A year of tying tough knots.
Before I tell the story of my year, I want to say that without a journal where I had written all I did and learnt in the year when I did, this writeup would have been a bitter one. It would have been a lament as to how 2019 broke me. Because as humans, we underrate positives and overrate negatives. In 2020, clean your lens and view the world as whole, as balanced and definitely as your journal will hint, a mix of yin and yang.
Journalling experiences like, eating what I suspect was my best spaghetti this year in David’s room in April, hanging out with Oyin for hours, walking Wumi to Awo hall and how they made me feel, ensure that I remain grateful for the people in my lives and the little things they do that remain loving memories for me. I’d ask that when you are blessed with little moments and memories, the first and most important step to take is document and never forget them because if you do, there will be no repaying what you can remember collecting.
I remember telling Wumi how I felt I underachieved and messed up in 2019 and how that was leading me to fear about 2020. She has been consistent with her words of affirmation, but what really convinced me that 2019 was a blessing was my journal. I saw how I shot my shot, got into fellowships, worked on projects that have made the lives of 50+ women and children better, and got elected into positions I once dreamed of occupying.
Big WINS
I feel that wins are underrated and as such, I will talk about a win, the back story and what I could have done better to ensure the win of the war, not just a battle.
I won Grace Ihejiamaizu’s book “Go Global” and took a picture with her.
The back story is funny, I had known her for a while since 2018 and in my journal for 2018, I wrote on Dec 27, “I’ll love to get her book, Go Global but broke!”. Fast forward to January 5, 2019, I applied for a giveaway she sponsored with @Blessing Eke Elim. On January 7, I won the giveaway.
Just when I thought God was done, I went with the Enactus team in University of Ibadan to the National Convention. I saw her with some students seated eating breakfast and I was like, why are students not mobbing this woman? Don’t you know who she is? I spoke to her and silently regretted the fact that I didn’t bring my book for her to sign. Another day. God is definitely not done.
I led a team in my class called Social Affairs.
Leading is not easy, leading your classmates can be harder. For me, I think leadership works best when you create a family where everyone knows every other person on the team, duties are understood and there are checks for work not done.
Thank you Oluwatomisin, Opeyemi, Oluwadara and David. *Don’t worry, I wasn’t the only guy😎.
Got into Tribune internship
I got to work in Tribune Newspapers in January through some amazing word-of-mouth. Thank you Yusuf Akinpelu. It was amazing while it lasted, we were on strike then so it added spice to my otherwise boring life, and although I couldn’t write an article before ASUU called off the strike, I got to know Adeleke Babatunde Adewale better and learnt more about the publishing world.
Got a spot as a Staff Writer at Affinity Magazine.
Thank you for letting me in on the opportunity Bolu Akindele. Bolu does so much for so many people. I fucked it up. I’d talk more about it later.
Got into University of Ibadan Medical Students Association Senate.
I had been reading, How to win elections in Africa by Chude Jideonwo, and had been itching to practice some of the lessons I learnt. I did my best with my campaign but more than me, it was David who did graphics for me free and Dara who campaigned for me like really big. They were in Social Affairs and my OGs.
My classmates came through and I won a seat in the Senate with the second highest votes. Thank you @Bolu Aderounmu and @Simult Omoya for the advice. Now, ahem, it’s not easy leading people but I see myself slowly easing into the position. 2020 is to explore what I can do better in this regard.
Worked on LearnAgain Project
I am a member of Enactus University of Ibadan. This is where I plug in the fact that we solve societal problems in our community and learn how to make money while helping others through social entrepreneurship.
The project helped me make more friends, developed my “reasoning on the spot” and helped me understand communication channels and how important they are to everything you plan to do in a team. We put 13 children back in school and it took at least two months and I had to stab some classes for it. *winks* Never too much when it comes to saving the world. You can check https://youtu.be/tpHGgZeP5dw to watch our documentary.
