Happy New Year!

This is my first post of the year and I am so excited. I know that I have kind of been kinda low key this festive season on my blog especially but it was necessary. I had a little retreat where I put in place a number of things in order in my life so that my new year can be lit. This involved a lot of background work on myself and my surrounding businesses.

And after brainstorming and searching, I came up with new goals or resolutions (if you prefer) I want to achieve for the year.

It may sound old fashion to still talk about new year resolutions because most of us don't do anything to achieve them or give up too soon. But it isn't fun to start a new year with nothing to look forward to achieving. By the way, if you drift away from your resolutions over time (which happens to many people), all you have to do is get back on track.

5 New Year Resolutions Worth Sticking To

New year resolutions are necessary and here are a few worth sticking with this new year.

1. Staying Fit & Healthy

Staying healthy and fit means that we have more time and energy to work towards having a successful year. Eat more vegetables, exercise more and drink more water for example. Imagine a year with no hospital consultation or pharmacy bills. Health is everything and it's very wise to make a resolution to stay healthy.

2. Being Happy

Choose to be happy throughout the year. Happiness is a choice. Make that choice now to have a year full of good memories. This resolution is worth keeping because happiness is a personal thing. You can't rely on others to be happy.

3. Facing Your Fears

I didn't realise how this resolution is worth sticking to until I tried it. Facing your fears is liberating! It's like coming out of a prison you put yourself in. It makes you want to achieve greater things as well as face more of your fears.

4. Develop Yourself

Develop and improve yourself to become a better version of yourself. Fill yourself up with knowledge. Discover who you are. Improve the areas you don't like about yourself. Develop your self-confidence. Discover your worth. Love yourself.

5. Spread More Love & Kindness

Show love to others. Show kindness in your own little way. This will go a long way to help those around you to find joy and happiness too. This is will go a long way to heal the world.

These are the new year's resolutions I think are worth sticking to this year. What are your plans for the new year?

I did my nails some months ago and saw this new nail polish. It looked less shiny and I would say it looked 'earthy' in a certain way. When I asked about it she said it's the new trend - matte nail polish.

I was eager to try it out but was hesitant then. The next time I went there, I tried it and I actually loved it. I chose a warm grey colour on my hand and an oxblood colour on my toenails. I loved it!

Then a few days ago, I decided to get my nails done myself and I decided to use matte nail polish again. That's why I got this gold matte colour nail polish.

I decided to share my thoughts on this trend which most girls (like me) are now going for.

So Here Is What I Think Of The Matte Nail Polish

Why I Love The Matte Nail Polish

- It looks and appears more natural.

I love natural looks and like I said earlier, the matte nail polish looks earthy. It isn't shiny and looks as if talc powder has been sprinkled on it. That is what makes it look so natural.

- Attention is focused on the colour of the nail polish and not its shine

The focus of the nail polish is more on the colour since it is not shiny. I discovered this when I used this gold colour. When I look at it I see just the gold and not some shiny nail polish.

- It dries off really fast

Yes, it gets dry faster. It saves time. So there's less risk of ruining your beautifully done nails.

- It doesn't need the last coat to be applied to it

It's not necessary to use transparent nail polish (nail hardener) on it.

What I Don't Like About The Matte Nail Polish

- It may not stay matte throughout.

By this, I mean that the matte look of the polish fades because it is affected by things your nails come in contact with like oil and water.

The polish eventually becomes a little shiny over time depending on the things it comes in contact with or that you touch. But it doesn't become as shiny as the shiny nail polishes though.

My Final Thoughts.

I love the matte nail polish trend. I hope it stays for a long time and gets better.
I'm happy it's here but I will still be using shiny nail polish when I feel like it.

I was updating my LinkedIn Profile some days ago and then I was asked to share my milestones with my connections when I was done. I mean, this actually felt good and I did share it.

It made me reflect on the little wins I made before getting the milestone. No one ever gets to celebrate them or know about them. No doubt success surprises everyone. We never get to appreciate the steps that took us to it.

