I remember years back, almost a decade ago, when my last baby was born. There was this woman, a grandma, who had a compelling need to travel to the UK and stay for a few months. She was living with her 16 years old grand daughter alone in Nigeria, and her challenge was who to leave the girl with. All her children were staying in the UK. So she came to me and said i’m the only one she could trust with that.
So her granddaughter came to live with us. She would follow me to the office to take care of my baby of few months old while I work. She was waiting for her WAEC and JAMB results. I had another girl at home who helped with house chores only.
One day, I left them at home with my baby to the market, came back, and my baby was looking so tired, like she had cried for long. No fever, no injury, but I could tell something happened.
I asked them if anything happened to her? Did she eat well? Did she cry? And they said she was fine all through. I believed them.
Her grandmother came back months later, so she went back home. We kept in touch.
She called me one day to say she was coming for a visit. I was happy, my children were excited and she came. I remember she brought one carton of children juice. She spent the whole day with us, and as she was about to leave, she said something to me, the reason why I’m telling this story and the extract of today’s title.
She said, “Ma, there’s a confession I want to make.” I wasn’t too eager because I knew she was very good, so humble and too nice to a fault. The kind of niceness that can hardly scold a child. She was a member of the Lords Chosen church and a very dedicated one.
I urged her to speak, I was relaxed, though. And she said, ..that day you came back from work and asked if Chizzy was okay, I lied. I am sorry, ma. She actually fell from the bed and cried a lot. I was helping Faith ( the other girl) with house chores, and she rolled from her bed and fell. And I said, is that all? She said yes. Well, that’s in the past and not even a serious accident, I replied. She said to me, “This has been a burden in my heart, and I felt that if I die, I may go to hell fire because of the lie.” . Woww. I was thrilled at the level of her sincerity and the depth of her Christian faith. It was a totally different experience for me, compared to others of her age, I had known.
After other chats we had, she left.
Her visit left a deep impression and altered my viewpoint towards adolescents and their inherent peer pressure. It led me to feelings of awe and instilled a greater sense of love in me. My respect for her, her family, and even her church heightened. She was not wonderful in other other definitions of good character, but she epitomised honesty and integrity, and that made her stand out.
That’s probably the first lie she had ever told which was influenced by the other girl who spoke first. A lie that had no visible implication and a lie that was long forgotten. She chose to consider the spiritual implications. Meanwhile, her mates are champions in telling lies.
That’s the demonstration of impact by her and the definition of impact by me. Yours may be different.
We all need to make intentional efforts towards an impactful life. It doesn’t have to be grand or huge. Leaving a conspicuous imprint that truly resonates is all that matters.
The impression you make on people, your influence on them, the opinions you fashion, what you represent, your level of your contributions, the values you model, the virtues you uphold and the ones you compromise, the culture you foster and even your small daily actions. These are what define the impact you make on people.
It takes very little to make a meaningful impact and it could come in different forms. It could be the way you greet, the way you treat others with respect, the way you facilitate good communication, the way you help others, the empathy and support you show to people, the energy you bring to school or work, the way you are committed to friendship, the way you give or share, and many other. The positive attitude you show to people matters a lot and it creates a ripple effect that goes far beyond those it affected…that’s impact.
We evolve by the day, and it’s never too late to live a life of impact. Make that conscious decision, and take that conscious step today.
Amara Ann Unachukwu.
