“May we make it a habit to celebrate others loudly and diligently learn from them. Staying teachable will ensure we glean of their excellence, competence and no- nonsense.”

I was not going to pen down an end of year note but that changed the minute I came across this quote. These words have touched my heart and took me back to when I was in high school. Back then, I was a highly competitive student to whom grades meant everything. I would be in tears if i dropped a mark, and it would worse if I did not get the number one academic position. Back then, defeat would draw anger in me.

Now, it is good to be competitive and to want to be on the top but there is a problem if one believes that no other person can be better while failing to acknowledge and celebrate those who are excelling.

I’m grateful to my late father. He would sit me down, wipe my tears and ask: “Amina did you congratulate your opponent by any chance”?
At the time, he had already introduced me to boxing and we had our boxing language and rules. He would remind me that just like in the boxing ring, after defeat one has to congratulate the winner as a sign of respect and friendship. After our talk, he would right away take me to the home of that top student who has defeated me to shake hands with him, acknowledge my defeat and celebrate the hard work of my opponent. This starts a relationship with this person out of respect. And we would work together, have study sessions and exchange notes, a happy ending for all. Today, if you see me celebrating greatness, and loudly so, this is a habit that my father cultivated from a boxing culture because he believed that everything in life is boxing.

This habit of celebrating winners has enriched my life. What this does, is give one permission for success. One gets to believe that it is possible, I can also succeed. As the great Nelson Mandela said: “As we let our own light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same.”

Therefore, surrounding yourself with those who are winning and not shying away from them is the way to go . This gives us an opportunity to find out what strategies are they using. How do they make things happen? As for my friends, I go as far as asking them the very vitamins they take on a daily basis so perhaps I can get that energy of making things happen . We can learn from one another and apply those tools that are relevant to our lives. Remaining teachable is key to us also stepping in our greatness.

On this note, I salute all of you who continue to inspire and motivate me for life. Wishing you all a super blessed and safe 2024!