February Issue 2022

Your purpose pg 17

Guarrd you sy u jealo2 pg 0

She is not your ordinary health professional but the founder of Save a woman organisationBabedi Samakabadi pg 11

WEIGHT LOSS PLATEAU PG 27

HAPPY 2nd YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO US THANK YOU FOR THE CONTINUED SUPPORT & PRAYERS CHEERS TO MANY MORE YEARS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

04

ABOUT US

05

EDITOR'S NOTE

06

FEATURE ARTICLE 1: A FRESH START

09

FEATURED ARTICLE 2:GOAL SETTING

16

COVER STORY: FOUNDER OF SAVE A WOMAN

17 REAL TALK: IT IS NOT DIFFICULT BUT DIFFERENT 20 SERMON: GUARD YOUR HEART PART 2 AGAINST JEALOUSY 22 BOOK REVIEW: DROP THE MIC 25 HEAVENLY MUSIC-SETTING MUSIC GOAL FOR 2022 27 FITNESS CORNER: WEIGHT LOSS PLATEAU

ABOUT US WHO WE ARE

We are an online Christian magazine that aims at sharing, inspiring stories. We celebrate, recognize and appreciate Christian role models in their different capacities

MISSION To share the Gospel truth, inspire, motivate and cultivate faith in our everyday lives

VISION

To give a platform and safe room for growth in the Christianity lifestyle and exposure to local talent in the Christian community.

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Editor's note

Hello my SAFE readers January was really long and slow. Hope we doing well. Youthful4God is 2 years in existence as an online Christian magazine. I am in awe of the 24 issues published thus far. I can still remember our first publication. The planning and the layout of the magazine, I believe we have really grown.

Its been an interesting journey with this publication. Personally, I have learned a lot about publication. I started this with no experience but I decided to trust God. Look where we are now, 2 years and still counting.

I have experienced fulfillment, fear, disappointment and setbacks but God still remained on this journey through it all.

I would like to thank everybody who is involved in this publication every month because you could be doing something else but you choose to give a bit of your precious time to this.

Thank you for the support, criticism and applause for everything we have done. I believe we keep getting better because of your feedback. We believe God will continue to provide resources and manpower so we make more developments in this publication. Keep praying for us and the publication. Until next issue I love you but God loves you more

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Malebogo Lepere

A FRESH NEW START

BY K M NTEBANG Isaiah 43:18-19 (NKJV), the word of God tells us, “do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even

The new year has just begun and it’s during this time that most people come up with new year’s resolutions or year plans. Do you have anything in place yet? If not, consider scribbling something down because a plan will help keep projects in check, set and track milestones as well as help prioritize important and urgent activities.

Photo by Vladislav Bychkov

make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” The past two years were the most difficult for most if not all of us. We are alive today because God Almighty protected us, provided for us and kept us alive despite all the hardships we were faced with because He still has plans for us. The word of God today encourages us to forget the things of the past and focus on the future.

It is time for us to pick ourselves up, shake the dirt off and with our heads held high forge ahead with a renewed spirit. Our God promises that He will make a way for us in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. This shows that there is nothing impossible for our God, He is able and if we truly believe in Him, He will ease all our problems,

challenges, hardships, etc. In 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 (NKJV), “therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” God renews us every day, and with each day comes blessings for us to make a fresh new start at life.

We are living in hard times where life itself is unpredictable, it is important to make the best of each day. The troubles faced yesterday must be forgotten and used as lessons learned while much focus is placed on a fresh new day ahead. The things we used to push back for another day, if they are of any importance, let them be completed, people we have pushed aside as unimportant let us bring them back with honor and dignity, the arguments and silly fights we have had with our loved ones, let them be forgotten while reconciliation and forgiveness become the order of the day, for we do not know what tomorrow holds for us. It is important to appreciate the little things that happen in our lives, to count our blessings and name them one by one while at the same time we learn from our mistakes, misfortunes and make the best of the new opportunities as we receive a fresh new day as a new start and a new blessing.

