Maxims. Sayings. Proverbs

Maxims. Sayings. Proverbs.

Whichever you will stick with usually weigh beyond the words. Truly, the intellectuals who came up with them had a motive- to make better YOU and ME. Maxims usually impart knowledge, offer advice, teach or reinforce morals or aid in understanding.

Let's look into three of my favourite Nigerian maxims, shall we?

#1 "The day on which one starts out is not the time to start one’s preparations."

My mom would easily pass as a life coach, and one of the pithy words she greatly revere is, "you do not wait for the storm to come, you PREPARE in anticipation of it".

Dating back to when I was in elementary school, my mom would ensure that our assignments are done from the root to the branch on Fridays, laundry is sorted on Saturdays, and on Sundays, my sister and I would visit the salon to weave our hair.

While the voices of our neighbors yelling at their children on Monday mornings, hastening them to get done with their assignments, would strike the walls of our home, it was usually a stress-free morning for my sister and I to only pack our lunch and set out for school.

Although, all through those years, I pictured my mom as a "fun killer" who wouldn't allow us toss balls down the street on weekends like our neighbors' children, however, the realization that the minute act of "pre-weekdays" PREPARATIONS by my mom has helped me survive some hurdles recently crept into my mind.

One of such was when I had an impromptu spoken word performance in January, 2022, I had less than 24 hours to reflect on the topic, jot down, compose, and memorize the lines. At first, I was fidgeting being so unsure of my chance of pulling up a beautiful performance, however, in the middle of the distress, I pulled out my poetry book and while torpidly opening each page, I found sitting prettily an old poem which perfectly suits the theme of the event. No, it wasn't a MIRACLE, but an output of my mom's long years of steer reminder to always PREPARE which makes me scribble poems even on days I do not perceive the scent of a stage performance. I did perform for the event, and I did sweep my audience off their chairs!

Dear reader, opportunity does not waste time with those who are unprepared.

#2 "Regardless of what people think, you are you.*

Everyone has their way of defining what's best. Just like Ella was praised and highly commended few months ago for being ever confident, she was blamed today for being outrageous. She was drowning in thoughts, confused of what path to take until I saved her. Among what I told her were:

°LEARN MORE ABOUT YOURSELF: It's easier to be another's mirror than oneself. Telling what personality you posses could be uneasy but it's the best way to being yourself. One who does not have an idea of what he is could fall into any pith at any time. So, the first thing to take note of is discovering what man you are!

°APPRECIATE YOURSELF!: 

No matter how bad you see yourself as, some other person wishes to be like you. Do not deprive yourself of the love you deserve. Love and appreciate what person you are made of.

°BE CONFIDENT!: 

Being able to tell the world who you really are is a battle many warriors could not fight. So, fight that battle to win that you may be the greatest warrior ever lived. Be confident about who you are, how you speak and the whole world is at your command, you choose what to do with it.

°LISTEN NOT TO ALL:

Taking advice is one of the best things that helps a lot of successful ones, so take advice but do not be swayed! Some advice are only to be heard and not listened, do not mistaken them. Any advice that compares your personality with others is only to be heard not listened, but advices that promote you and help you grow are your safe, listen to them.

°LIVE AND NOT DIVE: 

Be careful not to dive so that you do not drown in the oceans of people's opinions. Live with everyone but do not dive in every one's ocean. Their ocean could be red while you can only survive in the blue - be vigilant! Opinions are bound to be made on every discourse. The person calling you outrageous made his opinion known to you. You should only accept it if you truly are.

Dear reader, I charge you to hold fast to all the things you believe in and raise your head high in all circumstances.

#3 "What an old man sees while lying down, a young man can never see even when he climbs up in a tree."

__________

The life experiences of the aged is not comparable with those of juveniles; while most youths view the world from the scenery of which they are made to view from, the old must have immersed themselves in, and formulated hypothesis to explain life phenomena.

Dear reader, are there popular sayings in your country which strike a chord with you? Do not hesitate to share with me.

I'd be in the comment section to read from you.

Credit: Bushrah Sodamade

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