You Are the One We’ve Been Praying For III

Dziffa Akua
Jul 25, 2017 · 2 min read

I used to be ashamed of the Ghanaians in the Bronx. They were supposed to be the lucky ones. The chosen few who had made it out. The ones who were going to make something out of themselves and come back home to make some real impact. Sadly, most did not even have the confidence let alone the courage to take charge of their lives. Now, I’m not bashing anyone. All these are my observations. I knew then that we may well be doomed. They had accepted this self inflicted defeat that was very hard to comprehend. God certainly did not bring us into this world to waste away but some seemed fine with just wasting away, it was safer than going after whatever they wanted and being rejected by the world.

I have friends who wanted to be lawyers, doctors, accountants, painters, musicians but they were all nursing students. If you could not be whatever you wanted to be in the land of the freed and home of the brave where else could you be whatever you wanted? When you were in Ghana, you complained about all the basic necessities you lacked, now you find yourself in a place with a bit more structure than you’ve had and of all the things you could be, you chose to be complacent. To hang with the same unambitious people, have the same conversations, complain about the same things and aspire to the lowest hanging fruit possible.

I lived amongst them, I ate with them and laughed. But, I knew I did not belong there and this wasn’t because I thought I was better than them but simply because I knew God had a bigger purpose for me and though I did not know what it was, complacency and defeatism was certainly not it.

Now I’m in Ghana and an active member of the African entrepreneurship movement. We’ve gone from thinking governments would save Africa to NGOs will save Africa. The new trend is entrepreneurs will save Africa. I’m optimistic but cynicism comes more natural to me. I have some faith in this because it’s really a choice. You chose if you become an entrepreneur or not but in all you do, do not forget that the goal is to excel in whatever you do, not settle for something because you think that’s all you can be. God has higher plans for you, take your time, expose yourself to as many opportunities as you can and never settle till you find what that purpose is.

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