Life and One of Her Pathways…
Recently, I have learned that writing how you feel about certain situations helps with clarity and eases your mind.
So here I am, sharing how I felt. I wrote this a few months ago, and I am glad I have published it now. *whew*
I was frustrated about a lot of things at my former job, and how I wasn’t sure of what I was doing. I spoke with a friend who advised me to write about how I felt, and what was going on. This prompted me to write my story.
A Typical Lagosian in Nigeria.
I recently just joined a startup, and I was learning a lot. Things happened pretty fast, and a lot started changing.
So I woke up on one drab Wednesday morning, took a shower, and embarked on my daily commute to the office. If you live in Lagos, Nigeria, you will understand what it’s like to drive from the mainland to the island every day, and the type of morning an average 9–5er would normally have on a Lagos road. A Lagosian’s life is not for the faint of heart.
My friend had pestered me the night before, and I had only avoided her chats thanks to that wonderful thing we Lagosians appreciate but cannot get as much of as we would like — sleep.
Eventually, she was able to put me in a chokehold, no thanks to international women’s day. I mean, she wanted me to feel like I had been doing a great job by seeing how far I had come. So she kept pushing for me to pen down my feelings. I am grateful for the push, my dear friend.
A new role
I really cannot explain in accurate detail how I got the job, but let’s just stick with me being God’s favorite. Being a smart, confused woman (if such a thing exists) can be worrisome, especially when you’re an over-thinker.
I was a marketing manager at the time. It wasn’t an easy role for me, especially seeing as it was a startup, and I had never worked for one before.
Before now, I wasn’t at the forefront of marketing. Having worked in the finance, marketing, and consulting firms, I used to avoid being on the front lines of marketing and sales.
As far as marketing was concerned, all I saw was me being creative in the background, contributing to her daily quota, and getting paid for it.
For someone that likes to learn but needs things to be broken down to the tiniest bits. I found this new role exciting and challenging.
What pathway is this?
Fast forward to the resumption date after I got my offer letter. I was super eager to put in my best and also learn on the job. I came up with a marketing plan, attended several presentations, researched more about marketing, and proposed a go-to-market strategy penetration pending product readiness.
After months of waiting for the MVP (minimal viable product) and there was no product in view due to surrounding circumstances, all my ginger was watered down.
If you’ve ever started a company, you’re familiar with the level of commitment and Ogun idile (generational war) that comes with starting a business. Paying salaries and wanting to work on a rather tight budget came up often, which is only natural in any business that has lagged.
I must admit, this journey was becoming more difficult by the day. It was morale-depleting. There were fears of losing my job soon, along with dreading the uncertainty of what was next. The hopes of being a part of something huge started to fade, and thanks to my overthinking skills, it had become an everyday thought.
It was a puzzling journey. Salaries eventually got slashed, with whispers of extending manpower to other subsidiaries in the company. Your darling overthinker got panicky. Ni bo la tun jasi bayii (where has this led us to?)
Apparently, not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path
This path has given me more clarity. I hope to carry you along at my pace. I still get confused on some days but I have learned, I am learning and it’s clear that there’s beauty in the struggle. So here’s to me, absorbing every moment and working towards having a clearer path.
The little things add up eventually without you noticing until later.
So, it’s fine to acknowledge that you’re human, because we all struggle and hope to improve one day.
P.S.: I hope you stick around long enough to find out where this pathway is leading me… 😉
Thank you for reading until the end and let’s keep in touch! You can subscribe here to get my articles in your inbox.