How to Motivate Yourself by Celebrating your Progress

Why you should celebrate your progress

Celebrating is a really good thing. Most of all celebrating an achievement feels so good. It makes you feel proud, motivated, accomplished and fulfilled. It gives us relief. We finally get to tick off that item from our list.

But Is success the only thing worth celebrating?

What about the process that took us to that achievement? What about the time it took us to finally achieve it? The efforts and sacrifices we made along the way?

It's important to take some time and just remember every step of progress we made and celebrate it. We can treat ourselves for every step that contributed to the milestone we just achieved.

Success should be celebrated but we don't have to wait to be successful in order to recognise or celebrate what we have done so far. Celebrating the steps you take to your success only motivates you to do more because you are looking forward to your next celebration.

I think this is more of a personal thing because it is to help you recognise your efforts and struggles. It helps you realise that you have not been wasting your time all this while and that you are getting closer to your goal - success. It motivates you!

This is how to celebrate your progress so that you feel motivated

Stop! And acknowledge the moment!

Sometimes we are in a rush to get to the goal that we forget that we are actually making progress. When you feel that you have made significant progress, you need to stop and acknowledge the progress you just made even for just a few seconds.

Practice gratitude

Being thankful for what we have can make us see how much we are progressing in life or towards our goals in life. Taking time to think of the things we are grateful for is a reminder of how far we have come and that we are getting somewhere.

So use gratitude to celebrate your progress.

Write it down!

If you can't share your progress with anybody (yet) then write it down. It's like telling yourself all how good you are doing. Congratulate yourself while you write it down. Say how much you are proud of yourself at the moment. You may want to keep a journal for progress and write your little achievements along the way in order to remind yourself when you feel discouraged.

Give yourself a treat!

Yes, you are still in the process of getting your goal but treat yourself to something while you make progress. Buy yourself something nice, go to the spa or some me-time at home with a movie, a drink or friends will do.

This will make you feel good about yourself and take away the pressure of absolutely wanting to achieve the ultimate goal. Or you can just meditate, read a book and spend time with yourself.

Share your progress with loved ones

If what you are working on is not a private goal and you feel comfortable sharing it with your friends and family then do so. You can also share your progress with those you are accountable for that goal. It could be your friends, family or fans.

But I will say be careful with who you share your progress because you may get some responses that may rather discourage you and make you feel like you are not progressing at all. So choose those with whom you celebrate your progress wisely.

So remember that you don't have to wait months or years to celebrate your achievements. Start celebrating it now with every step of progress you make. It will motivate you and increase your confidence in achieving that goal.

Celebrate every test/exam you pass, every follower you get, every sale you make, every content you create, and every contract you get because it's the collection of every step that makes the goal achievable.

Have you wanted to start a blog but thought that it requires a lot of money? Do love blogging but you are scared of keeping up with the cost?

Well, you have come to the right place because today we will be discussing how to start a blog for free.

Blogging || How to Start a Blog Without Money

What do I need to know about blogging?

So you got ideas/things you want to share with others. If the internet is the space you choose to share it on then you should consider blogging. A blog is a web page or site where you can post articles about any topic(s) that you choose, written in a conversational style.

What can I blog about?

Talking topics, there are many things you can talk about on your blog and it all depends on you. Some blogs are focused on one topic while others are focused on two or more topics.

One topic blog is called a niche blog. A niche is a target or the people you want to write for. For example, we have fashion blogs, education blogs, health blogs, beauty blogs, parenting/kids blogs, relationship tips blogs, interior decoration blogs, DIY blogs and entertainment blogs.

If you can't really choose one topic/niche then you can create a Multi-topic/niche blog. Lifestyle blogs, in general, are multi-topic/niche blogs because they cover a wide range of topics. My blog, for example, is a lifestyle blog and I talk about things that affect us in life and how to improve life in health, beauty, fashion, relationship and how to go about day-to-day life issues.

