As we take time out today to celebrate the life of one of the greatest African leaders who has regards for human rights and human lives, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. Please read his honest journey of life in few words and that’s our voice of nature today.
He was not born with a silver spoon and despite all the challenges he encountered in his journey of life, he didn’t give up. He endured the sufferings and today he is living his purpose.
Cesar Chavez, one of my best civil rights leaders said, ” We draw our strength from the very despair in which we have been forced to live. We shall endure”.
Most great leaders have mental toughness and they are disciplined and they have the ability to endure, persevere and have excellent self-control.
I am sure that a lot of people mocked him, made jests of him, avoided him, and called him names for not having good clothes, footwear, and even designers. Did that stop him from focusing on his vision and his set goals? No! He was not discouraged by the negativities and distractions, he was determined to make it in life.
Finding the strength to conquer your challenges in tough times is the best way to greatness. Throughout one’s life journey, there will be times when one can’t see the horizon. These are times of despair in which a person can feel that all hope is lost; nothing matters anymore. Despair comes in all shapes and sizes, affecting people differently. It can be life-threatening, life-altering for one person, and a glancing blow for another or a challenge in the day-to-day for someone else. Yet, we have found that the ability to be resilient within despair and the ability to endure, sustain, and persevere in the most complex of life experiences, situations, or circumstances. The Focus on what there’s to appreciate can ease the burden of despair ever so slightly. The practice of finding things to appreciate grows your strength, I call it appreciative resilience.
Goodluck Jonathan made it in life against all odds. You may be going through what he went through and maybe even worse than him, but know that you will come out of it better and stronger if you don’t give up or allow yourself to be swallowed by the process.
