I VALUE ME On Monday, October 27, 2014, I participated in a very special campaign at the Micoud Secondary School. It is called the I Value Me campaign. The purpose is to impress positive values, to change/reinforce how students view themselves and to address the issue of self esteem. During assembly, I shared my story. The story is not the public profile or image you see. It is a story of overcoming mistakes and moments/periods of poor values and judgement. And so, it is a story of getting up after a lonely fall. A story of standing up to stereotypes and words of doom and gloom after becoming a teenage mother. The story I shared was one where the closest friends abandoned me to preserve their own image and those I relied on to lift me became too busy pursuing their own dreams. Of course, they are back, because I conquered to become a person in whom they are well pleased. But my story did not end there and even from where I serve, I am writing and recreating my story. The greatest message is that I am responsible for who I was, what I did, who I am and where I am going. Unless I accepted that responsibility, I would not overcome my challenging moments. At every stage in your life, your decisions will be based on your values. What you perceive to be right or wrong has more to do with how you view yourself over everything else. In your troubled moments/periods, the decisions you make will either make the best of where you are (then you become comfortable in your state) or create a hunger to recreate your destiny. Even in the best moments of your life, your focus should be tomorrow. The more comfortable you become with who and where you are, the less hunger and passion you have to become better and go higher. Even when you do know how you will achieve your dreams, you should not abandon your desire to achieve. In my case, the decisions I made were because I failed to look beyond now, to think of the impact of now on my future. There are lessons for me, my family, my community and my country. What we want is for our children to value themselves enough to make the right decisions even when nobody is watching. That can only come when they know who they are and their purpose in life. Love them and tell them you do. Speak positive even in the presence of negative. Uplift if you want change and correct before you punish. Even the decisions that are tough or may seem unfair to them should be explained to them, so they understand what is happening around them and why. Even in the most crowded places, recovering from mistakes is a lonely affair. Therfore, you overcome only when you evaluate yourself and commit to making the changes that are necessary. No matter how much assistance is given from the outside, change begins inside of you. However, the overcomer faces a great challenge. People will try to define you by your mistakes. You will win when you reject their opinions as a definition of who you are. Let their definition be a limitation in their vision and understanding of who you are and what you have become. Make a commitment to be the best wherever you go and in all you do. So whereas I was a teenage mom, what people see at 28 years, should be the best mother. If you are coming out of a juvenile home, what people should see is the best example of a rehabilitated youth. Whatever your struggle, you only become a success when you commit to overcoming your errors, redefining yourself and recreating your destiny. You cannot divorce yourself from your weaknesses, but you can create a marriage with a change that will cause your successes to overcome your faults and lapses. I thank the Micoud Secondary School for seeing value in me and for the invitation to speak to the school. Usually, such honour is bestowed upon past students or positive influences in the community. As I have stated before, I will accept every opportunity to speak life and hope and to provide support to our vulnerable youth. The greatest lesson I left with the students is that those who encourage you to walk the wrong way and disobey will be those furthest away in your moments of trial. Therefore, as unpopular as it may seem make decisions that are not based on your feelings at the time, but on the wise counsel of those who have walked the road before you. ~JJP
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 17:35:08 +0000
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