Breaking the Shackles of Our Mind

“ Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” – Romans 12:2

There are moments when God places a seed in your heart and waits to see if you will have the courage to plant it. For years, I carried such a seed: the conviction to help prevent sickle cell disease in Africa. I had the passion, but I lacked the courage to begin. With one, I have learnt that the hardest battles are rarely around us. They are within us.

The Call to Do Hard Things

When I first read Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris, one truth stayed with me: comfort is a quiet prison. The authors challenged young people to rise above low expectations, to resist ease and to live for something higher. They reminded me that obedience often begins where certainty ends.

At first, I thought doing hard things meant visible achievement and public success. Over time, I realised that the hardest things are often unseen. They require faith when no one is watching. True transformation begins in the mind, where fear offers convincing reasons to delay what God has already confirmed.

The Friend Who Awakened My Purpose

In medical school, I had a close friend who embodied strength and grace. She was born with sickle cell disease; genotype SS. Her parent did not know their genotype at the time. Despite her condition, she was caring, authentic and full of life. On cold mornings, she wore jackets to class, smiled through pain and inspired everyone around her. Later, she suffered a sickle cell crisis that led to a stroke. She lost her memory. The young woman who dreamed of becoming a doctor could no longer continue her studies. That moment changed me. Sickle cell disease was no longer a topic in a textbook. It became a thief of dreams. Preventable, yet persistent.

A seed was planted in me that day. Still, I buried it beneath hesitation.

Do Hard Things later helped me see hesitation for what it often is: fear disguised as wisdom. I told myself it was not the right time, that I was not ready. In truth, fear was my greatest obstacle.

Learning to Begin

Years later, a friend and colleague running a sickle cell awareness project invited me to help. I supported quietly, staying behind the scenes. Then came the Central Leadership Program (CLP). At our first camp, a fellow shared a sickle cell awareness project with me. Something shifted within me that night. For the first time, courage rose above doubt. This marked the beginning of CABOT-S.

CABOT-S: Love in Action, Preventing Needless Pain

CABOT-S is still in its early stages. The proposal has been written, the idea shared and our hearts committed. We are six young Africans united by one purpose: to turn compassion into prevention.

Before CABOT-S became a project, it was a conviction shaped by lived experiences. Some of us have walked closely with friends and loved ones living with sickle cell disease. Others have seen promising lives interrupted by pain that could have been prevented through awareness and informed choice. These experiences stayed with us and eventually called us to act.

At its core, CABOT-S exists to make sickle cell disease understandable, especially to young people. The condition is inherited, yet many people do not know their genotype. Knowing your genotype equips individuals to make informed life and reproductive choices and helps prevent needless pain for future generations.

Our approach is deliberate. We do not lead with fear, stigma or judgement. We focus on awareness, education and guiding people toward proper counselling and health services when needed. Prevention, when done with dignity and respect, is an act of love.

The name CABOT-S reflects this commitment. It speaks to responsibility, care and hope expressed through action. Our message is simple and clear: CABOT-S, Love in action preventing needless pain.

We know this work will take time. It will demand patience, collaboration and faith. We do not see CABOT-S as a quick effort, but as the beginning of something that can grow steadily and responsibly. For now, we have chosen to begin, trusting that small and faithful steps can shape healthier futures.

Doing Hard Things Together

Do Hard Things describes five kinds of hard things:

Things that push us beyond comfort.
Things that go beyond what is expected.
Things that are too big to do alone.
Things that offer no immediate reward.
Things that challenge cultural norms.

CABOT-S reflects all five. It is bigger than any one of us. It requires teamwork, patience and courage. It challenges silence and stigma. It calls us to step into unfamiliar territory where results will take time and.

Beginning has been the hardest part. Starting when the road is unclear, resources are limited, and the dream feels fragile is the true test of faith. I have learned that faith grows through movement. When we take the first step, God meets us with strength for the next.

Even Failed Efforts Produce Growth

The Harris brothers remind us that even small or failed efforts matter. They stretch us, refine us and teach endurance.

Each stage of CABOT-S, from drafting the proposal to sharing the vision, has reinforced one truth: obedience itself is success.

We have faced delays, doubts, and questions. Yet every challenge has deepened our conviction. The goal is not perfection, but progress. God measures faithfulness, not visibility. Growth, even when unseen, is still growth.

The Power of We

CABOT-S is not my story alone. It is the story of six young Africans who chose to do something difficult together. Each person brings a different strength; creativity, empathy, courage , persistence, organisation, and insight. What binds us is not background or title, but a shared belief that love in action can change lives.

We remind one another that leadership is not about standing above others but standing with them. Shoulder to shoulder. Heart to heart. Dream to dream. The Cathedral of Milan took centuries to complete, yet generations built it faithfully, each laying stones for those who would come after. That is how we see CABOT-S: a foundation for change that future hands will continue to build.

Breaking the Shackles of Our Mind

To break the shackles of the mind is to choose faith over fear, unity over pride and action over hesitation. Transformation begins when we allow God to renew our thinking and help us see possibility where we once saw limitation.

Romans 12:2 is not merely advice; it is a way of life. Renewal happens each time we refuse comfort and respond to calling. Hard things are not meant to crush us. They are meant to form us.

Conclusion: Faith in Motion

CABOT-S is not a finished story. It is the opening notes of a song we trust God will complete. We have begun, and in beginning, we have already grown. Courage does not wait for certainty. Growth begins the moment we act in faith.