Competition is healthy. I was raised with a very competitive spirit. I attended the best schools wherever my family lived; and there we learnt to make the art of beating our peers a norm, an everyday occurrence, the default position. We learnt strategy, tact, hard work and the confidence to believe in ourselves. Never Give Up was the motto of the school I attended the longest in my life. But then, these days when I see some mediocres killing themselves to out-compete me, I get slightly amused. Life need not be a race! It has taken me many years of hard work to get where I am. I had to survive failure, rejection, criticism, ridicule and lack of different sorts. I had to teach myself resilience and tenacity. Doing the hard work became non-negotiable. I was lucky to have the undying support of two loving parents who believed entirely in me AND always communicated my potential to me. I also have had the invaluable gift of amazing mentors, throughout my life. The academy is a very lonely place. The failure and drop-out rates for African women are murderous. Academic production and promotion takes a lot of hard work, patience, resolve and perseverance. Academic excellence does not bring tangible financial rewards. And yet there is nothing in this world that compares to the fulfillment I draw from my vocation. I love my work. That is why I succeed at it, against all odds. I believe in the ability of my work to transform my world. That is why I keep at it, and do what I do as brilliantly as you say I do. To either beat or come close to my track record, one has to know the secret of my work ethic. Bino ebintu biri mu strategy, si bya kumala gakola! Peace...
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 08:43:14 +0000