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GOAL SETTING As we start this year it is important that you set goals for yourself to achieve. We have short and long-term goals.

DEFINITION “A goal is a thought conceived in the mind to reach a destination or a point with available resources within a time frame.” It can also be a God-inspired vision or an idea.

GOALS MUST BE CLEAR, EXPLAINABLE OR WRITTEN

By

Harry Tawiah Ussher

DOWN I believe that the reason why most people do not reach their destination in life is that their visions are not clear, explainable or not written down. Understand that a vision that is not clear cannot be achieved. When God gave Habakkuk a vision to

fulfill, He told him to write it down, so it can guide him as he tries to work it out. Habakkuk 2:2.

And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. (KJV) SHORT TERM GOALS They are almost in sight not a heavy demand on patience.

1.

They are brief in term. Esther 4:16. Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. (KJV) 2.

It is shorter in terms. Nehemiah 2:4-7, 20.

LONG TERM GOALS I look at long-term goals as life goals, they are for an appointed time. Long-term also translates that they take time and we, therefore, need the patience to wait for their fulfillment. Habakkuk 2:3. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end, it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Jesus came into this world to die for us to achieve life for us. You need to be persistent in order to achieve your long-term goal. Matthew 26:37, 39, 42.

REASONS FOR GOALS Goals give us direction in life. It provides the blueprint on which we look on to make decisions. Without goals, leaders drift and achieve very little.

SET ACHIEVABLE GOALS Some people want to achieve certain goals in their lives but do not put any effort into taking steps to materialize the goal. For example, you cannot sit in back somewhere and hope that one day you will become the president of a nation without going to school to at least have a degree, be in politics, have a vast knowledge of so many things because you read, involve in community work and so on.

GOAL SETTING CONTINUES 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

HINDRANCES TO GOALS: Lack of perseverance: the “the give-up” mentality. Exodus 4:13.

Fear of failure. Jonah 1:1-3.

Lack of confidence. Exodus 3:11, 13: 4:10.

Lack of confidence in others. Exodus 4:1.

Lack of confidence and faith in God. Exodus 3:13.

DEALING WITH GOAL HINDRANCES/MANAGING GOALS 1.

Prayer. Nehemiah 6:14.

2.

Seeking God’s help. Nehemiah 6:16.

3. Learn from failure. Thomas Alva Edison once said. “I HAVE NOT FAILED. I’VE JUST FOUND 10, 000 WAYS THAT WON'T WORK. “ 4.

Forgetting the past, look to the future. Run to win the race-Paul had slaughtered Christians, but he forgot the past after he became Born Again and pressed on towards his goal to win the race. Acts 9:1-2. 1 Corinthians 9:23-27. Philippians 3:13-14.

5.

Accept; adopt alternatives to achieve your goals. Exodus 7:1-2.

6.

Pursue perseverance facing the “give-up” mentality squarely. Nehemiah faced Sanballat and Tobiah squarely. Nehemiah 4:6.

7.

Learn to place confidence in others by delegating. Exodus 18:17-26.

8.

Have complete faith in God’s word to achieve your goals. Zachariah 4:6. Philippians 4:13.

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

-Thomas A. Edison.

COVER STORY Introduce yourself to our readers.

Babedi: Nitishiree!!! Natambuka!!! Watsharaa!!! Ke moyei ka letso, Babedi Samakabadi is my name. A 33 years old Motswana lady. I hail from the dusty sands of Boteti Sub-district. I was born and raised at Motopi Village, Xhumo ke kgabaganya ka madi le tshika.

My mother is Keleokometse Samakabadi and my father is Elias Bosenakitso Samakabadi. I am the second born of three sisters(Mariam and Brenda Samakabadi). I am an aunt to the big boy, Harrison Samakabadi.

