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Discovering the VIP within | Mercy Balogun | TEDxPeckham


discovering the VIP with him life is
there joining isn’t that interesting
but your question is how do we go about
in this journey of life how do we even
know our roots so today I want to share
a story with you a story of a woman that
is connected with my story and my
journey I hope you already tighten your
seatbelt a model of five five children
got pregnant with another baby she was
struggling raising five children already
and now she’s pregnant so she said no I
have to do something about this so she
decided to abort the baby
she went to see a doctor the doctor say
of course they booked an appointment to
terminate the pregnancy so on the day
that for the baby to be removed
stop-in happened to the doctor some
emergency fortunately or unfortunately
should I say the woman was very upset
this baby must calm down
so she decided to say okay I’ll help
myself she went back home she started
taking pills to get rid of the baby
still this baby will not go home because
it gets me state that now the belly was
showing so you can hide the father
you’re pregnant again so she said on the
very day of the delivery did something
unusual happen
this baby was adding something in a tiny
little heart and he talked to us and
enosis they’re curious what can the baby
be holding on sir
so they hope on the heart I guess what
they found
one of the pill caddy people was Odin on
so I know if I in Nigeria something like
that happen
Nazis dropped us in the room with you
you don’t need to tell stories didn’t
know what you have done
unless you’re wondering what kind of
baby is bad for you weird weird baby
well the baby is me weird innit so you
know where I deserve a seat at the table
that’s my beautiful mother they look at
me
would you my cookie the cookies being
bigger than me it shows that was
released boy my mother loved me to
pieces take care of me do everything
needed to do for me fifty years on I am
still here no pills no doctor can
terminate this pregnancy
this woman nah why because there’s a
purpose for my life if it is already
there for me and I’m here to shew forth
and that’s why I’m here today so the
journey started with my mother as I’ve
shared with you
so when I was 19 years old the economy
was really bad in Nigeria so my father
thought no the way you’re going on I
don’t want you to come home with no
pregnancy so I’m sending you away I said
I’m happy
UK is so much about that country so this
is the mindset so I thought yes dad
thank you
the man get Disraeli pay for this occur
with all his retirement money a big
sacrifice which I’m eternally grateful
for because you really believe
that’s a Mickey so I thought yes I’m
going to find my destiny upon my arrival
I didn’t see any milk
definitely no honey and I thought to
myself where is the tree that is when
the journey of life hates me you know
what I can’t go back home I can’t go
back to my father to say guess what that
I can’t find no milk I need to make it
work so I got myself a job
I said cleaner my background I was a boy
everything I want that’s what I’ll get
but now I’m in a country no father no
mother and I have to make it work
because I don’t want to go and still you
know repeat the story of failure to my
father I want to make him proud even
though he didn’t pay for me to come and
be a cleaner
well hey Here I am I have to survive so
I got myself a job as a cleaner
Simba Mitch very tough job and then a
part-time job in the evening as a
cashier because I said I’m only night
thing I would survive there’s always a
turning point my own turning point
happen on one of my work as a cleaner
that day I saw this woman sitting down
at a table she was a black woman and she
look like my age group the only
difference on that is like I have to
clean a table and how to empty a pin and
I stood there I’m thinking something is
wrong with the picture suddenly I
remember the lesson my mother taught me
ages ago
if you a mother listen always bring your
that time I can’t be more than 10 years
old I caused so much trouble with my
mouth a fight with my mouth physically I
can’t fight both you don’t want to try
me and it’s time to talk so this girl I
really I must have said something that
no I didn’t go down with time she gave
me some serious beating Wow I was so mad
so I ran home because my school thing
was very close to this school I said mom
you need to come and help me you need to
come and help me beat up this girl in my
school
mama don’t look at me I said Howard is
the girl and I’m thinking why she asking
that question
look at your daughter she said how many
head does she have I’m like this is what
I mean Nigerian woman Nigerian mothers
and of course one day my mother said
that’s your answer go back and look at
some line do you are you listening to
yourself say no I will not always be
around to defend you
life is full of challenges you always
have to know how to stand and defend
yourself no matter what you’re
confronted with and always remember that
no one is better than you that day I was
sad but I didn’t realize I my mother was
teaching me a lesson of in lifetime so I
said okay I’m gonna change my life in
love of cleaning job I just obviously
charitable I need my own desk my own
computer no more being enough it’s
enough so when I go home I said to my
husband darling I’m going back to uni I
study awesome management and I graduated
my very first job I got a job as the
housing office nah I think as an
association and the job paid me 15,000
per annum and I’m talking about 20 years
ago for me I’m
family was like a dream Wow
about a thousand plus so I’ve arrived
so after few years I’ve got up a pretty
beautiful children
and I was having so many issue with
childminding
so my husband knows I love here and she
said okay in it would be somebody need
