Understanding a man’s libido, and how to assist him in bed

Depression

The brain is an often-overlooked erogenous zone. Sexual excitement starts in your head and works its way down. Depression can dampen your desire and can lead to erectile dysfunction. Ironically, many of the drugs used to treat depression can also suppress your sex drive and make it harder to get an erection.

Alcohol

You might consider having a few drinks to get in the mood, but overindulging could make it harder for you to finish the act. Heavy alcohol use can interfere with erections, but the effects are usually temporary. The good news is that moderate drinking — one or two drinks a day — might have health benefits like reducing heart disease risks. And those risks are similar to erectile dysfunction risks, too.

Medications

The contents of your medicine cabinet could affect your performance in the bedroom. A long list of common drugs can cause ED, including certain blood pressure drugs, pain medications, and antidepressants. Street drugs like amphetamines, cocaine, and marijuana can cause sexual problems in men, too.

Stress

It’s not easy to get in the mood when you’re overwhelmed by responsibilities at work and home. Stress can take its toll on many different parts of your body, including your penis. Deal with stress by making lifestyle changes that promote well-being and relaxation, such as exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, and seeking professional help when appropriate.

Anger

Anger can make the blood rush to your face, but not to the one place you need it when you want to have sex. It’s not easy to feel romantic when you’re raging, whether your anger is directed at your partner or not. Unexpressed anger or improperly expressed anger can contribute to performance problems in the bedroom.

Anxiety

Worrying that you won’t be able to perform in bed can make it harder for you to do just that. Anxiety from other parts of your life can also spill over into the bedroom. All that worry can make you fear and avoid intimacy, which can spiral into a vicious cycle that puts a big strain on your sex life — and relationship.

Middle-Aged Spread

Carrying extra pounds can impact your sexual performance, and not just by lowering your self-esteem. Obese men produce less of the male hormone testosterone, which is important for sexual desire and producing an erection. Being overweight is also linked to high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries, which can reduce blood flow to the penis.

Self-Image

When you don’t like what you see in the mirror, it’s easy to assume your partner isn’t going to like the view, either. A negative self-image can make you worry not only about how you look, but also how well you’re going to perform in bed. That performance anxiety can make you too anxious to even attempt sex.

Low Libido

Low libido isn’t the same as erectile dysfunction, but a lot of the same factors that stifle an erection can also dampen your interest in sex. Low self-esteem, stress, anxiety, and certain medications can all reduce your sex drive. When all those worries are tied up with making love, your interest in sex can take a nosedive.

Your Health

Many different health conditions can affect the nerves, muscles, or blood flow that is needed to have an erection. Diabetes, high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries, spinal cord injuries, and multiple sclerosis can all contribute to ED. Surgery to treat prostate or bladder problems can also affect the nerves and blood vessels that control an erection.

How to Solve Erection Problems

It can be embarrassing to talk to your doctor about your sex life, but it’s the best way to get treated and get back to being intimate with your partner. Your doctor can pinpoint the source of the problem and may recommend lifestyle interventions like quitting smoking or losing weight. Other treatment options are ED drugs, hormone treatments, a suction device that helps create an erection, or counseling.

——————

Culled from: http://men.webmd.com

Bloom Where You're Planted!

In an effort to be cordial, I asked a certain young man how he 
was doing one day.  Instead of hearing the common curt response 
of "Fine," he said, "I feel like I have dug myself in a hole."  

My response to him was, "The only place you start out on top is 
when you are digging a hole!"  Immediately he retorted, 
"I didn't think I was digging a hole; I thought I was laying a 
foundation!"  

Well, the truth of the matter is that everything is a matter of 
perception.  Your outlook determines your outcome!  

It's better to be in a hole than in a rut.  

A rut is simply a grave with both ends kicked out!  The hole 
that this young man dug for himself was his foundation. 

This is a process of life.  

You lose before you gain.  

You give before you get.  

You follow before you lead. 

You establish a solid foundation before you build.  

Before a farmer sows his fields, he first digs holes.  

Every beautiful flower starts out as a seed in a hole.  

Every fruit-bearing tree gets its start in a hole.  

Most of us are in a hole of debt before we can graduate from 
college, but we don't have to stay there!  