I am the Founder and Director of Save A Woman Organisation. I am a Social Issue Activist, Poet, Master Of Ceremonies, Writer, Motivational Speaker, Mentor, Event Planner and mostly the Award Winner of THE MOST INFLUENCIAL WOMAN OF THE YEAR 2019 of MOSADI TOTA. I am a born-again Christian, I fellowship at Bible Life Ministries, Tlokweng under Pastor Thuso Gaongalelwe and Mma Moruti Casey.

2. Tell us about your career I am a HealthCare Auxiliary by profession, I have been practicing for over 8 years at the Intensive Care Unit of one of the biggest private hospitals in the capital city of Botswana, Gaborone. I hold a Distinction on Health Care Assistant certificate. I am also a student, kick-starting my career in Social Work professionally.

3. Significance to the name?

Save A Woman is the name of the organization and it signifies that most women are broken and they seriously need help to be fully productive on their purpose which God created them for, which is building: (Proverbs 31:10-31), nobody can build a home, church or a company even themselves when they are miserable.

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What inspired such an organisation?

Save A Woman is inspired by how lives are destroyed over the challenges encountered in our daily lives. (Hosea 4:6 "MY PEOPLE PERISH DUE TO LACK OF KNOWLEDGE...")

We get to see most people being abused: Physically, Emotionally and Mentally but it is difficult for them to seek help or to get over the situation.

We get to see children being neglected, without proper parenthood and they grow with no morals, values nor discipline.

We get to see families breaking apart, adults fighting day and night even in front of children.

We get to see single parenthood rate increasing every day, we get to see teenage Pregnancy rate growing rapidly.

We get to see a boy child being robbed of their childhood by growing up without a father figure.

We get to see passion killings, suicide, depression cases getting out of control....countless social ills we can mention which the organisation is fighting day and night to address. For the above-mentioned social ills, Save A Woman activate Awareness every now and then. We host seminars, we go to the malls, schools, churches, offices to reach out to the community. We go to media platforms such as social media, Radios, News Papers and Television: Save A Woman reaches out to the less privileged

by Donating Clothes, Food and Toiletries through

Save A Woman intends to Mentor, Empower, Care and Support both a girl child and a boy child, women and men. Save A Woman aims to restore and cherish the dignity of a Woman.

its movement called: Save A Woman Care Basket.

(Acts 20:35 - "BLESSED IS THE HAND THAT GIVETH... ") Save A Woman provides free professional counselling services.

3. When was it established? Its origin: It was established in 2016 when I focused more on the paperwork (Naming, Objectives, Aims and Goals). In 2017, the organization started community outreach programs. The first session was of

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BOLENG JWA BATSADI MOVEMENT on Mother's Day, where we gathered elderly women aged 50+ years at Mogoditshane, Matebeleng Ward to appreciate them for all the effort they have put in raising children, raising the nation. Save A Woman got them some gifts and prepared tea for them as they celebrated. (Exodus 20:12)

What is its vision or mission and mandate?

Save A Woman’s vision is to be the BEST organization to offer Emotional Therapy Services. As it is, society is still dragging its feet towards Mental health issues but it is very important for everyone to take care of their mental health. There is nothing that one can do well when they are not in the right state of mind. Mental Health must be a priority in our lives.

Save A Woman mandate is to restore the dignity of a Woman: it is to Teach, Guide and Mold girls and women in order to keep and maintain the DIGNITY of a Woman as we encourage them to make a positive impact on their lives, their families and the community at large. Save A Woman aims to care and support the less privileged. One would wonder why a woman? "Mosadi Thari Ya Sechaba", as it is always said, life begins in a woman, a woman nurtures this life as it grows into a fully grown human being. We need women to be on their number one state of mind as they carry out their noble duty as mothers above all. (Proverbs 31:10-31)

How often do you have engagement sessions?

