I am not afraid

I have been using YouTube music for about two weeks now and I'm totally loving it. Its song recommendations are top-notch and initially, it did have a problem of recommending songs that aren't related to what you first listened to but it seems to improve on that ability the more you use it. Yesterday, I came across a great song on TikTok titled Corazon by Maitre Gims (I don't know him) but it's the singers he featured that are interesting; Lil Wayne and French Montana. I'm a big fan of Lil Wayne and it's been a while since I listened to his rap, so of course I search for the song on YouTube music.

I listened to it and since it was a hip-hop/rap song, more songs of that genre were recommended and the interesting thing is that the app went as far back as 2010 to play songs from that era and I'm glad it did because it brought back a lot of memories. I rediscovered songs I had forgotten over the years and even found the names of some which I never knew (I never knew that T.I. and Rihanna sang Live Your Life, great song by the way). One of such songs that was played is Not Afraid by Eminem and some of you might be familiar with this song.

This is the first Eminem song I ever listened to and that was back in 2010 when I had a small mp3 player. It had just a few songs and the ones I remember are No Air by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown, Whatcha Say by Jason Derulo and then Not Afraid. I listened to these songs a lot back then and I eventually memorized their lyrics, which meant I could perfectly sing them from beginning to end (I can't do that anymore). I was listening to Not Afraid again today and realized it's actually a motivational song. I mean, this part from the chorus says it all; "We'll walk this road together, through the storm, Whatever weather, cold or warm."

If you listen to the lyrics, Eminem talks about his addiction problem and getting clean, living up to his responsibility as a father and dealing with the pressure of fame. Ultimately, he declares that he is no longer afraid to face these challenges and take control of his life, and he is encouraging everyone to do the same. I was probably too young to understand all these back then but right now, I can totally relate to all that he has said. The truth is that this life is a journey that is filled with twists and turns. We always face one challenge or another at one point in our life and these challenges sometimes push us out of our comfort zone.

Putting our lives in order despite the challenges or struggles we face isn't easy but one thing I have realized that always helps is to first identify what is holding you back. I mean, it only makes sense that you understand a problem before you try to solve it, right? It's only through identifying the problem that you can find ways around it. One such problem for Eminem was cocaine addiction, he realized it was a problem and he worked on getting clean. Once upon a time, my major problem was video games and social media addiction, and I only realized this during the COVID-19 lockdown period.

My daily routine revolved around playing video games, watching movies and spending most of the day on social media. I woke up one morning and realized I was bored with my daily routine and I also realized that I was wasting time on meaningless things. So, I decided to change that by learning a skill online, and that was how I started with graphics design and later switched to programming. I uninstalled the games I had and stayed off social media, I became addicted to learning programming which is a good thing. One good way to fight one addiction is to replace it with another addiction, albeit a good one.

I did face a lot of challenges but I was determined to keep going. One thing I have realized about challenges is that they take us to another level; they help us grow. Being able to overcome the challenges you face will make you stronger and that's one thing I realized while learning programming. These days, I no longer run from challenges but rather I embrace them because it's an indication that I'm growing. If you're not facing challenges in whatever you do, then it probably means you're stuck in your comfort zone and aren't really making much or any progress.

Another thing I learned from Eminem's song is the power of consistency and determination. He talked about being what he set out to be no matter what it takes, how more can a person be determined? I don't know what his goals were but we can all agree that Eminem has grown tremendously from when he dropped that song to now. He built a successful career as a rapper and has won multiple awards over the years, thanks to his hard work, consistency and determination. I recently read about the story of Brandon Moreno and I will just quote what he said years ago;

Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow and maybe not the next month but only one thing is true, I will be champion one day. I promise. I promise

Brandon Moreno is a Mexican fighter in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and he made that statement back in 2017. He didn't win the championship in 2018, neither did he win in 2019 and 2020 but in 2021, he eventually won and became champion. It took him four years to get to his goal, and he kept going for it consistently over the years without giving up. He actually broke the record as the first Mexican champion in UFC history, and he has won the championship twice. There are several people like him and Eminem out there with a similar story, just another reminder to never underestimate the power of consistency and determination.

I don't know who needs to hear this but never give up on your dreams and keep pushing. Things actually do get easier over time and that's one of the things I have learned in my programming journey. Don't be afraid of facing your fears or embracing change, remember that it's only you who can put your life in order and push it in the direction you want. Don't run from challenges but rather see them as allies and stepping stones for growth. In the end, they only help you become stronger, wiser and more resilient.

Thanks for reading

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