Choosing To Be Different

Chipo Paradzai (right)

By Chipo Paradzai

“The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step…” - Les Brown

Hmm, this is a powerful quote, I must say. It is sad that most people die with a tremendous amount of potential. A couple of months ago, I was sad to hear of two young women that I knew who were in their early 20s that lost their lives. It dawned on me that the world would never get to experience their gifts and talents. It struck me that their chance to unleash their potential was gone, their opportunity to fulfill their purpose on this earth was up. BUT today you are alive, you still have a chance to be who you were created to be - its a matter of making a decision. It is all up to you! Today CHOOSE TO BE DIFFERENT!

Choosing to be different means doing things you have never done before, getting yourself out of your comfort zone, implementing those ideas that are constantly lingering in your head. It means taking on a different mindset - a winner's mindset. You don't just wake up a winner, you decide to be one, so you walk like one, you talk like one, and you do things like one.

We were all created for a special purpose. Yes. That means you are very unique, you are important, and your life has a meaning. Your contributions to the world are very important, you have something powerful to offer to this world. You may not know it. You see, not knowing something doesn't mean you don't have it. Let me give you an example. Lets say you know for a fact that you are currently penniless. You know that all your pockets are empty. If I secretly place a $100 note into the back of your jeans, you might walk around starving, wishing you had money to buy food at a restaurant, but the fact is that you are $100 rich. You just do not know it, LOL. So its up to you to find out what was deposited in you and to make use of it. Its up to you to identify your capabilities and maximize your abilities!

You have a divine assignment, so you have to tell yourself that you will fulfill it no matter what! This means eliminating any form of distraction from your life - a bad friend, a toxic relationship. Associations are powerful. You'd rather be alone for some time than to associate with rotten apples that will spoil you as well.  When you choose to let go of certain things such as a bad lifestyle or anything in general that does not build you nor edify you, you save yourself from a lot. As young people, sometimes we may feel like we haven't lived our lives to the fullest if we do not experience things such as smoking weed, having sex with various partners, living the music video lifestyle (you know what I mean), but let me tell you that that's an illusion. Its not true. Use the days of your youth wisely - instead of wasting an awful amount of time and energy, all that focus could be redirected towards making a difference to this world, leaving your footprints on the sands of time, leaving your mark in this world. Your purpose is more important than any form of relationship that doesn't build you.

You have to be intentional about the change you want to see in your life! That means you have to put deliberate effort towards the change. You have to work on it until it becomes a habit. Make the decision to be different now! It all starts with a decision. You see, you don't just get there in a day or two, it takes time but with consistency you will get there. Start working on yourself:

• Expand your knowledge: read books and blogs that will inspire and motivate you. My recommendations are works by Jack Canfield, Dr Cindy Trimm, Napoleon Hill, Zig Ziglar and Les Brown's books and blogs (which you can easily access online).
• Research about people that are in the same field as the one you would like to venture into - their biographies and their lifestyles. Get to know the methods that got them there.
• Implement any ideas you have in your head. I believe that great ideas cross our minds for a special reason, that is, for us to make them happen.
• Try out new activities - engage in activities you have never done in your life before. I can use myself as an example. I had never blogged before, nor do I consider myself a creative writer, but my head is filled with so much knowledge in certain areas so I had to use the blogging platform to express and give out this knowledge to those who need it. I tell you, the feedback and impact has been tremendous.
• Self introspection - take a private moment right now. Ask yourself a few questions. Where am I right now? What got me here? What can I do to get where i want to get? What do I need to change that will make me a better person?

 

It may even be overwhelming when you begin to realize there's a lot of work to be done in your life. But start by choosing one area in your life, do things one step at a time, work on one area at a time. Please note that in the process of changing your life for the better, choosing to be different,  and aligning yourself to your destiny, you will get a lot of resistance. You will be criticized, mocked, or even discouraged by those around you - even those you love, or by the look of circumstances. You will make mistakes because you are learning and taking on a new thing in your life and that's okay. Learn from those mistakes and continue to push yourself. KEEP ON KEEPING ON. Basically, PRESS ON. With time you will get there. Just as there are bad consequences for making the wrong decisions, there are also rewards for making great life changing ones. The rewards may not come immediately but eventually they will, and when they do, they will be in excess. You will look back five years later and be happy with the decision you would have made now, that is, the decision to be different.

KEEP SHINING!!