Save A Woman hosts various seminars every year and as often as possible depending on the funds: so far there are annual Awareness on Save A Woman calendar such as: RELATIONSHIP REMEDY which is hosted every February of each year which promotes love and stands against anything that might destroy the value of love such as domestic violence, depression, suicide, passion killing and many more unpleasant results of love related issues. (1st John 4:7,8,15) There is BOLENG JWA BATSADI MOVEMENT hosted every year between May and June which aims to recognize and acknowledge the effort and sacrifices that parents make to raise their children. Save A Woman also does mentorship programs at schools, gardens, malls, or any given location to reach out to the community.

Save A Woman gets covered on various media platforms such as the national television (BOTSWANA TELEVISION), Radio stations such as RB1, RB2, DUMA FM, YARONA FM, News Papers such as MMEGI NEWS PAPER and WEEKEND POST in order to assist the organisation to reach out to the community at large on its Awareness. (John 1:1 "IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD, AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD, AND THE WORD WAS GOD.") Save A Woman believes in the power of the word, that is why it never rests when it comes to teaching God's people.

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SAVE A WOMAN IN ACTION What is the future of the organization?

Save A Woman wishes to have a shelter for young mothers who struggle to find or cannot afford baby seaters when they are TRIM supposed to pursue their careers or studies. Young women's

& CLEAN UP dreams get killed at a young age due to the misfortunes they get to find themselves in.

$20

Save A Woman wishes to collaborate with male-dominant

movements to help in building a boy child's life from a tender age, we need both boys and girls to be very responsible.

Save A Woman wishes to continue caring for the less privileged.

Save A Woman wishes to create business opportunities for both graduates and the talented. (John 1:16 "FOR FROM HIS FULLNESS HAVE ALL RECEIVED, GRACE UPON GRACE.. ")

CONTACT INFORMATION We do not have offices yet, people can contact Save A Woman through the Facebook page : SAVE A WOMAN

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What motivates you in life The purpose in me pushes me day and night to work very hard.

There is that zeal, hunger to leave no stone unturned before I leave this earth. I believe God has brought me here to serve him through his people. My mind is always flooding with ideas on what to do, when and how. Sometimes I don't even have the finances to sponsor the projects but God always closes the gap. I always tell myself that, I am not here to live for myself but for God. The Peace and Joy I feel after serving his people, I can't begin to explain. It is way beyond. And in whatever I go through in life I call up for him and he always reminds me that, IT'S ALL RIGHT. His Gospel, his word is everything to me. It revives me, it gives me courage, it molds me, it gives me life.

Any last words?

In the misery that the world is, a little bit of kindness from each one of us can actually make the world better. Strength and Courage are drawn from God and God only. (John 14:6 "I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE...")

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REAL TALK

IT IS NOT DIFFICULT BUT DIFFERENT Your guide to a modern lifestyle in a fast-paced city PHOTO BY MARK FLETCHER-BROWN

Most people believe that purpose is only for people that go to church and are Christian. I do not believe that because purpose is more than your lifestyle, whether Christian or not. I define purpose as doing what brings joy and fulfillment without monetary rewards. I think it is about serving others and not expecting anything in return. Purpose seems difficult because we align service with money.

Purpose does things in a way that we are not used to. It fights against the norms and what people think is right than what God says. Purpose doesn’t ask permission to be revealed to us. It doesn’t care if you are willing to walk in it or not but it will make sure that you know it. What you do after knowing it, is between you and your God.

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Photo by Mark König

WHAT IS PURPOSE? According to Faithward.org, It declares why you exist. It captures the heart of why you are on this earth and why Jesus died for you. It defines your life—not in terms of what you think but what God thinks. It anchors your life in the character and call of God. HOW DO YOU KNOW YOUR PURPOSE? Sometimes we think too much and hard when it comes to one’s purpose. Consider injustices that bother You. When you sit in silence what touches your heart looking at the injustice in the world when you are just going about your day and you see something and then it brings grief or sadness. This could be kids or youth ministry. It could be marriages or divorced people. Maybe it is food and you could feed the less privileged. It is as simple as that, there is always a need that one’s purpose could help.

