Teaching Our Youth A Different Kind Of ABC’s

By Evelyn Oteng-Pabi http://pastexotic.wordpress.com

My passion, my purpose and my inspiration is for the children, the youth. The ones who will come after me, be the ones to learn from me, grow from me. When i look at my life and those of my friends and colleagues that surround me, I ask myself if we are really in a position to help and where does that help start, what are we doing?  At the age of 2 or 3, that is when most of us might teach our children to read…we start them off with the ABC’s. A is for Apple, B is for Balloons, C is for Cat. But who really cares about that? II mean, yes that is important and I’m super glad that the apple, balloon and cat all can co-exist, but what about your child’s potential if when he goes to school he’s not relating to the top letter grades, but bringing home an F for FAIL. It makes me S for sad, because if you don’t educate your child properly, not just to read but to believe in their potential…the A is for apple could later mean that Apple that doesn’t fall far from the tree, the B will equate to Being a misfit in society, and the C for caring about nobody else but yourself. Don’t get me wrong…reading is important, but I think we should start from scratch and teach our young ones’ a different kind of ABC…not just about words, but the power of them and what they can mean.

Now…

THE ABC’S OF BEING THE BEST I CAN BE

A IS FOR ACCEPTING NOTHING BUT MY BEST
B IS FOR BELIEVING IN MYSELF
C IS FOR CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR  MYSELF
D IS FOR DEVELOPING GOOD HABITS
E IS FOR ELEVATING MYSELF AND OTHERS
F IS FOR FORTITUDE DURING MY MOST DIFFICULT TIMES
G IS FOR GODS GRACE THAT KEEPS ME CARRYING ON
H IS FOR HELPING THOSE LESS FORTUNATE THAN I
I IS FOR DOING EVERYTHING WITH INTENTION
J IS FOR JUST DOING IT, WHEN THE WORLD SAYS NO
K IS FOR KINDNESS THAT I CAN PASS AROUND
L IS FOR THE LEADER I HOPE TO BECOME, IT IS ALSO FOR THE LOVE I SHOULD HAVE FOR MY NEIGHBOR
M IS FOR MAKING THE MOST OF MY CIRCUMSTANCE, RATHER THAN A PRODUCT OR NEGATIVE STATISTIC
N IS FOR SAYING NO TO THOSE WHO WANT TO HOLD ME BACK
O IS FOR OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
P IS FOR DOING EVERYTHING WITH PURPOSE AND PRAYER
Q IS FOR KNOWING THAT NO MATTER WHAT I QUALIFY
R IS FOR REFUSING TO QUIT AND RESPECT, FOR MYSELF AND OTHERS
S IS FOR SHARING WHAT I HAVE WITH OTHERS
T IS FOR TAKING THE TIME, TO DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME
U IS FOR UNDERSTANDING IF I FAIL, TO PICK MYSELF UP AND TRY AGAIN
V IS FOR VALUING MY WORTH AND MY EFFORTS AND THE EFFORTS OF THOSE AROUND ME
W IS FOR WORKING HARD AND WAITING PATIENTLY THAT MY TIME WILL ALSO COME
X IS FOR CHOOSING TO X OUT AND ELIMINATE THE WORDS: FEAR, FAILURE, AND IMPOSSIBLE OUT OF MY LIFE
Y IS FOR KNOWING THAT YOU AND I ARE A TEAM
Z IS FOR THE ZERO TOLERANCE OF OTHERS TELLING ME WHAT I AM CAPABLE OF DOING, BECAUSE THEY DON’T SEE THE POTENTIAL GOD SEES IN ME

Now I know my ABC’s, hopefully next time our youth will sing with me, and take a step greater and live these words with me.

Living soulfully, naturally and beautifully

Eve Past-Exotic

http://pastexotic.wordpress.com