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| Linda Ikeji, Nigeria's leading blogger |
I have been intending to comment on this development for a while now. I just wanted to wait a little before doing so in order to gauge developments afterwards because I am so sure there will be.
Nigerian blogger, Linda Ikeji, recently acquired a property worth over N500 million in the priciest real estate location, Banana Island, Ikoyi. And pronto, people (at least, they say they are homo sapiens) took up the gauntlet, trying to taint her joy by saying #GoAndMarry. Ha ha haaaa!! It shows her soaring success is blowing up insecure folks' incessant doubts and vulnerabilities about them and where they are in life. To sermonise a bit, success is a magnet that is respecter of goodness only- hatred and jealousy behind these bad sentiments ward off their good fortune whereas good-heartedness attracts it.
Sad, that there are so many haters in the world who are never happy about other peoples'success but must find a way to introduce negativity. A woman needs get married, but is she is not, it does not diminish her value as a full, satisfied and accomplished human being. It does not have to be tarred with her marital status because let's face it, it is done to diminish her joy at her success.
I am glad for one thing though. Even if it bothers Linda Ikeji at all, I am sure it must have been for the tiniest moment. The babe just dust off all the negativity each time and just continue soaring higher. Inlife, overtaking is allowed, but if you stay on your own lane and don't stop and pull up by the roadside, you''ll reach your destination too.
Me? I share in her success, because like Sheryl Sandberg, I super love seeing my fellow female folk succeed and rub it in that yes, we can too. I will continue celebrating her because I know my time is coming soon when I'll also be mega celebrated...
We have never met. But, her philosophies of life resonates with mine and I have noted her progress from that 2006 even before she moved to Lagos' only billionaires'enclave. Read her journey beneath as told by her. Her story is inspiring and motivating. Stop hating, just ensure yours is too.
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| Sublime! Linda Ikeji's new Banana Island home |
She said on her blog:
"My name is Linda Ikeji. I'm a blogger. I'm 35 years old and I have never...never ever in my life slept with a man for money. Not only have I never done it, I have never even consider it...and here I am with a house that cost me over half a billion naira.
Listen, you are beautiful and you are stronger than you know. There's absolutely nothing you can't achieve if you set your mind to it, put her heart and soul into it. Up until five years ago, I was a struggling entrepreneur. I can't tell you how many offices in this Lagos I sat in for hours waiting to see people who could support my business...but most times, I never passed the reception area. But I never gave up and I never stopped believing and here I am today.
You too can be this..you can be better than this. No dream is too big, no dream is too small, no mountain is too high...it's all in your mind. It's all up to you. If you believe in you, in your God who is guiding you, then the sky is your starting point.
Please stop waiting around for a man to give to you...to put food on your table and put clothes on your back. I promise you, you can do it for yourself. Start thinking big, believe in yourself, be creative and start working. Realize that your dreams are valid...and nobody will make your dreams come true except you. Find what you are good at. Find something that you are passionate about. Work hard at it. Be consistent. Be patient. Start young. Even if you're not young, it's never too late.
Listen, you are beautiful and you are stronger than you know. There's absolutely nothing you can't achieve if you set your mind to it, put her heart and soul into it. Up until five years ago, I was a struggling entrepreneur. I can't tell you how many offices in this Lagos I sat in for hours waiting to see people who could support my business...but most times, I never passed the reception area. But I never gave up and I never stopped believing and here I am today.
You too can be this..you can be better than this. No dream is too big, no dream is too small, no mountain is too high...it's all in your mind. It's all up to you. If you believe in you, in your God who is guiding you, then the sky is your starting point.
Please stop waiting around for a man to give to you...to put food on your table and put clothes on your back. I promise you, you can do it for yourself. Start thinking big, believe in yourself, be creative and start working. Realize that your dreams are valid...and nobody will make your dreams come true except you. Find what you are good at. Find something that you are passionate about. Work hard at it. Be consistent. Be patient. Start young. Even if you're not young, it's never too late.
I have been hustling since I left secondary school..started modeling before I entered university in 1998. Was running a modeling agency even while I was a student and made it a full time business after I left university. I never doubted that I would succeed one day, because I was determined. And please do not think this happened over night. I've been blogging since 2006...November this year will make it exactly 9 years. God, consistency and hard work brought me here today.
"Unfortunately, a lot of our young girls aren't patient and some are lazy, they want it quick and fast but it doesn't work like that. Success takes time - takes hard work - takes passion - takes consistency - but more than anything else, it takes the Grace of God.
I was a 30 year old broke woman and on my birthday, a very sad and depressed me turned to God and begged him. I told Him you promised me, when will You fulfill Your promise? Am I not Your child? Have I not lived according to Your teachings? When will You bless me? Please God help me...and with tears in my eyes, I begged Him. I cried and I begged and I begged and I begged. A few months later my life changed. Never underestimate God's love for you and the power of prayer.
