AMATEURISM—ENTHUSIAST WITH HEART AND LOVE.

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How do you feel when you’re described as an amateur? Sad, probably.
Well, I hope this gives you a new perspective to amateurism.
For most Nigerian students, on the wake of a new phase in their educational lives i.e. matriculation into a university, they’re full of enthusiasm. Most of them want a 5.00 CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average), which some achieved while some didn’t, some others were close though. I remember,
back in my pre-medic year as a fresher in the University of Lagos, Nigeria, we had our baths first before every other person in the hostel, we got to class over-early, we waited outside for the door of the lecture-theatre to be opened. Immediately the doors were opened we struggled to pass through in order to make the front row. Most first year students weren’t concerned about their sense of fashion. They had a very common pentagonal lifestyle; from hostel to classroom to library to the restaurant and to fellowship for the religious folks. Some of them had a very small circle of friends, and were very reluctant to mingle.
Now, the question remains, did they do it wrong? No. Were they amateurs? Yes.
The beautiful thing about this youthful exuberance of first year students in a typical Nigerian school is their readiness to learn, their eagerness to ask questions, their quest for advice from seniors, their openness to corrections, and their faithfulness to mom and dad’s advice which, of course is always still intact and very fresh in their minds.

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Maybe the reason for this dope energy is because they were admitted into the institution or the program of their heart and love. But in general, this is common to a fresh undergraduate student in Nigeria.
Did this energy die afterwards? I don’t know for certain. What I do know is this: We’re all shy to be described as’amateur’,' but in fact it’s the amateur—enthusiasts with love and heart, that pursue their dreams regardless of the gainsay. The amateur—enthusiasts with heart and love, in the process of doing things in the most unlikely, unconventional, and unprofessional manner, makes stupendous discoveries. You know why? Because they are not afraid to make mistakes, and they’re always open to corrections. Zen Monk Shunryu Suzuki said, “In the beginners mind, there are many possibilities;” which conversely means that in the expert’s mind, there are few possibilities.
Don’t let the label 'amateur’ deter you. You don’t need to be a genius to shine, all you need is to become a scenius. Look out for what people are doing, note what they’re not doing and build on that, that is key to problem-solving.
The world we live in is changing every second, leaving us all as amateurs, solidifying the fact that “we know a lot but can never know enough.” Be an amateur—enthusiast with heart and love, open to opportunities and a lifelong learner.

Ekuma, Mba Samuel.
Member of NIMELSSA EDITORIAL TEAM 19/20.