Be inspired to search for where your passion lies, pray and make it
work for you. Never sell yourself short."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 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.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!"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!"You too can make it!
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