So don’t start to think that you did not hear, understand properly your purpose, you did because of its magnitude, it is supposed to scare you when you think of the possibilities of your purpose.

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Purpose is whom is it serving. Purpose does not serve you. It’s never about you but God’s people.

Purpose is never to benefit you but fulfill you. it’s supposed to help greater people. It’s not to make you famous or rich but fulfilling which is more than the money and the fame. “What do people need” is the question you should ask yourself when you realize your purpose? When it comes to purpose, you need to know that you are a vessel for God.

The picture below was taken in 2020 in the early stages of the magazine. I was a newlywed, had no children. I would work on the magazine day and night.

You are God’s hands-on earth. When you have answered what the people need is how are you going to deliver to the need.

I wish you could see and fill my heart every month after publishing. It’s something that I am not paid to do but I do it for God’s purpose on earth and the fulfillment I get. And then comes testimonials of how this is educational, healing and eye-opening.

Your purpose can never be the same as the next person's or your friends purpose. God looks at your heart and not the heart of the people around you.

Sometimes you would think that your friends will support your purpose because you are friends, that’s what friends do but it’s mostly the opposite. I remember when I started the magazine, I expected people to jump at the idea of writing articles as a way of supporting me but they were not able to write and they had their own things to do. God had to remind me that He is the one who gave me this project and not to the people I was looking to for help as they would not be more invested than me because He did not tell them.

This goes as deep as your romantic relationships.

Your purpose can complement each other but it is not dependent on your partner. I once believed that the only way to my purpose was through my husband. Guess what! we divorced, and I cried to God if it is done with my purpose but God replied that my destiny is not attached to anyone but Him.

you need to do is spend time with Him to get the season you are in. You spend time with him so that you align with Him. Zechariah 4:10 Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord Please understand that all you need is to accept rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb what God is calling you to do and leave the rest with line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”

Him. The how and when are all in his hand and all Youthful4God | Issue 24| Pg 19

There is an emotion that has destroyed relationships that could have been great. When I talk about relationships, I am not only talking about romantic relationships; I am talking about friendships, family relationships, work relationships, etc. This emotion is called "jealousy," an emotion that we are all likely to experience at some point in our lives. The Cambridge Dictionary defines jealousy as "a feeling of unhappiness and anger because someone has something or someone that you want," and Dictionary.com explains it as "feeling resentment because of another's success, advantage, etc."

Jealousy often drives us to self-centered thoughts and

GUARD YOUR HEART PART 2GUARDING AGAINST JEALOUSY

By Tsaone Makula

impulses and frequently pushes us to speak and act in ways that contradict how the Lord wants us to live. Jealousy begins with comparing, whether it's about another person's property, profession, possessions, or personality. We see ourselves in terms of who or what others have; we compare ourselves to them, and many times, comparing puts us in second place, making us feel less important, less beautiful, less intelligent, less loved, you name it. It is at this point that all the emotions of envy, anger, and resentment rise from within our hearts. We start feeling insecure. This feeling immediately blinds us to the gifts we have received, and we begin to wallow in the fallacy that God cares less about us. We lose sight of who we truly are and begin to envy the next person.

The truth about jealousy is that it is a universal emotion that is shared by people from all civilizations, and people can express themselves in a variety of ways. Although some jealous behaviors are covert, undetected, or mild, strong jealousy can cause someone to act out or harm others. Consider the story of Joseph and his brothers. How they hated him because they felt their father loved him more than everybody else. Their jealousy aroused plans to murder their own brother, their own blood brother!

Photo by Artem Beliaikin Youthful4God | Issue 24| Pg 20

I want to encourage you today to search your heart. Are you feeling jealous towards someone? Are you struggling to be happy for a sibling, friend, or colleague who seems to be making it in life? Do you ever catch yourself wishing that it could be you succeeding or having the nicer things in life and not them? Do you ever wish you were the one being praised for your intelligence and resourcefulness rather than them? Well, if your answer was yes to all these questions, then you better get to the heart doctor ASAP. That heart doctor is Jesus Christ. He can help you overcome that struggle.

