Overcoming - Moving Toward What is Above Us

By Obsi Getachew

C.S. Lewis once warned writers not to waste strong words on small ideas. If we say “infinitely” when we only mean “very”, we leave ourselves with nothing when we truly face the infinite. The same care is needed when we talk about overcoming. It is a powerful word, and it deserves honest use.

Do you like playing with words? Let us begin there.

When we bring these two roots together, overcoming is not about magic or sudden victory. It is about moving toward something higher. It is about finishing a hard journey, step by step.

Yet today, we often use words carelessly. We say “why me?” as if suffering chose us by mistake. We repeat this phrase so often that it becomes a habit, even a comfort. Feeling sorry for ourselves can feel easier than facing the work in front us. In difficult times, this habit grows stronger.

Many people say, “I want to be rich.” But before, there is something more basic: escaping poverty. And escaping poverty is not only about money. It is about choice. It is about having the freedom to decide how to live, what to learn, and who to become. Overcoming, in this sense, is not a dream. It is a discipline.

In Toastmasters, we see this truth clearly. Almost no one joins already confident, already skilled, already polished. Members come with hope, uncertainty, with weak voices, with stories that feel unfinished.

Overcoming does not mean we never fall. It means we refuse to stay down. A speaker forgets a point. A leader makes a poor decision. A club struggles with attendance or energy. These moments are not signs of failure; they are invitations. They ask a simple question: will you move forward or stand still?

Leadership, too, is shaped by this kind of movement. Strong leaders are not those who never doubt. They are those who act while doubting. They listen, adjust, and continue. They overcome not by force, but by patience.

There is also a collective side to overcoming. In Ethiopia, resilience is not theory; it is lived reality. Families, communities, and institutions have learned to endure, adapt, and rebuild. Blue Nile Toastmasters Club, as the oldest TM club in the country, carries this spirit. Its history is not only about success, but about staying.

To overcome is to stay when leaving feels easier. To practice when quitting feels logical. To speak when silence feels safe. Overcoming is not loud. It does not always look impressive. But it is honest work. And over time, that work lifts us above where we began.