Heights By Great Men (and Women)...

The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night. ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 I recall as a little girl attending primary school, we had to get up every morning in class to repeat the verse quoted above by H. W. Longfellow. It was so annoying to perform this mundane task that we started to sound like a set of zombified (<- Yes, it's an actual word) robots in a chorus when we were asked to repeat it.
Recently, however, the quote came to mind when I was up studying in the wee hours of the morning. I sat and thought about what it meant and how it applies to what I was doing. My "height" has no definable boundary and so my aims get higher and higher with each passing day, and this quote serves as additonal motivation to do so.
During my first undergrad, I had a professor who thought it was okay to insult my efforts in writing. Since I'm a dramatic person, I never settle for mundane details. She   approached me to tell me that my paper needed "some more work," even though she could hardly find anything to correct. I made so many visits and adjustments to that paper and she eventually gave me a C- for the class, as I just could not please her. Discouraging, right?
Well, I thought about it and continued to work on my writing. I wrote short stories, poems and other articles that have even been published in the newspaper. I never stopped trying. Eventually, I acquired this platform and have been utilizing the same skills she said I was "failing miserably" at. The point is, I never stop. I work consistently and only do so to make improvements to myself and my abilities.
I still have not reached my "height" yet. Actually, I think I'm just beginning to climb.
Each day, we are presented with circumstances that distract us from our desired path, but like the great men H. S. Longfellow was referring, the only way to attain our desired outcomes is to keep at it.
Repetition is good. I believe I carried that quote with me subconsciously through school, through work, through life. I can never settle for less than what is great! I always want something to be as best as I can possibly make it. So if it requires spending some extra hours working on that super difficult assignment, or getting up extra early to volunteer some time, I believe it is worth it. It helps to put my goals in perspective and makes them much easier to attain.
 

Jodi-Ann is an Environmental Studies major in Nova Scotia, Canada.

** I do not own these photos, they were acquired from an external source.

International Women’s Day

Happy Women’s Day!

Women receive a day to be celebrated and honoured, and today I wish to highlight three women of colour who have made various contributions to help us move forward.

Sojourner Truth

Sojourner Truth: Born into slavery, she was the first black female to win a case against a plantation owner in the court of law during the 19^th Century. The self-named activist believed in liberty and freedom and fought hard to achieve same for her people. Sojourner was also a women’s right pioneer as she not only fought for freedom, she actively fought for the rights of women – coloured or not – and delivered her speech “Ain’t I a Woman?” in 1851 to voice her discontent. She met two presidents (Lincoln and Grant) with whom she had discussions regarding the rights of her people. She was never afraid of repercussions, she faced her battles without fear and she managed to help get the ball rolling for women’s rights.

Mary Church Terrell

Mary Church Terrell: As one of the first women of colour to receive a Bachelor’s Degree, Mary decided to use her education, her knowledge and experiences as an individual on the margin of society to make her voice heard. Terrell grew up to witness how women, especially women of colour, suffered educationally, mentally, emotionally and physically. In an effort to prove she would not be forced to be at the edge of society, she studied different languages in Europe and became qualified enough to become the first coloured female to be on the District of Columbia Board of Education. She, along with her daughter, Phyllis, fought for over 50 years to veto the Jim Crow law that supported segregation. She lived long enough to see to its end in 1954 and died shortly after at the age of 90.

Ida B. Wells

Ida B. Wells: We have heard of Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on the bus; however, Ida B. Wells was the first to do so. During a train ride in 1884, the investigative journalist, author, educator and scholar refused to give up her seat. The events that followed started a chain reaction for the rights of coloured folks. She was a woman who noticed that something was wrong with the society and did her part by documenting the ills and publishing them to places far and wide; even as far as Europe. She was also the co-founder of the NAACP and has several publications citing the harsh realities she faced, not only as a coloured individual, but also as a woman.

Yes, while we celebrate Women’s Day and revel in all the joys of being a woman, we need to remember how hard it was to get here. From winning the right to vote to winning the right to work outside the home; from getting a place in parliament, to having the ability to run for president. As women, we need to show that our fight was worth it! Continue making a mark in this society. Become unforgettable CEOs that run companies with an iron fist and entrepreneurs that keep coming up with new and fresh ideas to keep our world running.

We are the mothers, teachers, nurses and nurturers of this society and that will never change!!

Happy Women’s Day to all my ladies around the world!!

 

Jodi-Ann is an Environmental Studies major in Nova Scotia, Canada.

***Disclaimer: I do not own any of the photos. Photos acquired from external sources.

Sources:

http://www.uni.edu/icss/143/fa06/profiles/terrellbio.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Terrell

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ida_B._Wells

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sojourner_Truth

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ain%27t_I_a_Woman%3F

 

Self Motivation: An Acquired Skill

Keeping your head above the water is a task and can be burdensome on the brain and on the body. As a Jamaican, I have learned to tell people "No Problem, man!" or "It's all good!" when sometimes its not. I notice that even on my darkest days, I still report that I'm fine. This has become so engrained in me that it has become a motivational strategy for me. 
On my down days, I'll become frustrated with school and fed-up with one of the myriad of jobs I have. I'll cry, throw my assignments across the room and close my door - in hopes of closing out the world that has upset me so much. However, lately I notice that my recovery rate is increasing. I speak life into myself. A typical conversation on a "down day" with a friend or an acquaintance at school often leaves them feeling motivated as well. By speaking life into myself, I have developed the ability to speak life into others.
"You're so strong, Jodi!" says Marie* to me one day... "That's one of the things I love about you. You are always so happy, you get things done... and always with a smile!" It's not that I'm crazy, or in peppy cheerleader mode; it's because I'm self-motivated.
I remember 10 years ago when I just started teaching; I only went to work out of the love I had for my students which was in addition to the obligation I had to fulfill on their behalf: I had to teach them. I wasn't self-motivated. I was motivated by external factors, which drove me to dig deeper and find out what it was that drove me. There was no one speaking life into me; there were just obstacles everywhere and it made a typical job harder. After being in the classroom for 6 years, and having worked with over 500 students and their parents and the government, I have learned not to depend on external sources for motivation. I developed the ability to lock out negative energy, smile more, be upbeat (even without caffeine!), and think positive thoughts. It becomes a routine; it becomes a habit; it becomes...natural!
It has also become a habit to regularly set new goals. Each semester in school, I face a challenging course with plans to kick its butt (sometimes I only manage to lift my foot without ever being able to kick it, but hey! I came close enough! *Don't judge me!! ), or I go to work with plans to not let anyone ruin my day! While its not a foolproof method of motivating oneself, it works majority of the time for me. 
So, surround yourself with positive thoughts. Yes, there are days you don't want to get out of bed. But think of this: "What keeps you going? What drives you?" After you've had a moment to think of that, get out of bed and start your day... on a positive note.



Jodi-Ann is an Environmental Studies Major in Nova Scotia, Canada.



*Name changed for privacy.
***Disclaimer: I'm not a psychiatrist, nor a professional in this field; I speak from my heart, using personal experiences and anecdotes to accompany my blogs.
**Photos acquired from various external sources. I do not own them.