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11.04.2015 Feature Article

Random African Thought: Worrying Takes You No Where

Random African Thought: Worrying Takes You No Where
11.04.2015 LISTEN

When I was enrolled in school as a toddler, I was really excited at having to leave home to engage in spontaneous activities with my friends at school every day.

Those days, you had the chance to care less because the major burden of responsibility lay on your parents and nursery or kindergarten teacher. There was nothing so refreshing like having no worries or responsibilities then. My only worry then was how to explain to my mother why my uniform got dirtier than it did the previous day. Those days were really fun-filled.

Moving up the ladder and into elementary school, class work got hard and homework got even harder and I started to miss my kindergarten days. I always wondered if I was going to ever get through the higher classes because even at my level, class work got harder and harder with each term that passed. Surprisingly, I managed to get through the higher classes and I did it in grand style because I more often than not aced every class work,

test, or end of term examination.
Today, I was reflecting on how I got so good at school work even though the thought of it in my junior years got me scared. In my reflections, I came to the realization that no matter what happens or even how we see our situations, when the time comes for us to face them, we would surely get a way around them. I also realized that sometimes worrying is overrated. I used to imagine how difficult the work in class six was going to be when I was in class three. I always wondered if my seniors really understood what was being taught them in class.

I have grown to know that, whenever you look ahead and realize that there is a problem, when you get to that level (and you eventually will), come what may, the experiences you have had in your past give you an edge and make you pretty prepared to face your new challenge. This therefore reiterates the fact that you do not always need something new to deal with situations but sometimes you only need a reference from the past to do the work. Sometimes our fears, weakness and frustration make us even better prepared than our strengths and talents.

I have always known that maths was, is and might never be my thing. I have always been afraid of maths. As I pondered over the thought of what failure in maths could do to my academic career, I had to sit up and come to terms with the fact that I was not going to make it stop me from reaching my goal. My grades in maths were not the best but the fear of failing actually got me to get at least enough grades to see me through my school years. Moral: Fear and frustration are not in themselves walls; they can be made invisible just by putting your mind to it. Again no matter how good you think you are, problems do not care. As I said earlier, most of the greatest inventions in life were as a result of problems. Sometimes we worry about issues too much. Just like how I worried about my school days, we sometimes have to let things be and allow things to take their natural course.

Our relationships, careers, businesses and future aspirations would take better turns if we sometimes allowed things to take natural turns and unravel themselves.

A friend of mine always says 'No jump jump before the band'. I am sure she meant there was no need to sometimes rush things and I tend to agree. I have come to realize that sometimes we do not need to rush even apologising for our mistakes.

Sometimes rushing into apology tends to make matters worse. It is one thing I have learnt as a young man.

I know my problem with maths, so accepting it is not too difficult but I am fully aware that there are some things that are difficult to accept.

I therefore tend to find solace in these words that, 'Do not stress the 'should-haves' because if they could have, they would have'. This is just to say that if sometimes you miss a chance, it was probably for your own good.

It also suggests that if whatever problem or situation you faced could have stopped you, it would have done that without asking for your permission. Sometimes you just need to let go and hope that things will turn out right.

Even if things do not turn out the way you expect, find comfort in the fact that you gave it your best shot and that you had the courage to let go and move on. Life's floodgates are bursting with many opportunities. Take a leap of faith and have confidence in the fact that everything will be okay. More at randomafricanthoughts.blogspot.com OR eddylampz.wordpress.com

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