While digging a hole is dirty work and frustrating at times, 
it is necessary.  Thomas Edison aptly stated, "Restlessness and 
discontent are the first necessities of progress."  

So although being in a hole is confining and irritating, 
just hang on and learn to bloom where you are planted!  

A pearl is formed in an oyster because of an irritant that 
enters.  That irritant causes a secretion to be released, which 
actually forms the pearl.  So, while you are irritated, realize 
that a valuable pearl is being formed deep within you.  

Just keep your mouth closed, and bloom where you are planted! 

Courtesy: Bishop Dale C. Bronner, D. Min.

What the 'Spiritual' Millionaires taught me

Over the years I have had the privilege to spend time with some very financially and spiritually enlightened people.

As a result, my personal life and the way I do business has changed...

In listening to these people talk and observing how they handle their personal and business lives, three very distinct and powerful traits came to my attention.

I believe if all these three traits were applied to your life, they would make such a dramatic change, that in a short time all the things you desire would show up in your life...including as much money as you desire.

I don't say that lightly, I really have been influenced by these three Spiritual Principles and their power. I believe -- no, I KNOW, you will be too, if you apply them in your life.

Principle Number 1: They "KNOW" They Can Create Whatever They Desire...

Spiritual Millionaires choose what they want instead of focusing on what they don't want. They never spend time thinking about what is "missing" from their life. Rather, they make a choice about what they want in their life.

Spiritual Millionaires have 100% confidence in the Law of Attraction. The have no doubt about their ability to create what they desire.

They don't "believe" it - they KNOW it...

There is a world of difference between "believing" and "knowing". When you "know" the truth about anything, there is no doubt.

You have 100% confidence...

Knowing is about trusting that you are the only one who knows what is right for you, that you are capable of handling whatever comes to you, and that you are clear on your intentions or the outcome you choose to create.

I've seen the power of being absolutely clear on my intentions for my life: They come true!

They have for me, and I watched the Spiritual Millionaires as their intentions came to reality for them as well.

Being clear on your intentions is a good first step.

However, a more powerful and life-changing step is trusting that those intentions are ALREADY a reality on the non-physical plane of consciousness, and that they must manifest in your physical reality if you do not hold any opposing thoughts.

And then, "Act As If..." your intentions are reality, now.

Not dishonestly, or outside of your true beliefs. But, to feel it, sense it, imagine how it's going to "show up" in various situations once it manifests in your life.

Principle Number 2: They Take Action...

As I observed Spiritual Millionaires, I noticed that they didn't hesitate to move on their ideas and respond to situations that called for action in order to keep the momentum going.

Do you get the power of what this Principle is about?

If you're sitting waiting for something to happen, doing other "important" tasks rather than those that you know will produce the results you desire , you are wasting time and you are no closer to your desire.

Trust me on this one, I've waited for so many things in my life that never showed up!

Acting on your desire is habit that you desperately need to cultivate in order to get to where you want to be... Waiting will not do it...

I watched these Spiritual Millionaires, one after another, take immediate action, not out of fear or to ‘force' things to happen, but because the next action they took brought them one step closer to their desire.

And, I saw tremendous results come into their lives... They don't take unnecessary action. Instead, they use the leverage of energy, the same leverage of energy that creates everything in the universe.

I have seen these Spiritual Millionaires step into spaces of discomfort, and have courage to take action. It was also evident that they were as scared to take those steps as you and I are when we're faced with the choice of moving out of our comfort zone.

THE MESSAGE IS...

It's time to "Get Moving", trust your intuition, your sense of knowing what the next step is, and take action...

We often wait for the "feeling to be right" first, before we take the action we know will bring us satisfaction. That's all back-to-front...

The feelings of satisfaction only comes from ACCOMPLISHMENT, not from pondering and procrastinating. (You knew that one, too, didn't you...)

Never try to force things to happen because you are afraid of what will happen if you don't take a certain action. Instead, choose ‘inspired action' that moves you toward what you want, not away from what you don't want.

Acting on your intentions without trying to force things to happen will magnetize your desires by attracting people, places and opportunities into your into reality that you never would have even seen if you hadn't done so.

Principle Number 3: They Maintain an "Attitude of Gratitude...

