An Indelible Inspiration

by Edson M. Chilala
(Kitwe, Zambia)

May I begin by registering my gratitude for these achievements and thank God for the grace ever so abundant in my life.

May I also note at this point in time that I like to make a clear indication of who my inspiration is and who my mentor is...My mentor is simply that somebody that gives me a portion of wisdom and advice regardless of the means to do so...While my inspiration and motivator would in this case be someone that has provided for me with an incentive for me to impact society....and to think of who has inspired me comes naturally.

My mentor can in this case be His Excellence the president United States of America-Barack Obama...He has made me realize that anything is possible for as long you BELIEVE and as for the one person who has inspired me...you are yet to learn...

I may not have been the luckiest person in life but that has not deterred me from striving towards achieving my objectives and targets. Maybe it's because it has always been a part of my everyday thinking to reclaim that “Difficulties call out the qualities and make Greatness possible.”

Maybe it’s the principle that it's only when you have been in the deepest valley would you appreciate the magnificence of the greatest mountain...or maybe....just maybe...I have come to learn that character cannot be developed in quiet and ease but through life building experiences, trials, suffering, can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.

This I believe needs somebody who has been very consistent with their provision with an incentive to be qualified as the one special person who has inspired me-Motivation.

When I contemplate on who has inspired me and how they have done so, am reminded of the words of one wise person in the lineage of motivational wisdom in the name of Terry Giles who asserts that, “Reach for the stars.

Decide what you want to be and do not settle for anything less. Believe that you can live your dream and then work towards that goal and it will happen. The worst mistake is when you give up on yourself. These words always drive me to the one person who has inspired me, of course not to say that it’s Terry.

Because this person perfectly fits into Ben Carson’s definition of success in his inspiring set of wisdom in the book entitled ‘The Big Picture’, which translates as, “A privileged person is any individual who has been given a platform to positively affect the lives of others.”

Perhaps the perfect fit for the one person who has inspired and motivated me would be my Father. I say so because it is him that has provided a platform for me to transform my life and that of Siblings, family, descendants to come and my environment...and this opportunity is an EDUCATION.

The equalizer of mankind no matter the skin color, race, tribe or sex. What Aristotle considers to be the best provision for Old Age. Perhaps I should have considered my Mother but we all know just how much our mothers impact our lives. It's only natural that they motivate us but fathers are also special consideration.

The question would now be how has he done so? My father may not have had his high school education but He has always put my interest to liberate myself from mental slavery through learning at heart.

He may not have been a very learned but it's His belief in my ability to excel and reach for the stars that has always inspired me. It is his constant approval for whatever he believed was right for me and would raise my stakes in life that I find challenging to the ‘common father.’

He may not have had the most money to spend on me and my siblings but it is the sacrifice which he was so willingly happy to take for me to have a decent education that makes me reflect back in time and smile at the thought of this Humble and Thoughtful Father.

It is as if my Father has had an opportunity to glance at Dennis Waitley’s and put his saying at heart for us His children, as it asserts that, “The greatest gift you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.”.

My Father is one person who has always given me the freedom to be myself and make choices that have impacted my life positively and has always encouraged me to work hard and be better off in life even when the going gets tough.

For particular interest, every time I told him to wake me up to study for my high school tests and examinations, he would make it a point to wake me up at exactly 03:00Hrs.

The best way that he has motivated me is how that he has been putting my interests at heart and constantly supporting me financially, morally and physically every step of the way.

Of course this is with the inclusion of my very dear and special Mother, and most importantly, He has laid a foundation for better prospects in my life.

I am hoping that I will use my achievements to make myself better and positively impact society as my Mom and Dad intended for me all the while that they have been giving me their time, moral and financial support as I also contemplate on John Ruskin’s Words, “The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it but what they become by it.”

Finally, Our food for thought must be that the greatest characters of the world have been those who had to struggle against all kinds of hardships.

Trials may come, the storm may beat and tribulations may be even stronger but morning will surely come and joy shall abound in each one of our lives. Ben Carson in his ceremonially appreciated piece of motivation ‘Think Big’ says that, “Do not give an excuse of everybody else is not working hard, not studying hard because everybody else is not going to be as successful as you will become. Do not worry about ‘everybody else’ because the world is full of ‘everybody else’ but only a few make significant achievement in this world.”

Decide this day not to give alibis anymore, do not procrastinate to act on your goals and targets and remember: There is no substitute for hard work.

Thank you and God generously and graciously bless each one of you.