Sometimes the reason to keep going isn’t a big dream — something small reminds you why you matter. | by Joshua Kelechi | Aug, 2025

I remember the afternoon like it was yesterday.

The heat was almost unbearable, the kind that makes the air heavy and sticky. My room felt small, my thoughts even smaller. I sat hunched over my phone, scrolling through my inbox with a tight chest.

There it was — rejection number twelve.
The same tired words: “We appreciate your interest, but unfortunately…”
I didn’t even bother reading the rest.

For the past two months, I had been chasing opportunities like a fisherman standing in an empty river. I had cast my net in every direction, hoping to catch something — anything. But all I kept pulling in were rejections and silence.

Each “no” was like a stone slipping into my pocket. One or two stones weren’t heavy, but over time, they started dragging me down. I wondered if all my hard work was just an elaborate way to waste my life.

I thought about quitting — not because I didn’t want it anymore, but because I was tired of wanting and never getting.

That’s when my little niece walked into my room. She was holding a crumpled piece of paper and wearing the biggest smile in the world.
“Look!” she said proudly. “I drew you!”

I almost waved her off, but then I looked at it.

It wasn’t just a stick figure.
It was me — standing tall, wearing a superhero cape. My hands were huge, reaching out like I was ready to help someone. My smile stretched across the page, bigger than I had smiled in weeks. And above my head, she had drawn a giant sun.

At first, I laughed. But then I realized something important.

In her eyes, I wasn’t someone who was failing. I wasn’t the person collecting rejections. I wasn’t the man thinking of giving up.

To her, I was strong. I was kind. I was someone who mattered.

It hit me like a quiet truth:
People see our light even when we can’t feel it ourselves.
We don’t always notice how much we mean to someone else until they show us.

That day, I didn’t quit.
Not because the path suddenly got easier, but because I realized I wasn’t walking it for myself alone.

Sometimes, the thing that saves you isn’t a big breakthrough or a huge success — it’s a small drawing from someone who believes in you, reminding you that you’re worth more than your failures.

And now, whenever I feel like giving up, I remember her drawing.
It hangs on my wall. Not because it’s a masterpiece… but because it saved me.