Spiritual Millionaires maintain an "attitude of gratitude"...

Gratitude does not need explanation -- you know how to be grateful. But did you know that gratitude brings you more of what you appreciate? Gratitude speeds along the manifestation of your desires.

When you find things that you appreciate and you use them as your point of focus, your world has to get better in every area of your life. Spiritual Millionaires know that every time they flood their mind with appreciation or gratitude they attract more of what they desire.

Look around you right now. What can you be grateful for? Make a list. Get into the authentic feeling of true gratitude...

Find something, anything, to be grateful for right now. When you are grateful, you're in a high energy vibration that will attract more things to be grateful for and more good things will come to you magically, drawn in by your feelings of gratitude.

Adapted from: The Secret of Deliberate Creation 

by Dr. Robert Anthony

The cushion of the sea*

A number of years ago, a submarine being tested had to be submerged for several hours. Upon returning to harbor, the captain was asked, “How did that terrible storm last night affect you?” Surprised, the captain exclaimed, “Storm? We didn’t even know there was one!” Their submarine had been so far beneath the surface that it had reached what sailors refer to as “the cushion of the sea” – a depth in the ocean where the waters below are never stirred despite any commotion on the surface. In our fast-paced world, it is a challenge to slow down and remember that God is in control. We are a society of ‘do-everything,” “go-everywhere,” “get-it-done” people who mistakenly believe we can handle everything if we just keep going. In reality, we need to become so submerged in God’s peace that no matter what’s happening in our lives, we are able to remain calm as “the cushion of the sea.” If you feel overwhelmed, bogged down, or burnt out, add one more activity to your daily schedule: Spend time with Almighty God. It is the only way to reach the depth needed to find true calm in the midst of any storm. *Adapted from Pathways by Dr David Jeremiah.

The African Billionaires 2012

This year, a record 1,226 billionaires made it to FORBES’ annual ranking of the World’s richest people.
 
African billionaires occupied a little over 1% of the positions on the list. Here are the 16 Africans who made the cut:
 
Aliko Dangote, $11.2 billion

Nigeria, Sugar, Cement, Flour
Africa’s cement king has shed more than $2.6 billion from his net worth since last year as a consequence of Nigeria’s floundering stock market. But don’t feel sorry: Dangote still remains the richest man on the continent.  He famously started trading commodities three decades ago with a business loan from an uncle, then went on to build the $15 billion (combined market capitalization)Dangote Group which now has interests in everything from sugar refineries, flour milling, salt processing and cement plants in Nigeria, Zambia, Senegal, Tanzania and South Africa.
 

Nicky Oppenheimer & family, $6.8 billion

South Africa, Diamonds
 
Last November, Oppenheimer agreed to a historic sale of his family’s 40% stake in De Beers, the world’s largest producer of rough diamonds to Anglo American in a $5.1 billion deal. Oppenheimer has vowed to invest a substantial part of the money in Africa. So far, he has invested heavily in Tana Africa Capital, a $300 million private equity joint venture with Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings. The fund will invest primarily in the agricultural and consumer goods sectors across Africa. Passionate cricketer.
 
Nassef Sawiris, $5.1 billion
 
Egypt, Construction
 
Nassef Sawiris, the youngest son of Orascom conglomerate founder and fellow billionaire, Onsi Sawiris, heads Orascom Construction Industries, one of Egypt’s largest publicly-traded companies. Sawiris also owns substantial stakes in cement companies Lafarge and Texas Industries.
 
 
 
Johann Rupert & family, $5.1 billion

South Africa, Luxury Goods
 
Luxury goods billionaire Rupert serves as chairman and chief executive officer of Richemont, a Swiss holding company that controls premium brands such as Vacheron Constantin, Cartier, Alfred Dunhill, Montblanc and Chloé. Also chairs South African investment holding companies, Remgro Ltd and Reinet Investments Manager. The automobile enthusiast established the Franschhoek Motor Museum which houses his personal collection of over 200 antique vehicles.
 
 
 
Mike Adenuga, $4.3 billion

Nigeria, telecom, banking, oil
 
Reclusive tycoon was the first Nigerian to strike oil in commercial quantities through his firm, Conoil Producing. Today, the company is Nigeria’s largest indigenous oil exploration company producing some 100,000 barrels per day. Also owns Globacom, Nigeria’s second largest mobile telecom operator which boasts over 15 million active subscribers.
 
