Die Happy

Today, I have the pleasure of having my good friend, Osayi guest blog for me with her most inspiring article: Die Happy. Osayi is a passionate writer, speaker and entrepreneur. She is the author of the captivating book: Impossible is Stupid available on Amazon. Please enjoy and feel free to leave comments behind!

Die Happy

"The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you figure out why."- Mark Twain

What are you going to do with your life?

When I first began secondary school (middle-high school), I was failing all my classes except English. I was always terrified when my parents got my report card because I knew I was in trouble. My failing grades didnt make any sense. I had been one of the smartest kids in primary (elementary) school, and now my first year in secondary school and I was failking abysmally. i could see the fear and concern in my father's eyes as he yelled at me. They were spending so much money so i could get a good education, and what was i doing? Failing.

"So what are you going to do with your life?" my dad asked.

"I can just be journalist." I responded.

"Not in this house!"

In Nigeria where journalists were disrespected, and seen as one of the most stressful and least rewarding professions, what he said made sense. He didn't want me to be a journalist because he didn’t want me to suffer like he had to suffer. He didn't want me to have to beg for food or money, after all he had given up to make sure that his children would have a better life. And I understand him and respect him so much for that. Because of him I was able to accomplish things beyond even my wildest dreams, I learned that impossible was stupid, because there was nothing impossible for me to accomplish.

But what if you can’t make any money?

Despite all the accomplishments, I never stopped writing. Writing was my passion, my outlet, my solace. God had given me the gift of storytelling, and I buried it for many years because I wasn't sure how I would ever be able to make money as a writer. Until one day I realized I had to write, whether I made money or not, whether people read it or not, whether it made sense or not...I had to write, and so I wrote, and I haven’t stopped writing.

The thing about passion is that we don’t choose it, it chooses us. We don’t decide whether or not we want to be writers or surgeons or actors or lawyers, God gives us the gift, and we can choose to fight it or we can accept it, and go on to live the amazing lives that God intended for us. There will be times when people don’t understand, there will be times when you will question your own sanity, but in those times just continue as if nothing else matters, because in the long run if you’re not working within your purpose, nothing matters.

It’s time to stop procrastinating.

If you find yourself procrastinating, it’s probably because you’re trying to force yourself to do something you’re not passionate about. If you find yourself dreading school or work, it’s probably because you’re playing the wrong game. If you find that you’re working so hard, and you don’t seem to be getting that much better, it’s probably because you’re trying to fix your weakness instead of building on your strengths.

Although I love the quote I began this post with, I will add to it by saying:

“There are three most important days in your life; the day you are born, the day you realize God loves you, and the day you realize your God-given purpose.”

One out of three is mere existence, two out of three is better, but accomplish all three...and ahh...that’s when life begins...and when you die, you’ll die happy.

Osayi Osar-Emokpae is the author of “Impossible is Stupid,” an amazing book on loneliness, depression, and finding purpose, you can get your free copy and other goodies at www.impossibleisstupid.com