It was one of those days where I felt like I'd done so much in the previous months and was feeling a little burned out. I decided to go surfing on the Bella Naija website and stumbled on this headline - "Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie speaks at Amherst College's 197th Commencement and receives Honorary Degree".
By the way, the comments section on Bella Naija website gets me cracking up many times. To say it's hilarious would be putting things mildly. I love being a Nigerian. Even in terrible situations, we can still tell jokes that'll crack the ribs.
These were some of the comments I saw :
"This woman is marketing herself so well. Once her next book comes out it will surely outsell the others. So many new audiences. See the way she is claiming Honorary Degrees and Awards left right and center".
Another said, "That's what I tell people. Not always about what you study but confidence, smartness and a bit of luck or fate. She would have been an average medical doctor - bland, cliche and boring. But as a writer, writer oh, she stands out. She knows how to start interesting conversations".
I remembered seeing Chimamanda's pictures recently on Instagram with Oprah Winfrey, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Idris Elba, etc. I know Oprah adores her. My mind briefly went back to the days when Chimamanda published her first novel - Purple Hibiscus. Though I tried reading the novel, I'll admit that I lost interest. Permit me to veer off a little. I grew up reading the literatures of the likes of Ken Saro Wiwa, Wole Soyinka, Cyprian Ekwensi and Chinua Achebe. However, at some point, my preference changed. Chimamanda's first book was published following the years when my reading preference had shifted. I tried to read Purple Hibiscus but dropped the book in the end. I did however go with my friend to see the screening of "Half of a Yellow Sun" in New York city and got a chance to walk up and introduce myself to OC Ukeje ( thanks to my friend who urged me on despite my shyness).
While I'm not an avid reader of Chimamanda's books, I continue to admire her. I am totally awed by how she's blossomed and bloomed into such an influential writer today. In my fascination, I have to remind myself that Rome was not built in a day and Chimamanda Adichie did not suddenly arrive at the international scene with the wave of a magic wand.
So, Hooray!! You just discovered your purpose. Your vision is defined. You are ready to run with the wind and conquer all - Valleys, Mountains and Goliaths! You start to soar on wings like an eagle and before you know it, poof!! Your energy wanes. No one is applauding you or validating your vision.
Like a lone ranger, you are left sounding and feeling like a fool, while you struggle with convincing yourself that you have found your purpose. As I type this, I ask WHY? Why is this the case? Unbelievably, the words filtering into my mind are from a mentor of mine - "They that walk, walk with many. They that run, run with a few. But those who fly, fly alone". On the path to fulfilling purpose, you have to be willing to walk alone and keep doing what you know you have been planted on earth for even when it seems that no one is giving you any validation or accolades.
I am not a motivational speaker nor do I have the qualifications needed to be a motivational speaker. However, it's my hope that someone who reads this will keep walking in their purpose and doing the right thing. Encourage yourself when there's no one around you to do that for you. Someday, the cloudy skies will pass away and all that's left will be a ray of hope and enough sunshine for days.
By the way, help me thank Don Jazzy for reawakening the word - ACCOLADE. Wait, is Accolades or rather, Accolade the title of a song or album by any chance?
Let me leave the words of this song with you
Little drops of water
Little grains of sand
Make the mighty ocean
And the beauteous land
Picture Courtesy - Bella Naija
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