the power of true passion and sacrifice comes from within
by patricia obima | February 9, 2013 at 11:21 PM
i always tell my friends and family that miracles or good things just dont happen.before even starting the trouble to venture into certain things,ask your self if the zeal,passion,love,commitment and above all sacrifice is there,if so,are they from within?
now i totally understand things in a different light than when i was younger,now i know that it's not just about dreaming and being a visionary,it's also about taking the next step,with courage and strength like no other,it takes some bull fight to arrive at our destinies.because along the way,we meet huge mountains,rocks and boulders that we must crash before we succeed at anything,but all comes down to one thing,the courage,strength to move on,and the yearning to accomplish
in my house we make a total of 6,mum,dad and the four of us.we are priviledged to have parents who value education and willl sacrifice anything to see that we achieve our goals.someone once remarked by saying"patricia i think your father is very wealthy,he lets all of you go to the best schools"i told her my father and mother are only the best parents in the world,thay are not stinking rich,they just know where to invest best and they sacrifice alot to see us have the best.yet even if resources are available self motivation to arrive at success is key
still brings me down to the same that a purpose driven life must come from within,there must be a good foundation set up right from the start.i have seen girls in my village get married at a very tender age after dropping out of school due to poverty and even sometimes due to lack of motivation and they think marriage is the next plan b.they get there and it's not as rosy as they thought,with a squashed future they resign to their fate,but i believe there's is no squashed future beyond repair,i still have hope that someday,this trend will change,there will be a new ray,a new dawn for them and that vision starts with me.considering the fact that most successful people we know come from humble backgrounds,it motivates me to believe it's not yet too late for the girls in my humble village of Akaba to become women of splendor and valour.
as a young girl,i wanted to become a journalist,then slowly the dream shifted and one day i remember telling my mother that i would be a lawyer!this was after i witnessed a woman mistreat her malnorished step son,i vividly remember that day when this healthy looking boy was dumped at the father's door by the mother and only in two weeks this handsome baby had become frail and almost at the point of death,i was just in primary 3,because he was denied food and always tethered like a goat so he may not soil the home,i felt pity for this child,worst of all nobody was doing anything about it!whenever he would soil himself it would take hours before he was cleaned up.i started saving my pocket money mum gave to buy this child biscuits and cookies whenever i returned from school and sneaked these things to him,he was only about one year then,i would sit at the window at home and watch this child and i would just cry but when i had the chance when the step mom was away,i would go play with him.sadly we left that place and i dont know how baby amon's life ended.i later witnessed several of such occurence and this time i was abit older,i would confront the parents and threaten that i would report them to police and from then my life got shaped along the line of humanrights,advocacy and justice.
these life experiences helped shaped my vision and dreams and aspirations,i also tell my friends that though they say experience is the best teacher which is true,sometimes we dont just have to wait for our own experiences to come,we only have to step into the shoes of those facing such cruelity and be a part of them and help make their lives worthwhile
and so when i passed to go to university,i applied for law,but so many opposing forces from my uncles and aunts came in,they said alll sorts of things to deter my dream,then i fell for it,i found myself in an IT class but i will tell you it was the ugliest decision i ever made when i chose to ollow not my dream but others wish,dad was against my former decision,wish i had listened to him,i never would have wasted the time i did in class.later i came to my senses and joined law school,just day one in that class i knew that i was right where i belonged,i knew i was destined to be a lawyer not just by name or profession but by calling and deeds,i dont regret the choice i made.
i still faced challenges in trying to put down my thoughts or air them out.till i was lucky to be employed at Joy for Children Uganda(www.joyforchildren.org)where i found the same interests in it's mission statement and vision and i told my self i was going to use my time working there profitably for the good cause of all and now being a part of this great family at World Pulse couldnt be any better priviledge
i still believe that we can all make this world what we want it to be.it starts right now with me and you to fight for it.
