Fyest Nigga on Camp
“I am the Fyest Nigga on Camp,” I boisterously claimed. It was campaign season, and my friends and I discussed the ongoing campaigns of those vying for elected positions. We were having a debate on what constituted being fye, and would the fyest people win. I had always thought that elections were popularity contests, and merit was an insignificant factor in the process. To me, being fye was not about holding positions, dating the baddest people on campus, or being the most popular. It was about creating a lasting impact on campus. I was frustrated that people often held many positions yet produced no tangible impact. Why did it matter what positions you held if you didn’t do anything? Could you be considered fye, if you weren’t doing shit? To me, the answer was no. Yet, I felt the campus was afflicted with a culture of pretending to be accomplished versus actually being accomplished.
From the time I stepped on campus to that point, crowns and titles be damned, I didn’t feel like any male on campus was worthy of emulation. There was a crown for the taking, and I felt like I had as much merit as anyone to it. The fact that I felt like I had a claim to the title of “Fyest Nigga on Camp” should tell you how low I felt the bar was. At this time in 2018, the only thing I was running that held a tangible impact in my mind was our NSBE(Black Engineers) chapter. We sent students to the regional and national conventions and networked with local chapters. It wasn’t much, but it was as much as anyone else was doing on campus.
Yet once I echoed that I was the “Fyest Nigga on Camp,” I knew that I had to back it up. I could be what I wanted to see on campus. I just had to execute and hold myself accountable, which is easier said than done. There was obvious pushback from my friends after I claimed to be fyest because, according to them, they were the “fyest on camp.” I hoped they were serious, and it wasn’t just banter because I believe iron sharpens iron.
In the back of my mind, through all of this was the only goal I had entering FVSU. The goal is something I never told anyone about. Although I never anticipated being active in the FVSU community, I wanted to make the notable alumni page. The notable alumni page on Google, where I would be one of the pictures that populate in the search when someone searches up the school. Most of the alumni who appear on it presently are politicians or athletes. I figured if I usurped one of these people and appeared in the search, I would have made a tangible impact in whatever career field I ended up pursuing. Thus, in my mind, it was a strong proxy for post-graduate success and impact. Yet, in my mind, the fact that I hadn't done much on campus put that goal in jeopardy.
Anywho, from that point on, I was focused on backing up the claim I made and getting closer to my original goal. I wasn’t trying to prove anyone wrong; I just wanted to prove myself right. When it was all said and done, I believe I backed up the claim.
I tell this story to emphasize a lesson I’ve often had to learn the hard way. While you may not be where you want to be, there’s no harm in claiming who you want to be. For most of our endeavors, it doesn’t matter what others think, as long as you believe in your goals, that is all that matters. I think it’s natural to want others to believe in our goals, especially those whose opinions we value but sometimes it doesn’t happen. They may have valid reasons for not believing in your goals or ambitions. Fortunately, they won’t be the ones responsible for doing the work necessary to achieve your goals. We can control who we decide the be.
In pursuit of my goals, one thing I’ve noticed is that when I try to prove others wrong, instead of focusing on proving myself right, I often get misaligned in what I actually want to do. I may continue to go after a goal that no longer serves me just because someone said I couldn’t do it or they didn’t believe in me. So while I may have indeed ended up proving them wrong, I also ended up wasting time and energy that could’ve been spent on goals I wanted to pursue. More importantly, once the ego boost wore off, I often felt unfulfilled since it wasn’t a goal I truly wanted anymore. Managing my ego is something I actively work on, and sometimes it’s better to let people be “right” about things they said you couldn’t do when whatever is in question no longer aligns with your goals or the person you aspire to be.
Whether it’s becoming the “Fyest Nigga on Camp” or just becoming the best you possible, always remember that as long as you believe, you can achieve. Manage your ego, and focus not on those who doubt you. We only get one stab at life so we might as well do the things we want.
