and the little music loving Johan was now a granddad who had taken up the task of helping his little granddaughter at her school's annual family night. Coincidentally, she had chosen to sing and that meant Johan was singing too(his first after sixty years). He cared little about what the out come was going to be as he sought only to make his granddaughter happy and "having some fun himself wasn't a bad idea", he thought.

The outcome was however unexpected, as Johan got every Tom, Dick and Harry present at the event teary eyed as they imagined how come such a great voice had been 'wasted'!

He recounted the events leading to him being estranged to music and had a simple advise to especially the younger ones present,"criticisms can make or break you, but the choice is always yours to make"!

Johan had spent all his life living a particular life because he wanted to avoid criticism and as such didn't make the impact he could have made. He allowed the criticism he received to break him!

True success is in finding what you love to do and doing it with everything you've got no matter the criticisms you receive!

Make An Impact!

Stay Blessed!

START RIGHT!

#365Days Of Impact🔱

START RIGHT!

It is unarguable that one great asset of every racer is his start.

Be it in moto-sports, car racing or even in athletics, it has been proven that great starts often lead to success.

So is it in human life, which in itself is a race.

The human race however, is the one race in which you need not compete with others, though you need to learn from others.Your only competition in the human race, is YOURSELF! You only strife to be better than the person you were a day before.

It is however not strange to find many people say that your start doesn't really matter so long as you end right.

Indeed, there are many who may end seemingly right(successful), but still have an endless list of regrets, which they realize could have been avoided if they had started right. Unfortunately, it would have been too late to make corrections to the past.

That notwithstanding, just like Napoleon Hill once said,"You can START RIGHT where you stand and apply the habit of going the extra mile".

Don't wait to regret later!

Choose to start right!

You're on course to succeed if you start right.

Make An Impact!

#StayBlessed!

TAKE STOCK, BUT DON'T STAY DOWN!

#365Days Of Impact🔱

TAKE STOCK, BUT DON'T STAY DOWN!

All so soon, a month out of twelve has passed, and already, some of us are wondering if those 'great' new year's resolutions we set can ever be met.

Unsurprisingly however, some of us have already given up after taking stock of the first month, forgetting there is always hope for the future.

The 'Great Heart of the White House', as he was affectionately known, was once considered a failure by many. As a matter of fact, in his youth, he went to war a captain, and returned a private(the lowest rank there is in the military). That was neither the first nor last of his failures, as many were yet to follow in his business and political life.

He took stock, YES! but giving up was never an option to The 16th President of The United States, Abraham Lincoln. Even at a tender age Lincoln once wrote,

"Abraham Lincoln, his hand and pen,

He will be good- but God knows when"!

That's how positive we should be no matter how difficult the present situation may be.

He later led the United States through Civil War, and helped abolish slavery.

Many of us always lack that attitude of perseverance and after a few tries and failures, tend to give up completely.

Family and friends may give up on you, but the greatest harm you can ever do to yourself is to give up on YOU!

Winston Churchill became a UK Prime Minister and Noble Prize Winner, even when everyone had given up on him.

Charles Darwin once wrote,"I was considered by all my masters and my father, a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard of intellect". Probably, they judged too early and as such gave up on him, and so are those who have already given up on you.

Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Tyler Perry, Oprah Winfrey, and the tall list of great people who were given up on, goes on and on.

After taking stock, you feel your recent failures cast doubts on any possibility of a bright future, but trust me, the only way your future may be anything but bright is you staying down and accepting people's 'failure tag' of you!

Successful people are those who commit to taking personal responsibility, and not people's perception, for their success!

Don't Stay Down!

Make An Impact!

#StayBlessed!

MORE THAN YOU BEST!

#365Days of Impact🔱

MORE THAN YOUR BEST!

Giving off your best in life is not necessarily giving more.

Sometimes, what we consider our best is no where near the best and this is not enough.

Other times, our best is fettered by mediocrity, and sometimes also, just our desire to do a little just above the average.

Quite amazingly however, we all seek to be the best in whatever we do with our mediocre of a best!

Being the best in whatever you do means giving more than what you call your 'best'.

David Beckham, regarded one of the very best set-piece takers in the history of football gave more than his 'best' in his specialty, by staying a lot longer after the usual training to perfect his pieces.

So did Muhammed Ali, who considered himself the greatest boxer which he undoubtedly is, considering his record and according to pundits of the game, take extra hours of training as well as taking extra punches; more than the usual.

The tall list goes on and on.

Are you the best at what you do?

Do you seek to be the best at what you do?

In whatever field you may find yourself, you need to give more than your best to be undoubtedly considered the best.

You cannot be the the best if you don't give more than your best.

Never let the standards of everyone else be your standard.

Dare to stand out!

Today, I choose to be the best in my specialty!

What is your specialty?

Are you the best in your specialty?

You can be, if you give more than your best!

Make An Impact!

Stay Blessed!

You're Not Too Young To Make An Impact!

#365Days of Impact 🔱
You're Not Too Young To Make An Impact!

Under the sun, I've witnessed the well advanced in age pass on, and so have I seen the young die. 
But most significantly, I have seen the young die but leave behind a great deal of Impact on the lives of individuals and their society as a whole, and so have I seen the old die, only to be recognised for how long they lived. 

Do you think you're too young to make an impact? 
I guess you'd have to think again! 

David was but a boy when he slew Goliath. 
Tomorrow is never promised, and you may be too old to make the desired impact tomorrow. 

Great writers like JD Salinger, Stephen King and William Shakespeare didn't have to wait till they were 'older' to publish their first books. 
Shakespeare is said to have lived for just 52 years, but I guess we all know his impact on literature. 

How old was Jesus Christ when he made an everlasting impact on all mankind? I leave you to answer that. 
A friend once said, "there are 7 days in a week, and 'someday' is obviously not one of them". 

Choose to make an impact on the lives of people around you. 
Tomorrow may be too late, because it is not promised. 

You're not too young to make an Impact! 
Make An Impact! 
Stay Blessed!

What a Master Thinker He is! He thinks beautiful.

Prinspired to LEAD 🌐

What a Master Thinker He is! He thinks beautiful. 

When He thought of saving Israel from famine, He thought of the dreamer Joseph.

When He thought of the oppressor Goliath, the boy David came to mind.

When He thought of canceling man’s excuses, He thought; let’s bring in Helen Keller.

When He thought of the need for a Civil Rights activist, He thought; Luther King would be the perfect fit.

When He thought of a Computer revolution, He thought; this is time for Bill Gates.

Truth is, Your Purpose chose you.

When He thought of; an End time diligent minister, a corporate CEO, an amazing musician, a talented artist, a skilled poet, a true human rights activist; 

When He thought of someone; who would help pay the fees of those children, who would transform that community, who would deliver Africa, who would change the world, YOU CAME TO HIS MIND.

Never regret you are you. You are the beauty He thought of.

 

Whenever you feel like giving up, remember this;

When He thought of a particular NEED on earth, YOU came to mind.