The Plight of Young People With Disabilities

Thabiso Makhurane

By Thabiso Makhurane

‘The only disability in the world is a bad attitude’ – Scott Hamilton

In an ‘ideal’ world, the only disability would indeed be a bad attitude. In the real world, however, disability continues to impact negatively on the opportunities and prospects that an individual has. According to the National Census Survey of 2012, people with disabilities constitute 15% of the Zimbabwean population, the majority of which being the youth. People with disabilities particularly, the youth, are constantly faced with limitations that emanate from attitudinal barriers. Young people with disabilities are viewed as objects of pity and shame. They are generally looked down upon, compared to their able-bodied counterparts. Society generally has a negative attitude towards young people with disability. This negative attitude has perpetuated stigma and discrimination of young people with disabilities. Young people with disabilities are also faced with structural barriers which manifest in the form of inaccessible buildings and facilities. For Deaf youths, barriers manifest in the different communication used by the Deaf and hearing community. Though sign language is a constitutionally recognized language, sign language awareness and training is still inadequate. Disability barriers also manifest in society’s written forms of communication which exclude young people with visual impairments who rely on braille.

The implications of all these various barriers is that young people have challenges in accessing information and services which range from sexual and reproductive health, to tertiary education. Barriers also translate to young people with disabilities being socially excluded in terms of participation in their communities and national development programs. Young people with disabilities are confronted with participatory challenges in economic and political arenas, further perpetuating their marginalization and exclusion.

Young people should realize the enormous power they have due to their demographic superiority. Young people should take center stage in advancing disability issues because they are not only leaders of tomorrow, but they are the leaders of the now. As we are approaching the Sustainable Development Goals target year 2030, young people should ensure that in all their programs, disability mainstreaming is done. This entails assessing the needs and deliberate inclusion of people with disabilities in various development programs. Young people should also create an inclusive society through acquiring information and educating themselves about disability issues. This will help them become effective disability rights advocates in their families, communities, and Zimbabwe as a whole.

Disability is a human rights issue which is recognized in the Sustainable Development Goals. It therefore calls upon the active participation of all young people in Zimbabwe (with or without disability) to curb the inequalities and disadvantages. Disability is a social construct which views young people with disabilities as different from the ‘norm.’ This indicates a failure on the part of society to accommodate a significant chunk of its own population. Since this ‘norm’ is defined by society, it now calls upon young people to redefine the ‘norm.’ It now calls upon young people to create a society which celebrates and appreciates diversity. A society which does not put stigmatizing labels on people because they are different. A society where inequality, oppression and discrimination based on one’s visible or silent disability is long gone. A society which does not view disability as inability. That society is possible if young people take a lead role in advancing disabilities issues. Young people owe it to the disability community, they owe it to themselves, above all, they owe it to the next generation, with regards to the creation of an inclusive society. Indeed the sentiments echoed by Scott Hamilton, ‘the only disability in the world is a bad attitude,’ can be a reality if young people take it upon themselves the creation of an inclusive, non-discriminatory society.

As Seen Through My Eyes

Angelinah Chiwonerwa

By Angelinah Chiwonerwa
 

Open your eyes and see. Do not only look, but SEE .

What is your future like? Can you see it? Or, you say, "whatever will be will be"? Are you waiting for the wind to push you to a certain direction, for the sun to bring a ray of hope? Listen, you have to see from within. Do not use the pictures that others have captured with their own mental cameras. Take your own pictures and use them to see the kind of life you want to live.

They tell you that they have seen it all; they have seen kings rise and fall. They have seen the wars and witnessed the signing of peace treaties. What can you possibly tell them? "There is nothing new under the sun," they start misquoting scripture to you. Dare to open your eyes and see for yourself.

Remember, they did not see the Internet. They did not see into the future. They are merely telling you what they saw in their Growth Points and shopping centers (the world is bigger than that). They are telling you stories they shared with their friends while drinking Chibuku (you can not base your life on that).

As you describe to them what you see, they might tell you to stop dreaming because they do not see what you see. You may be looking at the same thing but seeing differently. Find those who have looked and seen what you have seen (iron sharpens iron).

There are those who have seen your whole family ravaged by poverty and concluded that you will also remain there. Listen! You can be changed by what happens to you, but refuse to be reduced by it.

Sing a new song of victory, dance to your own melody. See your own rainbow and embrace the different colors it has. Those different colors make it  beautiful. What you see  is what you get. As a young person, what do you see?

As seen through my eyes, the future of the Zimbabwean youth is very bright.

