I like to see a man proud of his country, and I like to see him so live that his country is proud of him.... Abraham Lincoln.
I see a lot of people brag about how powerful and great their country or tribe is. Some are so carried away with the privilege of coming from a great tribe or country that they become irrelevant in life. In as much as you are proud of where you come from, I'll like you to individualize yourself.
It simply means, "make yourself count". Do something unique. Be seen. Be heard. Don't get lost in the crowd. Your country did not become great by some people bragging about how great they are. It became great because some people did some extraordinary things to make great. What have you ever done to add value to other human lives? How well have you represented your country in all you do? When you leave this earth, what is that one thing you'll be remembered for? Can you answer this questions sincerely and still think your country can be proud of you?
Some years back, the Nigerian youth were always proud with our heritage as the giants of Africa. Our fathers worked hard to earn us that name. Yeah! We grew up to become proud of that phrase, but today, that name is gradually becoming the opposite of what we represent. We still have some Nigerians making us proud, but we still need the majority to wake up and reclaim our identity. Our fathers were not bragging about being the giants of Africa, they were working hard to actualize that.
Here in steemit community, some people have successfully engraved their names in gold. They are not just walking around shouting "steemit is beautiful", they are working hard to make steemit beautiful. When I mention @infovore, @ehiboss, @thecryptofiend, @donkeypong, @firepower, @papa-pepper, @gavvet, @naanzo-scoop, @surpassinggoogle, @hanshotfirst, @teamsteem, @gbenga, @acidyo, @stellabelle, @maryfavour, @mammasitta, @ogochukwu, my humble self and a lot of other steemians, you'll agree with me that they are not only proud of this community, the community is also proud of them.
Don't be lost in the crowd. Don't be too proud of your community that you forget to do things that will make your community proud of you. Everywhere you find yourself, try to individualize yourself. Be the person that makes a difference. Don't be a consumer alone, be a producer, an inventor. Don't just sit back and watch, make significant contributions.
In your family, what can you do to make your family proud of you? In your place of primary assignment, how can you contribute to its growth? In your country, what will you do to improve it's public image and the lives of the citizens? In steemit what can you contribute to increase the value of steem and help others experience a better network?
Every community do not care much about people who are proud of them, they are earnestly searching for those they'll be proud of. Be that person your community will be proud of in years to come.
