Africans are on Snapchat! / Les Africains sont sur Snapchat !

Version française plus bas :)

I’m really glad to discover the culture of some African countries through Snapchat. I don’t know who came up with the idea of a community snapchat account but well done! I hope you are not lost. If so, let me explain. Wikipedia defines snapchat as an image messaging software product. But I’ll say that like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, Snapchat is also a social network. The difference is that Snapchat allows users to post photos and videos of 10 seconds max that disappear every 24 hours. The goal? To allow users to have fun without any remnant online. Yes people can still do screenshots and use other tricks to save some publications, but the general idea is that what happens in Snapchat disappears…

So since few weeks ago, we can discover countries like Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinee, Burkina Faso, Cameroon (to name only those I am following), thanks to people on site. The concept is a bit different from the one already existing on Snapchat that allows many people to post snaps which are then compiled to present a city, country or an event. In this particular case, Africans living on the continent and elsewhere are guests on the account for a day and present their city or an ongoing event.

It’s a way for different Africans worldwide to share their daily lives, culture, and projects. Like any business there are occasional slippages. Some appearances are criticized on social networks. But overall, the spirit is great. Some take the opportunity to promote their schools, their personal initiatives and share their vision of development for Africa. I recently watched a Ted Talk about whether the future of Africa is online. And now with all these initiatives, I am more than certain about it. To be aware of everything and because it’s better to discover it yourself, follow the snap accounts of the African communities.

 Les Africains sont sur Snapchat ! 

C’est vraiment un plaisir pour moi de découvrir la culture de certains pays Africains à travers snapchat. Je ne sais pas qui a eu l’idée de créer un compte snapchat communautaire mais chapeau à cette personne ! Alors j’espère que vous n’êtes pas perdus. Si c’est le cas je vous explique. Wikipedia définit snapchat comme une application de partage de photos et de vidéos disponible sur les plates-formes mobiles de types iOS et Android. Mais moi je dirais que Snapchat à l’instar de Facebook, Instagram et Twitter est un réseau social. Seulement Snapchat permet aux utilisateurs de poster des photos et des vidéos de 10 secondes max qui disparaissent chaque 24h. L’objectif ? Permettre aux internautes de s’amuser sans que certaines traces demeurent. C’est vrai qu’on peut toujours faire des captures d’écran et user d’autres astuces pour enregistrer certaines publications, mais l’idée générale est que ce qui se passe dans snapchat disparaisse…

Alors depuis quelques temps, on peut découvrir des pays comme le Sénégal, la Cote d’ivoire, la Guinée, le Burkina Faso, le Cameroun (pour ne citer que ceux que je suis actuellement), grâce à des personnes sur place. Le concept est un peu différent de celui qui existait déjà sur snapchat et qui permet à plusieurs personnes de poster des snaps qui sont ensuite compilés pour présenter une ville, un pays ou un évènement. Dans ce cas particulier, des Africains se trouvant sur le continent ou ailleurs sont invités sur le compte pour une journée et présentent leur ville ou un évènement en cours.

C’est un moyen pour différents Africains à travers le monde de partager leur quotidien, culture, et projets. Comme toute entreprise il y a parfois des dérapages. Certaines apparitions sont critiquées sur les réseaux sociaux. Mais dans l’ensemble, l’esprit est top. Certains en profitent pour faire connaitre leurs écoles, leurs initiatives personnelles et partager leur vision du développement pour l’Afrique. J’ai récemment regardé un Ted Talk sur la question de savoir si l’avenir de l’Afrique se trouve en ligne. Et aujourd’hui avec toutes ces initiatives, j’en suis plus que certaine. Pour ne plus rien ratez et parce qu’il est mieux que vous les découvrez par vous-même, suivez-vous aussi les comptes snapchat des communautés Africaines.

Ivorian Community Snapchat Account

Be Mad enough to make a difference! / Soyez assez furieux pour changer les choses !

