PS: Pictures taken at marina resort calabar

Sometimes our daily activities could become so overwhelming and our environment so uneasy. At this point maintaining your sanity is what really matters. This was the scenario I was in some few days back. Everything around me was so draining; I knew I needed to find a safe haven where I could cool off.



I needed a place where I was not going to spend so much because my account balance was dressed in red and still needed to derive maximum satisfaction. A friend suggested House 3 Guest House. It is located at road 6, Ire-Akari Estate, Oluyole Extension, along Akala Road, Ibadan.

I checked in on a Friday. My expectation of the guest house wasn’t so huge but I was taken aback by what I saw. I was thrilled by the facilities, it was way more than I expected. The environment was so lovely, neat and serene. The front desk officer and the staff were receptive.


My room was well furnished and very comfortable. I am not so much of the movie person so I had almost no business with the TV (you shouldn’t give me that weird look you know?). Having my phone, earpiece and a book with me was all I needed.





Oh! I almost left out the most essential part; they have a nice restaurant, all you need to do is place your orders and your meal would be served in few minutes so for all food lovers no need for worries.


When I got bored the coffee bar was the answer. I got to play lots of my childhood games that the demands of adulthood has deprived me of. The coffee bar was also a nice place to hang out and also meet new friends.





I left House 3 Guest House relaxed, refreshed and renewed to face my daily activities squarely.




I realized from this experience that one doesn’t need to spend so much to go on a little vacation or break or probably spend some time out. There are a lot of budget friendly places to visit, so if you are in Ibadan or planning to visit I highly recommend House 3 Guest House for your relaxation. Also for all the entire movie and sport lover you are covered.

Have you been to any budget friendly guest house before?

Dont forget to leave your thoughts, comments and suggestions.

Thank you.

Life has been a bit of here and there lately, it has been too realistic but in all I am so excited to be back to my safe haven.

Unmotivated
Truth be told, I have been feeling so unmotivated about a lot of things. I mostly find myself lost in my thoughts and imaginations which have left me with no other souvenir other than headaches. I am learning to live every moment to the very best. I am also learning that it is okay to feel unmotivated; you don’t have to force it because it does not make you less yourself.

Life as a creative entrepreneur
Sometimes the entrepreneurial life of a creative like me could be a bit demanding and discouraging but I have learnt to celebrate my little wins. I have also learnt that consistency and surrounding yourself with the right people cannot be over looked.

Just keep moving
Sometimes in Febraury I started up my youtube channel. You can subscribe here

This month I finally held the first Catheyo school tour for this year with an amazing team. It was a moment of despicable impact.






I also have been working on a project (a new brand) for a while now; it is all about promoting Africa’s cultural heritage in style. I am so grateful to God for an amazing team I worked with all through. Yeah! I officially launched the clothing line this week, so you can check and follow us @afrowearz_



In addition if you have been following my blog post for a while now, you must know about my artistic skills but just in case you are new here I am an artist too. I decided to try something new; I introduced branded artistic notepads @prisciart_


Team work
I have been learning a lot about team work and networking. The just concluded school tour and the just launched clothing line have exposed me a lot to team work.

Getting bored
I am getting so bored of my environment; I need to visit some exciting places within Lagos or Ibadan. I am seriously thinking of that perfect spot, so your suggestions are welcomed oh. I can’t come and kill myself by myself.

What I have learnt so far
I am beginning to see the reality of what Martin Luther King Jnr said “if you can’t fly, run, if you can’t run walk and if you can’t walk crawl but by all means keep moving”. I am learning that sometimes, life would leave you with no other option than to crawl but in all keep moving forward.

How has life been lately for you? I would be very excited to hear your experiences, do well to drop them in the comment section.

Thanks for reading.

Much love from Cathy
♥️

I have been thinking about somthing lately, please hear me out.

Most times we get so overwhelmed about our needs and about our dreams that we can’t help but worry as humans that we are. What gives us assurance is Gods word because God can not fail and he never lies so keep holding on to God’s word, never let go.

So many things around us tend to put us under pressure, ranging from friends to social media. One thing we must avoid is putting ourselves under pressure. Remember you are not in competition with anyone, the only competition you have is you (your procrastination, your bad habits e. t. c.). We are not in any race with anyone, we are individually running our own race and no two people have the same race.  Stop comparing yourself with others and stop wishing to be like someone else. Just make sure you are being productive per time and you are not just being busy.


Get genuinely happy when good things happen to people around you especially when it’s something you desire.  Avoid envy, avoid jealousy, stop hating and start loving.

In the next few paragraphs I will be sharing ways of overcoming the two major sources of pressure.


Social media 
It’s true that social media has made the world a global village but it definitely has its own disadvantages. Social media has a lot of benefits especially for business promotion. Social media has also brought feelings of inadequacy, envy, jealousy, anxiety and unhealthy self comparison. There is a simple way out; follow people who inspire you and learn to mind your own business. Remember that those showcasing success on social media actually went through a process and you are also in that process too, so no need for negative vibes.

