Don't hide your voice

TELL YOUR OWN STORIES

An African proverb says, "Until lions learn to tell their own stories, every story will always glorify the hunter." No one else can tell your story like you will. Until you tell your own stories, your scars will be symbols of failure, and defeat; meanwhile, they are signs of courage, survival, and victories that were won through difficulties, when all the odds are stacked against you, when you were never expected to come out alive.

Your experiences, your triumphs, your scars, are uniquely yours, and sharing them is not just an act of bravery, it is a revolution. It is high time you stop waiting for permission and start owning the narrative of your life. Without speaking up for what you want, no one will give you what you think you need, deserve, or desire. The fight for your place, the fight for your destiny is your responsibility, if you do not stand up for yourself, no one will stand up for you.

You are a warrior, you have fought and won many battles, but no one will give you your medals, if you do not tell your own stories. You do not need to beg for them, you only need to speak up, and demand for it. Silence is a thief, it steals your authenticity, it leaves you echoing other people's voices instead of amplifying your own. When you tell your story, you don't only heal yourself, but those who hear it. You connect with others in ways no one else will ever do.

Dare to tell your stories, dare to write of your past, your failures, your successes, don't hide your scar, but display them as symbols of victories. Everyone may not listen, all may not read, but those that will listen and read will spread the story, they will tell others about the things that they have heard and read, they will run with the hope that they too can achieve, they too can win, and they too can become whatever they want to be, provided they do not give up. Tell your stories, reclaim your power, and give others wings to fly.

To a better you, Kamikun John.