One of my favorite Tedx talk is Rage for Change by Ndidi Nwuneli. Watching it again recently made me realize that it was one of the talks that inspired me to pursue social entrepreneurship as a career path. She taught me that it is great to work with/as a non-profit organization but it is better to be able to solve the same social issues without having to look for external financing all the time; but this is not the topic today… In her speech, this smart and beautiful Nigerian woman invited us to turn our rage into tools for change. As she said, Africans love to complain but what do we do about things we do not like? 

Ndidi Nwuneli believes that everybody is born for a life of purpose; and I agree. However, what is actually meant by purpose? While listening to her, I remembered a discussion I had with the writer Gauz. He told me that people tend to say that we should all thrive and be successful as if we all had the same means to do so. Just because a poor kid was able to break out the cycle of poverty, it doesn’t mean that the ones who failed were too dumb or lazy. We live in a world of inequalities where some kids can go to the best schools while others cannot even have food at home. We should encourage people to dream big but also help them to achieve these dreams…okay I am talking about something else… What I want to say is that a life of purpose is not always about creating the first engine able to go on the sun or something as big. Beyond something “extraordinary”, I believe that a life of purpose just means that we can and should make a difference in our community even by taking simple actions. 

An example I love to tell people is that of a young Indian man who noticed that the children of a poor neighborhood were always sick. He made some researches and understood that they always had dirty hands. Since he was part of a program that encouraged innovation and solving social issues, he asked for a very low fund to solve the problem. He simply bought nail cutters and started to show to the kids how to cut their nails and keep clean hands. This simple action led him to improve the life of these kids. Let’s put that into another context. I am sure that instead of trying to understand the solution, someone else (you and I maybe) would have probably accused the government of doing nothing to improve the health of these children. For sure they could have done campaigns about it but why should we wait for authorities to do things we can do ourselves?

So to come back to that Tedx talk, Ndidi said that we should be mad enough in order to make a difference. If we complain a lot, it is surely because we are not pleased with what’s going on. So now, every time you think about something you do not like in your community, get out of your seat and start acting. 

As Ndidi said, one of the most difficult step while trying to implement a change is to change the mindsets. Unfortunately, we are usually reluctant to changes and too comfortable with some of our false ideas. I believe that one of the best way to change the mindsets, especially to teach people to provide solutions beyond complaints would be through education. My experience abroad made me angry with our educational system in Cote d’Ivoire. I’ve spoken a lot to my entourage about a desire to make a change in the way we educate our youth. I strongly believe that it should be changed to provide new values and adapt to our current economy. I don’t know yet how I am going to make that change happens but I am working to find a way so let me know if you want to work on something :)

And you what makes you angry? What are you going to do about it? 

Soyez assez furieux pour changer les choses!

L’un de mes Tedx Talk préférés est Rage For Change (La rage pour le changement) par Ndidi Nwuneli. Revoir cette vidéo pour la énième fois m'a fait réaliser qu'elle a contribué à ma décision de poursuivre l'entrepreneuriat social comme un cheminement de carrière. Elle m'a appris que c’est très bien de travailler avec/en tant qu’organisation à but non lucratif pour régler des défaillances de notre société mais qu’il est mieux d’être en mesure de faire le même boulot, sans avoir besoin de recourir à un financement externe tout le temps; mais ce n’est pas le sujet aujourd'hui ... Dans son discours, cette intelligente et belle femme nigériane nous invite à utiliser notre rage comme un outil de changement. Comme elle le dit, les Africains aiment se plaindre, mais que faisons-nous face aux choses qui ne nous plaisent pas?

