‘Liberation day’................Never too late for Destiny to come

To all and sundry especially those of us who after completing campus immediately start thinking about getting a job and being liberated, the time is here. This is not Rwanda’s Liberation day (don’t get me wrong) rather a time to declare freedom from desperation, failure and depression. This day or time should be probably your biggest celebration since hitting adolescence, graduating from campus and finally landing your dream. As a matter of fact, it should be marked with much climbing on bandwagons, flag-waving, parade-going and donning the best attire or suit to fit the day. After all the pomp and fan-fair, what does your freedom/liberation mean to you as an individual? While we can appreciate the good upbringing our parents gave us, if we are still slaves of negative thinking and a negative lifestyle, what’s the point? That’s selfish, full of greed, envy, pettiness basically negativity in general. So while other people are doing their thing, declare your own personal Liberation Day. Get out faith, the true weapon of despair, and its cousin, action, because without action, faith is dead. Believe you can improve and then act on that belief. It’s been nine months now since you made all those New Year’s resolutions; how many people do actually remember them Shake them out, dust them off, and recommit to a better you. In the wake of the 1994 genocide, millions of Rwandans have been gripped by an attack of self-examination, of living for the moment and of doing the right thing. Do the right thing for you. Has negative thinking got you down? It’s Liberation Day. Begin the hard task of being your own cheerleader, instead of your own worst enemy. Ask the hard questions of yourself. A married friend told me he struggled early in his marriage for his soul mate, until he asked himself and her, “Why does it take my life and your life to make your life?” Although they were both working full time, he still had to pick up the kids, pay the bills and do the cleaning around the house after work. After the couple re-aligned some of their household responsibilities, she was a lot happier and their relationship benefited from the changes. Today they have been married more than eight years, and he says that you, too, can re-align some of your responsibilities. In debt? Re-order your financial priorities and pay yourself first, because saving a little beats owing a lot. Retreat from the financial edge. I, for example, beat bankruptcy not so much with a financial plan which I had but also with a personal plan. I learned I had to believe in myself and not just be comfortable with the opinions of others. You see I had gotten too comfortable with other people’s opinions on my life, from how I should shave my hair to which days I should attend lectures. How did I change all that? I filed my own personal declaration of liberation and am now a smarter and stronger person, in control of my studies and life. You can do it too! In a bad relationship? It’s liberation Day from drama! Don’t let toxic relationships or toxic people sap your energy, steal your joy and turn your body, mind or home into a toxic dump. If it can’t be saved, recycled, or counseled then release it. As Alice Walker says, “No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow.” Many ladies have made critical decisions divorce their good-for-nothing-men, start their own businesses and manage them greatly than most men could do. Many women have raised their children in the absence of their father of course with the help of friends and family but not with a man who comes with a whole baggage of issues. Am inclined to believe that the only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth. Refusing to let a bad marriage bury many women, they declared their liberation from the conventions of the day and go on to conquer big organizations and become presidents, and you can make the same decision. Do you need to spend more quality time with loved ones? Do it! Read one story, have one lunch, see one movie together. Start small and it adds up. You want to lose weight? It’s Liberation Day! Take today and fall back on the wagon to healthy living. Buy some vegetables and eat them! There’s good weather, try outdoor exercises, like long walks, basketball and swimming. Still believe that President Kagame and a thousand brave soldiers liberated Rwanda? Run, don’t walk to a or Google the internet and read the Rwandan constitution, you’ll find that thousands recognize 4th July as the Liberation day which many celebrate but individually still slaves to themselves After that, run, don’t walk, and sit quietly in your room, think, meditate, measure and weigh priorities and decide if today is going to be your Liberation day. Feed the mind and soul, read books that feed your mind and spirit with positive feedback. Read positive self-affirming material almost daily. This September, while the whole you’ve been crying about broken New Year resolutions, celebrate your personal Liberation Day by starting afresh, living the truth, walking in the light and believing that someday everyone around you will be free as a result of a message spread from one person to another. An African proverb states that God gives nothing to those who keep their arms closed. It’s now or never. Open your arms and celebrate your own Liberation Day. jeav202@yahoo.com