5 Reasons Why Linda Ikeji's Blog Makes More Money Than Nairaland

Ever since Linda Ikeji bought the 2014 Range Rover Sports Supercharged for N24,000,000 a few weeks ago, a lot of noise has been made about how this young lady really makes her money. And it didn't take long before people started comparing Linda Ikeji's blog with Nairaland, and debating on which website makes more money. Although lindaikeji.com and Nairaland.com are two separate entities; the former is a blog, while the latter is a forum, people see the two as the biggest online communities in Nigeria right now.

R.I.P Robin Williams

Veteran actor, Robin Williams was found dead in his apartment some hours ago. An autopsy is being carried out, but at this time, the death is a being ruled as a possible suicide. You might remember him from paying the lead role in the early 90s Peter Pan movie, Hook; Or his legendary role in the Drama-Comedy, Mrs. Doubtfire, from the same era. He just celebrated his 63rd birthday a few weeks ago.







Read part of the official statement on his death below.

A Barber Who Drives a Rolls Royce?

Yup! This Indian man from Bangalore, Ramesh Babu still runs the barbing saloon he inherited from his father, but he also owns a Rolls Royce Ghost, which he drives around town during his leisure time. How come? While running his barbing saloon, he started a car rental service on the side about twenty years ago, and today, he owns over sixty cars, one of which is the beautiful white Rolls Royce you see in the picture below.

Atheism Is Not A Religion

"Atheism is a religion like abstinence is a sex position."

- Bill Maher

First of all, I like to clarify something...I am not an Atheist. I consider myself more of a Universalist. I don't know if there is any word like that, but that is how I can describe myself. I believe that their is a supreme being, and he has given us the allowance to reach him in various ways...whether through Mohamed, or Jesus, or Budha...It is still one source; one destination, we are just on different paths to the same destination.






I try to study all the religions of the world, and non religious beliefs too, and know why everyone thinks or believes what they do. In all this, I have noticed that religious people tend to mistake Atheism for a religion. They believe Atheist are 'a people' who have chosen to turn their back on God. Some go ahead to believe that Atheists gather together somewhere and make some plans to take over the world and turn everyone to atheists; or that they collectively worship Baphomet or the devil and all that...all these beliefs of Atheists are far from the truth.

Is Creativity Birthed From Pain? The Dark Side of Some Famous Authors

"However, I never claimed that art cannot be produced without suffering, only that art produced without suffering is not likely to be very good."

-Christopher Zara 

It seems the most beautiful art is always produced from a place of pain and suffering. I don't mean all artists have to suffer to create art, but from experience and research, I have discovered that the ones who create the finest and most memorable pieces of art are individuals that have gone through a lot of emotional traumas in life. Some have said that mental illness is closely related to the state of mind of creativity. You doubt? Do a little research of your own; read a little about the personal lives of some of most notable artists in history, and you will notice one similar quality they all have...they all have suffered or still suffer from some sort of mental illness, or have experienced multiple heart breaks, or lived troubled lives.




Ernest Hemingway was a drunk, Sylvia Plath killed herself by sticking her head in her kitchen oven, Vincent Van Gogh cut off his own ear during an argument and later killed himself. I can't generalize on these few artists, but you can carry out your own research on other artists you know. My focus today is on famous authors and their struggles in life. They might be rich, but most of them experience a lot of emotional pain, countless heartbreaks, alcoholism, and depression. It is almost like their creativity is birthed out of the suffering they experience in life. Please note that suffering is not only associated with financial struggles; a lot of people with money can still be depressed in life.

18 Famous LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) People

I still believe Gay people don't choose to be so, they are just so. You can argue on the fact that maybe it is a psychological problem, or that it is a mental illness, but I will never buy the general idea that a Gay person chooses to be so. Why would a sane man wake up one morning, look at another gay man and say to himself; "Hmm! I think I like this lifestyle where I would be ridiculed all my life. I think I like this life that can get me lynched and killed. Yea, it's a great life. I CHOOSE THIS." It doesn't ring well, and it makes no sense.




A lot of homophobic people always shout 'Death to the gay people.' 'Kill them all.' 'Burn them.' 'They don't deserve to live.' 'They are an abomination to mankind.' Now, I have taken time to do some research on Famous Gay people in the world, and I'd like to put up their names in this blog post. I think the very familiar faces/names, and what they have contributed or are contributing to the world would make people think twice before they throw hate words at them. It is also funny that Pastors/Men of God like Eddie Long, Ted Haggard, and Lonnie Latham (Prominent Baptist Minister) who have castigated Gay people in the past have turned out to be Gay. It makes you wonder whether most of the homophobic people out there aren't closet Gay people, battling with their internal wars.