I was a 30 year old broke woman and on my birthday, a very sad and depressed me turned to God and begged him. I told Him you promised me, when will You fulfill Your promise? Am I not Your child? Have I not lived according to Your teachings? When will You bless me? Please God help me...and with tears in my eyes, I begged Him. I cried and I begged and I begged and I begged. A few months later my life changed. Never underestimate God's love for you and the power of prayer.
"And never stop working. Listen, I make enough money to hire so many people to work on this blog while I go do other things and enjoy myself...but I don't do that. I'm up while some of you are sleeping, and already blogging before some of you wake up. I don't take this for granted. I know to stay on top, I have to constantly work and nobody will be as dedicated as I am because this is not their own thing. It's mine and I have to keep feeding it. So I'm constantly here!
Young ladies, I promise you...you too can do this. You don't need to spread your legs for any bladdy man - because of how much? N200k? That's how much my shoes cost - so why you should give up your body for that? Your sacred body? God's temple? 200k that you can make in a week or even in a day if you pursue your dreams and still have your dignity intact? You think people don't see that you're messing around with all dem old married men and talking about it? Think ladies, think! When next a man propositions you...tell him to get lost, that you will get yours yourself! Abi, aren't you a woman? You know what they say about women? "A woman is like a tea bag, you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.". You are so strong, you don't even know!
Also, if you want God to bless you, you have to have a clean heart. All these backbiting, hating on others, trying to bring people down with hateful words, action etc - God doesn't like ugly. He has over 6 billion people to look after and you think he will pay extra attention to you if your heart is ugly? Wish people well, help people when you can. Be good to others. But more than anything else be good to yourself. Believe in yourself. It's very easy to give in to feelings of self-doubt and back down when things get tough, but you have to know that God will not give you anything you can't handle.
I swear to you, you are underestimating yourself. If you know the power that you have inside. If you know the things that you are capable of. If you know how far you can go...how high you can reach but you are holding yourself back because you're afraid of failing, because you don't think you have it in you. If only you know that you're stronger than you think. You are so powerful, you don't even know it. I'm not more special than you are. I don't have two heads. We serve the same God. Why can't you succeed? Think ladies, think.
Like Barack Obama's sister said, poverty is not an excuse! I used to sell/market beer at Sheraton hotel, Lagos when I was in university for N1,000 a day. I once lived on 'puff puff' and garri for weeks in UNILAG and I was supposedly a top model but nobody knew what I was going through. Trust me, I know poverty. Did you know I lived in Idi-oro, Mushin for 15 years? Up until when I was 25? Did you live in Mushin? Eh, so what's your excuse? I can't even say some things here for my family's privacy but here I am today because I never doubted myself and I never allowed all the doubters to distract me. I was focused. I was determined. I worked hard and I knew the God I served won't let me down. The road was long, sometimes very frustrating and painful but look at me now. God did it because he saw that I was willing!
Young ladies, I promise you...you too can do this. You don't need to spread your legs for any bladdy man - because of how much? N200k? That's how much my shoes cost - so why you should give up your body for that? Your sacred body? God's temple? 200k that you can make in a week or even in a day if you pursue your dreams and still have your dignity intact? You think people don't see that you're messing around with all dem old married men and talking about it? Think ladies, think! When next a man propositions you...tell him to get lost, that you will get yours yourself! Abi, aren't you a woman? You know what they say about women? "A woman is like a tea bag, you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.". You are so strong, you don't even know!
Also, if you want God to bless you, you have to have a clean heart. All these backbiting, hating on others, trying to bring people down with hateful words, action etc - God doesn't like ugly. He has over 6 billion people to look after and you think he will pay extra attention to you if your heart is ugly? Wish people well, help people when you can. Be good to others. But more than anything else be good to yourself. Believe in yourself. It's very easy to give in to feelings of self-doubt and back down when things get tough, but you have to know that God will not give you anything you can't handle.
I swear to you, you are underestimating yourself. If you know the power that you have inside. If you know the things that you are capable of. If you know how far you can go...how high you can reach but you are holding yourself back because you're afraid of failing, because you don't think you have it in you. If only you know that you're stronger than you think. You are so powerful, you don't even know it. I'm not more special than you are. I don't have two heads. We serve the same God. Why can't you succeed? Think ladies, think.
Like Barack Obama's sister said, poverty is not an excuse! I used to sell/market beer at Sheraton hotel, Lagos when I was in university for N1,000 a day. I once lived on 'puff puff' and garri for weeks in UNILAG and I was supposedly a top model but nobody knew what I was going through. Trust me, I know poverty. Did you know I lived in Idi-oro, Mushin for 15 years? Up until when I was 25? Did you live in Mushin? Eh, so what's your excuse? I can't even say some things here for my family's privacy but here I am today because I never doubted myself and I never allowed all the doubters to distract me. I was focused. I was determined. I worked hard and I knew the God I served won't let me down. The road was long, sometimes very frustrating and painful but look at me now. God did it because he saw that I was willing!
"Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed. If I fail, no one will say, “She doesn’t have what it takes.” They will say, “Women don’t have what it takes.”
Please believe in yourself and watch God use you to set as an example for others.
May all your dreams come true!
Kisses."
May all your dreams come true!
Kisses."
