2021: My first year.

I opened my notes app and I saw "December 31st". Lol. It’s truly that time of the year. I had planned to write this review a few days ago but I never got to it, just like a lot of other things I was supposed to do this year. But, I just finished reading treasure. 's review and gosh, the way Tres writes, even if you are the worst writer in the world, you’d be moved to pick up a pen and write. And write, I shall.

Sitting down here and looking back at my year, I’m filled with a mixture of sadness, disappointment and immense gratitude. I’m certain that if I let my emotions have their way, my phone’s screen will be covered with tears.

Why do I feel sad and disappointed?

Well, I didn’t achieve anything this year. Or rather, I did not achieve anything that I was supposed to.

You see, God loves to give me ideas. I’m convinced that He actually loves it. Because why else would He keep sharing amazing ideas for stories, articles, projects, and more with a girl that was either too lazy to start anything or too distracted to continue? I received A LOT of ideas this year. Some, like my newsletter and the few articles I wrote, came to life, but most of them faded into thin air. I didn’t reach my full potential in a lot of areas because I failed to put in the work.

It wasn’t all gloomy though.

I put in the work in some areas - like my spiritual growth, my academics, my relationships, and I saw results. I guess that’s what makes it more painful. The fact that if I had given more time to my writing, or Business strategy or even marketing interests, I would have made remarkable progress. The only comfort I have in all this is that today is another day and I’m writing. So there’s still hope for me. There has to be.

I saw a post on a friend’s status that said:

"I don't have any New Year resolutions. I just have things that if I don't do them, I can die."

LMAO. It’s a bit extreme but that’s my attitude for 2022 and all the ideas that I have and will have. I must, and by God’s Grace, will execute them all. Like my boss says (paraphrasing), ideas are good but execution is what matters.

In 2021, God walked with me.

I initially wrote "I walked with God" but I deleted it because that’s not true. There were days where either out of tiredness, laziness, or just the desire to enjoy my life and watch a movie rather than pray, I kept my walk with God on hold.

There were some days I got too busy or distracted to read my Bible. There were days I couldn’t pray either because I didn’t have the words, or because there was a knot in my throat from all my crying, or because my mind was plagued with some of the worst thoughts. I can’t believe I’m standing here today.

God held me in 2021. He was intentional about my growth. He took me by the hand and helped me to pray, to study, to know Him more. I discovered my purpose in Christ and all that was thanks to the ministry of my Pastor, Pastor Emmanuel Iren of Celebration Church.

This was my first year of REALLY being a believer (Christian) because for the first time, I learnt the basics of my faith. This is my biggest achievement of the year and if that's all I achieved this year, it's truly more than enough.

I got a job!

Till today, I have no idea how I got my job. A part of me suspects that my friend, Emmanuel, recommended me for the job but I’ve never had this conversation with him. Even if he did, how did my boss believe that a girl who sent a cold message to sell him a tray of small chops, could manage the social media accounts of one of the most influential tech companies in Africa?

It's shocking to me because I knew NOTHING about social media marketing. I made a lot of mistakes when I first started. A few weeks ago, I looked at the content I made in my first week on the job and I was torn between puking and laughing like crazy.

I've grown so much at WiiCreate. Working with them has been an interesting experience. I took on new projects and thanks to my boss (Ore), quite a number of my ideas were actually executed. My favourites are the Prospa video and the Tech Changed My Life series.

At Wii, the most important thing I've learned is that I need to work on creating effective systems because they'll not only make my life easier but better.

I graduated! Yayy!

My final year was my best year academically in my 5 years in the university.

In year 1, I had a first class but because I was unserious, I fell right down to a 2"1. You might think that that’s not bad but wait until you see how my grades dropped. I went from a 5.0 to a 4.8 to a 4.4 to a 3.8 (I think).

However, in year 5, I decided to take my grades seriously. I saw what being intentional about growth could do in one’s life. One of the best decisions I made was moving to the front row. I paid attention more because I could hear the lecturers clearly and I actually formed notes in class.

The best part of my exams was the precise leading that I received from God when I read for my exams. The night before exams, my friend and I practised past questions and that was what came out the next day. It happened more than once so I know for sure that it was not a coincidence. Plus, there are no coincidences in my life, just God’s leading. 📌

My final year was a good year because it showed me that if you partner with God and put in the work, you'll see remarkable results. And even when you don't see the results you expect (like with Company Law where I had a C), you'll still be glad because it's always a blessing to be led by God.

Relationships

Nope. No romance. Not yet. Still single as the last slice of bread at the bottom of the nylon.

I dealt with unforgiveness in the first quarter of this year and it took the healing power of The Holy Spirit for me to let go. What I learnt from that experience is "Don’t awaken love before its time", because if you do, whatever your eyes see, Oluwa wa pelu e (God is with you).

In spite of the emotional rollercoaster I was on at the start of the year, 2021 turned out to be a year of sweet, intentional Christian friendships. It wasn’t rosy at the beginning. In fact, I used to be an inconsistent friend.

I would not reply to messages, I’d only reach out when I felt like or when I saw something funny on their WhatsApp status and I never put in the work even on the days I didn’t feel like. All that changed this year.

I tried my best to show up more for my friends this year because they did the same for me. They made me genuinely happy and made every moment spent together memorable.

Special mention goes to Praise because our friendship took a lot of work and showed me that quality relationships are a result of hardwork and intentionality. Although we butted heads a lot and had the most difficult conversations, we still chose each other every time this year. And if I had to, I’d do it a million times over. 🤍

What does 2022 have in store for me?

I don’t know. Only God knows. But here are 3 things I know for sure.

In 2022:
1. I walk with God and God walks with me. He’s my best Friend and Father forever.
2. I am EXCELLENT. God gave me this word and I will run with it. 2022 is my year of excellence.
3. Great is the Glory of God in my life.

You might be thinking, "How do you know these things, Boma?" I know because God spoke to me when I prayed. And He'll speak to you too.

Enter 2022 with God, either in your home church or online with "Celebration Church" on YouTube. He'll carry you through the year.

See you in 2022. 🤍