10 People With Real-Life Super Powers

Well, these people are not like Superman or Spider-man, but they have extraordinary powers. Check out this list of 10 people with extraordinary powers.




10[b]The Incredible Brain(Daniel Tammet)[/b]

12 Record Breaking Weddings Around The World

Talking about things out of the ordinary, check out this list of '12 Record Breaking Weddings Around The World.'

 

The Correlation Between Creativity and Mental Illness

We all know that creative people can sometimes have some weird and crazy characteristics. You know...like Michael Jackson with his childish ways; Albert Einstein picking up cigarette buds on the streets to get tobacco for his pipe, or the fact that he  married his cousin; Beethoven's preference for dirty clothes, and his severe anger management issues...and so one. Most of these behaviors could be related to one mental illness or the other. When people hear 'mental illness' they automatically think of the madman on the street, but their are far less severe mental illnesses than that of a madman. You have anxiety disorders, mood disorders, psychotic disorders, psychosomatic disorders, substance abuse disorder, personality disorders and a host of other mental illnesses that people overlook, and most of this have been found to be associated with creative people.







Please note that when I say creative people, I am speaking of artists, musicians, writers, inventors, actors...etc. Psychologist, Hans Eysenck asserted that creative genius correlates with a high level of what he called Pyschoticism. Psychotism as he defined it, is a dimension of personality that suggests a susceptibility to psychotic behavior. A person doesn't have to suffer from Schizophrenia or bipolar disorder to exhibit this traits, predisposition is enough.

List of Famous Failures

'Strength is built by one's failures, not by one's successes.' -Nina Simone

There is a misconception out there that geniuses are born and not made; that successful people are specially blessed people and that only specially blessed people can become successful; that rich people are lucky. All these beliefs are not so true. No one was born to be so and so, it is the little things they did (consistently) along the way that made them who they eventually became...The the things that they were exposed to, or what people around them made them believe was a possibility, or their own desires to be somebody that made them who they are.


I have compiled a list of famous people that were once considered failures. A list of people that were written-off and told they couldn't amount to anything, but went on to be famous for their extraordinary achievements.





7. Albert Einstein couldn't talk until he was 4 years old, and didn't read until he was 7. His parents thought he was mentally handicapped, and his teachers told him he would never amount to much. He was eventually expelled from school, and was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic school. He had to go to trade school, and after a year, he was able to get into the University. After graduating, he was the only one in his graduating class that couldn't get a teaching job because his professors wouldn't recommend him. He then settled for a job in a Government patent office.

There is no Such Thing as Luck: The Beyonce Story

I cringe when I hear people talk about some individuals as being lucky, and being blessed by God. If people knew what this so-called lucky people had to go through to get where they are, they would understand that there is no such thing as luck. Continuous dedication and hard-work towards a course always pays off in the end, and it appears to the onlooker as luck. I started this series last month to showcase the back-stories of most successful people that the public might not know about. I am not here to speak on the illegal things they did, I know that's what some lazy people want to read about. No, there is no such thing as a secret group called 'Illuminati.'

If you work hard towards a course and believe you are capable of achieving your goal, it might take some time, but you will achieve it at the end. So, this series shows the dedication that most successful people had to put in over the years before they became success stories. Beyonce is one of the most successful musicians of our time, but luck had nothing to do with her long road to stardom.

List of Celebrities Who Attempted Suicicde

'There's this thing about depression: A human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious, and it compounds daily, that it's impossible to ever see the end. The fog is like a cage without a key.' - Elizabeth Wurtzel

Yesterday, I brought you a list of famous people who committed suicide. This list today is about celebrities who attempted suicide, but were rescued before they went through with it.









Owen Wilson- Hollywood actor
On August 26, 2007, after having arguments with one of his close friends, he locked himself in his hotel room and tried to kill himself by taking an overdose of sleeping pills and also slitting his wrist at the same time. He was found dazed and bloodied up, and quickly rushed to the nearest hospital, where he recovered.










Frank Sinatra- American musician
This man is who Jay Z fashioned his life to look like, but I am sure he only wanted the achievements of Frank, and not his troubled life. Although very successful, Sinatra lived a life of depression, which later led to a bipolar disorder. He tried to kill himself twice- once by inhaling gas from the kitchen stove in a friend's apartment, and at another time, slashing his own wrists. Twice, he was saved by his friends, who saw him just in time to call for medical help and save his life.







