'TY's THOUGHTS': Toyin Poju-Oyemade Launches Vlog to Discuss 'Perspectives on Life and Living'

Toyin Poju-Oyemade 

Media personality and wife of popular Nigerian pastor, Poju Oyemade of Covenant Christian Center, Lagos (fondly known as 'C3'), Toyin Poju-Oyemade has launched a vlogging section on her YouTube Channel, to discuss what she describes as "perspectives that I have on issues that have to do with life and living, and how we can help ourselves to know better and to do better." The Vlog's debut was posted today.

Centering the Vlog's debut on the subject "Your Belief System", she narrates from her own personal experiences how certain inadequacies and insecurities she had in her own personal belief system hindered her from realizing her over 10-year-long vision to establish the Vlog.

She stressed the importance of ensuring that we understand clearly what we believe about ourselves, and the role which that belief system plays in activating our ability to fulfill our visions.

According to her, she had discovered her passion for media as early on as when she was 10 years old. But as she grew older, she says, "I didn't realize that I had some self-defeating, self-limiting thoughts that affected my self-esteem, that when I then wanted to do the things that I wanted to do, I couldn't because these things were always telling me 'You're not good enough, You're not fine enough, Your English is not good enough, Your nose is too big'.

"I used to have a friend that used to call me noselyn - how terrible. And he just used to joke; but he didn't realize that those things that just seemed like jokes were also affecting me, so that I started to believe them, and in turn, they would influence and impact how I saw myself, and how I carried out my activities, what I believed about myself, and how I would be able to birth my dreams."

Toyin 

"So I carried all of these self-defeating, self-limiting, self-esteem issues for the longest of time. Meanwhile, if you saw me outside, you would think that I was the most confident human being on the earth, that I was oozing confidence. And there are many of us like that: we have perfected the art of wearing this cloak of "I can do it", "I can do bad all by myself". But deep within where nobody can see right, there're all sorts of other things going on in your mind about yourself, that are just eating up your dreams, and eating up the years, eating up the time, and just allowing life to just pass you by."

She also notes that, "the work of changing that belief system, and changing that self-defeating, self-limiting thought in itself is a journey. This is a journey that has taken me a while to get to."

She then goes ahead to describe some steps to bringing about this critical change in your life, starting by accepting that you have a limiting belief system if you do, and then having a discussion with yourself aimed at discovering why you do so.

While describing the role that her past experiences played in making her develop a limiting belief system earlier in life, she makes a very striking comment that "you cannot use a negative process to achieve a positive outcome", while discussing the negative ways that African parents often speak to their kids (though their actions are often well-intentioned, in love).

Pastor Poju Oyemade and wife, Toyin

According to her, seeds of negativity and seeds of condemnation sown into a child's mind about themselves through their parent's manner of speech can go a long way in distorting the child's self-esteem and their assessment/opinion of themselves as they grow up in life.

Finally, she stresses on the need for one to be true to themselves, as against forming or living a fake life. She notes how this negative attitude hinders us from getting the right help or support to grow from people who can give such help, because we often present ourselves as though we are perfect and not in need of help.

Toyin is the founder and CEO of Storyteller NG, a media organization which creates diverse content for individuals, corporate organizations and media platforms.

The Paul Anunaso Blog wishes the First Lady of The Covenant Nation lots of success in her vlogging journey. You can watch the Vlog on her YouTube Channel 'Toyin Poju-Oyemade'.