Ndidi Nwuneli croit que tout le monde est né pour une raison spéciale ; et je suis d’accord. Cependant, qu’est-ce que l’on entend par « but spécial » ? En l'écoutant, je me suis souvenue d'une discussion que j’ai eue avec l'écrivain Gauz. Il m'a dit que les gens ont tendance à dire que nous devrions tous prospérer et réussir, comme si nous avions tous les mêmes moyens de le faire. Juste parce qu'un gosse pauvre a été capable de briser le cycle de la pauvreté, cela ne signifie pas que ceux qui ont échoué étaient trop stupides ou paresseux. Nous vivons dans un monde d'inégalités où certains enfants peuvent aller dans les meilleures écoles tandis que d'autres ne peuvent même pas avoir à manger à la maison. Nous devons certes encourager les gens à rêver grand, mais aussi les aider à atteindre ces rêves ... ok je m’égare la ... Ce que je veux dire, c’est qu’une vie « spéciale » ou pleine de sens ne signifie pas qu’il vous faut obligatoirement créer le premier appareil capable d’aller sur le soleil ou quelque chose d’aussi grand. Au-delà de « l’extraordinaire », je crois qu’avoir une vie spéciale signifie simplement que nous nous pouvons faire une différence dans notre communauté, même posant en des actes apparemment simples ou faciles.

L’histoire que j’aime donner en exemple est celle d’un jeune indien qui a remarqué que les enfants d'un quartier pauvre étaient tout le temps malades. Il a fait quelques recherches et a compris que ces enfants avaient tout le temps les mains sales. Etant donné qu’il faisait partie d’un programme qui encourage l’innovation et l’apport de solution aux problèmes sociaux, il a demandé un très petit capital pour résoudre le problème. Il a simplement acheté des coupe-ongles et a commencé à montrer aux enfants comment couper leurs ongles et avoir des mains propres. Ce simple geste à améliorer la vie de ces enfants. A présent essayons de voir la même histoire dans un autre contexte. Je suis sûre qu'au lieu d'essayer de trouver une solution, quelqu'un d'autre (peut-être vous et moi) aurait sans doute passé son temps a accusé le gouvernement de ne rien faire pour améliorer la santé de ces enfants. Bien sûr ils auraient pu faire des campagnes à ce sujet mais pourquoi devrions-nous toujours attendre les autorités pour faire quelque chose que nous pouvons faire nous-mêmes?

Donc, pour revenir à ce TEDx talk, Ndidi a dit que nous devrions être assez en colère pour changer les choses (pacifiquement évidemment). Si nous nous plaignons beaucoup, c'est sûrement parce que nous ne sommes pas satisfaits par ce qui se passe. Alors maintenant, chaque fois que vous pensez à quelque chose que vous n’aimez pas dans votre communauté, levez-vous de votre siège et agissez.

Comme l'a dit Ndidi, l'une des étapes les plus difficiles lorsqu’on veut changer les choses est d’abord de changer les mentalités. Malheureusement, nous sommes généralement réticents aux changements et bien trop à l'aise avec certaines de nos idées fausses et superstitions. Je crois que l'une des meilleures façons de changer les mentalités, surtout d’apprendre aux gens à fournir une solution au-delà des plaintes est l'éducation. Mon expérience à l'étranger m'a fait détester notre système éducatif en Côte d'Ivoire. Je parle beaucoup dans mon entourage de mon désir de changer la manière dont nous éduquons nos jeunes. Je crois fermement que cela doit être modifié pour fournir de nouvelles valeurs et être adapté à l’économie actuelle. Je ne sais pas encore comment est-ce que je m’y prendrai pour que ce changement arrive, mais je suis à la tache alors laissez-moi savoir si vous voulez travailler sur quelque chose :)

Et vous qu'est ce qui vous énerve dans votre communauté? Qu'allez-vous faire à ce sujet?

Patine à tes risques et périls ! Skate at own risk!

English version at the bottom! 

Comme si elle avait deviné que je voulais m’imposer des challenges, mon amie m’a invitée à faire du patin à glace. Au tout début elle a cru que je plaisantais lorsque j’ai accepté et que j’ai suggéré qu’on y aille le jour même. C’était une première fois pour moi et alors que je la croyais experte, Tati était également à ses débuts même si contrairement à moi elle n’avait aucunement besoin de tenir la rambarde. Je vous raconte cette expérience parce que j’en ai tiré trois leçons. 