Whatever way you want to do it is up to you. Some people are for the niche blog while others don't mind talking about many topics on their blogs. It's totally up to you.

Your Blog name

Your blog needs to have a name. Your blog's name may reflect what you want to blog about or you could simply give it your name or nickname. There are blog-name-generating sites which can assist you in creating a name for your blog.

Choose a name you love and will want to keep for a long while. I have changed the name of my blog recently from N'Graffi to Ngumabi which is my name. I should have named it Ngumabi from the beginning but I just wanted to blog anonymously from the onset so I named it something else.

Even though I still love the previous name of my blog, I think that I needed my blog to represent me even more because I am a lifestyle blogger and I share my experiences so that others can learn from them.

So choose a name that you will want to keep for a long while.

Where Do I start my blog?

There are many platforms where you can start blogging for free. Blogger and WordPress are the most popular platforms and I will recommend any of them for a start. I use blogger and I find it really easy to use. I had to learn how to use it though but it's good for beginners.

It's easy to start your dream blog on a blogger for free because you can change a number of things like your template and add/remove widgets.

Blogger belongs to Google and if you have a Google account then you have an account on blogger too.

How to create a blog on Blogger.com

Go to blogger.com

Insert the blog title

Put in your blog name and address

Choose a template

Click on create a blog

See details below

Your blog name address will include '.blogger.com'. For example, if your blog is called 'my new blog' then the site address will be 'mynewsite.blogger.com'.

You can start your blog and keep blogging till you are ready to pay for a domain name and hosting fees. When you buy a domain name, the blog's address will become 'mynewsite.com' for example.

Publish your first blog post

Now that your blog is created you can now start blogging. To write your first blog post see the following image.

Next, write your post and publish it. See the image below.

Blogging is like any other skill which you can learn and get good at with time. This is the first step to creating a blog. There is more to learn but the most important thing is to start.

Do a lot of research in areas where you need more clarification (Google it) and learn.

Most bloggers start blogging for fun or because they have a passion for it. From the beginning, you just want to share your ideas with the world. You just want to bring people into your world and share your way of seeing things.

But as time goes on and as you search for ways to grow your blog, you come in contact with lots of information that encourage you to write mostly to satisfy your readers.

Blogging || Why you should stick to topics you love blogging about

Writing about things you feel passionate about

It's your blog after all. You can say anything you want, write about what you want. It's all about writing what you are passionate about. And that is what a blog needs to survive or live long. The writer has to be passionate about the topics he/she is writing about or they may not be able to keep it alive for long.

Blogging is also a way of showing people a new way of thinking - your way of thinking. It is bringing your readers into your world to discover new things and let them like your way of writing too.

If you are passionate about something then write about it. Don't let what others think about blogging limit you. If you want to start a blog on many topics then do it. If you want to have a niche blog then do it. Put your content out there! Have fun with it! Let people fall in love with your content and personality.

Striking the balance between satisfying your readers and your passion

Some topics do attract more readers than others. But a blogger may not be passionate about writing on topics that many readers are interested in. It can be hard to blog about things you don't really like. It can make blogging to become a chore.

You can still write about what you are passionate about and make it interesting for your readers. No matter your niche, it takes time to build a blog with many readers. So it's better to take time and build a blog and content that you will enjoy writing about for a long while.

You can make your readers like your content by the way you put it out there or the angle from which you write it. Or your opinion on the subject.

As much as you want to increase your readers you also want to stay passionate about your content too.

If you are thinking of starting a blog or already have one, are you really passionate about what you write about or is it all about what the readers want?

People always ask me how I manage to find really cool clothing from Okrika. I love shopping Okrika and my many years of doing so have enabled me to gather a lot of experience in choosing the right clothes. I decided to share my tips with you guys and that's what we will be talking about in this post.
So here are practical tips to thrift good quality items.

