by ‘Ogbogu Chinonso’

How do you see those blows that come with your great dreams? Do you learn from them and enjoy the ride or do you run away from them or grieve over them?

On Thursday March 1^, 2012, something happened and I had my heart in my mouth! I almost spat it out, but­ I didn’t!

 From where I hail from, when you don’t want something to happen to you or to anyone, you usually say, “Tuphiakwa!” to register and reinforce your stance. But my own case was different—the ‘something’ happened before the ‘tuphiakwa’ could be uttered!

I had just finished taking my morning bath, preparing to head to the studio to work on a powerful project when I received a phone call.

“Hello, big sis. Good morning,” I cheerfully said to my caller who was my older sister. “Good morning Chinonso,” she replied. “I’m calling to inform you that your younger sister has just been stung by a big scorpion!”

To be frank with you, my heart jumped and I felt like I had just suffered arteriosclerosis! I mean, I have heard stories of scorpions and how dangerous their venomous stings could be on humans. And there I was being told that the one I truly love, my beautiful sister, was carrying the venom in her system—the thought was damn scary! Thankfully, she was offered an antidote and successfully treated, and today everything is history—but not the lesson that I garnered.

I am a very curious being, thus I decided to conduct a brief study about scorpions. Scorpions are opportunistic predatory animals that belong to the class of Arachnida. They have eight legs and a pair of grasping claws known as Chelae that they use for prey immobilization, defence, and sensory purposes.

 They have a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger that they use to kill or paralyse their preys.

I also read that fried scorpion is a traditional dish in a town known as Shandong, China. Yuck! So I began to think.

The lesson I learned from my study of scorpions is simple, creative but priceless. If the guys in Shandong could derive great enjoyment from something I worried about, then it simply means that their perception towards it was quite different and enlarged than mine. Rather than perceive scorpions as a symbol of pain only, they perceived them as a gift of enjoyment as well.

Now, let’s juxtapose this postulation with that of life and the challenges that it brings. The way you perceive the challenges of life determines how you respond to them. If you perceive the challenges of life as cruel, you will simply take up the position of a victim. But if you perceive them as a learning window, you will simply take up the position of a student. And the position you take up determines your actions, and your actions determine your results.

So the questions are: How do you perceive your life’s challenges? How do you see those blows that come with your great dreams? Do you learn from them and enjoy the ride or do you run away from them or grieve over them? The truth is that, whatever perception you attach to your challenges comes with its own consequences—consequences that work for you or against you.

To be fair, yeah, there are life’s challenges that are so overwhelming that they make you feel like packing up! In fact, there are times when you think that having a great dream is even an offence punishable by life.

If you’re currently experiencing that season, then let me challenge you not to give up or give in. Instead, hold on and be strong. And one best way to hold on is for you to change the way you perceive your own scorpions of life. Rather than perceive them as demons unleashed to frustrate and put a stop on your dreams, go ahead and see them as an avenue for learning and growth.

Rather than allow them to inject venom into your dreams and put a stop on your limitless potentials, use them as a recipe for a delicious meal of success and significance.

Editor’s note: Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.