Elton John- British singer
For many years in his early life, he was afraid to come out as a Gay man, so he lived a depressed life as he continued to repress his feelings. At a point, he was engaged to a woman as cover-up for his true sexuality, but he also had a Gay lover on the side. The lover's death led him to try and take his own life, by sticking his head in a gas stove in his apartment. A friend of his, Bernie Taupin found Elton John in time to save his life. He has since then lived his life as an open gay man in Britain.






Eminem- American rapper
He puts all of him in his music, so it has always been evident that Eminem has a lot of internal problems. Sometime in 1996, he tried to kill himself with an overdose of Tylenol. His girlfriend (who later became his wife, then his ex wife, and then his wife, and then his ex-wife again), Kim had just left him, and he was frustrated at not being able to see his daughter, Hailie.








Brigitte Bardot- French actress
She was a famous onscreen sex symbol in the 50s and 60s, who later became an animal welfare activist later in life. In 1960, the then 26 year old actress tried to kill herself by swallowing a bottle of sleeping pills, and slitting her wrists at the same time. Fortunately, she recovered. This is what she later said about the incidence- 'I took pills because I didn't want to throw myself off my balcony and know people would photograph me lying dead below.'









Halle Berry- Hollywood actress
After her marriage to David Justice came to an end in 1997, she tried to end her life by Carbon Monoxide poisoning. She said she stopped herself when she thought of how her mother would handle the ordeal.







Elizabeth Taylor- British-American actress
For the record, I think this woman has the most beautiful face I have ever seen in my life- God bless her soul. She passed away in 2011. Sometime in the 60s, she was involved in an adulterous relationship with Richard Burton (actor), and when the relationship had to end because of constant public discrimination, she went into depression, and tried to end her life by taking an overdose of sleeping pills. The two later ended their marriages with their individual partners, and married each-other.








Princess Diana- Princess of Wales (R.I.P)

Although she was always all smiles, and appeared happy to the world, Princess Diana was dealing with depression most part of her adult life. According to a biography about her life published in 1992, the author, Andre Morton disclosed that Diana suffered from Bulimia Nervosa and had attempted suicide 5 times in her life. She once revealed during an interview that she attempted to kill herself by intentionally falling down a stairway when she was pregnant with her first son, William.

List of Famous People That Committed Suicide

With great power always comes great responsibilities; and some times the responsibility of self can be the biggest task of all. There are a lot of people, through history, that have been loved by the masses, for one thing or the other- Whether it was their inventions, or their talents,or  artistic capabilities, or their willingness to fight for the people; most of them won the hearts of the people, but along the line, they lost theirs.



Below is a list of famous people, who, regardless of their remarkable achievements on Earth, took their own lives in the end. Below is a list of famous people that committed suicide.








Alexander McQueen- Accomplished British fashion designer
On the morning of 11th February 2010, his housekeeper found him hanging at his home on Green Street London W1. He was 40 years old. He left a suicide note that read- 'Look after my dogs, sorry, I love you, Lee.'











Kurt Cobain- Lead singer of American Grunge band, Nirvana
In April of 1994, he ended his own life, at age 27, with a shotgun shot to the head.







Marilyn Monroe- Hollywood actress...Sex symbol
Although there was evidence that she died from poisoning, which was recorded as probable suicide, conspiracy theorists have long believed she was murdered. She had a very successful career in the 40s and 50s, and was romantically involved with a lot of the high and mighty in the American society at the time- including the late 53rd President of American, John F Kennedy.




Sigmund Freud- Australian Neurologist, and founding father of psychoanalysis
In 1939, after suffering from the pains of cancer of the mouth for many years, he decided to end his life. And, with the corporation of his doctor, he took a certain dose of Morphine, which helped him pass away quietly.







Michael Alfonso (Mike Awesome)- American Professional Wrestler
On February 17, 2007, a group of his friends found him hanging in his Tampa (Florida) home.










Edwin Armstrong- American inventor of the FM Radio
One sunny afternoon, after years of battling for his FM Radio Patent rights with RCA, he removed the air conditioner from the wall of his 13th floor apartment, and jumped to his death






Don Cornelius- American TV show host, and producer
He was famous for being the creator and host of the nationally syndicated dance/music franchise, Soul Train. At 75, in the early mornings of February 1, 2012, he was found dead in his apartment, from a self-inflicted gunshot would to the dead.






Donny Hathaway- American Jazz musician
He was working at the studio on his second album, when he started acting paranoid, and blabbing jargon. The recording session was halted, and everyone went home. Later in the day, he was found dead on the sidewalk below the window of his 15th floor room in New York's Essex House hotel.