How To Select The Best Quality Items From Okrika Heaps In Cameroonian Markets

1. Tool control

- Your greatest asset/tools for thrifting are your hands and your eyes, lol. Try to make sure your hands are as free as possible. I personally don't go with my phone to the market especially if I don't have any important call I'm expecting.

It's safer and less stressful because I need my hands free to sort my clothes. The market is usually so noisy anyway, so I might likely not hear it when it rings. It's better to leave your phone at home.

Try as much as possible to free your greatest selection of tools which are your hands!

2. Quality control

- Go for new clothing. If you may come across clothing you really fancy but the quality is not good, just drop it. I know how it feels to see a very trendy outfit only to discover that it is worn out.

If you buy it you may not be able to wear it for outings. It will become a 'house dress' as we often call it in Cameroon. I can't count how many 'house dresses' I have because of this mistake. So go for the clothes that are still very new.

3. Stain control

- Clothing may be new enough but still, have faults like stains. Do check keenly for holes, stains, loose stitches and discolouration on every piece of clothing. They are second-hand clothes so problems like that are very common.

For tops and shirts, check the neck/collar, armpits, buttons and decorations. For pants/trousers check the hems, buttons, pockets and underneath the trousers (between the legs).

4. Fit control

- Easy ways to find out if a skirt, pants/trousers will fit your waist is to zip/button it up, hold the waist on both ends and try to make it go round your neck. If both ends meet behind your neck then it's going to fit your waist. But if it overlaps or doesn't meet at all then it's not your waist size.

This works most of the time because, for most people, two times the circumference of their neck is usually the size of their waist.

But it would always be better to try it on (with the permission of the seller) to be quite sure.

5. Necessity control

- Always ask yourself why you are buying each piece of clothing. It may be just another white t-shirt or a black skirt in your wardrobe. Buying clothes feels good but it doesn't mean that you need it.

Think about the occasion you are buying every item you select or find. If you are buying for outings then be really strict with what you buy. It must fit the characteristics of what you want because what may look good in the market may not look as good to you when you get home.

6. Price control

- Sometimes the vendors announce or shout out very low prices just to attract customers. I know this is very annoying especially after choosing clothes or shoes and then you are told a higher price for the items.

Try to find out if that is the real price of the products when you start thrifting by observing payments made and asking another customer whom you met there if the price is right.

Extra Tip! - Don't judge a book by the cover. You may find some really good stuff in places you never expected.

Yeah, That's thrifting for you.

NB: Take a shopping bag every time you go thrifting. You might be surprised by the number of items you may get to buy because things could just be cheaper on some days. And also make sure you carry cash!

I have been going through the fear of failure and this happens to me especially when I'm starting something new.

This post doesn't only apply to blogging but in anything you feel not good enough at. I used this example because that's where I actually experienced the feeling the most in my life.

How to Deal with Not Feeling Good Enough

Why don't I feel good enough?

I feared being laughed at or made a mockery of if I fail at the things I planned to do.

To heal my fear I started searching for confidence-building content to read, watch and listen to and I found a few good ones. All of them had a common message: "Stop comparing yourself to others".

When I took the time to think about it, it actually rang a bell. The more I thought about it, the more I realised that that's where my problem is coming from.

When you compare yourself to others, all you can see are your faults and this can be intimidating.

A False Standard

I am someone who does a lot of research when I'm starting something new! Like this blog. When I started, I knew nothing about blogging and all I wanted to do was "write on the internet". I didn't even know that it was called blogging. lol

I did lots of research and managed to find my way. I learned a lot from different blogs and used their experiences to make my blog better.

I discovered really nice blogs with a great social media presence. Their layouts, content and photos are close to perfect and I said to myself "this is how I want my blog to be" "This is the feeling I want my readers to have when they open my blog".

Then I started striving to make my blog as cool as theirs, I want my social media photos to be as nice and professional as well, which is a good thing! And I worked towards that day and night! My blog changed, even became better. But it was not still as good as the other blogs I saw (because I discovered better ones every day, lol).