Got into the Sprinng Literary Movement Writing Fellowship
The back story is that I sat on the stairs leading to my room in my hall of residence and said enough is enough. I’m applying today, no more “I am doing it best tomorrow”.
The reality is that the fellowship demanded a lot of grit from me, someone who bails out a lot. A time came that my mentor rejected my assignment twice. One thing she did that day was she rewrote my article. I cried because that day, I saw how whack I was in writing. I am learning till now. If you want to read the masterpiece (I like to think of it that way) I wrote after the rejections, the link is here.
Got elected as Enactus UI PRO and served as an Hult Prize UI Campus Ambassador
I’m combining these two wins because I don tire to talk about wins. It’s sounding narcissistic. I have been working on Enactus publicity and it has been a learning experience. Raising awareness about Hult Prize in UI to get teams to apply was a great experience. I’ve realized that the places I met the most people in 2019 were at events or in teams that organize those events. I’ll focus more on nurturing built relationships in 2020.
Now to *drums roll*, the smacks that drew breath painfully from my nose. I’ll dwell on this *lol* because I want to balance wins and losses.
Losses wey MAD O!
In December 2018, I applied for an internship at YNaija and the list of those accepted was released on January 1, 2019. What a way to start the year. I didn’t make it in. I told my friend Bolu Akindele who worked there then and told him. He said, “And that’s fine. You’ll be fine. You keep moving. Do not take this as a rejection of your skill or anything, please.” Bolu, I’m grateful for the gift you are.
I want to tell you this because it could ginger someone to never take Ls personal and keep fighting. I went to my Gmail and sent a mail to Chude Jideonwo about how I didn’t make it this year into the YNaija internship but would try again next year. He replied, we talked about it and he said, the managing editor would reach out. Because of the time in between our messages, when the editor didn’t reach out, I moved on, focused on applying in 2020. Seems like YNaija is not opening internship positions for next year, if they are, this is a subtle shot😂.
The biggest L for me was writing and not shortlisted for the National Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Essay Competition twice.
I wrote twice this year, it is opened to 100 and 200L students every year and due to some schedule problem on their side, they had the 2018 and 2019 competition this year. I was slied twice and my classmates won it on both rounds. Alex and Lawal (my closest Gees at the time and who we wrote the essay together) came 2nd and 8th respectively for the 2018 edition. Ini and Deborah came 1st and 9th respectively for the 2019 edition.
If you say I wasn’t happy for my friends,you are wrong because they’d attest that I was very happy and celebrated their wins but honestly, it was a hit to my writing confidence. Lawal and I have a knack for doing things as the deadline nears, fighting to meet the 23:59 scare so his getting it was a mystery to me. Maybe that boy knows something I am yet to grasp in the world of spontaneity. Also, we had discussed how it would be weird if those guys called two of us and in my mind that day, I was like, nothing concern me. They will call me. *Lol*. God pass me.
I could have done better in my essays and going forward in 2020, I would do just that while weaning myself from the bad habit of procrastinating till the deadline day.
Bailed on some important things
I have a notorious habit of going AWOL and when not feeling the vibe of a project or starting to see it as monotonous or if it requires a lot of grit, I get tired. You may even say, I don’t like to spend much time in the boxing ring. If I ain’t knocking you out in the first two rounds, I’m leaving the ring in total surrender.
This affected my writing at Teens Meet Online, Joyincredible, @affinitymagazine and challenges like MAYEIN Bookathon (I was scared that I could stammer and ridicule myself and totally bailed), Start_ng internship and NaijaHacks (this was the place I had in mind that I would finally meet Chude and have him sign my two books).
I plan to work on my grit in 2020 as I learn UI/UX which I promise to stick to. (This is an open promise so I feel disgraced if I ever stop). This is an attempt at shaming myself to do the work I’d like to do. Perfecto. Let’s see if it works.
Procrastination wants to be the end of me.
There had been so many opportunities that I have wanted to apply for and kept on pushing forward the application. Sometimes, it would be as bad as postponing till the deadline day. And then, when I start applying, I’m like this thing is too much. “I can’t finish it before the deadline. Next!”
