Fifteen years ago was 2010. And if my maths is right, Obi was still a boy then. Hell, I can’t even remember clearly what exactly I was doing at the time, but judging by the year, I know I was in secondary school already. That was the period I started building some relationships that would stand the test of time. And when I think about it today, I’ve actually known some of my school peeps for more than fifteen years now!
Wow… I’ve definitely come far from that tall, lanky boy who seemed to tower over everyone else. So many things have changed about me, both in my mind and in the way I come at things. So, if I from fifteen years ago were to see me, would I recognize myself?
When I think about it, I nod my head. The thing is, I’m doing everything that I’ve always known I would do. Right from when I found out that people loved my stories, I chose to tell more stories. I hoped that it would make me famous and allow me to live in a mansion and get major movie deals. Well, I’ve not gotten there yet, but I am still writing. And just recently, I resumed storytelling.
Due to having to combine work and school, my storytelling was forced to take a backseat. So, while I didn’t stop writing (that was my work), I just didn’t tell my stories anymore. I thought that when I was done with school, I’d be able to devote more time to it. But then, after school, I had to deal with projects, clearance, and eventually, relocation issues.
It still took me the better part of a year before I was able to find my way back to the scripts and resume telling stories. I’m approaching it from a fresh angle, using my social media platforms- especially my Facebook- as an avenue to achieve this. For now, I just simply want to tell stories, the kind of stories that hold meaning to me, and the kind I wish more people would tell.
So, what big decisions did I make, and how did they change my life? Well, I believe the moment my world turned was when I found out about remote work and also the fact that I could earn from my writing skills. Not just by writing my stories, but I was opened to a whole plethora of avenues that I could put my writing into. But by then, I was only simply mulling over the idea. It didn’t really take root, nor did I do anything major with it until the ember months of 2021.
I had a chance to get an internship at the Nigerian Bottling Company at Ikeja, which would have led to my getting a sure employment once it was over. And I turned it down, choosing to go the remote route and focusing on my writing career. Thankfully, that worked out well for me so far, and I’ve been remote ever since.
But then, I got to learn how one can burn out, even from doing the one thing they love. Writing is my passion, but after a few years of doing it over and over, telling the stories that other people told me and not what I wanted to tell. It was draining, and I soon began to hate it. Which was why it was so easy for me to just put it all on hold for a while. There was a period where the only write-ups I did were for my blog posts or YouTube scripts I did for clients. I just stayed clear of stories as a whole.
But I’ve recovered and I’m back to telling stories on my Facebook page. It took me a long while to get here, and I had to go through some pretty serious mental and physical stuff just to get this strong. And I know that the journey is far from over, but I also know that I can make it work. Right now, motivation is not what I need. I just need the discipline to see this through to the very end.
At this point, that’s the only thing that matters.
