You Can Rewrite Your Story

Many years ago, there lived a boy of humble parentage in Britain. This boy had only 4 years of schooling, because his parents could not sponsor him any further.
The family sold their properties in order to find money to survive.
In the course of time, he was employed to paste label on bottles. Out of the money he was paid, he rented a room. In spite of the little education he had, he opted to educate himself. He therefore worked hard to achieve the goal he set for himself. He bought lots and lots of books.
The enlightenment and inspiration he received from this self-education led him into the world of writing. However, his writing career was not a smooth sale. Initially, the popular magazines and newspapers in his country rejected his articles, but he kept on writing and polishing his writing skills.
A day came when one of the magazines published an article of his. He was not paid for the article, but he was excited because they acceptance of his article gave him the impetus. His first 8 articles were published, though he was not paid a penny. His 9th article, however, fetched him one pound.
Waxing stronger and stronger, the boy published a booklet titled: Christmas Carol. The booklet was an instant success. He sold 15, 000 copies within two weeks. His fortune changed overnight when J.P. Morgan, a multi-millionaire, bought the manuscript with huge sums of money.
The writer wrote17 novels before he died and all the novels were best sellers. He became the most highly paid author to have walked on the face of the earth.
With his writing, he rewrote the story of his life. This author is no other person than the one and only Charles Dickens.
Dear reader, do you know that you too can rewrite the story of your life? Do you understand what it takes to rewrite your own story?
Background is not Relevant
The first thing to note if you want to rewrite your own story is that your background does not determine your success in life. Charles Dickens came from a humble background. He had little education, but this did not stop him from achieving fame and fortune.
There is a great deception among our youths and even some adults today. Many of them believe that because of the humble family they came from, they are not successful and cannot succeed in life. Others believe that because of the little education they have, they can never amount to anything in life. Some hold the belief that because of their past, they cannot succeed in life.
I have had someone say: “If my father were alive, my life would not have been like this.” I don’t think this is completely true. Although the death of a person’s father may seriously affect that person, it cannot stop the person from reaching the height he has set for himself. The late Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) lost his father while studying Law in London. This affected him seriously to the point that he had to wash plates to earn money to continue his education.
Although his father’s death seriously affected his life and academics, he did not allow it to stop him from becoming what he planned to become.
The point being made here is: the family you come from, your level of education, your little experience, or your “ugly” past does not determine your success in life, unless you allow them to.
A Sorneo proverb says: “Where the heart is unwilling, it will find a thousand excuses; but where the heart is willing, it will find a thousand ways.”
Self-development: Your Best Education
The second thing to take note and practise is self-education. Charles had only 4 years schooling, but he embarked on self-study. It is self-study that made Charles great. Herbert Spencer said: “The great aim of education is not knowledge, but action.” In life, the certificates, degrees, or knowledge a person possesses does not guarantee the person great success. What guarantees great success in life is action. It is what you do with the knowledge or skill you have that determine your level of success.
In Charles’ case, not having the money or any assistance to finance his education, he used the little money he had to buy books and study on his own. That took him a lot of hard work, but it paid off eventually.
Self-development is the foundation for your success in life. Your present level of education is enough for a good start in life. J.C. Roberts said: “No one needs despair of receiving an education as long as books and magazines are available.”
Unlike in the past era, we have more facilities and more resources which we can use to develop and educate ourselves. The Internet is fast becoming a primary source of information; we have more libraries today than we have in the past; we have wider media coverage than before- more TV and radio stations, more magazines and newspapers.
But it is, however, unfortunate that our youths have failed to avail themselves of these means of self-development. You need to move around to observe what I am saying. Our youths are more interested in playing video games, watching European soccer league matches, and movies. Though it is not a crime engaging in any of these, they are merely for entertainment, and as such, they tend to waste time, resources, and life generally.
What a success seeker needs to do to advance in life is maximisation of time. Time is money. Use your time to educate and develop yourself. Many people are not aware of what is happening around them, not even to talk of what is happening in the world. “To be uninformed is to be deformed and to be informed is to be transformed.”
In what areas do you want to develop yourself? The Internet is there; the media is there; we have libraries around as well as skill acquisition training centres. There is no information or type of education you wish to acquire that you cannot get from these sources. You can also buy books which deal with the area of your interest and read. That is the way to develop yourself. As Dr. Mrs. Obi Ezekwesili, former Minister of Education said: “A society that does not read is a society that does not develop.”
Begin to read now!

Find Your Passion
One of the benefits of self-development is that by exposing your mind to various fields of human endeavour, you begin to find your passion. For Charles, he exposed his mind to reading lots of books. In the process, he found his passion, which is writing.
Have you found your passion? If you have, I say “congratulations!” but if you have not, I urge you to embark on self education today. Passion is what builds a successful career. Passion is what builds an enviable home. Passion is what you need to rewrite your own story.
Handle Rejection
More often than not, life will say “no”. But how you react to it goes a long way in determining your destiny.
It was in the news sometime ago that a man committed suicide because his wife divorced him. In the Bible, Ahitophel, the wisest counsellor in Israel, committed suicide after his counsel was ignored.
From time immemorial, rejection has always been the major peril causing casualty on the road to stardom.
In Charles’ case, the story is not different. He encountered lots and lots of rejections from magazines and newspapers, which refused to publish his articles. He was sorrowful, he experienced the feeling of hopelessness, helplessness, despair, but he did not allow these to discourage him. He kept on writing and sending his articles to magazines and newspapers until one of the magazines finally started publishing his articles. That was the breakthrough which inspired him to make an indelible mark on the planet.
Dear reader, always remember that on your way to stardom, people will say “no”, you will encounter rejection; but never give up. Keep on ploughing and keep on sowing. The Good Lord will send the rain in its season. Wait patiently and you will have a bumper harvest.
Never Settle for Less
We all have the tendency to remain in our comfort zone. We don’t want to stir the hornet’s nest. We don’t want to take risks. But if we must rewrite our own story, we should never try to settle for less.
Charles Dickens moved himself from the state of scarcity to state of abundance. He started life in penury; he began his writing career as a freelancer; and later went into book writing, churning out 17 bestselling novels before he died.
Life is not meant to be static. We should move ourselves from the state of scarcity to the state of abundance. By doing so, we are rewriting our own story.
In conclusion, I must reiterate that regardless of your background or present situation, you can rewrite your story. What it takes to do so are:
Don’t use your background as an excuse for not succeeding in life. Your background has nothing to do with your success in life;
Embark on self-development and self-education;
Find your passion;
Handle rejection; and
Never settle for less.
You are a victor!