Doing YOU – Part1 (Oprah, Nyerere & Diamond)
What ensued soon after Oprah embarked on her 'next chapter' after twenty five years of ruling the roost in daytime TV, for me, was cause for not only shock, but deep reflection on the nature that informs our human state; especially when it comes to dealing with external resistance as we pursue our truths.
Oprah’s cable network venture was almost instantly overwhelmed with challenges – low ratings, high profile senior management exits and losses (a word not commonly linked to O). These challenges were then met with a collective and very public assault on her decision to leave her lucrative daily talk show in exchange for the looming disaster that was coming out of setting up a network informed by her iconic persona. I remember being perplexed at the thought that this is one of those very rare moments where Oprah seems to be on the verge of colossal failure, and suddenly this merits everyone else but Oprah herself to be an expert on Oprah?
Most of us have grown up knowing Oprah post her claim-to-fame and as a result are fairly devoid of any real appreciation of the struggle she endured to become the ‘Oprah’ we celebrate. There is a chance that had we been exposed to a young, little known, overweight African American girl aspiring to become a media mogul of unheard proportions we would have shunned her like we do so many other people we meet daily trying to get by on the thrust of their dreams. Reminding us, subtly, of how success can be so crowded and celebrated, while the struggle is almost always lonely and frowned on.
There is a Mwalimu Nyerere quote (actually my favorite Mwalimu Nyerere quote) that may shed some light on how Oprah may have endured through this phase with such amazing resolve and public composure. A little over a decade into his retirement, Nyerere addressed his detractors, who, according to him wished he would ‘die’ with his ideas and/ or beliefs; saying ‘…if ideas or beliefs are great enough then they will continue nagging and every human society in history ignores them to its peril.’ Though, referring to his undying devotion to advocating for peace, unity, justice and people centered development; he also (maybe unknowingly) touched on the strength of a fundamental truth and/or belief; that when so deeply rooted cannot be ignored without adverse consequences for those ignoring it. It is the scale of Oprah’s belief in the course that she is on and has been on that keeps her awake at night and not the noise of praise or criticism that emanates from her random detractors.
Our deeply rooted truths, values and beliefs will nag us into great and paralyzing frustration if not addressed to fruition. Hence, the greatest source of resistance in our quest towards anything we pursue in life cannot be the people around us, who choose to shun us in our struggle (in as much as they are sure to celebrate us in our success), but is the resistance that comes from within us that when coupled with the resistance offered by our detractors ensures that our beliefs will have no place in our life. In effect, when we give up on something we deeply believe in, we are actually giving in to the beliefs of other people!
My passion for entertainment and the performing arts, in particular, often draws me close to talented and artistic people. The most telling of all questions I derive when I engage such people is that of at which point does someone like Diamond (aka Nasib Abdul) become Diamond. Today, Diamond is unquestionably the most celebrated entertainer in the land. Yet not less than half a decade ago he was a struggling artists frowned on by some of the same people clamoring about to get an audience with him now.
Bringing me to the conclusion that your chances at ‘success’ in life are increased dramatically if you identify and connect with your inner truth earliest and make a decision to live out your life building on that truth irrespective of the resistance you meet. A decision made is only complete when it’s lived out.
The truth is that Diamond was always Diamond; the good thing (for everyone) is that he had the sense enough to know this and the guts enough to do something about it in a world that didn’t and couldn’t have really cared. So it is not Diamond that was absent in our lives, it’s just the rest of us who were not present enough in his to notice him for his inner truth and potential greatness.
Doing you is not easy but necessary if you want to get true fulfillment out of life. Here are a few lessons that could come in handy along the pathway of DOING YOU:
1) A diamond in the dust isn’t always seen for its worth and if you doubt this just ask Nasib Abdul our very own Diamond. Remember that even the most precious jewels were just stones until someone discovered their value.
2) It is almost guaranteed to be greener on the other side if you stop watering the side you are on. Your primary ammunition in life is always what you have at hand; make the most of it and the rest will follow.
3) Learning is done best from the bottom up; starting at the bottom may be hard but is necessary. Be prepared to get dirty so you can truly appreciate what it means to be clean. Trust me, it’s also more comfortable at the top when you know what lies (or in some cases lurks) at the bottom.
4) You may have the passion and spirit, but whose agenda is it serving? I know for a fact that when you are struggling people can take advantage of your situation to use or abuse your passion. Always have the end in mind and keep to the course; suffering is only an investment if it bares returns that serve your purpose.
5) Politics is an unavoidable part of our human existence; you either manage it or accept to be managed by it. Need I say more?
6) Be brave enough to live life and wise enough to learn from it and yours will be a life worth living. This was my governing mantra for 2012 and will continue to be so for many years to come.
