About Me- Chidera Lynda
A recovering ex-gifted child
Hello,
My name is Chidera. Chidera is an Igbo-Nigerian name that loosely translates to “Destiny cannot be changed.”
From the moment I was born — the first daughter in what would later become a family of seven — my destiny was set in stone. I had to be perfect in everything, and by God, I was.
“Gifted.” That’s what they called children like me (not sure if there’s a new lingo for it). I spoke before my peers, started reading while they were still learning to talk, and I was writing stories before they even mastered reading.
And then one day, I failed.
Why did I fail? I have no clue.
But failing saved my life.
The thing about being like me is that you spend your whole life dreading failure. You build it up to be this massive, terrifying thing, and in the process, you stop taking risks. You stop living, because you’re so scared of falling short.
But when I failed, I realized it wasn’t all bad. In fact, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Without the looming fear of failure, I no longer felt the need to be perfect at everything. I was okay with just existing.
I’m still recovering from being a “gifted” child. It’s called the gifted child burn-out (trust me, it’s a thing). At 25, I’m in a stage of life where I’m learning to be more honest and kinder to myself. I’m trying to stop and smell the roses, even though nothing in my life is going according to “the master plan.”
Now, I’m on a journey to retrace my steps and focus on the simpler things. I’ve decided to document this process by writing daily — hopefully, fingers crossed.
Here are a few other fun things about me- I love writing and I am a badass LIT. fiction writer, I love reading and writing about books and sometimes movies, I also have an insane obsession with football (the real kind, not American football. LOL)
Here I am going to talk a lot about books and how they are changing me. Because that's what this phase of my life is about- change. Occasionally, I will throw in a rant or two because I have a lot of passionate opinions. If you love African Literature or you are hoping to get into it, we are going to be best friends.
If you’re like me, trying to unlearn and relearn who you are, join me. Maybe together, we can find our place in the world.
