There is always something about 'the first something'. The first day at school, the first line of code, the first blog post. I call it "the hello world of things". The first step in every journey is always clouded by mixed feelings. Sometimes its happiness and the excitement of starting something new, other times its fear and anxiety. You wonder if you're going to make any friends or get good grades, if this course is going to be like the others you couldn't finish or if bugs are going to frustrate and stop you from completing the project. You wonder if people are going to like your blog post or video, if they're going to relate to it, if you're going to get the kind of interaction and reaction you hope for.

It is easy to get lost in these feelings and easier to dwell on the negatives, but one thing should always linger in your mind, why you're starting. Why are you learning a new skill? Why are you starting a blog? The courage to take the first step and the motivation to move forward is usually found in that question. So when you hit a bump as you move forward on your new journey and you feel like dumping it, ask yourself why you started. I should warn you though, you might need to ask yourself that question a million times because from my experience, things are not always perfect the first time.

“A brushstroke from an inexperienced hand becomes an impressive and expensive work of art after being done thousands of times over. Truly, masterpiece is in the mastery.” ― Erwin D. Maramat

And when you graduate, or finish that course, when that one line of code becomes an app that has millions of downloads, and when your blog post/videos gets millions of interactions I hope you remember how you felt the first day, all the times you almost quit and smile. And as a Nigerian parent would say, I hope you remember the child of whom you are.