That is when I started feeling not good enough. Because I had created a "vision" of what a good blog should be or look like. And that standard had become the other cute blogs I saw. I didn't also think that my blog was cute too.

I forgot to use my own creative mind and apply my own skills to make my blog mine, and create my own standard. It was all about getting what I saw and what I thought it should be and not doing my own thing which actually will make me stand out and could be the ideal blog for another person.

So I said enough is enough! I'm doing me!

I am enough!

I got to a point where I was overwhelmed with trying to "meet the standard" and I decided to be myself. To do me. To do things as I please. And to say it's ok to not meet the standard!

I decided to use the information I got from others and apply it in my own way or personalise it to suit my own vision and desires for my blog. I manage my blog in a way that I think is best for me and not how I see everyone doing it. I have started doing that with social media, and I'm feeling more comfortable with it.

I have dug deep into my creativity and started producing content for my blog and social media accounts which reflects my personality and my way.

How I did it!

So when I got fed up with trying to be good enough (according to other people's standards), I decided to do a few things to regain myself and my creative mind.

1. Used the unfollow button

I sorted out the intimidating blogs and social media accounts and I unfollowed them. Sorry if you are one of those I unfollowed, it's not a bad thing, well it means that you are good though! lol

I use to follow all the blogs that inspired me and for sure each day they really inspired me with good stuff! But later I was getting too much information at the same time and I even had no time to implement the things I got and it began to intimidate me. So I decided to unfollow and unsubscribe from their email list/social media and it felt good.

I stayed away from intimidating sites.

This helped me to grow by doing and developing my own thing and gaining confidence in my own work and creativity.

I had fewer emails to read every day and I spent more time working on myself and developing my own content instead of gathering more information that may not be put to use but will only make me feel not good enough.

When my confidence grew, I started to visit some of the blogs I unfollowed and then I realised how much I had grown, (yes I still compared myself to them lol) but I didn't feel as intimidated again.

This even opens me up to new inspiring content when I decided to start searching for new information and has helped me developed my blog in many other good ways.

Lesson 1

So it's OK to stay away from someone or something that intimidates you if it is really killing your creativity and willpower. It's not being weak. It's rather retreating to find your inner strength and work better with your competition.

Even if you are intimidated by your friends, it helps to take two steps back and work on yourself. It's hard to move forward when we constantly compare ourselves to others so take away the distraction and focus! You don't need to know everything about their lives on social media so feel free to unfollow them (at least for a while) if it makes you feel better.

There is strength in acknowledging your weakness and working on it!

2. I dreamt again!

I went back to 'how I wanted my blog to be', 'what kind of content I had dreamt of having on my blog', 'what type of interaction I wanted' and 'the kind of atmosphere I wanted for my blog'. And I worked towards obtaining it. This also required research but I tried to make it suit what I wanted to do so that it fits in.

It was then I realised that I had copied some things that were not very necessary for my way of blogging so I had to get rid of them.

Lesson 2

It's always important to go back to the why question.

- Why am I blogging, designing, creating or manufacturing? Why is my purpose of living? Why am I doing this?

This will give you the right focus, vision and direction you should be following and any information you get will have to fit into that vision or should not be considered.

- What kind of person do I want to be?
Find the person you want to be, what you want people to know you for as a person and/or your business (your brand) and work towards it.

Find who you are and who you really want to be and go for it!

Bonus tip* Take things slow. Go easy on yourself. We battle with not feeling good enough every day and in various aspects of our lives and it is a constant fight. There will always be someone better than you (taller, slimmer, happier, richer and more professional than you) and you can't spend the rest of your life striving to be like others. That's so sad. You need to live your life and be you. So don't be hard on yourself and do your own thing your own way! That's how you make a difference.

I hope you learned from my experience and also please share your experience with me in your comment so that other people and I can learn from you too.

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