*; Aspire To Be A Man for the People*

Every country has heroes and heroines who they celebrate for heroic exploits for their nation or humanity. Some of these State men and women might have gone beyond their human limits to do extraordinary things, most often than not, at the peril of their lives, but for the love of God and country. Some are recognised and recognition given them. But, in some instance, they are not remembered and left in the coldest of the darkest world to lick their wounds.

It has been said severally to the effect, some are born great, and some are born to achieve greatness, while upon others greatness is thrashed. But, in the case of heroes and heroines it can be attained by putting one’s self to a deed and working hard at it to result in extraordinary outcomes. Such achievements should set you apart from your peers, it makes you unique. In most instances, you are to be remembered any time such feats are called in the annals of history. The recognition offered to these men and women, who separated themselves from boys and girls of their time through hard work, urges many citizens to emulate such traits.

The first black African President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for twenty-seven (27) years for daring the apartheid minority white rule. Today, he is a global icon. South Africa revolves around him. When Mandela falls sick it is world news. It is good to die for one’s nation, not a little but, giving up all that you have. Madiba as Nelson Mandela is referred to; by serving that long prison term for the sake of freedom for his people has set himself apart from many of his contemporaries. Nelson Mandela is, hence unique. Are you not inspired to be like the Madiba? You should live just like a star on earth.

Additionally, in Ghana the late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah the first President studied in the United State of America. After attaining his needed education, the late Dr. Nkrumah did not stay out there but he came to add his experience to the fight against the colonial administration. He also, like Nelson Mandela, spent some time in gaol too but not as long as that of the former. Late Dr. Nkrumah worked along with other politicians, such as the members of the ever popular Big Six to attain independence for the motherland Ghana. As icing on the cake is, a day has been set aside in memory of the late Dr. Nkrumah. How will you feel if he is your grandpapa or related to him? Yet still if you have a day set aside to celebrate you for a unique achievement? It is great feeling and a tale to narrate deep into the future. Many Ghanaians like the late Dr. Nkrumah have worked hard to make Ghana an enviable country. Examples worthy of mention are the sporting greats like, Oberima Prof. Azumah Nelson, David Kotei Poison (D. K. Poison), Abedi Ayew Pele and Vida Anim. Designing genius like Florence Okoe and Amon Kotei, and the composer Philip Gbeho. You can also be added to this ever tall winding list of great and exceptional Ghanaians through works that improves the lives of your own people.

You need to read to acquire knowledge, but wisdom lies in listening. You are expected to read outside the classroom to obtain a broad base idea of your environment. It would help improve your speaking as well as writing skills. Your eloquence will boost yourself confidence and endear you to many who will encounter you in this life. You will not feel any sense of timidity in the presence of your peers and audience. When you do contrary to the above you virtually limit and restrict yourself to few and boring words which will gradually confine you into your shell. Yourself confidence will be greatly affected, which will go a long way to lower your energy level. So you know what, read and read. Many are the pieces of advice that you threw into the dust bin, which in fact contained your well-being. When you listen to people any time they talk you will enrich your life. For instance if you are sent to buy an item for your parent(s) or any person, you have to listen carefully what you are asked to purchase, at what quantity and specified size as well as colour. If you listen you will be able to accomplish many tasks assigned to you with precision and conciseness. Again, many of your peers and superiors will prefer you to others, who barely listen. If you least listen you often irritate people around you. When you listen you will get to know the intentions of men.

What separates men and women from boys and girls? Men and women implements their visions and aspirations, but boys and girls can only dream. The men and women stretch themselves beyond every human imagination to live their dreams. These are real and solid decision makers. They are action oriented. Again, they stand by their beliefs. Their works always touches humanity and changes the world in a special way. You might be a beneficiary of such works. Aspire for greater works does not expect you to stray, slip and sleep. You will read about many who have touched the world uniquely in their own way. Such deeds might arouse in you the passion to do same. You need to read about how they did it, in order to get it right. Some of these personalities do write about their lives while others don’t. Then you will have to ask about them and how they achieved such feat. Those you will meet before their passing into glory can be your coach or mentor. You will have to sometimes meet them for naked communication; face-to-face conversation. Then you may request him or her to mentor you or consider you as a mentee. An honest side of this approach to attaining greatness is the personal life of the mentors. You need to isolate private lives of these mentors from the skill(s) you wish to acquire from them. You should not make the mistake of wholesale picking, thus taking every private and public life of the fellow. Because, you should know yourself first to enable you determine what you can manage. This is for the reason that, what cannot be measured cannot be managed.

