To the Ones Becoming

Life’s recent events and experiences have stirred within me a desire to write about the importance of service.  I am a self-proclaimed steward, and I believe service is the crux of everything. My focus is on young people, especially undergraduates because as a recent graduate, I understand how our views are shaped by our experiences.  I have something to share, and whether you already know what I’m about to say or not, I encourage you to read on. Almost everything in life holds relevance; we may need to sift and weigh, but nearly everything carries importance. I entered university as a teenager—a diamond in the rough (and honestly, I still am, but I’m gradually coming into form). I encountered people, systems, beliefs, and lifestyles that shaped me.  Before I left secondary school, my teachers gave me the popular advice: “Don’t just let the university pass through you; pass through the university too.” I was determined to follow this, even though I had no idea what it tr...

You’d be surprised by the kind of life I want to live. I don’t want to roll with the big boys,  it’s too stressful. Ask those who have been there. I just want to wake up every day knowing I’m not wasting the days of my life, knowing that someone out there sees me, and their day is made. I want to live in a way that restores hope, challenges beliefs, and transforms systems and mindsets. Sustainable. Positive. Impact. That’s my idea of the good life, a sustainable life. People have changed my life, and I want to do the same for others. However, I struggle to understand those who don't grasp the essence of humanity . When I encounter such people, my heart is filled with both sadness and compassion. I struggle with vulnerability because I have rarely seen it benefit those who embrace it. Of course, vulnerability has its place, but I’m referring to the kind that leaves people open to being taken advantage of, shut out, and ridiculed, without the power to fight back. I’ve learned th...

D ave Brailsford's strategy - "the aggregation of marginal gains." The philosophy of searching for a tiny margin of improvement in everything I do. If I break down everything that goes into who I want to be and increase it by one percent, I'll get a significant increase when I put them all together. Find one percent improvements in overlooked and unexpected areas - continue to. If I can get one percent better each day for one year, I'll end up thirty-seven times better by the time I am done. Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.   A slight change in my daily habits can guide my life to a very different destination. Success is the product of daily habits, not once-in-a-lifetime transformation. Time magnifies the margin between success and failure. Breakthrough moments are often the results of many previous actions, which build up the potential required to unleash a major change. The most powerful outcomes are delayed. *The Valley of Disappointment: ...

Welcome to the very first episode of this series! Of course, I am a 9-5er that has to commute to and from my workplace. Every day, mostly mornings, I encounter and see different things—from the keke riders to the bike riders, to the fellow passengers and passersby. Some of these encounters make me laugh, some make me pissed, and some make me speechless —yes, you read that right— speechless .  My creative writing side thought to put my encounters (or rants, so to speak) into stories that will engage you, make you laugh, or even teach you something. I’ll do my best in these episodes as they come, so stay tuned! Once again, welcome!

 This edition is not to motivate anyone or address any pressing issue as in the previous posts. I just want to communicate and relate (Light shed, Knowledge Shared, and Beliefs reviewed). Well, I can’t argue with the world that good things don’t come easily but I have little issue with the “don’t come easily” part concerning how it has and is still been misinterpreted and bastardized. Most people, even I at one time thought it was by Sleepless night, purging my circle, Hard work (calm down make I finish I know you want to fight) etcetera. Concerning the bastardization of the quoted phrase and my interest to communicate and educate, I stand to disagree with these outlined beliefs. A popular proverb in Yoruba says “𝑲𝒊𝒓𝒂 𝒌𝒊𝒕𝒂 𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒍𝒂; 𝒌𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒃𝒊 𝒆𝒓𝒖 𝒐 𝒅𝒂 𝒏𝒌𝒂𝒏” (𝑾𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌; 𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉). When all I did was abide by the above things all I had was temp...

 I have realized that a woman who lives as an individual and not based on gender is termed too ambitious, proud, and gregarious not just by the opposite gender but even fellow women who have had an "I can't even imagine" image of woman planted and rooted in them. But then I ask Why?. Why do you think she is just a woman?. Why does she have to be under a limit because of gender? Moreso, who is a woman? I'll love to know in the comment section. Once upon a time, a coursemate said to me and I quote "you're doing too much for a woman", as much as I was not at all pleased with that statement, I was also not too sad. It was a two-sided feeling hahaha. Why? I was partly pleased because I instantly realize that he may not know it but I was surely challenging the norms he understood and on the other, I was partly annoyed because he is among those who would never appreciate a woman doing more. In agreement with what I said earlier a demeaning image of a woman is ...