Chris Lighty- American music industry executive and manager
Through his successful career in the music industry, Lighty's artists management company, Violator managed highly accomplished rappers such as Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe and 50 Cent. On August 30, 2012, he was found dead in his Bronx apartment from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the dead.







Vincent Van Gogh- Dutch post-impressionist painter
In the midst of dealing with a life long case of depression, and frequent bouts of mental illness, he managed to create some of the finest pieces of art known to man. At 37, in 1890, he shot himself in the chest and died shortly afterwards.






Lee Thompson Young- American actor
Known for his roles in such movies as, Friday Night Lights and The Famous Jett Jackson...and TV series such as Smallville and Rizzoli & Isles. On August 19, 2013, he was found dead in his apartment from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It was later discovered that he had been receiving treatments for depression and bipolar disorder.

There Is No Such Thing as Luck- The Linda Ikeji Story

Do you think Linda Ikeji's success is a matter of luck? Do you think successful people are lucky? I remember being at Anambra NYSC camp back in 2007, sitting on the grass talking to a friend of mine. I said something about being a lucky person, and she looked at me funny, like- 'you actually believe in luck?' I wondered why she had that look on her face, so I asked her what she understood about life and luck. We spoke for hours, and she opened my eyes to a new way of thinking. I can say that that singular event was the birth of the new me; the philosophical individual that wrote what you are reading right now.

The truth is, there is no such thing as luck. We make our luck as we go along, through our thoughts and ACTIONS. Thomas Jefferson said, and I quote- 'I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.' What people perceive as luck is the result of planning and hard work. So, I have decided to start a new series on my blog, where i will be highlighting some parts of very successful individual's past; the ugly part that a lot of people might not know about. 





It is really the dream, hard work and dedication to a dream that brings the results. Success is not overnight, and anyone can be successful in what ever field he or she desires to be. I am starting it off with our very own, Linda Ikeji.



*In 1998, at the age of 17, she had to become a model to take care of herself and her siblings.



-According to her, she once lived on puff puff and Garri for weeks. What an odd combination, right? But that's how bad it was for her at the time. Read her words-  "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."



*While she was getting her B.Sc at the University of Lagos between 2000-2004, she had to take up odd jobs to sustain herself...one of those jobs was being a waitress at a bar. She said, and I quote-  “I’d leave lectures, go to a hotel and sell beer from 1 pm till 10 pm. I did this for a few months. It wasn't easy but I had to survive”.











-Although she currently earns nothing less than 10 million Naira from her blog monthly, on her 30th birthday (5 years ago), she had less than 1 thousand Naira in her bank account.

*After graduating from the University in 2004, she launched a media company- Black Dove Communication. The company birthed a magazine (FM & B), which only made it to the third issue before crashing.



*She stopped modeling in 2005, as she felt she was getting too old for the profession. And in 2006, after being inspired by what was written about her in bellanaija.com, she decided to start her own blogsite. She opened lindaikeji.blogspot.com in 2006, but really started working on it in 2007. 



*She blogged consistently for 4 years before she ever made a kobo from her blog. In fact, in one of her recent blog posts, she admitted to crying uncontrollably on her 30th birthday back in 2010. She had put her heart in blogging for 3 years before that, she had tried different businesses and jobs since she was a teenager, but she had nothing to show for it at the time.



*It wasn't until 2011 (after consistently blogging for 5 years) that she started making money from her blog.




So you see, there is always a story behind every successful person. Reading all I've written above, would you still believe that her success is the work of sheer luck? I don't think so.

Is Being Gay a Choice?

I asked a lot of people this questions this week, and I got really shocking answers. Not to say i have the answer, but I can say I know what the answer is not. Since President Goodluck Jonathan signed the anti-gay bill into law earlier this week, the Nigerian cyber space (and the world at large) have been talking about the consequences of his actions. There are a couple of people that say they are happy with the law, and that America doesn't have the rights to dictate what we do in this country (following the condemnation of the law by the American Government). Well, personally, I do not care what Americans have to say or what they don’t have to say about Nigeria, what I care about is what happens in Nigeria, and how it affects me and the other citizens of our Great country. And to that note, I ask the million dollar question- ‘Is Being Gay a Choice?’