 
 
Naguib Sawiris, $3.1 billion
 
Egypt, Telecom
 
The eldest son of Onsi Sawiris, Naguib built up Orascom Telecom to become the dominant mobile telecoms operator in the Maghreb region. In 2010, he sold off his family’s stake in the company to Russia’s VimpelCom for $6.5 billion.  He subsequently made his foray into politics, founding the Free Egyptians party in April 2011 to promote free markets and a secular platform.
 
 
 
Christoffel Wiese, $3.1 billion

South Africa, Retailing
 
Wiese is the chairman and largest individual shareholder of low-price supermarket chain Shoprite, Africa’s largest retailer. He also owns a 44% stake in discount clothes, shoes and textiles chain Pepkor as well a significant shareholding in private equity firm Brait. His other assets include Lanzerac Manor & Winery, a five-star hotel that produces its own wine, and a private game reserve in the Kalahari.
 

Onsi Sawiris, $2.9 billion

Egypt, construction, telecom
 
The legendary patriarch of Egypt’s most powerful business dynasty. The Orascom Group, which he founded, has interests in telecoms, hotels and construction. The companies are all run by his three sons- Naguib, Samih and Nassef.
 
 
 
Miloud Chaabi, $2.9 billion

Morocco, Real estate
 
As a child, the Moroccan businessman and politician worked as a farmer and goat herdsman. By the time he was 19, he had saved enough to start a small construction company which developed residential properties. Through his Ynna Holding Company, he subsequently expanded his empire into hotels, supermarkets, and renewable energy.  Chaabi is one of Morocco’s most vocal critics of political and business corruption.


Patrice Motsepe, $2.7 billion

South Africa, Mining
 
Born in the sprawling black township of Soweto and then trained as a lawyer, he became the first black partner at Bowman Gilfillan law firm in Johannesburg. Went on to found a small contracting business doing mine scut work, then bought low-producing gold shaft mines in 1994 which he turned profitable using lean management style. Today, his $5 billion (market cap) African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) has interests in platinum, nickel, chrome, iron, manganese, coal, copper and gold. Motsepe owns over 41% of the company. Also owns a 5% stake in Sanlam, a financial services firm outside Cape Town.
 

Othman Benjelloun, $2.3 billion
 
Morocco, banking, insurance
 
His father was a major shareholder in a small Moroccan insurance company. He took over in 1988 and built it into RMA Watanya, one of Morocco’s largest insurance companies. He used RMA Watanya as a springboard to diversify into banking. Today, his $4 billion (market capitalization) BMCE Bank has operations in more than a dozen countries.  Through his holding company Groupe FinanceCom, he also has significant interests in telecom, airlines and Information technology.
 

Mohamed Mansour, $1.7 billion

Egypt, Diversified
 
Along with his two brothers, Mohammed Mansour runs the world’s largest GM dealership.  Among other assets, the Mansour Group also owns the largest supermarket chain in Egypt, the country’s second largest real estate developer, Palm Hills and the Philip Morris franchise in Egypt.
 

Anas Sefrioui, $1.6 billion

Morocco, Real estate
 
In 1998, the then 31 year-old Anas Sefrioui founded a small real estate development company which bought out small, dilapidated residential structures, renovated then flipped for profit. But he hit it big nearly a decade later when Morocco’s late King Hassan II awarded him an extremely lucrative contract to build 20,000 units of government subsidized houses for the masses. In 2005, he won another $1 billion state contract to build more housing units. His real estate company, Douja Promotion Groupe Addoha went public in 2006. He owns over 60% of the company’s preferred stock.
 

Yasseen Mansour, $1.6 billion

Egypt, Diversified
 
The youngest of Egypt’s three Mansour brothers, Yasseen is the chairman of Palm Hills, Egypt’s seconf-largest real estate developer, but the bulk of his fortune is tied up in the family business, the largest seller of GM vehicles in the world.
 

