Today, I read something I wrote four or five years ago. It was something on entrepreneurship and the government. Something I probably would avoid writing about today.

It reminded me of a time when I said I was a writer and meant it. A time when I could truly channel my empathy and personalize anything I wrote about. It was time when I had coherent thoughts and opinions on a wide array of topics and wasn’t afraid to share my two cents.

Those days, I wasn’t afraid to be wrong or not have enough information. I hadn’t acknowledged all my insecurities and allowed them to dictate what I could and could not talk or write about.

Unfortunately, times have changed. Now, it’s more personal than personalized. It’s probably a good thing. To be able to write personal pieces. I guess it signifies some type of growth.

Now, I know I always wrote personal pieces. Each and every article, poem, story or random one-liner had a piece of me in there. That’s what made them beautiful. It was never about the details. It’s about how I allowed myself to be vulnerable enough with each piece of writing that the vulnerability shined through.

Each day is an opportunity for growth. Most often, we do not notice how far along we have come till we look back. It’s always such a humbling experience.

I was watching a sermon by Pastor Steven Furtick, and he illustrated this so beautifully. He showed how every time we took a step forward, the image we wished to attain took a step forward too. However, the gap between who we were and who we are increases. The gap behind us (between present and past), somehow allows us to see how far we’ve come and be grateful for all we’ve become. The gap in front of us, however (between present and future), constantly exists so that we would not succumb to pride, arrogance and complacency.

We need both gaps simultaneously. If we only focus on how far we have come, we may lose sight of where we are going. If we only focus on how far we need to go, we might be overcome with despair and discouragement.

Balance.

Dr Nyameba 💜