365 LESSONS 2021 HAS TAUGHT ME | Abiodun Lambaba

 

A wise man once said, “Bees don’t waste their time explaining to flies that honey is better than shit.” Yes, read that again!  To say that 2021 was not a difficult year would be an understatement. Omoh! 2021 show me sege, but we thank God cos here I am, sharing with you guys some of the lessons 2021 has taught me.

 

“Na hope dey carry Hunter go bush; no be say him get zoo”. Na hopes I carry enter 2021, started the year without a single Naira, I persevered through a lot of downturns, I gave out a lot of the little I had, sharing to the society, expecting no favour from corporations and individuals, I focused on God and remained humble, despite all this, I was still able to achieve all my 2021 plans because I was HOPEFUL in everything I did, if you don’t believe you’ll get results from what you’re doing, it’s most likely you won’t get results. Hope fuels your drive for hard work and diligence. To everyone out there, live everyday hopefully. God knows your needs; do not despair.

 

I know many of you might have been waiting patiently for me to drop review(s) of my previous event (SSM Award and End of the Year Party). Well, there’s nothing much to write about that why I didn’t bother to ink something out. Everything that happened at the event didn’t just go the way we planned but went the way God planned it for us. Should I talk about the refreshment that wasted at the entrance of the hall even before the event start or some other stuff that happened during the event that I can't even write or speak about sef? But that didn’t weigh me down too much.  Yeah! I’m human too, I was depressed but not for too long, just for few hours. I have to cheer myself up for my guest. FAILING is both the worst and best thing that can happen to you. When you don’t fail, you succeed and when you do fail, you succeed at figuring out another way of not doing it – it just doesn’t feel quite as good. We too often allow our emotions to get in the way of logic. Don’t be DISCOURAGED when you fail at one thing. Okay! So because I failed in my previous event I shouldn’t organize another event again? No! I will still organize a thousand and more event again. Failing will make your plan strong than previous executed plan.  No outcome is ever 100% certain and, therefore, any attempt at anything has a chance of complete failure. Dear readers, Please Let the pain, the storms do what they came to do for they too come from Source/God as a gift to us like the warmth of the Sun, even when we don’t understand why, trust that all things work together for our benefit and enlightenment.

 

If you can't take risk you can't succeed. Success requires taking calculated risk – that is true 100 percent of the time. Don’t be afraid to take RISK. Don’t be afraid to wear trouser twice bigger than your size, around May I developed interest in photography; I shot and edit pictures with phone. Two month after, I bought a new camera. I took the risks, bought the camera with all my savings, something which have never done before; like spend all my savings, what if something emergency comes up and I needed money urgently where will I get that from? And I’m this type of person that doesn’t like asking people for financial assistance or support. Those who know me well can testify to this. Three month after I was able to gather thrice of what I used to purchase the camera. Now the price of the camera is now times two of the amount I bought it then, just imagine if I didn’t take that risk, I will be paying double now to get the camera. We too often wait until we perfect our product – regardless of whether it’s a physical device or service or our very selves – before we put it on the market. The truth is that no one comes out with the perfect product or services the first time around. In fact, the perfect anything depends on the feedback that you receive from others. This feedback only comes after several iterations of testing. If you wait too long to launch then you are missing out on critical LEARNING. Some month backs too I wanted to start foods and snacks business which I have no knowledge about but I have the money to start. I took the risk and here we are Alhamdulillah! We are doing well already. Life is a series of calculated risks – nothing more. Everything that you decide to do has a margin of risk. We risk everything, every day of our lives without knowing it. There is always a chance that walking outside will kill us. Risk is a price everyone must pay to get golden prize

 

Friendships can be great, but they can also be very restrictive. Following our dreams usually involves quite a bit of solitude. Friendship makes it difficult to take the time that you need to get the work done that needs to get done. In my opinion, true friends should support you and your dreams no matter what. They should understand that you may have to distance yourself a bit more and then work together to keep the friendship alive – even if you don’t see each other half as much. This year I make a lot of great friends who has supported my dreams and also have friends who stopped talking to me because of the great change they see in me but like I said at the beginning that a wise man once said, “Bees don’t waste their time explaining to flies that honey is better than shit.” Yes! I’m repeating that here again. Well, the truth is: money is not changing me; the economy is and I thank God I’m changing into something better.  You may lose your confidence if you hold yourself up to the expectations of what others think of you. It did happen to me but with self-awareness, I was able to cope and reflect on what I wanted. Stay away from people who don’t reciprocate your vibes. People who don’t see your vision and calling. If you don’t view life as I do, we may never get along. This has helped me filter the people I allowed in my life. Be careful of who you share your information with some friends have alarms on their lips searching for where to blow it. Be careful of the friend you call into your situation. As it in love, so it is in every area of life. Look for trusted folks and confidants. Risk opening up on some of those naught areas so that you can be helped.

 

At this point, I drop my pen. Rivers of thought swallow me not. I’m learning to drown myself in gratitude at whatever life brings my way. I might not be fully comprehended, but I surrender my confusion to God. I’m always high on humility, for I know enough to know that I know nothing. I’m grateful to everyone who loved me, who knew me or didn’t know me. This life is a sea of mysteries, every day reveals my ignorance. I cannot unlive my past; repentance is all I can give. I don’t know what the future holds, the glory and the pain. Guide me, O my great Redeemer and teach me to trust and obey.