New Year, Same Me, More Depth
Happy New Year! I cannot believe that 2023 is finally here! Although it feels to me like I just woke up from a night of sleep with another day ahead of me, I am really grateful to God for allowing me to see the beginning of a new year. My comfort zone was pushed in 2022 when I resolved to reveal more of who I am and what I do. Inwardly, this journey was more like a stumbling walk even though it appeared like I was catwalking smoothly down the path I chose. “Who sent you?” was a question I would occasionally ask myself, but in the end, my own self-imposed limitations were overturned, and I saw that even the strongest barriers could be dismantled with time. This was the motivation to start dreaming BIG despite my fear.
Review of 2022
Last year, with the help of Google Photos and my WOM Journal I was able to track and note down a few proud moments in 2022 in chronological order of course. The accountant in me had to feature in some logic. (Note to self: Be more intentional about noting down the little and big wins and losses are data points for self-reflection purposes). It might look like an ordinary list but, to me this is evidence of my growth compared to 2021.
Summary of how 2022 went down
- Tried beach surfing despite my fear of drowning
- Organised an Instagram live on homeschooling. It was quite insightful!
- Got featured on the NicuSoldiers blog to share my perspective on dealing with loss
- Tried kayaking at Gomoa
- Shared my views on Maternity Leave with West Africa Democracy Radio
- Led a workshop on self-love and purpose with GirlzFtw with ladies from Nigeria, India, Jamaica, and USA in attendance
- Was a Panelist on the Pregpeds support group to discuss the pros and cons of career breaks
- Designed and run a 5-day challenge on imposter syndrome (They are in separate posts but I intend to collate them and put it up on the blog)
- Attended an event alone as part of exploring the real limits of my discomfort but thankfully I found a colleague to keep me company
- Created write-ups to start conversations ahead of the Ishmael Yamson & Associates Business Round Table discussions . The theme was “Building a Transformative Economy – A Partnership between the State, the Youth and Business.”
- Got creative and initiated a simple faithbox challenge in July, my birth month as a way to keep our faith in God in check
- Signed up to be a mentor for the Ambitious Students’ Mentorship programme by Ekow Mensah
- Created and edited my ‘first’ YouTube video to launch Uthrive with Opie
- Launched my maiden physical wellness picnic and it went well more than I expected it would. It was super impactful!
I started 2022 in ‘eye clear‘ mode because I felt I had more clarity on a lot of areas in my life that previously I did not have answers to. Although I expected the year to end on the same note it started, it sadly did not end that way. The last few weeks of the year was kind of blurry for me and I found myself questioning my clarity areas and although this is not a proud moment, I started being extremely judgmental of myself.
Truths to reflect on in 2023
Just like I said, I was positive I had discovered my purpose fully and knew Opie had discovered her truths but the year ended with me arriving at the realisation that I had to go on with the onion peeling to unravel the layers that were not a true reflection of me. I had to keep peeling till I got the real goods. It also dawned on me that until I have experienced every single thing on earth (I doubt it is possible though), I cannot conclude that I know myself 100%. We don’t stop exploring because we found something. What if there are more things to be discovered that are beyond what our eyes can see?
This year, I am on an ongoing mission to keep digging within myself. My everyday life should have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge of the Bible’s application to daily life. I want to keep giving my life—and the lives of those around me—more depth and significance. I want to develop the ability to accept the discomfort brought on by the truths I would learn about myself, both the good and the bad.
Some questions to self-reflect on for this year
It’s time to ask yourself the hard questions and be truthful with your responses. The idea is to start being vulnerable with yourself, learn to work on your strengths and not suffocate yourself on your weaknesses.
- Why are you doing what you currently do?
- Why do you do things the way you do or react the way you do?
- Why do you relate to people the way you do? Is it to soothe yourself or out of the genuine desire to reach out and extend help?
- Is who you are the real YOU or it’s a manifestation of a past trauma seeking pacification?
- Why have you set those boundaries you expect people to respect? Is it to protect yourself or to refill yourself to be present fully for others? Is it to avoid certain things you are yet to tackle in your life?
- Do you believe in God because of what you will get or simply because He loves you?
- Do you go to church to feel good about yourself or to tick the box that you also went to church?
- Do you stay up late to pray because you want to or because circumstances have forced you to (need to)?
- Is it fear restricting you or an unconscious way of building a defence mechanism around you?
- Are you doing it as PR for the crowd or its really who you are?
- Other (What other self-reflective questions would you add to my list?)
2023 here we come!
Have I found all the answers to these yet? No, but I intend to keep searching until the responses I discover feel completely whole to me. I might experience all sorts of emotion on this journey but you know what? It is fine with me once I keep it in mind to be KIND TO MYSELF everyday on this journey. Kindness to yourself does not mean leading a life of mediocrity too, take note! I would prefer to build a solid foundation ahead of my season of abundance than have abundance on a shaky foundation.
Here’s to 2023 where we take a more inward approach to life and embrace discomforts in the pursuit of gaining deeper and more meaningful insights into who we are and what God brought us to this earth to do. I have started packing my bags, getting ready to embark on this soul searching and spiritual journey this year. Are you joining me?
Lots of love,
