On ‘STOP WITH THOSE EXCUSES’ By Mwangi Ndegwa

Last Thursday the 19th October, I spent some time with my mentor Mr Mbugua Mumbi and as we were concluding, he referred to...


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Last Thursday the 19th October, I spent some time with my mentor Mr Mbugua Mumbi and as we were concluding, he referred to a story about a lady by the name of Jessica Cox.  After our talk, I decided to Google her and her story is both challenging and inspiring.

Jessica is an America born without arms but the shocking thing is, she is not only a licensed pilot (the first armless pilot) but, she also holds a black belt in tae kwon do (Korean martial art).

When I read this story, I just have nothing but pure admiration for Jessica. With the kind of challenges she had to live through, she could have chosen to sit back and use her physical challenge(s) to beg and again being an American, there is definitely a fund to take care of such people but she did the most unexpected thing. She used her physical challenge as an inspiration; she choose to navigate unchartered waters. She went to school and acquired something that many of us may not achieve in our lifetime: A pilot’s license.

I can confidently say that all of us have some type of handicap. It may not be physical but it’s a handicap nonetheless. To some, this handicap is the lack of a college education.To others, it is lack of enough finances to start our dream business. Others cite the lack of a Godfather/mother, political situation in the country, unfavourable competition from other business ,lack of support from family and friends and so on. The excuses are quite diverse. Many people, especially the young, use this as justification to simply stay at home watching TV and chatting on our phones.

These “handicaps” will always be there in our lives. We can choose to use them as a motivation and inspiration to excel in life or, use them as a begging and sympathy seeking tool. We have many examples of physically challenged people who despite the challenges, have gone out and achieved things. They never allowed their physical disabilities to stand in their quest to get to their destiny. In Kenya, we have Henry Wanyoike who is blind but a long distance runner.  Jim Abbot has only one hand and plays in major league baseball. Tatyana MacFadden paralyzed from the waist down and plays basketball. Last but not least, Jessica Long is a double amputee and is a swimmer.

My final word to all of us especially the young people is this: stop using that “handicap” to avoid work. Use it as an inspiration to drive you towards your goals in life.  To read more post by Mwangi, click HERE

Photo Credit: Jessica Cox

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