Keep at it

 

Who is the class captain? I am Sir. Come out here, the teacher shouted. I slowly stood up from my desk and walked towards the front of the classroom. At this point, I knew I would receive some beating from the cane this teacher held in his hand. Why is the classroom so dirty? He asked. Sir, I said in a fearful voice, the people responsible for cleaning the classroom failed to fulfill their task. And what did you do about it? Sir,  I... You what? He cut me short. Did you report them to your class teacher? Did you get it cleaned yourself? No. You did nothing. As a leader, you cannot afford to do nothing. Now, marry the wall. I will give you five lashes of this cane with the hope that you will learn to always take responsibility as a leader. 

Just a day earlier, I had reminded a few students to ensure they swept the classroom. The next day was assigned to them, and being seniors, they had the choice to either sweep the room themselves or assign it to the junior students. You would think the second was the easiest and most convenient option. Instead, they decided to do nothing. Unfortunately for me,  I didn't get to class the next morning on time to inspect and do whatever was needed to make sure the classroom was swept before the teacher came in. This was not a good enough excuse to prevent me from getting the same punishment as these students. As far as the teacher was concerned, both the leader and those being led failed and should be punished equally. 

After receiving the five lashes of beating, I was so angry but didn't cry. Or did I? Anyway, I remember having the feeling of: "who sent me to be class captain?" "Why can't I just be like the other students who don't have to worry about this responsibility?" "I should be focusing solely on my studies but here I am trying to lead and cajole these classmates to do what any responsible person will do," etc. Today, I still have similar thoughts but I now take equal ownership. 

In addition, I am learning to keep the team together and accountable. I learn to instill the "One Team Win" vs "One Team Lose" mentality. It's not "Me" vs "You" but "Us" vs "Them." When we win together, the fulfillment we get is shared equally. The same goes for when we lose. We share the learning together and grow together.

Most importantly, the fulfillment I personally get from serving people outweighs all the negatives I have encountered and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. 

When we love or are passionate about something, we tend to keep coming back to it even when we are discouraged, defeated, or taken advantage of. We get fulfilled in it. When this happens, it's a true sign that we found or are finding purpose. It is a sign to keep at it and not turn back. Yes, it is not easy to go through that pain, stress, etc. but it is all worth it. 

What is that thing you keep coming back to when your back is against the wall and it seems like all visible hope is lost? Are you going to keep at it or chicken out? The choice is yours and mine to make.