I have started my 24th-year journey…
24 years ago, my parents were very fortunate to have been blessed with a baby boy. The young boy has now grown up to be a young man who is confident, emotional-intelligent, a risk-taker, a lifelong learner, ambitious and resilient. Looking back, the 24 years can only be summarized by a simple poem:
“Those were the days, the dark dark days,
Days that were cemented with uncertainty,
I had no identity,
But today, it is a different day,
For today isn’t yesterday!”
4 years ago, in 2018, I made a deliberate decision — to continuously work on myself and always to strive to become a better version of myself. I stopped comparing myself with others and shifted my energy to appreciate the person I was. This might be the best decision I ever made. Since then, I have managed to become an emotional-intelligent person. I have become an open-minded person who respects the diversity that human beings portray. I allowed myself to unlearn some behaviors I had been taught as my conscience couldn’t agree anymore with those behaviors. I have learnt to appreciate those who criticise me as they offer me a chance to challenge my own ideas. I appreciate those who talk badly about me as they constantly remind me that I am not perfect!
Reflecting back on my 23rd year, I am amazed by the growth I have experienced. It is the year I took many risks. It was my first time rejecting 4 job offers and opting to study. I failed a couple of times and I won a couple of times. However, I learnt that failure isn’t the opposite of success but an enabler of success. I became more intentional in my interactions with people around me. I got infected with COVID-19 and spent 2 weeks in an isolation center. That time I was in the isolation center was critical to me as I did a self-reflection on my life purpose which is anchored on the mission to impact others positively.
As I start my 24th year, I invite you on a journey. In this journey, we don’t know the destination yet but we are determined to learn through the experience. We don’t know the perfect route to take, but we are conscious of the steps we make. The journey will be fun sometimes but sometimes we will be feeling very low. Sometimes, the urge to give up will be too much, but we will push through. Sometimes, we will feel as if we are at the end of the road, but then who said, “Life is simple?”. The journey will be uncomfortable sometimes but we will get a rare chance — being outside our comfort zones. Sometimes, we will win and celebrate. Why not take this journey with me? I will only ask you one thing, just one! Imagine only one thing! Just one……… “Just be courageous to be imperfect!” Let us deconstruct the idolatry of perfectionism. #Willie@24
