Rising from the ashes.

 Yes, it’s a struggle.

I have been there; done that but there is always great sunset in the horizon. I know the sweat and the tears it takes to “achieve it” in this primal youth of ours. The youth, in each part of the world, across our vast seven continents, face a multitude of demons in search of their great emergence to the elite society. The craving of success is deep in every single youth out here. What defines the gold from the soil? That’s what am here to elaborate to you today. There is a simple method to rise in the ranks in our community.

A great shadow of dim darkness is hovering over our youth today. Think that where they are, they are meant to be there. I have met many, along my adventures around this prestige land of ours and have gazed upon the greatest problem affecting our youth, embracing their comfort zone. They don't realize there is a great abyss of opportunity lacking out there. Most youth don’t know that opportunity doesn’t come out of the sky just to fuel their needs of success. Opportunity is earned not given. 

The great musician T.I (Clifford Joseph Harris Jr) once said 

“Opportunity meets preparation so prepare for your opportunity.”

This words I live by them day in day out. They are my code to surviving in these cold streets. Struggle is a great indicator that success is around the corner. Just like a diamond, it undergoes a lot of pressure to make its magnificent shape and property. But, if it was just left underground and not mined it would have never reached its full potential.

If you just accept to remain in the rubble and not take the next step you’ll never get to see the greatness that awaits you in the near future. You just have to put in the work, the practice. Practice makes progress. Just put yourself out there and see what happens. It won’t be easy trust me, it takes a dedicated heart.

Dedication is nothing without passion. Find something that you are truly passionate about, something that gives you a great rush when doing it. Look for something that when you do it time just dilates, you never notice it passing. From there dedication just becomes easy. It won’t be hard to wake up every morning a just do what you love. Remember though, that doing a lot does not really mean your working hard. Hard work is defined as (according to me) always doing what you have to do to achieve your dreams and never giving up. Trust me it’s a battle and in every battle there is one great rule. 

“THE HARDER THE PREPARATION, THE EASIER THE FIGHT.” 

Put in hard work to your preparation and when the opportunity is right it shall all pay off.

One of my greatest motivational speakers is Denzel Washinton.He said something that stuck with me till today “FAIL BIG”. Narrating how he got into the film industry. Going to many auditions and never got the spot but what made him who he is, he never went home and felt sorry for himself. He kept on practicing and practicing, he kept on going to more auditions but he still kept failing. Till one day he got his big break. 

Failure is just part of life and our greatest teacher. If you fail you just construct another route and continue with your journey .Mistakes were meant for us to learn and grow from them not to live with them. If you fail big you learn bigger lessons. So never be afraid to fail.

As youth, we have the currency of time on our hands. Sorry to say most of us don’t see this. They prefer to waste their time doing drugs and chasing empty dreams, I would like to advise them to try everything and never stop once you fail. The moment you fail, move on to the next. Take time, learn many skills, increasing your market value exponentially. Sorry to say ,the youth these days are not ready to try new things, learn new skills for they are just not ready to put in the work. 

Today’s youth have been brainwashed to think education is the only route to success but it isn’t. This doesn’t mean you should not study, you definitely should. It helps you understand the world around you. What I can advice you is follow what you’re passionate about. If it is in the world of art as Leonardo da Vinci did, with his full heart in it, or in the musical realm play the piano like Martha Argerich who with every key you can feel what she is trying to portray to you. 

Martin Luther once said 

“Be the best you can and never let anyone tell you can’t and set out to do it as God almighty called you in this exact moment in time to do it.”

“Do that job so well that neither the living, nor the dead or the unborn could do it any better.”

As you battle the demons of life just like a majestic phoenix, you will be able to rise up from the ashes. Nothing I tell you should ever make you see you are not worth to achieve success in this world. Just like an egg power from within brings forth life while power from outward forces causes death. 

What you tell yourself is what you become. If every day you tell yourself you won’t make it you won’t but if you wake up every day and look yourself in the mirror and tell yourself your great definitely you shall become great. 

Steve Jobs once said, 

“You can never connect the dots looking forward.”

 

Steve jobs dropped out of university from his selected course for it just didn’t make sense to him. Going ahead and joining a class that was intriguing to him, calligraphy. Even though he came to start apple way far into the future he put what he learnt into the apple where it had different writing fonts. Later on the Microsoft just copied what he did. If he never followed what he was interested in, today’s typing could have never had different fonts. Follow what interests you, for you can never connect the dots looking forward and remember 

Knowledge is power only when you use it.

Done by George Irungu.