No motivation, No problem

39/300. Throw the darts and fast.

Photo by Afif Ramdhasuma on Unsplash

There are two ways to deal with spite; Shrink or Succeed.

For the longest time, I handled spite with the former. Shrinking was not second nature to me yet foreign, with more spite, I truly leaned into the act of shrinking.

The first time I shrank was in Jss2. I’d joined a new school as was becoming constant at the time. But it was a new school and not entirely new faces so blending in shouldn’t have been difficult, except it was because the people I hoped could hold my hands through that transition turned out to be my bullies.

It was not loud, it was not subtle.

I shrank. Hiding away, refusing to go for competitions, unwilling and unable to participate in class activities and it continued even after I changed schools in Jss3 and SS2.

Yet the first time and the only time for a long where I took spite and decided I’d make something out of it was in SS1.

First term and second term had me really unbothered about my result. Actually I was bothered, which was the main reason I didn’t care so seeing 6th on those report cards didn’t move me so much despite everything every other student and teacher had to say not until Third term, when my mom promised I would be changing schools, again.

With that news came a surge. Was it hatred, was it power? I was determined I’d show this teachers and students who thought they could say trash to me.

I wasn’t aiming for the first or second position because the results were almost never accurate, I didn’t want to aim for something that would be considered insignificant. So I aimed for third or fourth.

Unfortunately, just like another student had also woken up and was aiming for Third.

I worked my ass off because for once, everything every single student or teacher had ever said came rushing back to my head. I was angry. I was mad. And what better way to ‘show them’.

I came fourth.

That was the beginning of what spite could actually do.

I had a teacher tell one of the girls who was my seatmate, to stop moving with me because I was a bad influence and guess who made sure they girl stuck around long enough to irritate the teacher? Of course, me.

It will never be cool for people to hate you and even have the guts to showcase their hate.

It will never be cool to be talked down on.

But what if, instead of shrinking, instead of hating them back with little to no effect on them, what if you choose the type of power they’d possess over you?

What if you choose this time, how and what they’d hate about you?

What if you choose to succeed after all?

What if you let their anger fuel your success?

Spite can be your fuel. It can be that motivator that you need.

If you no longer have a reason to do your best and succeed, let the words used to talk down on you be the reason you shoot through.

They look down on you?

Good. Go and succeed.

They think you’d never amount to anything?

Good. Go and amount to something.

Leave them in awe. Have them question themselves. Have them second-guessing themselves.

No motivation, no problem.

Your village people can be that motivator.

Happy Valentine!!

How did Valentine go for you?

Team single or pepper them red and white?