We all live in a world where everyone is basically a liar, at some point.

Most of us (myself included) don’t wear our emotions on our faces; we perfectly hide those imperfections.

Someone might see you smiling brightly all the time, he or she might think you are living your best life because of that.

Unknown to them, in reality, behind those smiles are hidden pains that you’ve never shown anyone or talked about, and that shapes the way they tend to view us.

They say “Life is a bed of Roses”; well, mine had been the opposite. For years, it had been raining bricks in there, a lot of bricks.

From consistent failure, to loss, to lack, etc, and because of this, I became hopeless, I suffered from low self-esteem and almost became depressed.

I changed the way I began viewing myself after all these. It was hectic. It has not been easy. Just last week, everything changed.

I have changed the way I view my life. I realized that I am an Author and this is my story; so, I still have time, time to change how my life eventually turns out.

We all have power over our lives, if we let ourselves. We are the ones to write and tell our stories.

It was the day that the result for my senior waec examination was to come out. I wasn't sure about anything. All I wanted to do, was to just check the results and get it over with. So, after purchasing my 'scratch card' which I'd use in checking the result, I headed home.

As soon as I got home, I met my mother at the sitting room, I greeted her and went to my room. I didn't tell her that the result was out.

Getting to my bedroom, I sat on my bed and brought out the card. I then logged into the waec website and carefully scratched the waec card, so I could check the result.

I typed what I had seen on the scratch card into the waec website and clicked on 'check result'. My result appeared almost immediately.

It was disappointing. I was disappointed. I was sad. I had failed one of my courses- 'Physics'. I didn't know what to do, I didn't know how to break the news to my parents.

Eventually, I told them. They didn't scold me; instead, they said I should wait for my NECO results to come out.

NECO results eventually came out and I failed 'Physics' again! I also wrote JAMB that year; I passed but didn't meet the post-utme cutoff. I was beyond sad. "My mates will get into school at the beginning of next year and I won't?" Frustrated, I asked myself.

I accepted my fate. Towards the end of that year, my father paid for and enrolled me for GCE.

At the end of the next year, I wrote the exam, the result came out and I failed 'Physics' again! I wanted to give up.

I later enrolled for NECO again and finally, I passed. I wrote JAMB again and also passed. I was given admission to study 'Microbiology'.

I did my first year in Microbiology and decided to transfer to another Faculty, at the end of that session. I transferred to 'Radiography' and instead of moving to 200 Level (Second year), I was taken back, to 100 level (First year).

I had to start all over again, I had to do first year again.

Things were going well, I guess; till I lost my Dad around the beginning of Second year.

His death was unbearable for me. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to live without him.

I was down. It affected me a lot (it is still affecting me. It's almost the one year anniversary of his death). My life, my academics, everything was deteriorating.

While we were preparing for the burial, exam came. I wrote the exam. About 1 week after my exams came to an end, we buried him.

Second semester came almost immediately. There was little or no break. I was still in shock about the news of my father's death.

Soon, the semester was over and we wrote exams again.

Results for the 1st and second semester of the past session came few months later. I found out that I had failed 'Radiation Physics' and 2 other courses in the First semester and 3 courses in the second semester.

I couldn't take it. I decided to dropout. Though I didn't know how I could do it without anyone knowing, I already made up my mind.

I still had same thoughts in me last week but I don't know what happened. I woke up last week and my mindset has changed since then. I have decided to change my story.

Whether you are a man, woman, boy or girl, you are in charge of your life and are the only one that can tell every part of your story.

It’s never too late or too early to start. Write your story, rewrite your story, change your story!!!

##WM2024