“Nothing is more beautiful than cultivating the land at dusk. At that time of day in the central highlands the air and the soil are cool, the sun is going down, the sunlight is golden against the ridges and the green of the trees, and there is usually a breeze. As you remove the weeds and press the earth around the crops and you feel content, and wish the light would last longer so you could cultivate more. Earth and water, air and the waning fire of the sun combine to form the essential elements of life and reveal my kinship with the soil.” The late Wangari Maathai in her book, Unbowed, explaining her love for tilling land, in her small plot as a child.
This affinity to the earth was consistent throughout her life. She fought for it, wrote about it and for her efforts became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Some of us are still on the pursuit of what, if given the chance, we would do till we are laid to rest. Something that even if a chance was not availed for us, we’d fight for till we had the chance to do it.
I was in the car with one of my in laws and he asked, “What’s that one thing you would do consistently and never get tired of?” He even added the question of what would I do if I was given money by an investor. At the back of my mind I was thinking get a book published. I ended up mumbling an incoherent answer because I felt he might not think being an author as a legitimate answer.
I have always found sharing information as one of the noblest things a person can do. Our ancestors and kin did it with stories by the fire place and now we have the chance to share information through written stories and experiences. I always had pleasure in playing with words, from scribbling lyrics to rap for my siblings while in primary school, starting a rap group in high school to starting my blog in my early twenties.
What makes us not reach the full potential that we were kept on this earth to achieve? Why don’t we morph into the different stages of growth and fly into greatness like a butterfly would?
I think one thing that holds us back is that we do not commit. Millennials, Gen Z have constantly been criticized for their lack of commitment in relationships or careers. I think it’s partly not their fault, being raised on the notion that you can be anything. The truth is we have to be something, find something we are good at and develop it over a period of time. It can also be the deceit of youthfulness that tells us we have all the time in the world. If we believe this lie we run the risk of floating in an ocean, being carried by the waves, having no grip on the direction our lives take.
We should be intentional, be specific with what we want to achieve and be ready to commit. There is a Kiswahili saying, ukitaka kula nguruwe, chagua aliyenona. It means if you plan to do something do it to the fullest. In the Bible God made promises and was specific with what we’d expect from Him. He reassured Joshua that he would give him every place he set his foot. The next verse of that chapter God is specific with the territory that he will give Joshua and his people. We should follow this example of being specific with our vision and do what is in our power to achieve it.
And yes we all have different times at which we realise what we love to do. But it will never hit us randomly one day. We work towards it, improving from one level to the other, gathering the necessary tools and personal assets. And if it does hit you randomly one day, it won’t find you flat footed.
Making commitments doesn’t mean that you are not exploring. It only means that you have fully invested in a particular area as you grow, not that you will be stuck in one level forever. This will serve to improve self-esteem, perseverance and a realistic view of life.
The one who chooses a particular path will gain a better sense of self, develop better ways to deal with stress and issues, stronger reasoning and confidence from experience gained by being in the game and not a spectator.
Don’t be like me. I didn’t not have the confidence to own what I want to achieve. Own it, hold it deep in your heart and run with it like an angel sent from heaven with an urgent message from God.
I wish there was a way you could have gone to school and learnt about information sharing, book writing and everything around being an author. I bet you would be a literature person by now, or a journalist.
Maybe you were afraid because of the expectation that your in-law had about you. We often think of society too much and forget what is within us, our inner desires.
I wonder how you would be writing if you had taken writing classes. You write so well. Keep up the good work and continue to commit.
Now that you brought commitment on the table....I challenge you to commit to writing more. Update your blog weekly ;-). Challenge accepted?