NO DOESN'T DEFINE YOU. YOUR PERSISTENCE DOES

 

I remember being told that I had no future...not by a random stranger, but by my project supervisor in the university.

Someone who was supposed to guide me.

He made my final year one of the toughest seasons of my life. Every time I walked into his office, I left feeling smaller than I came. Nothing I did was ever good enough.

It wasn’t that my work was bad; far from it.

A few senior lecturers had reviewed my project and called it excellent.

But this man seemed determined to frustrate me.

He made me rewrite chapters, reprint pages, rephrase sentences...only to tear it down again. I almost gave up.

Then came the breaking point.

I walked into his office, excited and hopeful. Other lecturers had said my project was excellent. I was ready to submit.

Instead, he looked at my work, laughed, and said,

“You have no future. This is a blatant blunder. Get out of my office."

Something shifted in me that day. Normally, I’d have been scared. But this time, I stood my ground.

“No, Sir. I’m not going anywhere.” I said.

“My mates submitted theirs weeks ago. Even those whose work isn’t half as good as mine have been graded. I’m not leaving until you score me.”

He stared, surprised.

Then said, “You’re very stubborn. No one would ever guess that from your face.”

I didn't say a word. I simply pulled one of the chairs in his office, sat down...and waited.

Hours later, he sighed, opened my project, read it line by line, and finally said,

“Not bad at all.”

Not bad at all? After all the humiliation?

Still, I held my composure. I stood up quietly and asked, “What next, Sir?”

He said, “You’re good to go. Congratulations.”

I walked out, found a quiet spot, and cried...not from weakness, but from relief and strength and gratitude.

That day, I learnt that sometimes, you must stand your ground even when your voice shakes.

If I had walked away like he wanted, I might never have graduated that year.

But I said No. I refused to take another No.

And in the end, I graduated.

✨ Lesson:

Never let anyone’s opinion of you define your future.

When you keep showing up and holding your ground, even fear begins to respect you.

Because sometimes, victory is not in the applause; It is in the strength you discover within yourself. 💪🏽

When life tries to tell you no, stand your ground.🔱