Setting yourself aside among your peers cannot be that easy, more so trying to be unique. It comes with trappings, obstacles, and hurdles on the way, but the road to greatness has never seen the coward heart achieving inspiring height. You want to attain the feat of the late Dr. Nkrumah, he tasted prison life and good old Nelson Mandela spent good God twenty-seven years as well in incarceration. Are you ready? Are you also aware that, every leader or successful person always seems to swim against the tide? If you see life as war then, allow yourself to be trained as a warrior to go the way of the warrior. Again, you might have considered life as the way you live it, then you should allow to be shown the way. The ups and downs of life are the rhythms of life. You do not give up when you are down, but you get up and back up. When circumstances of life seem to be pushing you out, do not give in, but get in. Remember we live to fight another day. When you lose out today, don’t be shattered, because the day of celebration of victory is just tomorrow. If you do not know how to lose, you will never know how to celebrate a well deserving victory.

In the classroom lessons are taken before tests are conducted, but in real life tests come before lessons are learnt. Protect your dreams and aspirations from glory hunters, who will never lift a finger but always want to celebrate. They associate with success every time and are first to announce when there is victory to be celebrated. You might be excellent in the classroom, but real life is different my dear. If you are in doubt ask and be told, life can be funny. Do not depend solely on your intelligence; you will need the help and support of others to achieve your goals. You should not ignore the assistance of others on the way to success. The truth is you cannot learn from yourself and award yourself an excellent mark. It will amount to subjectivity without objectivity.

What we are told or have read is, do not ask what your nation can do for you, but ask what I can do for my nation. Make yourself relevant to the benefit of your people. In other words, work hard to improve upon the lives of your people, which will affect them like the sting of a bee. With such indelible effect on their minds they will or might celebrate you at a time in the future. What should be made clear to you is a hero or heroine is not always celebrated while alive. Most often their contemporaries might not recognise their works but later generations would peruse same and single it out for recognition. In such instances the hero or heroine might not be alive. So if at the end of work with all intends and purposes of goodwill coupled with raw hands, but you cannot see acknowledgement anywhere insight, take heart. Because sometimes when a hero or heroine is celebrated while alive, it leaves a burden on him or her to keep to a fine line without a slip. But man as fallible as we are, can that be possible? Hence, will it not preferably be better to be celebrated posthumously? However, at the same time it is a great pleasure to be recognised while living.

The podium which is before you was constructed with you in mind. Pursue your dream with all seriousness. Keep going irrespective of the difficulties. Applause is waiting for you when your people see you. In the distance future a hero and heroine welcome awaits you. Your people will cheer you up when they realise the sacrifices you have made to the point. It will seem thousands of miles away, but with determination you will get there some day through listening to the voice deep within you. Then you can tell yourself, “This is where I am meant to be”. This will not come cheap; you have to fight your way up.

Be inspired to inspire others. Go beyond your limit with a purposeful heart and mind, following the steps of those who have blazed the trail. Aspire to be like the leaders who have gone ahead of you, whose lives were led to claim freedom for you and themselves. Be in the known that, that leadership is public transaction with history. Fear not to die for your nation, that is honourable and a proud one. You will be draped in your national colours of the RED, GOLD, GREEN and BLACK STAR in the middle.

Be the statesman of your generation and know the best time to descend off the stage is when the applause is loud.

Aspire to be the next example, mentor and inspirer.

*Patrick Twumasi*

*(0209045931) *