Contest: Life Reflections

Hi, there!
Every time you attempt climbing the rungs of life's ladder, you will discover that there are billions of people who are way richer, smarter, funnier, healthier and even more knowledgeable than you. It is almost similar to going to a new school only to realise that your chances of topping the class as you always did in your former school are slimmer than before.

Realising this can affect the way you see yourself which usually brings negative thoughts. In this post, I will reflect on:

• one moment I struggled with inferiority complex;
• the top 3 things I wish I could change about myself then;
• whether doing this was a healthy way to reflect on my imperfection(s);
• And finally, what I would maintain or change about my looks if I were given the opportunity by God.

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The bitter bile I swallowed rather too early

Sometimes we have to remember that life is a race. You either compete to succeed or choose defeat.
In this human race, I have encountered moments when I felt like people were better than me. Funny enough, it was usually in the aspect of academics. Someone who knows me would wonder why, especially when I'm known for always topping the class at the end of every term. But this was not enough reason to prevent me from having the imposter syndrome.

Being known for academic excellence automatically means that you will always be asked to represent your school in interstate competitions regularly. Stepping out for these school competitions opened my eyes to the reality; that there are other kids as brilliant as me out there, some even better. On one occasion, my team and I had to compete with contestants from very popular schools in Akwa Ibom State. Most of them were even older than us. Now this is where the real ordeal began.

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Top 3 features of my life I wish I could change then

At that moment I felt so inadequate because;

1. I wasn't attending a high-brow school
2. I was younger than over 85% of the contestants
3. I had the brainpower, but no connection.

I had to accept the three realities I mentioned above after it dawned on me that the lack of “my supposed perfect life and advantages” was the thing that propelled me to push harder. Right now, I can boldly say that there are no personalities or features of my life that I do not like and would love to change. Because we are defined by both our strengths and flaws.

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Is it healthy to reflect on your imperfections and mistakes?
Absolutely yes! But where I think we should draw the line is letting our mistakes and flaws affect our self-esteem. What I do instead is to convert these negatives to positive strengths. Like striving to defeat the other contestants, which my team and I did. Your imperfections should not make you look down on yourself or accept defeat.

Would I change myself or my looks if I were given a chance by God?
No…no…no. I would never change myself. God created us all beautifully and wonderfully. That I may be dark-skinned, infamous, not attractive by the world's standard or bowlegged would not make me wish for any other me…except that's what God wants.

CONCLUSION
I would encourage others reading this life reflections to remember that we all have our inadequacies. Some people are brainer, well-connected, more educated or social than others. However, this should not make us feel less of ourselves or let anyone talk us down. Mek you no gree for anybody, mbok! You are entitled to love yourself from the moon and back.

Photo credits: Canva

Thank you for reading. ❤️
Special thanks to @bossj23 for this interesting contest
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