My scars remind me that I did indeed survive my deepest wounds. That in itself is an accomplishment. And they bring to mind something else, too. They remind me that the damage life has inflicted on me has, in many places, left me stronger and more resilient. What hurt me in the past has actually made me better equipped to face the present.” ~ Steve Goodier
Fight, Win, Live!
 
Life doesn’t give people what they worth; people get what they deserve because they go for it. And that’s the scariest, perhaps, the most challenging thing anyone would do.  You want to move out of the crowd, make history and change the world, right? It’s not going to be easy, it never was. It’s going to be tough, very demanding, highly competitive, and of course, very challenging. Life is tough and only the tough survives. 
 
Natural Selection 
 
Unlike the heritable biological traits, which Charles Darwin talked about, a more common, non-biological trait appears to be rooted in our DNA. From one generation, it has been learned, modified and handed over to another. We didn’t find it, fear found us, and nature delivered it to us. If there’s something you’re afraid of doing, you’re not alone. We all have at least one thing we’re scared of. How did we grow to become fearful? Think about it.
 
Life often throws curve balls at us; sometimes they knock us down, they want to keep us down, but hey, we don’t have to stay down. If there’s one thing I’ve come to learn, it’s to fight back whenever life decides to push hard against me. I’m done with crying, away with stinking thinking, I’ve decided to face it and fight back. It’s better to die while trying to live my dream than to die being a coward. Ultimately, nobody will get out of life alive.
 
Life Is Not For The Weak
 
Grow weak and you die! Grow strong, and perhaps, live. You can’t fold your hands and watch things happen, you can’t allow events control your life, you can’t flow with dogma, no, that’s not how to change the world. In order to change the world you need to think differently, become undaunted and walk in the direction of your dream. You can’t grow weak [emotionally and most importantly, mentally], weak species soon go into extinction, too bad! 
 
Study, And Perhaps, Learn 
 
I happen to fall trap of teenage pregnancy, and believe me when I say it’s hard to be a young mother. I had a choice: to give up or get up and fight, and I chose to fight. I was never raised to believe I’m a victim, no matter what happens in life.  Mama taught me to soldier on until I die. I could have fallen through the cracks of earth and get watered down to nothing, but no, I chose the other way, I decided my fate. 
 
You know, life sometimes knocks us down; it disorganises our dreams, but it’s up to us to make life changing choices. If you have dreams in life that will take you far, it doesn’t matter how many times you fall, what matters is how many times you get up and keep up in the direction of your dream.  
 
If you stop dreaming, you cease to live. You must have something that you hold onto, that’s how to stay alive. In my case, I had my kids to live for, the only reason I didn’t give up. You see, 1998 was when my life changed. I was very young but I held my first baby, I was a mother! I had someone depending on me for love, care, training and demonstration of courage. I had to make a choice: take responsibility, blame the society or blame my boyfriend, and I chose to take responsibility. 
 
 Mama was disappointed but was willing to support me. I requested to go to tertiary institution and she sent me.  I tried my best but unfortunately, I failed a few modules, and since she was also a single unemployed mother, with nine other kids to provide for, I had to drop out [another start].  I started looking for jobs, and by God’s favour, I found my first job in one of the biggest companies in South Africa, as an operator, and my life took a turn for the better. I could provide for my son and help my family. 
 
Another choice had to be made [I keep on as an operator for the rest of my life or I study further] I decided to go back to school and study. I was working, studying part-time as a single mother. Believe me, you will learn to appreciate the value of time when you try to do those three things at same time. 
 
Life is full of opportunities; with my passion, dedication and education, I landed a leadership role where I work.  Any leader would know the challenge of leading people [especially when you are woman, leading men] and that is when I adapted the philosophy of being a teabag.  I know you want to know what that is. Well, let me briefly explain.  
 
There were three things: Carrot, Egg and Teabag put in different pots full of water. The three pots were then placed on the stove, under same temperature.  After boiling at 100 dc, all three were taken out.  Carrot that went in hard became soft and wobbling [became a victim], the egg that went in protected by hard shell became hard on the inside [got influenced]. The teabag went in as a paper with seeds, but it circulated the whole pot of water [it became noticeable].  
 
These three things were under the same challenge, which was the boiling water, but they reacted differently.  
 
You know, in life, you choose how you react to challenges. Some say before morning it gets very dark, but that doesn’t mean it’s not going to shine.  Some say it never rains 365 days a year, right, but it does rain. Your challenge is not going to last forever. Your biggest problem is what you think about your problem, and how you choose to handle it. 
 
Don’t stay static, just move!
 
Crawl until you can walk, walk until you can run and run until you can fly. Don’t just give up and become a victim. Life is a journey that begins with a step. Get up and take that step, walk in the direction of your dream. 
 
 I’m still in the journey of life, making mistakes and learning, but I will never give up. Join the fight, win, and live!
 
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost,
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring,
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.
~ J.R.R. Tolkien,
Action exercise: 
 
Ask yourself, what one thing can you do that will change your life forever? In my case it was going back to school. Do you need more education? Then go back to school. Do you need a special skill/training? Go, sign on and get trained. Do you need a special language? Pay for it, go learn it. Do you need certain information? Google can work wonders! 
 
What is your dream? To become an entrepreneur, a writer, blogger, an author, work with Foreign Affairs, become a footballer, a fashion designer, make-up artist, software engineer, chief cook, a dancer, governor, president of a corporation/country? What is it you dream to become? Whatever your dream is, believe me when I say it is possible!
 
The first step is what I’m calling you to take; it’s the miracle that you need. That’s a big secret – all you need to change your life.  That was what changed my life years ago, the same thing that changed the life of every great person. 
 
Sail against the tide and move in the direction of your dream. Be consumed by your passion, drive your life and dare to live your dream. 
 
To live and succeed is a choice, the decision is yours!
 
 
Question: What are you going to do in other to improve the quality of your life?
Use the comment box, let’s hear from you.
 

Sharing is caring! Please share with your friends.