"Solve A Problem"

Many of us constantly think of how to make the world a better place, how to leave a mark, and how to be effective in doing our parts. But it is just a few that actually go further and "take action," making their dreams evolve into reality. What I have come to realize is that it is not necessarily that we are incapable of doing things that we dream about, but it is more of realizing that the only person that is stopping us from going further is ourselves. How more can one explain, than by illustrating with personal experiences.
All of my life, I saw myself as one that was meant for something greater, someone that would change lives, but I was unsure of how to go about it, or even if people would take me seriously. Soon enough, I realized that there was always a keyword in the back my thought, that came in somehow, no matter how much I tried to modify my thoughts. It was not really about people taking me seriously, or how exactly I was to start on it. It was more about me not believing that I could do it. Often, I thought who am I to think I am capable of making a change? pushing myself back at every opportunity I got. I was not capable of believing in myself or believing that I was able to finish whatever it was that I started and make the difference that I so presumed I will.
I believe at some point in our lives, we have all encountered such problems. I chose to write about this particular problem because of my personal experience that I have had in dealing with it, and also because it is an unusual topic that mentally disturbs us and even possibly deranges us, but is always shrugged to the side for later. I will take this opportunity and hopefully it helps you understand the underlying issue of your internal problem.
I am just this little African girl, so who am I to think I can come into another man's country and try to make changes or better yet, be the change. For almost 3 years, this was what my mind was programmed to think. Suddenly, I realized that I was just as human as the next person, as well as the person up-high, making changes. Without further hesitation, I brought out that black book that I always wrote in when I was curled up in my bed and thinking about the world and the kids that lived in it. Gathering seven of my friends, I explained my plans to them. Wide eyes glaring at me, I thought, should I keep going, or had I said enough? There were kids all over the world, dying on a daily basis, because of the unfortunateness of "being poor," not having anything to eat, and their dependence on their internal organs to fight the diseases that attacked them from every angle. No, how can I stop now, people needed to hear about these kids. If I cannot even describe their situation to my friends, then what use am I to describe it to others.
I could not do any of it alone, not knowing where to start from, I decided to contact the one organization that is known for its dedication to providing for such kids (UNICEF - The United Nation's Children Fund). But again, what department do I contact, who do I connect with, since everyone/department in the organization had the same focus/mission. This was all becoming draining, so I went ahead and just contacted whoever was listed on the "about us" website. A month passed and I was yet to hear back from anyone. Maybe I was really wasting my time. I mean, who did I think I was to contact an organization such as UNICEF, and expect them to respond to me? Did I really think I could make a difference? Ah! another month passed, and the thoughts just became a deeper version of those that I had the past month. Okay, maybe I should just forget it, I mean, it was 3 months since I wrote to UNICEF, and I had still not gotten a response from them.
Just like every regular day, I was back from my day's classes. With no built in curiosity, like I had done for months, I checked my email, and I saw it written there, in the from delegated section, UNICEF. Skepticism took over me, I was not sure if I should check the email or not. What if they declined me, and told me what I had been thinking deep down all those years. With my eyes closed, I clicked on the email. Slowly, I opened my eyes to read the email, and quivered in delight. UNICEF wanted to know more about my plans and my expectations/goals for it.
Today, I stand as the president of UNICEF at Illinois State University (ISU), overshadowing 6 other executive board members, and over 20 members. I put events together with respect to UNICEF's requirements, and help with their goal of advocating, educating, and fundraising for children living in poverty, and making the number (18,000) children that die everyday from preventable causes and diseases ZERO!
Three years ago, I had a problem that I believed was unsolvable. For those three years, I had made it ingrained in myself that I was a "nobody" and was unable to make a change. In just a day, my whole thought turned around and I started believing in myself. We all have different routes to the same problem of not believing in ourselves for one reason or the other. But the only thing/person standing in your way of being who you want to be or making that change (no matter what it is) that you have always dreamed about is YOU. There are two words important to the words "believe in yourself" which are "be you." Once you start believing you can do it, I promise you, even if it is a baby step that you take, it doesn't just help you in getting to your destination, but also helps you mentally, psychologically, and even inspires those around you to aspire for greater things. So go ahead an BE YOU! Show yourself and the world of your capabilities and be the difference.