Have you ever searched for something and later found out that you had it with you the entire time? Many times I’ve found myself in this particular situation and very often it is something small and of little value.

But imagine something much bigger and much more important than the pen you were so desperately trying to find? – Something like Inspiration. I have seen this with myself and many other people around me. We tend to run off to the obvious sources of inspiration that often include books and videos or podcasts written/ recorded by western authors and obviously based on a reality far different from the one in which we live.

In an ever-evolving world, inspiration and motivation are key players when it comes to performance; they serve as energy drinks after a long tiring workout. 

Recently it occurred to me that maybe I didn’t have to look so far to find the inspiration I needed. At a recent TwumveTwumve event organized by the Kigali Global shapers community, one couldn’t help but notice the inspirational stories shared at the event. 

There are individuals that are successful and whose examples we can all learn from and relate to directly. Wouldn’t you agree that a story to which you can identify with creates greater impact and a better understanding of a topic as opposed to one told from a different environment paced with a larger number of opportunities? 

A case in point; if you took time to look within Kigali, young people seem to be taking on some very challenging initiatives and pulling them off. I can name a good number and they too have been faced with challenges and very often when they share these encounters with me, their peer, I find myself challenged and better yet motivated to do more. 

And since I can relate to their stories, I am often motivated by the thought that if they can do it, so can I. Gone are the days when the only advice rendered credible was that from a grey-haired member of the community simply saying that in this case, age is just a number.

When it comes to leadership it think I we can all agree that we have quite a number of great examples within our communities that have diligently served and in turn inspired the rest of us to follow suite. This is all basically saying that we needn’t look very far in case are in need of inspiration to propel us to taken various challenges every day. 

There are those people within our communities that can be peers, parents or leaders whose stories many of us can relate to and hence can be impacted by. As someone who has read my fair share of self-help books I am in no way undervaluing how useful their content can be. However, I have come to realize and learn that sometimes what you’re looking for is right next to you and that I can learn a lot more from the stories I can directly relate to.

The author is a student at University of Rwanda, College of Science and Technology.