He can help you love others and celebrate them unconditionally. He can help you to be a good brother, sister, friend and colleague. The Holy Spirit of God can work inside you to produce His fruits (Galatians 5:2223).

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BOOK REVIEW DON’T DROP THE MIC

by R. Carlos Pius Sub title: The power of your words can change the world AUTHOR: T.D Jakes with Dr. Frank Thomas Contents: 5 parts, 15 chapters, 452 pages

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When the whole world came to a terror due to Covid-19, technology rose above its comfort zones to rescue the world like a superhero.

Technological advancements connected the world that was on lockdown. Nevertheless, this never meant the inhabitants of the world knew how to communicate effectively even though they knew how to navigate powerful devices of communication. There were daily reports of Gender-Based Violence, panicking, depression, unusual ways of burying the dead, strict measures from governments and so much more, you can name. This was a global problem bigger than the disease itself because everyone had a dis-ease.

Bishop Jakes compiled for us commandments of communication, which we all are aware of, but not practicing. I do not want readers to think the book is for ministers of the Word, global leaders, business giants or habitual book readers but to realize it is a basic tool for every one of us.

Effective communication is a necessity in fact it is a basic need. Every foul behavior from an individual to the highest form of corruption in any organization is because someone failed to communicate effectively by himself, he lacked counsel, he never understood who he is and his lack of direction was poured to the rest of the community. I encourage readers to understand what it will mean to communicate effectively with self before with the next person.

Though this book has always been dedicated and highly recommended to Ministers, corporate leaders and world leaders. As an individual who leads so many spheres or is willing to lead the world, what are your fears and where do you fail? I make a personal recommendation to any individual to absorb

Trusting Bishop Jakes for his charisma of speech delivery before the pulpit and other podiums and eloquence in writing I found it fit to trust him with this manuscript for your life.

His consistency in content and context has built a belief system in his works. If you ever read the following books; CRUSHING, SOAR and INSTINCT, you will realize that the man is pouring out his gift to all with a hope of a better change for a better world and he communicated his entire gift through DON’T DROP THE MIC.

this profound knowledge. I promise you that your small business shall do you wonders.

Your personal life and your relationships will improve. Yes, just that simple.

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This book is so great that I meant to be jealous and keep it to myself by not sharing with you but I see worth in all of you and I have come to care for your well-being. Get the book and thank me later with the power of your words that changed the world around you. “Your words matter.” ~Bishop T.D Jakes CONTENTS PART 1; Introduction: The Voice of Hope Chapter 1: The gift of speech Chapter 2: Own the fear factor Chapter3: Preach but don’t preach PART 2; The Legacy of Language Chapter 4: Find the joint Chapter 5: The process of preaching Chapter 6: Where does it hurt?

PART 3: The Promise of Practice Chapter 7: Every shot is the only one you have Chapter 8: Learn the grammar of body language Chapter 9: The pregnant pause PART 4: The Discovery of Delivery Chapter 10: Tour guides and trailblazers Chapter 11: Soundcheck Chapter 12: Keep your cool when the mic is hot PART 5: The Meal in the Message Chapter 13: The recipe, by Dr. Frank Thomas Chapter 14: The ingredients, by Dr. Frank Thomas Chapter 15: The taste, by Dr. Frank Thomas ABOUT AUTHOR T.D Jakes is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 40 books and CEO of TDJ Enterprises, LLP residing in Dallas, Texas. He is the founder of a Mega Church (Potter’s Houses Church) and his television program, The Potter’s Touch is viewed by millions every week. He is a producer of Grammy Award-Winning music and films. He is a master communicator and hosts many conferences attended by tens of thousands.

