YOU ARE REJECTING YOURSELF!!!

There is a painful truth that many of us never realise. Sometimes, the world is not rejecting us. We reject ourselves first. That was exactly what almost happened to me.

I was among the people scheduled for an interview. But I was reluctant to attend because at the time I thought I have neither the knowledge nor experience about the unknown topic of the interview. Every step toward the venue felt heavier than the previous one. My mind kept whispering reasons why I should simply turn around and go home.

"You don't have enough experience."

"Someone else deserves this opportunity."

"You'll probably fail."

I was only a few moments away from giving up. Then another voice rose from deep inside my heart. It whispered gently, "Please... can't you remember your name is Naseeb? It means 'lucky.' Go and try your luck. If you don't go, you have already failed."

That sentence changed everything. Looking at the other candidates, I felt small. Many of them looked more experienced, more confident, and more qualified than I believed I was...

I gathered my courage, offered a silent prayer, and walked into the interview room/office. The interview itself was simple. We were given a short test before we proceed into the interview room.

When the results came out, I could hardly believe what I was hearing. I scored the highest among all the candidates. The opportunity I almost rejected became the opportunity that transformed my life. That was the beginning of my journey as a WHO Field Volunteer.

---

It was December 2023.

At that time, I was still an undergraduate studying BSc Zoology at Bayero University Kano. At the same time, I was serving as the President of my department and also a Patent Medicine Vendor. Balancing lectures, practical classes, assignments, the final year project, meetings, leadership responsibilities, examinations, and fieldwork was far from easy.

All days, I left home before sunrise and returned after sunset, and went directly into my medicine store (Chemist Shop) for business...

There were moments when exhaustion almost defeated me. There were occasions when people wondered how I managed to combine academics with the WHO work. But every challenge reminded me that growth never comes from comfort.

I refused to quit.

Instead, I learned to manage my time, stay disciplined, and keep moving forward one day at a time. Eventually, I completed my degree successfully.

After graduation, I devoted myself fully to serving communities through the World Health Organization. Every household visited, every child immunized, every surveillance activity conducted, every report submitted, and every challenge overcome became another lesson in service, humility, and commitment.

By the grace of Allah and through consistency, I became the best-performing partner in my ward and later the best WHO representative in my Local Government Area.

Yet I never saw that as the finish line.

It became the starting point for serving even more communities, learning even more, and improving every single day, again and again and again.

Because success is not a destination. It is a responsibility.

---

Looking back today, I realize something important. The biggest obstacle was never the interview, It was never the competition, It was never the difficulty of the work... The biggest obstacle was the fear I created in my own mind! Many of us silently reject ourselves every day.

We convince ourselves that:

• They won't accept me.

• They won't publish my work.

• I'm not intelligent enough.

• I don't have enough experience.

• Someone else is better.

• I'm too ordinary to succeed.

And because we believe these lies, we never even try.

How many opportunities have we buried simply because we assumed we would fail?

How many dreams have died before they were even given a chance to breathe?

The saddest rejection in life is not being rejected by people. It is rejecting yourself before the world even has the opportunity to say "yes."

Imagine if I had listened to fear that day. I would never have attended the interview, I would never have become a WHO Field Volunteer, I would never have served thousands of people, I would never have discovered what I was capable of becoming.

One decision changed the direction of my life.

Perhaps your own life-changing opportunity is standing quietly before you today. Apply for that scholarship, write that book, start that business, submit that application, attend that interview, share your ideas and take that first step.

You may not feel ready, the truth is, very few successful people ever felt completely ready. They simply chose courage over fear.

Remember this:

You miss every opportunity you never attempt.

So stop rejecting yourself.

The world may surprise you.

And who knows?

The opportunity you are afraid to pursue today might become the story that inspires thousands tomorrow.

Go and try your luck.

Naseeb Auwal

12th July 2026