Tout d’abord lorsque nous voulons tenter de nouvelles expériences ou entamer de nouveaux projets, il est normal d’avoir des appréhensions et de craindre l’échec. Toutefois comme l’a dit Nelson Mandela, le courage n’est pas l’absence de peur, mais la capacité de la vaincre. Il y a des risques, et il y aura des signes visant à vous décourager mais c’est à vous et vous seuls de prendre vos propres décisions. Ne dit-on pas que qui ne risque rien n’a rien? 

Ensuite je me suis rendue compte qu’il n’y a pas de mal à demander de l’aide. Croyez moi, j’ai beaucoup de mal avec cela. C’est stupide je le sais mais même pour demander mon chemin j’hésite quelques fois. Résultat, je me retrouve souvent dans des situations déplaisantes que j’aurais pu éviter facilement si j’apprenais à me reposer sur quelqu’un d’autre. Chaque fois que je vacillais, j’avais le choix entre tenir la rambarde ou tenir la main de mon amie. J’avoue que j’avançais beaucoup plus facilement en choisissant la seconde option. Dans la vie de tous les jours, qu’on le veuille ou non, nous aurons besoin d’appuis pour aller de l’avant : Dieu, la famille, les amis, des experts…

Enfin, je me suis souvenue que c’est en tombant que l’enfant apprend à marcher. Cela est également valable lors de l’apprentissage du vélo, du surf ou du patin à glace. Je suis tombée une seule fois (il n’y a malheureusement pas de photo) parce que je suis restée trop longtemps accrochée à la rambarde. Mais cette chute je l’ai désirée car je savais que sans elle jamais je n’aurais réussi à me tenir sur la piste sans appui. Je ne suis pas devenue Kristi Yamaguchi en une séance mais j’ai appris à me tenir sur les deux pieds après m’être retrouvée sur les deux fesses…

Et vous, quels risques allez-vous prendre demain ? A qui allez-vous faire appel pour vous tenir la main ? Êtes-vous prêts à tomber pour triompher ?

      

Skate at own risk!

As if she knew that I wanted to challenge myself, my friend invited me to go ice skating. First she thought I was pranking her when I accepted and proposed to go the same day. It was my first time to skate and although I thought she was already an expert, Tati was also at her beginnings. However she did not have to keep holding the railing. I am telling you this experience because it taught me three lessons I want to share.

First of all, it is normal to apprehend or fear failure when we plan on trying new things or beginning a new project. However, as Nelson Mandela said, courage is not the absence of fear but the triumph over it. There are risks and there will be signs trying to discourage you but it is on you and you alone to make your own decisions. Do not they say that nothing ventured, nothing gained?

Secondly, I realized that there is no harm in asking for help. Believe me, I have many difficulties with that. Although I know it’s stupid, I even hesitate to ask for directions to strangers. As a result, I often find myself in unpleasant situations I could have easily avoided if I learned to rest on someone else. Each time I was swayed I could either choose holding the railing or holding my friend’s hand. I admit that I went much more easily by choosing the second option. In our everyday life, whether we like it or not, we will need support to move forward: God, family, friends, experts ...

Finally, this experience reminded me that the child learns to walk through falling. This also applies when we learn biking, surfing or ice skating. I fell once (unfortunately there is no photo) because I stayed too long attached to the railing. But I have desired this fall because I knew that without it I would have never managed to stand without support. I did not become Kristi Yamaguchi in one session but I learned to stand on both feet after I fell on my buttocks…

And you, what risk are you willing to take tomorrow? Who will you call to hold your hand? Are you ready to fall in order to triumph?

I have decided! J’ai décidé!

Version française en bas !

