I have been having a hard time choosing an area of focus for my ECX for 2021/2022 academic year. I’d chosen something different last year, but a chain of events leading up to this moment meant that I had to consider another area. An area that I’m passionate about, that is related to what I’ve done and what I’m currently doing, and will be useful to me in the future.
This indecision made me unable to start most of my applications. I kept dawdling until I went to Instagram last night and saw that one of the men that I admire so much has added yet another feather to his feather-filled cap. I spent about 30 minutes on his page, before I went to LinkedIn to further stalk him. I realised that he did not get to the level he was by dillydallying and pushing off major decisions till few hours to the deadline.
I opened different site and started researching on what I wanted to do. I was able to find courses focusing on my area of interest and I also found universities that offer them. I started applying immediately and now, I’m all pumped up for the next academic session.
I got less than 6 hours of sleep, but I’m up and at it again. I’m sharing this for a couple of reasons:
1. Some persons say they feel intimidated by what they see on Instagram, but I can’t relate. Instead of being oppressed by people’s success, I get motivated to work harder. (Especially by people that I’ve keenly followed their stories) I draw inspiration from literally anywhere. Where you see oppression, I see inspiration.
2. You don’t need to know people personally and chat with them every day before you consider them mentors. There are so many men and women that I learn at their feet every day on social media that I have not had any private communication with and I probably never will. Social media has made these things a lot easier. We have direct access to people that we ordinarily wouldn’t. We read their stories and opinions on issues. We get life lessons from them. I’ve not been able to wrap my head fully around mentorship and how it works, but I have a lot of mentors and role models that don’t even know of my existence. Get a couple of them for yourself.
3. The season of applications for postgraduate studies and scholarships is upon us. Some of them do not require any form of payment. There are a couple of platforms that also provide links and information on them (please mention them, if you know), follow them and apply. The road to success is rough, especially for people who are not privileged. If you want to be better, you’ll have to constantly and continuously work towards it.
4. Get up and grind.
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