Most of my memorable years - at least, those I can recall clearly to write about without missing details - started when I got into highschool. Growing up in a small town did not make my childhood very eventful. If I am not in school, I am at home doing chores or playing with other kids. No cinemas, malls, chain-stores and other side attractions. Life was slow-paced, quiet and peaceful.
I wrote the entrance exams to my highschool much after other students had resume. I needed to catch up with the little they had done, not to mention the ordeal of 'traveling' to school everyday. My uniform was big and funny, I would never outgrow it unless it wears out. This was aside dealing with inferiority complex. I saw rich, fresh kids all around me, most speaking 'phoney'. My lunch was never taken in public glare!
All of these, however fueled my resolve rather than dampen it. I really cannot explain what gave me such desire; such drive for excellence. I just wanted to be the best of me.
The day the best students were announced on assembly ground at the end of first year is a day I will not forget quickly. I almost doubted my full name when I was announced the overall best student. Finally, the days of paying attention to details in classwork and assignments paid off. I remember scolding my mother for sleeping off and not waking me up to read at nights during exams - as if the books were hers. Really, she was my alarm!
A laudable performance at the highschool certification exams made my transition to college pretty smooth, even though my face and height betrayed me in my early years. My naivety was evident from my countenance. Right from first year, I encountered a mixed multitude. My room had both those who cared very little and those who took their studies seriously. At some point, my room was literally a brothel. The obscenity that went down in that room are too heavy for mouths to speak.
I would have set myself on slippery ground by following their ways. Thanks to godly folks who quickly drafted me in and got me involved in a lot of activities that concretized my convictions as it relates to my faith. My performance as a freshman - despite being amidst peverts and the frequent nostalgia - would later be the saving grace in the years to come because my best result apart from final year came from my first year. I emerged as the best student in my department in the end.
I have learnt over these periods to develop the same attitude and hunger for excellence not just to academics but to every of my endeavors. We are bound to meet people who will make us feel at a position of disadvantage; a product of what we think others think about us. Despite joining the session late, the distance to school and suffering an inferiority complex, I still came out tops in highschool. You must not give excuses for failure.
Bad association has the potential to take your eyes off your goals. They will preach mediocrity to you. Therefore, you must consciously choose your friends. They must not be people who pat you in the back always, but those who help you along the lifelong journey of clinching medals.
It all begins with a decision to succeed. That resolution is first, your launch pad.
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