Until it was me always shouting next without doing anything with it. I plan to change, I’ve started already by setting strict schedules to filling applications and doing as much as I can on a single run. Thinking too much and moving it forward has always been the end of me. No more!
I consumed more than I created.
I was constantly jumping from book to book, movie to movie, article to article, no introspection and no creation. It would at least be better if I think, write book reviews, movie reviews rather than garbage in without reflection.
If reading is creating thoughts, writing is for refining them. I will do more writing. On topics I’m clueless about. On opinions I’m thinking about. On people I’m admiring from afar.
Unreined emotional outburst
My class had a brawl with senior colleagues this year and God, I look back and see that it was messy. Emotions flew, no one was listening. Things could have been processed. I was just shouting on top of my lungs. I didn’t fight o (Omo Olorun ki ja😉).
I was also childish in my approach with arguing with some of my friends in 2019. I agree that we will not always agree. That’s beauty. We all have minds to think. In 2020, I’ll refrain from subtle shades. I hope that anyways, before you form an opinion, you realize the burden of seeking knowledge it demands.
There are the little big things that are neither wins nor losses. They are just events. I need a word for it. Could you give me one when you are done with all it contains?
Random
• I directly messaged Late. Prof. Pius Adesanmi in January. I asked that he recommended books that I could read. I read a lot of books now but I still wonder what books he would have recommended. Rest in Peace Prof. May your wife and child find peace and calm.
• My phone got spoilt two times this year and spent at least 17k for it. That’s 50% of the cost of the phone when I bought it. If you’d love to be my Santa and ensure that I don’t enter 2020 with the same phone, God bless, I’m waiting in my DM.
• Every single day I wrote in my journal that I read school books, the next day I had a test or an exam. Wild gamble. It didn’t hurt much in 100L. I try to avoid it in 200L o. A ni redi (We will not see the work of village people).
• I did a campaign to share digital bookshelves with others. I thought that to know someone, check the books he reads. Someone reading 48 Laws of Power and Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion could be a power broker who likes to influence or use people. Lol. My verdict doesn’t work every time. But the fact that people are the books they read holds 75% of the time.
• I lost interest in chatting and calling people. It meant that I lost the closeness that I had with so many people in exchange for that, I’ve gotten a few people that their calls give me joy and our chats don’t necessary bore me. 2020 will be a year that I try to see how I can do better, compromise, check on friends and spread the joy that inhabits my heart.
This should be the end of the article but because you are enjoying reading it, I’m pushing my luck to insert some lessons I learnt and am learning.
- Be patient with yourself and document your story.
2. Don’t procrastinate on your greatness.
3. Consistency is the gold currency.
This is to God, my family and friends. I will mention major names without whom I think 2019 would have been dry. David, the number 1 OG, Wumi, thanks for everything, Dara, I Stan. A Queen., Kamsi, Faithwin, Benjjy, Tapha, Samuel, Lawal, Alex, Tolu, Motun and so so so on. Thanks guys.
To mentors, @BoluAderounmu, Bolu Akindele, to everyone praying for my success.
To inspirations, @DebolaWilliams Chude Jideonwo Mogwai™ Charles Isidi Iyinoluwa Aboyeji James Clear. Thanks for setting good precedents.
Thank you everyone for loving yourself and staying true to yourself. Love, FAM💙
I have reviewed my year to see what I did well and what I did poorly. I told the story to the world so everyone learns. I hope you review yours too in your corner and maybe share what you are comfortable letting the world know too.
I want to end but no quote is coming to my mind. One has dropped. It is by the wisest man on my Twitter😝, Mogwai™, “na who wear cloth them dey carry go Mr Biggs.”
Package yourself well for the big things that are coming your way in 2020.
Peace out✌
Opeyimika Aremu
The funniest, wittiest and loveydovey medical student you’d find on Planet Earth💅