Are people born Gay, or do they wake up one morning and decide they want to be homosexuals? I have read a lot on this the last couple of days, and no one seems to have a concrete undisputed answer to the question. There are people that believe there is a gay gene, and that people that are born with the gene become gay; there are people that believe that homosexuality is an abomination sent from the pits of hell by the devil; and there are those that believe that homosexuality is a learnt sexual preference, thus they believe it’s a choice. As I said earlier, I do not have the answers, so I would like to have people tell me what they feel about this. And I am not talking of stereo-type answers that you have heard other people say. Think for a minute, put yourself in a Gay person's shoes, and then do a little research, before you answer me.

They are people that believe that people are not born Gay, but become so in their formative years as kids, based on their environment and what they are exposed to growing up. I think this is close to what I can agree with. Personally, I can’t say authoritatively whether or not being gay is a choice, but I can argue for why I feel it is not a choice. Just like the stereotypical homophobe would hit me with- ‘God made Adam and Eve and not Adam and Steve’, I would ask- What would make an individual deliberately choose to be discriminated against and persecuted if he/she had a choice of being a heterosexual. If you had a choice of just switching to being  normal and stop the hate against you, why not do that and let everybody be happy? That would be the sane thing to do, right? Unless people believe that Gay people are insane...and if that’s the case, what would 14 years in prison do to help their mental situation?

I think having sex is a choice, but wanting to have sex is not a choice. What I mean by that statement is- when a heterosexual man sees a naked woman that he desires, his thoughts are automatically that of SEX. He doesn't have to make a conscious choice whether or not he should get aroused by her, it is an automatic reaction in his body. But he can choose to control himself and not go along with the act by suppressing his feelings. As long as he is a heterosexual man, he cannot choose not to feel aroused by the sight of a naked woman; It is impossible. So, i also think it is impossible for a homosexual man to not feel anything sexual for another man. I hope you get my drift? If scientists or psychologists want to look into why that is so, and come up with how to reverse homosexuality to what the society sees as normal sexual preference (heterosexuality), that would be better option than criminalizing homosexuality.

So, lets take a look at what would happen if homosexuals are sent to jail in their thousands in the next couple of months in Nigeria- They are locked up with same sex as theirs (man with man and woman with woman), and that would lead them to have sex (sometimes forced sex) with many other homosexuals. And after 14 years they would be released to the society again. The purpose of sending people to jail in the first place is to make them remorseful of their acts and change their ways for the better; that purpose is defeated in this case, as it will only leave them worse off.

These are just my thoughts on the matter. I am not an expert on this issue, I just view things with an open mind. I always try to put myself in other person's shoes to understand why he/she does what he/she does. And in this case, I don’t think a Gay person would wake up one morning and decide to be Gay. How do you do that? You just flick a switch in your head, and Wala! You are gay? I think Homophobes should try flicking that switch for just a day to prove to world that being Gay really is a choice. I know why a lot of people think like this; it’s because they are repulsed by the sight of gay people. Well, I can understand that, but it doesn't mean you should hate them because you can’t understand why they are the way they are. 

In 2006, it was discovered that popular American pastor, Ted Haggard had been having a homosexual relationship with a male escort. This was a man who openly condemned gay people for many years. Senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, Bishop Eddie Long protested same-sex marriage for many years. It was discovered in 2010 that he had been having homosexual affairs with 4 members of his church. He bought the young men cars, and took them on separate trips around the world. UK Based Nigerian pastor, Albert Odulele was convicted of two counts of sexual assault in 2011. He had been having a homosexual relationship with a 14 year old boy, and another with a 21 year old man. Why am I saying all these? I am not judging anyone, I am just trying to understand why these Men Of God would choose to be gay, to the detriment of their reputation. I think I should leave you with that thought...ponder on it.

10 Most Beautiful Villages in Europe

Check out the pictures of of the 10 most beautiful village in Europe. Looking at the pictures saddened me...these are villages, not even cities, and they are this beautiful. I don't even think the problem with Nigeria (and Africa as a whole) is lack of resources and money; the problem is from within. We have poor hearts, that's why our outer world is so dirty and disarranged. This also has to do with Advancement...Europe is far more advanced than Africa in all areas. It's the neatness and the orderliness of the villages that really fascinate s me.

The pictures of the villages below are of 1. Bled, Slovenia. 2. Gruyeres, Switzerland. 3. Cong, Ireland. 4. Telc, Czech Republic. 5. Pucisca, Croatia. 6. Tellaro, Italy. 7. Reine, Norway. 8. Hallstatt, Austria. 9. Bibury, England. 10. Colmar, France. The pictures appear as they have been listed above.

