My Journey so far: Connecting the dots
One of my birthday traditions is reflecting on my past year and preparing for the future. This year, I'm doing something different, I'm reflecting on my whole journey so far.
In today's blog post, I am sharing my story so far with the help of some key reflection points that make me who I am today.
MC's Journey
If I were asked to characterize my journey so far, I would say that there have been many unexpected twists and turns that have led to where I am today. When I hear people's almost perfect life stories, I'm amazed because my story is very different. Looking back to my simple beginnings and my earliest memories, I never thought I would be where I am today. I'm incredibly grateful for my experiences, learnings, and achievements.
Being a Twin
I always say I am blessed to have been born with my best friend. The great lesson being a twin has taught me is that although you were born with someone, your journeys will be extremely different. Think about that before you compare your experiences to someone else.
Over the years, I have also learned the importance of staying connected to my twin no matter how far we are geographically and being in different phases of our journey.
Raised by a single Mom
While I was writing this post, I realized that my mum was the same age as I am now when she gave birth to us. My mother taught us many valuable life lessons, some of which I shared in a previous blog post titled 10 lessons I learned from my mum. Learning how to work hard towards my dreams and keep learning, have been the two lessons, that have propelled me on my journey.
Living on 3 Continents
Some of the core influences to who I am today come from living in Nigeria, Germany, and the US. Spending my childhood in Nigeria grounded me in the beauty of the culture, the food and family values. Growing up in Germany, I learned a lot of valuable lessons that guide me in my adult life and career. Now living in the US has broadened my view on possibilities of whom I can become. I feel very fortunate to have experienced living in different countries and diverse cultures.
Building my Tribe
The great people I have met and become close to have enriched my journey. I moved away from my family at age fifteen, and it was essential for me to find my new tribe, people that will be my support system as I progressed through my journey. Reflecting on my tribe, I can honestly trace all of them to a different phase in my life over the past 17 years. I have learned to guard my inner circle, and I'm very intentional about whom I let in as they play a significant role in my life.
Discovering my Identity
To me, your identity is something you define for yourself. It is not only determined by your family, race, culture but also by all the influences on your journey. To get to this definition, I went through a few years of an identity crisis. If you ask me who I am today, I'll say I am a German - Nigerian woman who is proud of all her roots. It took me years to feel comfortable with my identity.
Overcoming the bad Experiences
A few years ago someone special told me something I never realized about myself. He said he valued the fact that I wasn't bitter after the hardships I experienced. My journey was far from easy, and sometimes I felt like quitting. However, one thing that remained was my smile. I became an expert at dusting myself after a fall and being positive about the future.
Appreciating the Detours
The first time I realized that life can be difficult was having to move from a home I believed will provide me security in my first year in Germany. Looking back, I lost count of the unexpected changes because there were many. One thing is for sure, I am no longer afraid of change, and I keep accepting that there are many paths to my destination.
Expanding my Portfolio
Over the past year, I added blogger and coach to my skillset. These were dreams that I had for years but was afraid to take the first step. For someone who encourages people to take action, it took me several years to leap. I'm very grateful for all my experiences and lessons I have learned since I took the first step.
Discovering my Mission
We are all on this earth to serve a purpose and bring change. Recently, I've been on a discovery journey to find my mission. My mission is to:
Encourage people on a journey that is different from what they expected.
Cheer-lead women who are working towards big goals, finding their passion and living their best life.
Be there for anyone who needs an ear and someone to believe in them.
My Top 10 life Lessons (so far)
Plan and prepare for a great future - having a direction stops you from getting lost.
Get back up - when you face disappointments, take a moment to cry then pick yourself up and take the next step.
Keep learning – have a growth mindset, seek out knowledge to enrich your life.
Be authentic and be you - trying to be someone you are not is not fulfilling.
Get to know yourself - discover the things you like, dislike and whom you aspire to be.
Discover your strengths - your strengths are unique, start celebrating and using them.
Seek out opportunities to thrive - look for areas where you can grow, learn and succeed.
Always work towards something - in life, you have to keep moving and achieving goals.
Celebrate your achievements – you are doing amazing things.
Take care of yourself - you only have one body, soul and spirit.
Thank You, Vielen Dank, Na Gode
I want to wrap up this post with a quick thank you to all the people that have contributed to my life. I can't name everyone individually, so I created some groups:
To my family and close friends - you are my safe space.
To everyone who sacrificed something for me - you gave to me, and now I can also give to others.
To my teachers and mentors - you supported my thirst to keep learning and questioning the status quo.
To all the women out there who have allowed me to share their journeys with them - you help me expand my perspective and to provide opportunities for me to give back.