My passion, your passion
Today was as usual another day filled with impacting sessions at the 2017 ANLP. It has been a whole week of deep immersion into the tenets of nutrition leadership. Today’s theme was advocacy and lobbying with facilitators, Mpho and Thabo (identical twins), constantly playing pranks - confusing their identities!
My ‘aha’ moment, was realising that I need to see things from others perspectives – we all see the same issue differently. If I am committed to a cause, I must be ready to teach and convince someone, using the ‘each 1, teach 1’ principle, if I am to truly succeed. This requires that I must be consumed in the passion, and have the ability to infect and win others over to my cause.
The flame of the passion I carry will be seen and felt by others, who will not be able to resist it, thus infusing them with the passion. I need to be conscious of this, as I champion the causes close to my heart. My additional eye makes me see beyond any external limitations, building bridges across relationships, despite realising that I may get hurt and wounded in the battle. In addition, I need to assist and enable others to develop their own skills and passions.
My influence must be far reaching, deep and long lasting - utilising every contact that comes my way, preaching my cause, passing on the passion. Thus, advocacy and lobbying are essential skills to turn passion for a cause into actions for success. The common flame of passion for a cause must be shared by people who will be the drivers of the desired change. According to Mpho and Thabo, “people will always take a stand for what they believe in” and I must realise that I cannot change the world alone, I need other people to journey with me.
I have to be the voice of the people, carrying their passion, offering evidence and training so that, together we can make the world a better place for us all.
Yemisi Folasire (on behalf of the strategic communications committee)
