IDENTITY POWER - DZIGBORDI [ARTICLE]

IDENTITY POWER
As a teenager, I had come home for the July-to-September break that we used to call “long vacation". My mum sent me on an errand, and upon arrival at the place, I met a few kids my age and we got talking. We “clicked” instantly (or so I thought). Well, I took a liking to them so I started going there often.

Somehow, the relationship equation seemed one-sided. I was the only one going there often. I was the main person always taking gifts but I kept going hoping that one day, they will visit me and bring me gifts as well. The most interesting part of it all was that I kept going there because I didn't want to be the bad person.

One day, I came home and both my grandma and mum said, “No more. You are not going back, we cannot have you going to a place where it's always you giving and never receiving.“ As I was crying, my grandma made a profound statement in our local language that I will never forget. She said, “Know yourself and the home that you come from so well that no environment can consume you.”

As I grew up, I applied that sentiment to everything. I believed that when I enter relationships, workspaces, and all other environments, I made sure to avoid an identity crisis. I would remember my value and my worth.

As we get through the second half of this year, my message to you is this: You are worth fighting for; you have value and you have knowledge. No environment can consume you except you allow it. Remember your identity, your God, your culture, your values, your intelligence, your abilities, your principles and your worth, and always be guided by it.

Blessings