What Listening To Others Did To Me

When I was a kid, I was a very curious person. I had so many questions in my head but couldn’t get answers from people around me.

This leads me to develop a love for reading. I started by reading everything I saw. In most cases, I read story books because this is what gives me answers to some of the questions in my head. So I take every opportunity to read.

At that time, when I go to school, I can come back home with at least ten story books from my classmates, especially on Fridays.

Anyone who knew me back then would testify to this. When I was in my Junior class in secondary school, I developed the passion for writing my own stories, and some people started looking at me as if I didn’t know what I was doing.

Actually, I didn’t know what I was doing because it is what I do with ease and happiness from within.

Some even said to me that I take everything serious. Because as at then I rarely move out with friends during break time in school. All I do during free periods or break time is sit and write my storybook because no noise in this world can stop my inspiration.

Some of my classmates want to partner with me to write the story, while some are committed to criticizing the passion and talent I am just building.

I don’t know the reason behind those criticisms. So, I didn’t allow anyone to partner with me either because I wasn’t sure of how two people could write a storybook.

Due to the criticism and inability to finance the story books I have written, I lost all the story books because it was all written in a notebook. A Higher Education book to be precise as we use to call it.

After this, I began to lose interest in writing stories and reading (except school books). I lose interest because I don’t want to be a weird person.

But after some years, I began to think of the reason behind the death of my passion for reading and writing stories, and then it occurred to me that it was because I wanted to fit in the crowd. I don’t want people to see me as if 'I am the only one.'

Not knowing, I unconsciously killed a part of me while I moved on with life.

It was around 2020 that I started developing an interest in reading regular books. I can’t remember what rekindled the fire to start reading again, but I noticed I started reading and writing about things I usually ignored.

When I discovered my passion again, I didn’t care what people say of me. I determined I was going to read and write story books even if my village people come again.

I am what people will call an ambivert, so whenever I am not working, or around my friends, I will be with myself, enjoying my own company through reading, learning, writing or watching movies.

The most painful part was that I couldn’t write a story as naturally as I usually did in junior secondary school after rediscovering my passion.

I could only write other parts of writing not because I didn’t try to learn storytelling but because it is no more from within.

Many of us can relate to this. As humans, we stop doing something that gives us joy because of what people will say. When we are doing that, we are unconsciously killing a part of ourselves in order to be accepted by people who are yet to discover their talent or purpose.

This is the greatest mistake anyone will ever make. Trying to fit in when we should stand out is an atrocity. Do I know if people would have been blessed through my story books if I didn’t stop then? Do I know if someone would have helped me develop the passion? But, unfortunately, I can never tell because I stopped.

The story i was writing then was to impact young people, and today, I still write to impact, but I’m not really passionate about telling stories.

If you are reading this and you are able to read to this point, I want you to sit and think of where you have killed your passion because of what people will say. Then, think of what made you stop doing what you ought to be doing and start taking steps by ignoring them.

Today, I enjoy writing and reading because it is what makes me happy, so no matter what people say, all I do is to ignore them. Life is too short to spend it pleasing people and doing what doesn’t make you happy.

Today, find your true self because that is where your true joy and happiness lies.

Never let what listening to others did to me happen to you.

~ Olunlade Toluwalase Joshua