Friends
Avoid keeping friends that put you under some much pressure. Keep friends who believe in your abilities, keep friends who inspire and encourage you. One thing that has kept me going is the kind of people I allow into my life. Be very picky when it comes to who you allow into your life. No wonder Charlie Tremendous Jones said “you will be the same in five years as today except for the books you read and the people you meet”.

I trust you had a great read? I will be super excited to get your opinions, just click on the comment box.

Thanks for reading.

This post should have come earlier but I had some issues with my phone. All the same, I guess it's still not too late to wish you a happy new year 😀.

2018 for me was a memorable year, so fasten your seat belts as I take you through the journey of 2018 and my standing principles for 2019.

Adulting
2018, welcomed me into adulthood. It was sometimes exciting and other times down casting. There were times I wished I had the power to choose to grow up, no one ever told me growing up was a scam lol. 2018 taught me a lot about taking responsibility, grabbing opportunities, looking beyond to see opportunities, facing my fears and becoming more creative. I blogged about some experiences here


Landing my first job & managing relationships 
I was ushered into 2018 with a new job. It was was a very busy and demanding one, sometimes I had to sacrifice Satudays 😥 and you know what that's means? I could barely manage such a busy schedule with my relationships. I lost quite a number of friends due to breakdown in communication but glad I got my friends back. I had to learn how to manage relationships despite having a crazily busy schedule.


Books
One of my resolutions for 2018 was reading a book monthly. I succeeded in hitting the benchmark and I even scaled over it. I read 16 books which includes;






Sadly I only completed one of these books, which I am not proud of but it's a much more better improvement on 2017. This has been one of my major bad habits for a while now. The good news is that 2019 will be different because I finally found tips about staying through with a book from the beginning to the very end. I will be sharing some tips in my next blog post.

Travel
I got surprised when almost everyone started calling me Ajala ( it means someone who travels in the Yoruba dialect). I only visited Abuja twice, Ogun state twice, relocated back to Ibadan, revisited Lagos twice and visited Delta state twice. Be the judge now, is this enough to call me Ajala? 🤷


Adventure
I didn't explore as much as I wanted to but "at all, at all nai bad pass" (meaning but at least half bread is better than none).
I visited Elegushi beach, which I blogged about here
Went for an art exhibition at Thought pyramid in Ikoyi titled "story telling via photography".
I finally visited the game acade at the Ventura mall in Ibadan.


Movies
Am not so much of a movie freak but I guess I tried a bit. I saw the following movies in 2018;
Black panther
Pepper mint
The merry men
These movies were lovely. I look forward to see more exciting movies this 2019. Your recommendations won't be bad too.



The struggles
In 2018, I struggled emotionally with a lot of things. There were so many happenings in 2018 that almost drove me crazy but thank God his grace made me sail through. Thank God for those great friends who were always there for me and thank God for his unchanging word.


Social media influence
I really didn't understand the power of social media not until 2018. I had a great deal of network and thanks to tech which has made the world a global village. Via social media I made amazing friends.  I located some mentors and role models. These great personalities inspired me in 2018. In 2019, locate those who are in your sphere, follow them on various social media platforms, they will surely be a source of inspiration to you. In 2019 I will double my networking skills.
One very quick advice; avoid the unnecessary pressure social media creates.

You can also check me out on IG here  and on LinkedIn here let's connect.

Seminars
I was opportuned to attend three conferences in 2018, which influenced me positively.
Free conference, organised by Jimi Tewe, you can read up all I learnt there here.

She means business; here I had more exposure about social media marketing and I made some amazing friends.

Business Connect, where I learnt a lot about building a strong networking system.


Owambes
I am not so much of the party person and for me it's a kudos I attended three weddings in 2018.


Art
I took my art to another dimension. I explored a lot in the world of art and I am super grateful to God for inspiration and amazing clients. I look forward to have and connect with more art lovers this 2019.


For more inspiring works check here

I also transferred my artistic traits into making designs on cloths. I started by making some for myself. Thank God it was appreciated and quite a number of people got theirs too. Place your order for yours and there will definitely be greater improvements this year.




Blogging goals
I started blogging in 2018, with the sole aim to inspire lifestyle and greatness via my write ups. My blog didn't just achieve that purpose but it also became away of escape for me and a place I found solace. All of this became possible because of people like you, who never relent on reading, liking and commenting on every blog post. Your feedback meant a lot to me and it has made this blogging journey a wonderful one. Your kind words of correction has been super amazing, though am not yet that perfect blogger girl but thanks for accepting me just the way I am. Let's do it again in 2019 and even better cheers 😀.


Conclusion
2018 was a super year despite so many challenges, indeed God can never fail. I am also super excited about this year because the future keeps unfolding itself. These are my 10 standing principles for this year 2019:

1. Identify my passion.
2. Set specific goals.
3. Set attainable and measurable goals.
4. Take full responsibility of my life.
5. No excuses.
6. Live my life like there are no limitations.
7. Avoid negative vibes.
8. Keep thinking of the future.
9. Be ready to pay the price.
10. Maintain gratitude to God daily.

I will love to get a brief summary of 2018 and some of your standing principles for 2019.
Thanks for reading.