Discovering Your Identity In The Storm

We all go through and adapt to the changing scenes of life in various ways. While others come out much greater with a new sense of value and a defined purpose; the rest emerge with increased bitterness, loneliness, resentment etc. But just as there is a purpose for the sun to shine only at night, there is also a reason behind your series of bitter life experiences.

Believe it or not, Storms are meant to give tangible meanings to our lives but unfortunately most people lose themselves while at it. It might be that you got turned down at several interviews for your dream job; perhaps your employer no longer treats you like he used to and even denied you a raise, maybe you’re being abused or ridiculed by your family/ your spouse/friends or basically, things aren’t going great in your life but that is not really a cause to be down and depressed. The good news is, your stormy season gives you a whole lot of time to recover your identity and develop self love.

How you utilize your time this period determines the direction of your growth. Just like a seed, you’d either sprout up in evergreen beauty or give up the fight and go down in total darkness. The period in the storm could be used to embark on new journeys, create new visions and partake in activities you’ve never done; like go on a long road trip, take a dance class, start that amazing idea you’ve always had, make new friends, see new places and most importantly get closer to your God your creator.

Humans can be categorized into two (2), i.e. Conductors and insulators [just like in the science]. Those who fall in the category of conductors are great absorbents and transformers of life’s daily dose of disappointments, rejection and unpleasant surprises. Those with the attitude of conductors are likely to be successful and have the most fascinating life stories which go a long way to inspire and motivate others; Conductors always see the brighter side of life even in total darkness. My favorite examples of such “conductors” in the western world are Oprah Winfrey, Taraji P. Henson and Tyler Perry; who per their inspiring life stories permeated the currents of life to run through them, absorbed the pain and worked harder to give off the bright “lights” we very much admire today. Coming down to my very homeland, Ghana, Asamoah Gyan of the black stars could be described as a perfect conductor. We all witnessed his rise to success preceded by the never ending backlashes, verbal abuse and even curses from majority of his countrymen due to his past career flaws. Oh! He literally became the object of National mockery and ridicule in the sports field. In that same period, He lost his mum who was his major source of motivation. He could have chosen to resign/put an end to his career just to escape his stormy season but he rose through it all, became a better player and eventually, the captain of Ghana’s National Football Team (The Black Stars). He also secured other juicy contracts with major international football teams and in addition to his repertoire, became one of the most successful and benevolent entrepreneurs Ghana has ever produced. Wondering how? He turned his pain into positive energy and fueled his career with it.

Insulators on the other hand are the obvious opposite of Conductors. Always sulking over bad break ups, why they got sidelined at that job, why people hate on them or why that friend had to betray them the way they did. They become isolated, bitter and feed on the negatives of life to make them feel better. Being hit so hard in one aspect of their lives tends to easily affect other areas as well. For instance, if a relationship goes bad, they become so broken and lose concentration at work places; they no longer hang out with their friends because they are in a certain kind of “mourning” which to them may last forever. Those people loose themselves; waste their pain without fueling their dreams and passions with that intense energy burning within them.