The Power of Hypnosis

I’m sure everyone reading this has an idea of what hypnosis is. You have watched movies where people have been hypnotized and made to do what they wouldn't normally do. I even remember watching an episode of SuperTed back when I was like nine years old, and seeing Spotty-man hypnotized by a man, who dangled a clock in front of spotty till he lost consciousness.  Over the years, Hollywood has taken hypnosis to another level, and made it seem spooky and all. But the fact is that Hypnosis is so natural that you and I routinely enter and exit hypnotic trances several times a day without knowing it; Such times as while watching a movie, reading, listening to someone of authority (like a Pastor, Imam, or a Doctor), or while driving.

Basically, when you let your guard down, and let information/suggestion flow directly to your subconscious mind, you are in a hypnotic  trance. I combed the Internet for a very subtle definition of the word, but most of what I came up with were very complex. If I was to define it, I would say Hypnosis is when your conscious mind is put to sleep, and suggestions are given to your subconscious mind, which it immediately believes and acts accordingly, whether or not the suggestions are true.

I don’t know if that was a simple enough definition. To buttress my explanation, I think I should quickly speak a little on the human mind. The human mind (mind can be used interchangeably with brain here) has two parts; there is the conscious mind, and you have the subconscious mind. The conscious mind deals with logical reasoning and is the gate-keeper to what gets to the subconscious, while the subconscious mind, which is beneath the surface, deals with automatic actions like driving or brushing of teeth; Actions you have done over and over, till they have become automatic, or have become your character. The subconscious mind also  houses your beliefs (thoughts you have thought over and over). The subconscious mind doesn't deal with reasoning, but believes and acts accordingly on anything that is successfully passed to it from the conscious mind or the outer world; it is the bedrock of who you really are, because it houses your beliefs. Since all human beings act based on beliefs, and anything that gets to the subconscious mind (where your beliefs resides) is automatically taken as truth, then Hypnosis can truly be a powerful tool in carving the kind of life you really want. Or can be a detriment to your progress.

Since the conscious mind is the gate-keeper for the subconscious mind, it wont let any idea or suggestion go through to the subconscious, unless it checks with what you already believe to be true. That is why Hypnotists always put the Conscious mind to sleep before they proceed to passing a suggestion to your subconscious mind.  I think I should step back and let DR. Robert Anthony take center-stage from here on. Below is an excerpt from the chapter titled Dehypnotizing Yourself, from his bestselling book- The Ultimate Secrets of Total Self-Confidence.

‘Every person has been hypnotized to some degree either by ideas he has accepted from others or ideas he has convinced himself are true. These ideas have exactly the same effect upon his behaviour as those implanted into the mind of a hypnotic subject by a hypnotists. Over the years I have hypnotized hundreds of people to demonstrate the power of suggestion and imagination. To best illustrate my point, let me explain what happens when a person is hypnotized.’

‘Under hypnosis, I tell a normal, healthy woman that she cannot lift a pencil that I have placed on a table. And surprisingly, she finds herself unable to perform this simple act. It is not a question of her not trying to lift the pencil. She will struggle and strain, much to the audience’s amusement, but she simply cannot lift the pencil. On the one hand, she is trying to perform the action through voluntary effort and the use of her body muscles. But on the other hand, the suggestion that ‘you cannot lift the pencil’ causes her mind to believe that it is impossible. Here we find a physical force being neutralized by a mental force. It is a case of will power versus imagination. When this happens, imagination always wins out...’

‘Once a person believes that something is true (whether it is true or not), he then acts as if it were. He will instinctively seek to collect facts to support the belief no matter how false they may be. No one will be able to convince him otherwise unless, through personal experience or study, he is ready to change. Hence it is easy to see that, if one accepts something that is not true, all subsequent actions and reactions will be based upon a false belief.’

A lot of the limits in your life right now might have been self-imposed, or imposed upon you by a figure-head you respect like your Mom, Dad, a witch-doctor in your village, a respected person in your family,  or a religious leader.  They might have meant no harm when passing it to you, but it might be a belief which is, right now limiting you in some areas of your life. The suggestions might even have come from watching too much African Magic. As I said, your conscious mind is down when you are watching TV, and it allows every message/suggestion from the movie you are watching to stream right to your subconscious mind. And since your subconscious mind takes everything that gets to it as truth, you start to take everything portrayed in the movies as truth (like witches being behind your lack of progress, or that you can only be a success if you join a cult). Watch what you’re watching...don’t let it control your life. Watch the people you constantly are around and listen to, for they have the power to hypnotize you.

