Hippo Wisdom: Don’t Forget Your Inner Strength
Hippos are some of the world’s most aggressive animals. Being fearlessly protective of their young, hippos have killed hundreds of people in Africa. The hippo relies on size, weight and strength to make paths through the reeds in the riverbed.
Many people, like the hippo, try to muscle their way through life, counting on their size and physical strength and disregarding their inner strength, which is a far more powerful tool. You never know how strong you are inside until being strong is the only choice you have. The golden opportunity or the greener grass, which you seek lies within you, not around or outside of you. A wealth of hidden talent, ability, divine potential and strength lies within every person, just waiting to be recognised and realised. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
Our thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, perceptions and mind-sets all work together to create our inner world. Look for your inner strengths: know that you have strength within you that you can always call upon whenever life appears bleak. At the centre of your being you have the answer to accomplish your dreams and cope effectively with life’s challenges. Life is not something that happens to you, it is something you make happen.
May you find enough inner strength to determine your own worth by yourself.
Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions silence your own inner voice.
Whatever your actual age, there is something in you which will never grow old. Nelson Mandela
From African Wisdom by Dr. Lanette Hattingh
Dear Net Buddies,
What can we expect the results of acting like a hippo might be?
Can you remember a situation in which you acted like a hippo when another set of actions might have worked better?
What are the inner strengths that help you in times of crisis?
Do you see any similarities between the hippo and the lion we read about a few weeks ago?
You know what to do – make sure we get your answers to keep your performance track record strong.
Read more about Dr. Lanette Hattingh
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Tsebo Damane
September 2, 2020 at 4:31 am1. If you keep on acting like a Hippo you will end up not realizing your inner strength , which is more useful than your outer strength.
2.Yes I remember one day I was trying to pick something up not realizing that it was heavy instead of checking if it needs strength or not, so I ended using strength where it wasn’t needed .
3.My inner strength are:
a)I am a quick thinker.
b)I keep calm when I see danger.
c)I am patient.
d)I am a good at analyzing situations.
4.Yes because they both uses their aggressiveness.
Timothy O'Mara
September 12, 2020 at 11:47 amHello again, Tsebo. Once more, I can see that you are a carfeul and thoughtful reader. Thank you for taking these assignments seriously. Again, I have rewritten your responses into a more standard written English form. This time I will make some commnets and put them in parentheses.
1. If you keep on acting like a hippo, you will end up not realizing your inner strength, which is more useful than your physical strength.
(I put a comma after the word hippo to separate your first clause from your second. You can sometimes realize where a comma goes when you read your writing out loud and hear yourself naturally pause. The word hippo does not need to be capitalized. I also changed the word “outer” to “physical,” which is a stronger adjective.)
2. I remember one day I was trying to pick something up not realizing how heavy it was. Instead of checking if I needed to use a lot of strength or not, I ended using more strength than needed .
(I took out the word “Yes” as it’s not needed with your direct answer. I also broke your one sentence into two, making both points stand out on their own.)
3. My inner strengths are:
a) I am a quick thinker.
b) I keep calm when I see danger.
c) I am patient.
d) I am a good at analyzing situations.
(This answer needed very little help from me. I just pluralized the word strength(s) and put a space between the half parentheses and your examples. Very nice work with the colon and the list that follows. Those four inner strengths of yours are going to be very useful as you get older and have more responsibilities. They are clealy qualities you will mention in a job or college interview/essay.)
4. One similarity between the hippo and the lion is that they both often use their aggressiveness to get what they want.
(I just reminded the reader that you were talking about the lion from a previous reading and explained your response a bit more.)
Tsebo, you are a good writer. Remember that any errors you make are proof that you are pushing yourself and willing to learn from your mistakes. Both are wonderful qualities.
Tim
Mihle Mpambani
August 31, 2020 at 9:26 amIf one acts like a Hippo the results might be very bad. AsI read here I fund that Hippos uses their body strengh to solve any situations they are in.
Of which it’s wrong ….. Aperson needsto use their inner soul and ability to conquer whatever life throws at you.
Every person is gifted with the something if we can use our God’s given gifts and be able to listen to our inner voice we can go ver far in life.
Timothy O'Mara
September 12, 2020 at 12:02 pmMihle,
Your answers make it clear you understood the main idea of this article. I’ve made some changes to your writing to make it obey more of the rules of standard written English. See if you can pick up the changes. (I’ve helped with some comments in parentheses.)
If one acts like a hippo, the results might be very bad. As I read here, I found that hippos use their body strength to solve any situation they are in.
(I’d like a personal example here about how using too much strength might not be the right idea in many situations. I’m sure you’ve done it; don’t be afraid to share a quick personal story to make your point.)
A person needs to use their inner soul and ability to conquer whatever life throws at them.
Every person is gifted with something. If we can use our God-given gifts and be able to listen to our inner voices, we can go very far in life.
(If you’re going to say “our,” which is plural, then makes sure your verbs agree. For example: “our voices” instead of “our voice.” Also, please pay attention to the change I made with “God-given.” It needs a hyphen because you have taken two words–God and given–and made them into one strong adjective to describe those gifts. This takes practice. Many adult writers struggle with the same idea.)
Nice work, Mihle. Next time, I’d like to see you expand on your answers. What you’ve written makes me want to learn more about you. That’s a good thing!
Tim