Z      Zimbabwe

I       Independent of fear

M     Mounting (advancing)

B      Because of you & I 

A      Action oriented citizens

B      Building the nation

W     With

E      Energy 

Add Value to Yourself

ANGELINAH CHIWONERWA

Experience can be the best teacher and it can build your character and produce something beautiful within you. Such was the case with my granny. She had grown to be the best teacher and friend to me. I vividly recall how we could sit under a mango tree and talk for hours. She would narrate her youthful stories to me, trying by all means to make me understand that as a girl child in this generation, I have more opportunities for success than she had. She always said, "mzukulu wami, funda ngoba akula muntu ongakuthathela imfundo yakho” (my granddaughter, get educated because no one can take your education).

Come to think of it, no one can take your education. All the information you have digested since preschool cannot be taken from you. If you take time to develop yourself as a young person, you increase your net value. How can you influence your nation when you have nothing to offer? You cannot give what you do not have. This means that the days of your youth are not to be wasted. You have to seize every opportunity you get, for personal development, so that you become an asset to your nation and the world at large.

One of the most effective youth leaders, Glen Dhliwayo, once posted on Facebook, "We have a generation that knows what it takes to gain a 100 likes on Facebook but none of what it takes to make a 100 cents." A generation that is pursuing things that do not have a long term benefit. This clearly shows that we still need to learn more about investing in ourselves & being valuable citizens. What benefit is it to the nation that you get 100 likes on social media? Someone said most African kids spend most of their time watching other kids making money on television (how true!). Can we blame the parents for raising a generation of consumers and not producers? Maya Angelou put it well, "If you do not like something, change it, if you can't change it, change your attitude.” We have the ability to change our environment and recreate our world.

We have to do away with the ideology of  “what will the nation do for me?", and embrace the attitude of serving, "what will I do for my nation?" When we begin to have such thought processes, our actions will be guided in a progressive direction. A direction of education and personal development. You may be wondering, "So how best can I develop myself? Well, continue reading... the following points will enlighten you.

1. VALUE YOUR TIME

The legendary Oliver Mtukudzi sang it well, "Hope hadzina ndima (sleeping covers less ground), ukagudugudza wasaririra (if you slack, you lag behind), basa mangwanani (work is done in the morning), hatina nguva yatinofunga kuti tinayo (we do not have the time we think we have).” You have to make the best of your time as a young person. Plan your day accordingly. Procrastinating and acting like you have all the time in the world will leave you amazed when you wake up to the reality that time waits for no one.

Now you have the energy and the time to invest in yourself. Do what you MUST do now so that you can have the time to do what you WANT to do later in life. Do not put the cart before the horse. Know what comes first and focus on it.

2. INVEST IN YOUR MIND

“Managing your mind is the primary principle for increasing your value, multiplying your success, upgrading your state, and thus, enlarging your estate. Sometimes, you may have tried so hard and done all you thought you knew to do about something, without much success. What more can you do? Well, why don't you begin with mind management? Can you manage your mind differently regarding that situation? Can you access your mental hard drive to see what files you need to delete and the new ones you need to download and install?"Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, The Power of Your Mind.

Expose your mind to the right information. Information that will build you up and give you a positive thought process. Not everything on the internet is for your consumption. Be selective in your reading. You cannot be a garbage dump, taking in whatever people throw at you. Choose what you will feed into your system.

There are certain things that you must do for yourself, you cannot delegate them to others. One of such things is adding value to yourself, no one will do it for you. Do not start blaming the government or people around you for your failures yet you never took time to develop yourself. Work on being the best of you and the opportunities will knock on your door. Remember, opportunity comes to everyone but only those who are prepared can grab it.

3. TAKE NOTE OF YOUR ABILITIES

What are you good at? Whatever it is, it is important and can be used to positively change your world. There are things you do excellently without much effort, that is your talent. Take note of the gift that God has endowed you with, do not hide your talent. You may have a certain skill but it may still need to be sharpened and perfected, this is where self-development comes in. Give yourself time to develop this skill, attend conferences or workshops. Volunteer to do it for people. Just put yourself out there.

You need to be very honest with yourself. Yes, it is true that you can do whatever you set your mind to do,  BUT,  you must know yourself. I definitely would not go for a singing competition on SA IDOLS no matter how much I love singing. I know that I am not a good singer (you get it right). You just have to know yourself very well and work on developing this brand called “YOU”.

Go ahead, "Value yourself and add taxes"!