14: Stick to your stones

Guys, I hope you had a great month. I was able to give birth to a three year pregnancy, finally getting a book I wrote during NYSC printed. It’s been a while coming but that’s a story for another day. I hope to have a formal book launch and I will be inviting you all to come, with or without your cheque books, preferable the former! Have a chew on this thought for the month. Stay blessed.


Stick to your stones

I once spoke to a friend’s younger sister about an examination she was preparing for. It was either TOEFL or SAT because she was wanted to go schooling in the United States.
A key requirement of the examination was an ability to write very good essays on subjects of your choice.

She was at a loss on what to write and asked me for help. I then proceeded to tell her to write on her experience of growing up without a father because their parents were separated. She was very puzzled about my suggestion and asked my reasons for that topic.

As I understood it, such a life experience is always a very emotional one and is usually laced with sparks of passion that cannot be duplicated by writing about some fictional occurrence. You see, I lectured with all the wisdom of a wannabe Sage; whatever sparks your emotions gets noticed and has more impact on any audience.

I have noticed that the songs that stir the most, the books that melt the hearts, the speeches that win the election are the passionate ones. Not only must they be passionate, they must have a spark of authenticity that will set them apart. Mere headwork will not suffice; mere gimmickry cannot substitute the power of an authentic and passionate slice of your life being experienced in your contribution to your world.

One time presidential candidate in the US, Al Gore is a passionate defender of the Environment. Yet he made the very costly mistake of listening to his consultants who told him to avoid focusing on the environment during his campaign and speeches. They gave him a list of ‘safe’ topics they had analyzed from several polls of the electorate. The fact of the matter was that he wasn’t passionate about any of those issues!

He ended up looking stiff and unsure throughout the campaign period because he went to war with borrowed armor, armor he hadn’t tested before, weapons he didn’t know how to fight with. That wasn’t the only reason he lost the election but I’m sure it formed a major reason why he lost.

Real leadership doesn’t sample what is d best thing to say from the crowd and then say it. Real leadership goes to its heartfelt core and uses what it knows to be true and convinces those who follow.

It was with such boldness of heart that David rejected the armor of Saul as he approached battle with Goliath, he stuck to the stones he was used to. They had never failed him and they didn’t fail him on that day.

In a world that demands conformity, it is essential that we stick to what makes us unique and authentic, that which brings out the passion that propels us to significance. Your uniqueness is all you’ve really got to offer.

Everyday I pray to find more stones to add to my pouch, my authentic stones will not let me down. Yours won’t either. Go on, go get your stones! Peace.