Contributed by Emiliene Alemkeng

You must have heard the saying “if at first you don’t succeed then try again and again”. It should not be a mere saying but a practical ideology we all need to put in mind whenever we engage in a task. So many successful people have gone through unimaginable difficulties and challenges before being where there are today because they did not give up.

You must know about Bethany Hamilton or must have watched or heard about her documentary. The Athlete overcame the loss of her left arm in a shark attack to become a champion surfer. Her gifted career was to take a stop when a shark bit off her arm in 2003. Surprisingly, she resumed surfing just few months after. Hamilton demonstrated that the loss of an arm was not an obstacle to fulfilling her surfing goals and won the explorer women’s division in 2005 NSSA National championship. That was not all for that same year, she released Heart of a soul surfer a documentary that chronicled her return to the water after the attack.

As mentioned above, what does not kill makes you stronger indeed. For Hamilton, after her attack she worked harder and harder to overcome the challenges and denied to see the lack of her left arm as a hindrance. She did not keep lamenting on the circumstance. Rather, she became more determined to succeed.

You might be facing challenges in your work, in achieving your dreams or even in your personal life… don’t give up. Hamilton once said, so far as she is alive, she will see to her dreams with or without an arm, an ear or whatever but as far as she is alive and breathing, she will never give up. So do same and fight on.

If you look at the lives of every successful men and women, you will see that their lives were not creamy and peachy like it seem but they had to fight on. Better still the kicks and blows made them stronger. Look at Kris Carr for instance who turned her cancer into a business of hope and healing. Also look on Jay-Z, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Stephen King just to name a few and you will have Reasons to fight on.

                                                                                         Edited by Nicholine Akou