BecomingGolden

Authored by Brownie Ebal, Edited by TECHExpertsUG

In this rapidly connected world, parents often struggle with raising well-behaved children. I firmly believe that the youth are the answer. Most children, just need a relatable mentor to guide them on their journey.

At Kitabu- Buk project we focus on developing children into the best versions of themselves through education and career talks. Kitabu- Buk Project is a local NGO, that works on a recycling model through collecting new and used textbooks and donating them to local UPE and USE schools. We also advocate for better education through holding various career talks with young people.

On behalf of Kitabu- Buk Project, I was honoured to speak to teenagers at Janice’s 16th birthday celebration by the lakeside at Kazi Beach Resort. I felt truly honoured to be given this chance to impact young lives through sharing my life experiences with them.

I must extend my heartfelt gratitude to Janice’s parents for trusting me with this opportunity to empower their daughter and her friends with valuable life lessons on her special day.

Now, let’s dive into the key takeaways from my speech:

1. Be your authentic self.  

My speech started with a game where guests passed a cup around. When the music stopped, the person with the cup had to read instructions written on the piece of paper and act them out. Some papers instructed the participants to act silly by barking like a dog, neighing like a horse and such. Other papers instructed the participants to showcase their talents in singing and dancing. As the game progressed, I noticed everyone becoming more confident and freer. This game allows each one of us to never be afraid and just be you, no matter how silly you look.

2. Be confident

As a 16-year-old, strive to take on any task thrown at you, be it silly, outside your comfort zone, or plain boring. These tasks will install confidence in you and keep you upbeat. I was excited when each time the music stopped, everyone did their best to act out whatever was written on the paper. This sort of environment teaches every 16-year-old to be open, to do their best and to do it with confidence as it takes courage to even try. 

3. Never give up

Do not give up, even when you do not understand what is going on. Never give up. Keep trying so that you are in a better place than you were the last time. Life is about trying and getting up when things do not go your way.

4. Cultivate good relationships. 

Make friends with people who will develop you. Choose your friends wisely. They will become the reason for your success or failure in life. Be kind and respectful to everyone. Your classmates will be in different places fifteen years from now. They will remember how you made them feel when they were sixteen years old.

I have been blessed in this life. Whenever I go to different organizations, I find my classmates working there. This is because I was kind to everyone in school, they are more than willing to help me. Instead of them running away when they see me, they are excited to say hello and help me with my endeavours. In some businesses I run, my classmates have been my first clientele supporting my businesses directly or indirectly through referring clients to me. They have also invested and said my name in rooms I would have never entered. This is because they trust in what I do and stand for.  So, my dear ones, treat people well and they will shower blessings upon you that no amount of money can ever buy.  

5. Seek knowledge and financial independence. 

I have an uncle, Uncle David, who always says, “Brownie, die in your books. I am where I am because I was ahead of the curve. I always strived to be the most knowledgeable person in the room. This enabled my submissions to be filled with wisdom and created the need for people to look for me. This prevented me from being irrelevant.” 

This is a message to all of you. Improve, learn and gain something new every day. Never limit yourself and your opportunities.  Understand money and how to make, keep and re-invest it. These tenets will stay with you for the rest of your life. This financial knowledge will enable you to be financially independent earlier than your peers. 

At 25, for my Bar Course at the Law Development Centre, I was able to pay for my own school fees. This was because I had saved part of my pocket money, during my Master’s Degree in the UK. It would have been easier to just spend all the money I was being given for school, but I had read “The Richest Man in Babylon by George Orwell” and learnt to save money. This is when I realised, I could pay my own school fees, it gave me a sense of independence that everyone should feel and a desire to work harder to make more money.

Currently, I am enrolled in an Corporate Governance Course and I am also paying for it, not out of necessity but out of pride. Every parent wants to see their child financially independent.

6. Love thyself. 

Know who you are and what you stand for and take nothing less. Have standards and stick to them. People will respect you for that. Take care of your body. Practice personal hygiene. No one wants to associate with a smelly person. With good personal hygiene, you will feel good about yourself and more people will want to associate with you. Let no person try to define you. You can do anything. There will be naysayers. Prove them wrong. You control your destiny. 

7. Put God first. 

I believe in God. Know that you are a child of God and as it is said in Psalms 149: 13-14: “You made my whole being. You formed me in my mother’s body. I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way. What you have done is wonderful. I know this very well. You saw my bones being formed as I took shape in my mother’s body. When I was put together there, you saw my body as it was formed. All the days planned for me were written in your book before I was one day old.” 

The Lord loves each one of you. He created you for a purpose. Seek Him in all you do and wisdom will be given unto you. 

8. Manage your social media brand.

Today, there are several social media platforms. Anything can go viral. Use your social media handles to do good, to make people better versions of themselves. Speak positivity into your friends’ lives and strive to do good. Share with your followers the good things God has done in your life and how your lifestyle can help them to become better people. In twenty years’, time, your social media will be a diary unto your life. Write on it appropriately.

9. Be present and express gratitude in the now

In this social media world, we are more distracted than ever. We tend to spend a lot of time on useless things and forget about the important things.  I kindly advise each one of us to be present, when having dinner with our families and friends. When in class, be present, do not let these gadgets take away the beauty of being in the now. Also, the era we are in is quite fast paced, many of you are worried about how life will turn out, are you making the best choices? Learn to enjoy the now, God gave you this life to be enjoyed and if he has taken care of the birds, he will definitely take care of your future. Be present and grateful for what you have around you.

10. Use up all your talents for good.

Life is a beautiful journey. Before you die, you must exhaust your whole being. Use your God-given talents to spread love, peace and joy. You should die empty so your death is a testimony of God’s will.

Finally, I would like to thank Janice’s family and Aga Khan High School for giving me a platform to share my insights with these young ones. 

For more information on how you can partner with Kitabu- BUk Project, kindly visit our website on: https://kitabubukproject.org/