to raise the children stay at home
they’ve employed so I said ok salon I
open a here salon Radian here and beauty
salon I never thought in a million year
that I can do here not alone managed is
hello but do you know one thing I live
by one principle when life gives you
lemon juice lemon cheese I’m beside you
can’t be too rigid you know when you’re
traveling on the road it is impossible
you can’t say I started on m25 I’m a
single for them 25 no there’ll be
changes along the way so solemn I run
down for a while then as time goes by I
realized that there’s something missing
even with all this and I decided to give
my life to Christ I was curious about
this God that saved me in my mother’s
wolf because I could let me kill him by
my story so I was thinking why did you
save me so I gave my life to Christ by
so doing he gave me a tiara purpose for
my life God gave me this massive vision
that is like okay I know I want a
purpose I’m not sure about this one day
I was washing OS fact so every day I’m
sure we all know because I miss thinking
as well I think I was we welcome on that
particular episode I’m talking about
years back there are so many Christian
on the show and everybody was thinking
missing grades and they’re laughing at
them and everything and I was so upset I
said we need something like this for
Christian somewhere we can sing our song
if you like think I’m missing great 10
times so nobody would say why yes grace
so there was so much I was Omega Mitch
in my room I had in my fury why not you
as a uh-huh I’m just saying I didn’t say
that wants to do it you know you want to
I want to I dress good right Wow at that
point my life Johnny are you following
me
my journey changes again all these
thoughts was going on in my head I say I
was excited all right same time I was so
scared I was thinking I don’t have what
it takes to sit on this table I don’t
have enough experience qualifications
God did you save me too he humiliates me
because I don’t understand all this
total went through my head how am I
going to sit as a judge on the TV talent
show when me lots of people can’t see me
Lord this is not gonna happen
but yes God was calling me to come up
higher forget about all that listen I
try elocution classes okay that did not
work for me so I need to embrace myself
this is me I need to love myself for Who
I am if God want me to sound like Nicky
or Mickey I probably will have been like
that but this is me love me for who I
have
I decide a seat at the table so by the
grace of God I embrace the calling I
show up when I show up on the music
thing many people did shocking you know
what I don’t care about my aspect or my
race
Here I am package still and delivered at
[Applause]
84 years after all the long story time
to shine dilation was bit we did four
episode and this was spectacular because
I I stand out to say I deserve a seat at
the table regardless of what is
confronting me God said I should take a
break and I’m thinking now what I post
where do I go from here so I was sitting
down I remember one day my daughter
she’s as usual she said mom when you’re
growing of what did you want to be in
life so I said I’m going to be a singer
and you’re a writer and love to write
because when I was in school I don’t
know why people think you know maybe I’m
one of those faces that you can just say
tell me your secret
I’m because I don’t want to spread the
rumors
so I’ll write it down and change the
name you know just try to get it off my
chest basically so I thought oh yes I
want to be a writer so upon that point I
started a blog post on my page I use all
my experiences my background to
encourage people have so many followers
that they waited everyday to hear what
God is saying through me yes and it was
going so well until then I’d never write
a blog about relationship because I’ve
been married for about 30 years and
still can’t see
by God’s grace
so I have so much to say about
relationship I’m really passionate about
it because these days I’m hearing it so
many men in her relationship the young
one getting divorce for silly things and
thinking marriage is for babies so I
thought okay I’m gonna write this blog
so I wrote the blog and it went all
crazy people find it encouraging if I’m
a thief and everything so to all they
really need to hear this it’s not just
me so I’ll write it as a book fall in
love it is vision not is wallet I used
my story my background of my husband I
know when you fall in love it envisioned
it will become wailing you need to get
the book so my journey led me to be an
author and a blogger I’m not just
another just recently I receive an award
for the iteration blogger of the year so
why am i sharing my story with you I’m
sharing the story with you because we
spent so much time looking for VIP
trying to find a VIP but you know the
real VIP is inside of you but the
question is this are you willing to pay
the price because it will cost you I’ve
been spending time talking about my
journey but time will not permit me to
share with you time that I will cry
myself to sleep at night time that I
wanted to throw in the towel this time
that says God why me
as a visionary the road can be a very
lonely road and if you’re a visionary
you’re crazy
I call myself crazy why do you want to
do something you just go with the flow
but that’s the life is difficult and if
you find yourself disco if you find a
sitter this heaven it would take you
before greets me because my Bible tells
me
that’s your gift would take you before
Christmas but your question is if you
never discover your gift and your VIP
within you how do you sit on the table
in your journey of life do you know
where you have right now and do you know
where you want to be this is the
question that I want to leave you with
because journey of life continues thank
you [Applause]
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