I came to realize recently that I am not spontaneous enough. I took a lot of decisions that I did not apply. I told myself that I would like to do this or that and the next day I forget about it or keep pushing it until I finally don’t achieve it. I'm not talking about extreme things like jumping out of an airplane in flight (which I had planned to do before backing up) but I'm referring to things much simpler such as talking to a stranger in the streets or in the elevator, taking a class out of school to learn something new, trying a new physical activity… 

I have a friend who is an extrovert and an expert in public speaking. Every time we take a Lyft together, she is always first to engage the conversation. We went together at the ATM and by the time I was done with my transaction she was already friend with a security agent standing near us. By hanging out with her, I have learned and I am still learning to talk to strangers. The easiest one being Lyft driver, I always start the conversation with the same question: Are you from San Francisco? Therefore, I learned that some of them were from El Salvador, Egypt, Oakland, Tibet, India and many other places ... Where am I going with this story? Well I have decided to stop procrastinating these little pleasures I can have in new experiences. 

I decided it was time to have a chat of at least 2 min with strangers and that they would probably not bite me. I wanted to improve my spanish so I look for an institution that provides spanish classes. I decided to write an article every day, regardless of whether or not I post it on my blog. I decided that I would read at least a book every week and try to summarize it. I have noted somewhere that I will learn how to code. I don’t know when yet, but I will in chaa Allah (procrastinating again). I have decided to post a photo of things I see or live every day. And finally I have noted that I will enjoy a physical activity during a minimum of 10 minutes each day (dancing, running, walking ...). 

Ok, I admit that I have only noted some of these challenges and not started yet but this time, I will do my best to fulfill the promises I made to myself. I will learn to set goals and reach them or die trying to. I just wrote the first article of a series of multiple ones and for me it’s already a great way of starting! And you, what challenges are you going to set for yourself? What are you planning to do to get out of your comfort zone and experience new pleasures?

Yes I can fly!

J'ai decidé!

Je me suis rendue compte que je ne suis pas assez spontanée. Je prends beaucoup de décisions que je n’applique pas. Je me dis oh tiens ! Je ferais bien ci ou ca et le jour suivant je ne le fais pas, le remettant toujours à plus tard pour ne finalement rien accomplir. Je ne parle pas de choses extrêmes comme sauter d’un avion en plein vol (ce que j’avais prévu faire avant de me dire qu’il ne fallait pas être folle non plus) mais je fais référence à des choses beaucoup plus simples comme aborder des inconnus dans la rue ou dans l’ascenseur...

J’ai une amie qui a vraiment la langue facile (façon de parler) pour échanger avec des étrangers. Chaque fois qu’on emprunte un Lyft ensemble, elle est toujours la première à engager la conversation. On va ensemble au guichet automatique et le temps que je finisse ma transaction, elle a fait ami-ami avec l’agent de sécurité posté juste à côté. À force de la côtoyer je crois qu’elle a déteint un tout petit mais vraiment tout petit peu sur moi. Au point où j’arrive à présent à converser avec les chauffeurs de Lyft en lançant toujours la même phrase : Are you from San Francisco ? Et ainsi j’ai pu savoir que certains d’entre eux venaient d’El Salvador, d’Égypte, d’Oakland, du Tibet, de l’Inde et bien d’autres endroits… Ou est-ce que je veux en venir ? Et bien j’ai décidé de ne plus remettre certaines choses à demain...

J’ai décidé qu’il était temps d’avoir une conversation d’au moins 2 min avec des inconnus et qu’ils n’allaient surement pas me mordre. J’avais envie d’améliorer mon espagnol alors j’ai noté quelque part que je vais m’inscrire à des classes d’espagnol. J’ai décidé que j’écrirai un article par jour, peu importe que je le poste ou non. J’ai décidé que je lirai un livre par semaine et que j’en ferai le compte rendu. J’ai noté que j’apprendrai à coder. J’ai noté que j’apprendrai l’arabe. J’ai décidé de poster une photo sur Instagram et autres chaque jour. Et j’ai noté que j’exercerai une activité physique d’au moins 10 minutes chaque jour (danse, course, marche…). 

Ok, j’avoue que j'ai juste noté certains objectifs et que les entamer est une autre paire de manche mais cette fois, promis je m’y mets. Je vais apprendre à me fixer des challenges et à les accomplir. Je viens de finir mon premier article et c’est déjà un excellent début selon moi. Et vous, que voulez-vous faire de nouveau ? Quels challenges allez-vous vous fixer pour sortir de votre zone de confort et expérimenter de nouveaux plaisirs ? 

