I was never taught in school to believe in myself, I was never taught nor did I learn it from school, that when everything around me keep saying otherwise I shouldn't give in. Life taught me that in the hard but best way it could.
There was a time in my life, then, I didn't think much of myself, I didn’t think I have anything special to offer. I was just a humble, quiet looking guy, that guy who helped with home chores, cook, I was that guy who stayed out of trouble, I was that guy who went to school, read and passed my exams...and that's it. I was never the known type, I wasn't the class captain,I wasn't a prefect, I didn't win awards nor did I represent my school in any way. But outside the four walls of school, life started whispering something to me.... something different.
There was this particular day, I was in the higher institution then, it was a very long day, so I decided to branch by my friends place, he stays together with his sister who was a finalist as at the time. I summoned courage to talk to her, she opened up and I got to know how depressed and sad she was, it was not funny matter at all, I kept talking and talking and talking, she just kept nodding her head and giving some sort of smile, I knew those smiles were fake, but then, I tried my best, prayed with her and left.
When I got home that evening, I still felt restless, then I picked up my phone and wrote a simple heartfelt message to her, just some form of encouragement. I checked countless times before sleeping to see if she has opened it, but it didn't double mark, I just slept off. By morning, I checked, she had read it, but no response. Not long after, her brother called me to thank me, he said he didn't know what happened, but he's noticed some difference in her sis, she's back to her lively self, he said he was scared and had to ask her what happened, and she just told him to help thank me while showing him the message I sent to her.
He was obviously happy as he said, “Guy, thank you so much, even myself as I read am...omo, thanks a lot. You’re not just good, you’re gifted.” You see that sentence ..... you're not just good, you're gifted, it changed everything. It wasn't my teacher, or my result at the end of the semester that changed things, it was someone who really saw what I carried.
And from that moment, I started to write more. I started expressing those things I had bottled up. I didn't just write, but I wrote to heal, to comfort, to motivate, to inspire, to put a smile on someone's face. I share stories school never gave me a chance to tell. And I began seeing responses online, some talked to me in person, people started responding to my WhatsApp statuses. I realized my words could help change people’s emotions, it could make them smile, it could make them believe more, it could make them have faith, it could make them have a rethink and it could make them feel understood. And, that was when I realized I mattered, and I didn’t need a lecture hall to prove it.
I learnt that not all learning comes in the classrooms. There are times that the most life changing lessons you will learn are buried in pain or even in ordinary days. Also, I learnt that one's value ain't measured by certificates or titles, but by how well you can/are able to touch lives. Now, I speak and write more, and I do it confidently, not because I have whatever degree, but because I know what I carry is genuine.
Those lessons meant so much to me, those are what made me find purpose, it taught me to walk boldly and confidently, it taught me to keep going, it taught me to keep my head high, it taught me to dream bigger, it taught me to believe that even if the world ain't clapping or doesn't give me a stage, I can build mine and still shine regardless. And I didn't learn those powerful lessons in school.
All pictures are mine, they are screenshots of my WhatsApp status...
Thanks for taking your time to read through.