Youssef Mansour, $1.5 billion

Egypt, Diversified
 
The eldest of the Mansour brothers owns stakes in real estate developer Palm Hills, Egypt’s largest supermarket chain, Metro and Mansour Group which is the largest seller of GM vehicles on earth. Reclusive philanthropist now devotes his time and energies towards the family foundation which focuses on illiteracy and education.
 

Mohamed Al Fayed, $1.3 billion

Egypt, retailing
 
In 2010, Al-Fayed sold his popular Harrod’s department store in London toQatar Holding. Reported selling price: $2.4 billion. He believes the future lies in online retail. Last July, he acquired U.K.-based discount fashion website Cocosa.  Other assets include the Hotel Ritz in Paris, the Fulham football club, and a castle in Scotland.
  




 
 
courtesy:  Forbes

Keep the spirit UP

MTN came to Nigeria at a time

when nobody wanted to invest in

Nigeria, at a time when Nigerians

did not have phones. Even Zenith

Bank refused to loan MTN cash to

operate, UBA rejected MTN’s offer but today see the difference. At

least we all know the story of 

Goodluck Jonathan. We

know how the people said he

was not going to be President; they eve...n made him acting-

President. Today the rest is

history. What about Cowbell?

When they came to Nigeria, they

made milk in a sachet, Peak was

laughing at them- they said Cowbell was milk for the poor-

but they were right! 3-million

poor people could afford N10 a

day for a sachet of milk. Oya, do

the math - 3million people buying

milk at N10.00- that was N30million every single day. In a

month they grossed N900million

(almost N1billion). Even Peak had

to make sachet milk in order to

survive in the market. What about Aliko

Dangote that started with 24 thousand naira borrowed from an uncle as an

enterpreneur but today, he is african

fore-most industrialist with d large

cement plant in Africa producing about 6

million metric tonnes....So what

have people told you? What have they said you cannot do, or you

do not qualify for, or you do not

have experience for? They told

Cowbell, they told Goodluck, they

told MTN, but today the story has

changed. I have a feeling something is changing for you

today! They will change their

strategies just to keep in step

with you. Don’t listen to what

people are saying or what life is

showing you… YES, YOU CAN! Do have a Positive Day... Success is

not about where you graduated

from, but what graduates out of

you.

Keep the spirit UP and do have a

blessed week ahead!! I see u @ the top.

 

Culled from: Ismail 'Tunde Tiamiyu

The Most Important Body Part

My mother used to ask me:
"What is the most important part of the body?"

Through the years I would take a guess at what I thought was the
correct answer.

When I was younger, I thought sound was very important to us as
humans, so I said, "My ears, Mommy."
She said, "No Many people are deaf.
But you keep thinking about it and I will ask you again soon."

Several years passed before she asked me again.  Since making my
first attempt, I had contemplated the correct answer.  So this
time I told her, "Mommy, sight is very important to everybody,
so it must be our eyes.  She looked at me and told me, "You are
learning fast, but the answer is not correct because there are
many people who are blind."

Stumped again, I continued my quest for knowledge.  Over the
years, Mother asked me a couple more times and always her answer
was, "No, but you are getting smarter every year, my child."

Then last year, my grandpa died.
Everybody was hurt.
Everybody was crying.
Even my father cried.
I remember that especially because it was only the second time I
saw him cry.  My Mom looked at me when it was our turn to say
our final good-bye to Grandpa.

She asked me,
"Do you know the most important body part yet, my dear?"

I was shocked when she asked me this now.
I always thought this was a game between her and me.
She saw the confusion on my face and told me,
"This question is very important.
It shows that you have really lived in your life.

For every body part you gave me in the past, I have told you was
wrong and I have given you an example why.
But today is the day you need to learn this important lesson."

She looked down at me as only a mother can.
I saw her eyes well up with tears.  She said,

"My dear, the most important body part is your shoulder."

I asked, "Is it because it holds up my head?"
She replied, "No, it is because it can hold the head of a friend
or a loved one when they cry.

Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometime in life, my dear.
I only hope that you have enough love and friends that you will
always have a shoulder to cry on when you need it."

Then and there I knew the most important body part is not a
selfish one.  It is sympathetic to the pain of others.

People will forget what you said...
People will forget what you did....
But people will NEVER forget how you made them feel.




Author Unknown