All these explains why what you believe (in your subconscious mind) is what you get in your life, and not necessarily what you want. And other people that don’t share your beliefs will get a life that resonates around their own beliefs also. In closing, this article should let you know that not all you take as truth today might be true...you might have been hypnotized without knowing it. So when next you meet someone that doesn't share your beliefs, think twice before you label the person ignorant...you might be the ignorant one.

Cyberbullying is At an All-time High Right Now

Cyberbullying, according to Wikipedia, is the use of Information Technology to harm or harass other people in a deliberate, repeated and hostile manner. In layman terms, Cyberbullying is when you hide under being Anonymous on a blog site, or a forum and spew hate and abuses at people. Celebrities get hit the hardest because they put themselves out there more, but normal people too get cyber-bullied. There has been cases of normal people who committed suicide because they were bullied on the Internet. Bullying is nothing knew in the world, but it just got worse with the introduction of the Internet, and the frequent use of social media by people of all ages. The world being a global village, makes it easier for people to reach more people than they could have ever reached before now. And it also makes it easier for people to reach people that they could never have met in their lives, if there was no social media.

A friend of mine from University days wanted to fit into the social class by all means, and so did a lot of silly and laughable things. People started making jokes about him, and bullying him with words. I tried my best to always defend him, but there was little I could do cos he kept doing those things that made people make jokes about him. And around the time we were to graduate (he had an extra year), all the bullying of the past years took a toll on him, and he became mentally unstable. I feel guilty anytime I think of this, but to be honest, i barely saved myself from some of my own self esteem issues too, so there really was little I could have done for him.




I say that to say this, it is not everyone that has a tough skin and can take abuses, and look-downs from people. The easy accessibility of the Internet in recent times, and the huge amount of people that access it daily, makes the case of cyberbullying a very serious one to consider. Just the other day, Nigerian actress turned singer, Tonto Dikeh broke down on twitter, speaking on how depressed she had gotten reading all the negative comments about her on social media sites. And she confessed that she had contemplated suicide many times. A lot of people don't know how powerful words are, they just open their mouths and spew dirt at people they have not even met, just because they feel they can. I think maybe it makes them feel better about their own lives. And the irony of it all might be that their lives might be worse off than the people they are bullying, but they do what they do to make themselves feel better about their sorry ass lives.







You have people on Nairaland.com (the most visited forum in Nigeria) and lindaikeji.blogspot.com (the most visited blog in Nigeria), tearing down people with their comments at every chance they get. 90% of their comments are always negative. As for Nairaland, it is worse on there...you can't even enquire about a solution to a problem without people making fun of you. The people that comment on there always find the worst in every news, and they don't waste time in wishing the worst on people. That is what the power of being 'Anonymous' can cause...if this people were in the same room with the people they are talking bad about, they would never utter the words they spew out freely (without weighing the consequences) on the Internet.






I remember an interview of Tiwa Savage from back in 2012 where she said she would be sad for days from reading negative comments about her on blogs/websites. She said she would then go for shows, and see tens of thousands of people cheering her on stage. And she wondered where those cyberbullies were. Then her Mom advised her to stop reading comment sections of blogs and websites. The thing people forget is that Celebrities are human beings like me and you. And to add to that, they can be affected worse from cyber-bullying than we can, because they put themselves out there more than the normal citizen. Like when Drake's mom was undergoing surgery, and he came on twitter and wished she made it through, and someone replied his tweet with- 'I wish your mom would die.' He said this was one of the situations that made him reduce his use of social media to barest minimum.







 I just remembered the story of one of the regular followers of Linda Ikeji's bog who goes by the user-name, ONYX. In the past, he wouldn't think twice before tearing down a celebrity. Then, in December of 2013, Linda decided to reward some of her users with N100k cash and N20k cash for Christmas, depending on some criteria. The Onyx guy was picked as one of the winners of N100k cash prize cos he has been a regular user/contributor on the blog. So, Linda met with most of them, and a picture of the meeting was taken. The next day, Linda put the picture up on the blog, and now, Mr. Onyx was on the other side of the divide. That whole day, other users of the blog rained abuses on him, calling him a beggar, and also making funny jokes about his looks. I noticed he was quiet for some days. And on the day he finally came around, he pleaded with some users to go easy on a celebrity they were bashing, confessing that he had suicidal thoughts when He was being  Cyber-bullied the other day. Now, that's a lesson for everyone.

