FUEL YOUR PASSION FOR LIFE

         THE PASSIONATE DREAMER

        I have been privileged in the last 4 years to have had opportunities to visit a number of African countries; Zimbabwe, Namibia, Kenya and Tanzania (where I have been for almost three years now). In all these countries I have met and interacted with multitudes of young people. The spectacle which has captivated my attention more than any thing else is the passionate and enthusiastic youth; one who is ready to conquer the world! Fortunately, or unfortunately, I have also met the dreary ones. Henceforth, this blog will strive to set ablaze a spark in each heart. It is my hope that the passionless and the dreamless will dream again!

     I have met young people who are smart, talented and hard-working yet have no motivation, no fire, no passion. In this regard, the first obstacle to be overcome is fear; fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of disappointment and fear of criticism. This is because fear and passion are contraries! 

   Motivation is what pushes anybody to a goal; what keeps you going when all hope is lost. Motivation is the splendid desire to actualize all that which one is potentially.

      Great spirits have great dreams – Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Mother Theresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Princess Diana, Bill Gates, Aliko Dangote etc. etc. etc.  You probably know that “you can change your life by changing your thoughts and your mental habits.”  We can learn trillions from them.

How to Passionately Set Your Heart On Fire

1.      Be Authentic

Those who saw my second blogpost probably know well that I have confidence in taking risks and in vulnerability. This is paramount when it comes to building your self-image and fuelling your passion for life. You cannot be passionate and fake at the same time. Risk being you, risk being the man of your wildest dream. Dream big and be big.

This is why Brene Brown in her book ‘The Gifts of Imperfection’ declares that;

Don't live behind a mask

“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It's about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.”

Authenticity is a decision, a commitment to be yourself irrespective of the audience. 

2.      Dare to Risk

Take the risk and walk on life's rope

Risking is simply about going past the boundaries; to go an extra mile with life. To risk is to go beyond the ordinary and grasp the unseen. To risk is to hope. Every risk involves a shift from a comfort and safe zone to a dangerous unknown. A life without dreams and passions is a life lived on the shore. one simply has to dare to take a leap into the deep water. Without taking risks, one is already dead.

 “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body. But rather, to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming… Wow! What a ride!”

                                         -Mark Frost

Forget About the Critic

        Fear of criticism is a phobia. A phobia is simply fear of something that really poses little or no actual danger. The fear leads to escaping of situations and can cause people to limit their lives. One ought to understand that the worst that a critique could do is say, “you messed up.” However, on your part, that failure is a priceless learning experience.

It is not the critic who counts;

not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles,

or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,

whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;

who strives valiantly; who errs,

who comes short again and again,

because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;

but who does actually strive to do the deeds;

who knows great enthusiasms,

the great devotions;

who spends himself in a worthy cause;

who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,

and who at the worst,

if he fails,

at least fails while daring greatly,

so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls 

who neither know victory nor defeat.

    There is certainly no reward for the spectator, life demands that the young man of this century will no longer stand on the sidelines of history. Rather he is invited to delve deeply into it either as winner or loser. Whichever the case, he would have been written in the books of history.

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