Stubborn, Little and Blacky

Stubborn saw Little and decided to take a rest.

He decided that he would have a discussion with Little no matter what Woman thought.  

 Yes it was sure that between him and Woman one was the master; but nothing said that it was the one holding the leash.

Woman wanted to go. Stubborn wanted to talk. Little did not have too much time and preferred going along with his human.

Stubborn was sad but not for too long because Blacky immediately emerged.

Stubborn was happier. He got a friend who actually wanted to spend time with him.

Man did not mind letting Blacky hang out with Stubborn.

But Woman was not very patient and was already tired of Stubborn's caprice.

After many attempts, Woman finally convinced Stubborn to go but he only went with her because he already got a date, same place, same time.

 

This is what happens in my head while waiting for the Lyft driver. Ayethink...

Let's say something nice !

I have a friend – It seems like you will hear a lot about my friends on this blog. – So as I said I have a friend that I admire because no matter the kind of troubles he may be going through he will always lend an attentive ear to those in needs. This is the kind of friend we all want in our lives but we, ourselves, are we this kind of friend?

I am taking an online course of interpersonal communication. I was going through the second topic of the class and I learned more about the notion of self-concept. Basically, self-concept is defined as a relatively stable set of perceptions that, as individuals we hold about ourselves. The subject is really broad but what I want to talk about today is the influence we have on others’ self-concept. We have high expectations from people while we forget that others also wish we support them. Words are powerful but more than anything they are irretrievable. What we say to people may hurt them in the same way that theirs can hurt us.

You know these little jokes we make with our friends, brothers, sisters and other relatives? Although it seems like we tease each other in a friendly way, our remarks can actually create a lot of damages.  We need to know that self-concept is shaped by the comments and judgments of those around us, especially when we are young. We pick up signals from people in terms of our self-worth. They can make you feel loved, valued, and capable. Or, they can send messages that imply that you are of little or no value, inadequate and rejected. Our self-concept is a product of messages we receive throughout our life.

So while reading this chapter, I was thinking about the times someone’s words broke me down. I may have not expressed it, showed that I was hurt but it always leaves something. Of course it was then my choice to decide whether or not these words define me or to prove them wrong. The way we will handle people’s remarks will determine what we will think about ourselves because at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is what we believe.

Anyway, during my reading, I was prompt to blame others for what they told me. However, I suddenly realized that some people also probably think about what I have told them once or many times. I tried to think of what I could have say to someone that could have hurt him or her. It is difficult to evaluate the impact of other’s on our lives. But in the same way, we would like people to be supportive, they also want us to help them shaping healthy self-concept.

If you haven’t heard yet about Ms. Lopez of Mott Hall Bridges Academy, I invite you to learn more about her role in her scholars’ lives. We should all aspire to be a person that inspires. A person that shows to others that they are valuable. Ms. Lopez is that kind of person and by extension I invite you to discover the Facebook page Human of New York if you haven't yet.

Anyone can make a change in someone’s life. It ranges from the friend, the older brother, the parent to the teacher… As  Confucius said, “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.” I am definitely not an example but I will try to apply the “If you have nothing nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.” I share with you my favorite song of the moment and I wish that I will be the kind of friend whispering “Don’t give up, you are smart, you are beautiful, you are worthy, you are great.”

Get out of your own way !

When it comes to school, I have always been among the top students. However, when it comes to public speaking or engaging a conversation with strangers, I am not that enthusiastic. I love talking but only with the people I am familiar with. And this has never been an issue until I came to the United States of America where networking is one of the success’s keys. I can’t write about the importance of taking risk and trying something new while I am myself confined in my comfort zone. I created this blog to see new horizons and share it with others. Therefore today I would like to share what I am using now to overcome some of the barriers we create for ourselves.