Top 5 Richest Pastors in The World (2014)

It will interest you to know that, judging from this list, it is obvious that Nigeria houses some of the richest pastors in the world. This list was compiled by days of research online, and gathering information from credible sources like forbes.com, celebritynetworth.com... Check out the list of the top 5 richest pastors in the world below-








5.  Joel Osteen-Net Worth= $40 million
"Joel Osteen was born in Texas and has an estimated net worth of $40 million dollars. A pastor, author, and televangelist, Joel Osteen is the pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. He took over his father's role as a pastor and televangelist, despite having very little formal religious training, in 1999. Since then, the Lakewood Church broadcast has grown exponentially and can be seen in 100 different countries."








4.  Benny Hinn- Net Worth= $42 million
"Israeli televangelist,Toufik Benedictus “Benny” Hinn has an estimated net worth of $42 million. He is best known for his regular “Miracle Crusades” – revival meeting/faith healing summits that are usually held in large stadiums in major cities, which are later broadcast worldwide on his television program, “This Is Your Day”. Hinn was born on December 3, 1952."








3.  Chris Oyakhilome- Net Worth= $70 million
"This is the man behind Believers’ Loveworld Ministries, a.k.a Christ Embassy.His church has an estimated net worth of $70 million. He made $50 million last year alone."











2.  Bishop TD Jakes- Net Worth= $150 million
"Bishop Jakes lives in a $1,700,000 mansion, he has been called America's best preacher and has been featured on the cover of TIME magazine. He is a writer, preacher and movie producer. Thomas Dexter "T. D." Jakes, Sr. is the bishop/chief pastor of The Potter's House, a non-denominational American mega church, with 30,000 members, located in Dallas, Texas. T.D Jakes wears custom made suits and sports a diamond ring the size of a coin. This man of God has been endowed with a $150 million net worth."









1.  Bishop David Oyedepo- Net Worth= $500 million
"Bishop David Oyedepo is a Nigerian Preacher, Christian Author, Founder and Presiding Bishop of Winners Chapel, known as Living Faith Church World Wide. Has been hailed as the wealthiest preacher in Nigeria with a total net worth of $500 million and properties like 4 private jets and homes in the United States and England. His jets alone are worth more than $100 million. After the foundation of the Living Faith Outreach Ministry in 1981, it has evolved to be one of the largest congregations in Africa and has a flourishing mission in Nairobi."






You might be wondering why Pastor E.A Adeboye is not on the list. Well, even though he has been the General Overseer of Redeem Christian Church of God for close to three decades, he is not the founder of the church, but more like an appointed leader. Sort of like how Goodluck Jonathan is ruling Nigeria, but doesn't own the country. The other men on the list started their churches from scratch.




So guys, what's you opinion on the list? To the people who think Pastors shouldn't have this much wealth, I am going to have to disagree with you. You forget that these pastors render a service, and their market is large. They serve tens of millions of people. So, even if they didn't want the riches, the laws of the Universe would still bring it to them. That is just how things work in this world. You can't render a service to such a huge amount of people and not get rich; it is impossible. And for the record, must of them don't even make most of their money from offerings and tithes. It sure is a lot if you take a pull from tens of millions, but people forget that they have to maintain the churches. Most of these pastors make the majority of their money from special gifts they get from people they have helped, and also from their own personal investments. Chris Oyakhilome sells 2 million copies of his 'Rhapsody of Realities' book every month, and it nets him $2 million dollars from that alone; it sells for the equivalent of a dollar. And Oyedepo averages $1 million from the sales of his books worldwide, yearly.





And to those people that think they should give most of their money away in form of charity; that is another wrong misconception of Africans. A mentality to life that has kept the African continent (and the black race) backward. No one owes you anything in this world. You have to work out your own blessings, and that is what Pastors are meant to teach their congregation...to fish, and not to hand them fish. And maybe they can also work on getting the message of living a righteous life across to their flock through different means, and not just via the pulpit, Like how TD Jakes does with movies (Jumping the Brown, Sparkle...); reaching more people via a medium they love, movies. And driving home the teachings in a subtle way...not driving people away with rigid teachings.





I think the only problem I might have with some pastors is that they are not teaching their flock the right lessons/principles. Why do I say that? If they were, then so many of them wouldn't be living in poverty. I guess that is why people complain about some of the possessions of some pastors. People look at Pastors living good lives, and see majority of the congregation living poor lives. It just doesn't look good to the person looking in from outside. As I said earlier, I do not agree with the notion that Pastors should give most of their wealth away to the poor; I just feel they should inspire the poor to become rich. That's why I have always loved my pastor- Pastor S.I Makinwa of Kingdom Light Ministry. He was already rich before he started the church, and still owns all his company and businesses. And he always inspires and teaches on how his congregation can be just as rich as him, or even richer. I guess that is why he is not so popular.