The Changemaker

THE PLACE OF RESILIENCE IN SUCCESS “I can be changed by what happens to me, but I refuse to be reduced by it.” – Maya Angelou The rate at which young people are springing up with ideas of change and societal development increases with time. Many youths are finally catching the vision of much needed change that their society needs, and have begun to rise up to the challenge of being change makers. However, while some have been able to lift their idea off the ground, some have sadly been unable to do likewise. I have spoken with many teen girls and guys who have told me at different times of their decision to let go of their dreams, because of setback which they encountered while trying to lift their “big idea off the ground.” In the words of Woodrow Wilson, the difference between a strong man and a weak one is that the former does not give up after a defeat. Many times, the setbacks we experience are not a result of our inadequacies but our unpreparedness. Sometimes, failure is li...

AIM BIG, START SMALL! “Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” - Vincent Van Gogh The greatest quote I have ever heard on goal actualization would probably be that of the Raphael Stephen, founder/CEO of FAME Foundation, in an online seminar. He said, “have big dreams and split them into small goals.” I have constantly pondered on these words and I have realized that these words did not just come out of the void. They are words that were spoken as a result of deep understanding of the prevailing challenge of young people when it comes to starting out an idea. Everyday, the world throws at us new challenges that often test the intellectual capacity of this generation. Of a truth, the world needs minds that can think deep and proffer lasting solutions to these challenges. While this generation has proven to be up to the task in creative thinking, the inability to birth these ideas has always served as a stumbling block and the reason fo...