A
rose by any name is still a Rose
People who are unable to motivate themselves,
Must be content with
mediocrity
No matter how impressive, their other
talents.
-
Andrew Carnegie
When
I was little my mother told me a little bed time story about an Agama lizard
who spent a whole day from the break of dawn till sunset trying to climb an
Iroko tree, each animal greeted him as they made their way to the market place
and by noon, the Agama lizard had earned the reputation of a time waster! After
all why would any right thinking person spend his whole day trying to climb the
tallest tree in the forest? To what end was this act of his?
Finally
the Agama lizard got to the top of the iroko tree and heaved in relief when he
climbed down. By the time he got down, there were no spectators awaiting his
return, only people murmuring about his stupid act.
The
Agama nodded left and nodded right feeling bad but on second thought he lifted
his head high and stunted all the way home feeling real good with himself. The tortoise
stared at him in astonishment and asked him the reason for the smug look on his
face.
‘Oh
o, replied the Agama with a wider smile, I just figured out how happy one feels
when you do something for self gratification sake.
‘My friend, he continued’ do not live to
please the world! I have just climbed
the tallest tree in the jungle, I never thought I could accomplish this feat, nobody
thought I could either, this pleases me so much, to know I could, and if nobody
clap’s for me or praises this accomplishment, I can as well praise myself!
Sometimes, Life places us in the Agama lizard’s
shoes. Leading us as outcasts on a road only we seem to understand, our dreams
(whatever it might be) the ultimate reward. Words become a mountain of impasse,
making it seem harder to climb and strange as it may seem, the steady kindness
of strangers feeds us strength against the resistance we face from those we
wish will come to understand.
It
has never been an easy task withstanding the pressures of people’s opinion especially
those closest to us. Even the best of people had at one point or the other
found them -selves crippled by people’s opinions and denied an exploration of their
inner selves. The key is to never give up!
Another
is to learn to give ourselves the gift of self motivation. To learn to keep up
in high spirits no matter what the situation we find ourselves is. Yes a little
cry is healthy now and then but after that make out time to focus, strategize
and move!
Tonight I intend light a candle, play some Asa or
lauryn hill, curl up on my favourite couch and just let music’s titillating
effects swirl around me. I intend to Meditate and explore deeply these thoughts
that pull’s me towards self motivation. For it is my submission, that self
motivation is after all a strong ingredient needed for self preservation in this
crazy world of ours.
Tomorrow... With
these thoughts still ringing loud and clear, I’d wake up rejuvenated in spirit,
mind and body, knowing ‘I can’ in every sense
of the word. Yes bruised, battered, caught below the belt by the world’s resistance,
I’d lift my feet to face the world with all the radiance I can muster!
After all whatever fanciful name is coined to
differentiate a species of rose from another, whether it be called an African
desert rose to the usual hibiscus flower, commonly known as the ‘rose
of Sharon’, each will fade once it is identified as a Rose.
Yes ’A Rose by any name is still a rose!