My accent had always been a limitation for me because I thought “what if people laugh at me?” What if they don’t understand what I am saying and they end up ignoring me? This is exactly what happens when we are facing new challenges. We care so much about the way others are going to react that we start creating our own barriers. We do not allow ourselves to get out of our comfort zone because we fear what’s on the other side of the wall. When I took the personal decision of not letting my accent be an obstacle to my blossoming, I started to open myself to new experiences. Here are two important things that I think about when I see reluctance coming on my way.

1-     You only live once

This one has to be taken with precautions. The fact that we have only one life should not allow us to do crazy things that we may end up regretting. I am only saying that when you really want to do something, then why stopping yourself from acting? It’s not like you will have a chance to do it again in another life. Your life is in your hands and you have to use it efficiently to get the best of it. Stop thinking about the possibility of failing and maximize your positive thoughts. Muhammad Ali once said that “The only limitations one has are the ones they place on themselves.” So why don’t we free ourselves from these limitations and enjoy (reasonably) our one and only life?  

2-     What is the worst thing that can happen if you try?

I really appreciated my class of philosophy 1010 at the International University of Grand Bassam. The professor was not lecturing us about boring theories of life. He was rather engaging us in conversations that could captivate our attention. Dr King said for example that in order to get over a heartbreak we should ask ourselves what is the worst thing that can happen to us if the boyfriend or the girlfriend does not come back. Are we going to die for that? By trying to answer this question, we should normally understand that we can overcome the pain. This, is the reasoning I use to try new things. - And for me new things include the smallest stuff like greeting a stranger in the elevator… –

I also remember one of my friend I appreciate because she will rarely tell me what I want to hear but what I need to. One day before a class presentation, I told her on Facebook how stressed I was about doing it. She asked me “Are they going to eat you?” Of course the answer was no so she asked me “so what?” It was so simple to demolish all these bad thoughts I had because I instantly realized that I did not have to be scared of my classmates’ reactions. The stress, the fear is normal as long as it does not paralyze us and therefore prevent us from doing what we need to do.  I am using this example to actually show you that no matter what we want to achieve we will never know the ending unless we try. What is the worst thing that can happen then? Every experience is valuable because we may reach our objective or get a lesson to improve our skills.

  

On the contrary of what I thought, no one ever mocked me because of my accent. They just ask me to repeat when they don’t understand what I am saying and that’s just what I do. If you end up not doing something because you worried about failure then you have already failed by resignation. “The world is full of people who are really smart but they hold themselves back.” You only live once so get out of your own way and allow yourself to live your dreams. Please enjoy this illustration of optimism by Jason Njoku the founder of IrokoTv.

Start shining now !

In 4 days we will start 2015. For a lot of people, it’s time to make resolutions (rarely to take actions) and to think about everything that went wrong this year. Only few people will be thankful for all the good things that have happened to them during this year (but this is not the purpose of this article). Some will make a list of everything they want to achieve during the New Year. I understand that sometimes we need a chronological reference. We need a specific point in time that helps us to measure or better evaluate our progress. However do we really need a special day to start becoming the star we were born to be?

I would like to achieve this and that from January 1^st. Who even told you that you will make up to this New Year? The message is about making a change today. It is not just addressed to you but also to myself. Generally when I want to leave a bad habit, I wait for Monday, or the first day of a month. I don’t know where this comes from but I would really like to change it. I am probably not the only one doing this and maybe on the other side of the screen some people also need motivations. What if I start now? What is the worst thing that can happen if I start shining today?

The right day, the best moment is only an excuse like another one that we use to postpone our light. Sometimes we are so afraid of taking the first step that will lead us to success that we create a bunch of reasons why we should wait. Instead of thinking about all the good reasons why we should work toward success, we rather stop ourselves with our bad excuses. Tyrese Gibson said in How To Get Out Your Own Way that life is a menu. Whoever and whatever you order for your life is what’s going to be delivered to the table.

Today I think that we should all ask ourselves what we want at our table. What is our goal? I am not talking about the purpose of this year. Although it is important to establish short and long-term goals, the most important is to know what drives us each time we wake up? What is our purpose in life? 