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Setting music goals for the year 2022 By teacher Akhu into short, medium and long-term, will really help you to understand This is a great time to plan out exactly what you want to achieve musically and how you plan to get there.

2022 is an exciting year to be musically creative, in this issue we’re excited to help you in achieving your goals. Here are a few tips on what you can do to get organised for the year ahead.

Write Down Your Goals Goals must be divided into short term, medium and long-term goals. The shortterm goals could include learning a new skill on your instrument. A medium-term goal could be to perform infront of your family or at a jam session. A long-term goal could be to become a professional artist or performing at a stadium at a big festival. This might sound farfetched but it’s a dream that you should visualise regularly and work towards attaining it.

where you are and what you need to do to get to where you want to be.

Learning a new challenging chord sequence could be something you could set as short-term, whereas performing in front of friends and family or at an open mic night could be medium-term. write down “the dream” too! Becoming a professional artist, or performing at a stadium might sound farfetched, but it’s a dream we should all try to visualise regularly – your motivation and discipline will improve if you are constantly reminding yourself of what it is you want to achieve.

Track your progress Learning a new skill, a new chord sequence or writing new songs takes time. Noting down your progress will be more beneficial than you’d imagine. Start with to-do lists and update your successes for the day.

Looking back through your achievements in the weeks and months ahead will really help you to understand how quickly you are progressing. Set realistic targets, keep chipping away and don’t forget to tell people about it.

Photo by Tanner Boriack

It sounds fairly simple but writing down all of your goals and splitting them Youthful4God | Issue 25| Pg 25

Setting music goals for the year 2022 Chase inspiration Look for musicians who inspire you and follow them online. Listen to their work and pay attention to how they present themselves and share information. Be inspired by how they communicate with the masses and learn from them. They are your inspiration for a reason and not necessarily just because of their music.

Take a breather Taking regular breaks from what you are doing helps to give your ears a chance to rest. You will be surprised how fatigue can affect your musical ear and judgement. Short rests will help you to get to your desired end goal.

Get collaborative Work with other likeminded people on projects so you expand your network. This will not only fill in the gaps you might be missing today but will surround you with inspirational peers who will push you further than you might have expected.

Share the love Make it a mission this year not only to share the music you create but also the music your peers create too. You’d be surprised at how quickly spreading other people’s work will come back to reward you in the long run

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WEIGHT LOSS PLATEAU

BY ONNEILE KEALOTSWE FITNESS INSTRUCTOR

Many people start their fitness journey with great enthusiasm, they may start going to the gym from Monday to Friday religiously and changing their eating habits. In most cases, they start seeing the results immediately. The initial weight loss tends to be more dramatic before settling down into a more consistent loss cycle.

After some time, the weight loss starts slowing down and eventually comes to a halt despite spending the same amount of time in the gym and eating right. This is called a plateau. This usually happens when we become accustomed to the stresses, we place upon our bodies through certain calorie intake and exercising.

It can be frustrating to hit a weight loss plateau, which can sometimes lead to people abandoning their weight loss plans. A plateau is not always a bad sign, it is a time for you to reflect on the program you have adopted. It may have served you up to that point only and will require further assessment if the targeted goal has not been achieved.

This is the time to reset and refocus on your weight loss plans and to consider the following:

·Cut more calories: cut your daily calories without reducing your food intake. This can be achieved by including foods that have negative calories, foods that require more energy/calories to eat, digest and process than they provide to your body for example, broccoli.

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Photo by Fuu J

·Adjust intensity: by considering exercise form or volume i.e duration of the workout program.

·Adjust the time of the workout: for example, a non-diabetic can safely consider a low intensity on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. However, it has been said that it is advisable to seek the advice of a physician before making the above consideration.

Photo by Huha Inc.

The bottom line is to continually make adjustments to both food and exercise, rule of thumb every six (6) weeks in order to avoid a plateau.

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Youthful4God | Issue 24| Pg 29

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Youthful4God | Issue 24| Pg 30