A month ago, the internet was on fire with the news of a young lady—a chef—who engaged in a marathon cooking session for 93 hours and 11 minutes (according to the Guinness World Record).
Hilda Baci was live on the internet to break the record set by an Indian chef, Lata Tondon, for the longest cooking time. It wasn’t an easy feat but she was able to achieve it, and today, she holds the title.
Now, we hear stories of other chefs who are testing the waters in that regard. Whether they accomplish their goals or not, it wouldn’t matter so much because someone already showed it was possible. Before Hilda Baci, someone demonstrated that it was possible.
We have a thousand and one ideas sketched out in our minds. Some are even on paper. We think about them almost every day, considering all our options. Meanwhile, we are afraid to take action. Most of those ideas have become moribund because we refuse to try them out. The fear of failure has become greater than the joy of success. So, we buckle our shoes and sit still.
Nigerians are happy that Hilda tried and succeeded. We celebrate her. She gained more followers as a result of the cook-a-thon. But do you know that the pride we feel today would be non-existent if she kept rummaging through the thought of doing a cook-a-thon without actually doing it?
It is the middle of the year, yet those ideas are still on paper. Beautifully written, yet a total waste of paper and ink. What are you doing? Those who set the pace, stamp their names on the sands of time, not those who follow after. But even if it means following after, please do. But let your uniqueness stand out.
Almost everything one thinks of once existed. No idea is genuinely new. But no idea is the same. Why wait? Set out camp! Start that business. Build that technology. Write that story. Develop that recipe. Whatever it is, please do it! There is a uniqueness that only you possess.
Do not dim that light. Let your light shine! It is in it that you truly discover yourself. So, dust your dairy, refurbish your plans, and get to work. Don’t let it die with you. Set the pace. That is the Nigerian dream…