We are responsible for where we are in our lives. We are responsible of finding and achieving our goal. It is not enough to say I will start doing this next year. When we talk about purpose, think about this seven words:

Passion: what you daydream about

Understanding: use a pen and a paper and describe exactly what you want to do

Relationships: who are you willing to speak to, out of your comfort zone?

Persistence: no matter what happen you should continue working toward your dream

Obstacles: you will always have obstacles

Sacrifice: you have to trade what matter the least for what you value the most

Endurance: you will have to sweat in order to arrive to the end of marathon's success

Stop making excuses, find a way and start taking actions to achieve your purpose. Stop waiting for every New Year and START SHINING NOW.

I definitely invite you to watch this ted by Luke Wright.

United States Is Not a Panacea

When I went back in Ivory Coast during winter break, the brother of a friend asked me “Do you think it will be good for anyone to go in U.S in order to get a better life?” He was not talking about someone coming here to study, but actually a person looking for a better job, more money. Ironically, this includes doing some works he or she is not willing to do in his/her home country.

I answered that some poor people in Africa live better than some Americans in United States. Talking about that, I was referring to homeless people. Indeed, it is every day that I see someone living in the street and having a caddy (or just nothing) as all their belongings. We tend to think that these people are junkies, alcoholics…that they deserve what’s happening to them. But the truth is that every story is different and that nobody choose to live in the street. I recently discovered The Homeless GoPro Project. This set of videos aims to create more empathy in the world. The initiators’ goal is to dispel myths and build understanding through firsthand perspective.

For my brothers and sisters in Africa, I also want them to understand something else. United States is the country of dreams, possibilities…I can't deny it but America and Europe do not resolve everything. Living in U.S does not always go along with being rich or happy.  

A lot of people are looking for an Eldorado, not only Africans but everyone thinking that grass is greener on the other side. However, we need to understand that going elsewhere does not guarantee a better life. There is a chance that you succeed in your venture but there is also much more chance that you would have been better off trying to improve your life in your home country.

There are a lot of opportunities (I will soon start to share them) in Ivory Coast for the people eager to do something. Maybe they don’t know how to start or they just haven’t understand yet how great they can be. Today I am in U.S because I had the chance to study abroad. But I can’t tell you how much I want to go back in my country to make a change. I have started to understand that it is not always about the place you live but more about what you want to do and how much you actually want it.

AyeLive...first steps

I think like a lot of people that it might be interesting to have a career in what you love. I have the example of people who seem to have more fun than actually working. Cyriac Gbogou the free jumper in one of my reference. He does an excellent job but he is especially enjoying himself while also being helpful in his community. I also discovered the blog of Israel Yoroba. I already heard his name but I recently fell for his writings. There are lot of people like them who inspire me to pursue my dreams.

Successful people always recommend to work in a domain we are passionate about.  They say “Do what you love”. Some people think they can’t afford to live through their passion. They pursue a career in something they don’t like while the passion remains a hobby. For me the difficulty is not to make profit in what I love, I am actually struggling to identify what I love enough to follow it as my career path.

I started to love reading and writing at a young age. I actually fell in love with writing after the summary of a novel my mum made for us. “Les erreurs de Maman” by Jocellin Kalla, this is the novel that triggered my love for books. This love for reading led to a desire to create my own stories. I wanted to create emotions, to surprise the readers and then I started to write too. However I have never felt like this was the career I wanted to have. Maybe I was just afraid of the criticism people would have on my writings. Maybe I just didn’t trust myself to have enough inspiration, imagination to pursue a career in writing. Whatever, the result is the same. I am still trying to find what I love.

This is the reason why I have decided to open this blog. I know that a lot of young people like me have no clue in what their real passions are. I made a promise to myself. I decided that I will try to do new things permanently. This includes meeting new people, discovering new places and experiencing new activities. I want to share every single detail, experience that can help me to better understand myself. I hope this will be a grateful journey for the readers too. Here is why Ayelive was born.

French version