2018: The Year We Finally Give Up!

Hey Tribe,

It’s 2018… but you already know that.

 So maybe you’re like me, and you told yourself that you would make 2018 YOUR year but then you (we) find yourself awake in the morning and realize that two weeks have gone, and you have no real goals, no movement, no change.

You (like me) may have read endless articles about ‘how to make 2018 the best year ever’ or even posts about other people’s goals, and thought yes, my time has come! 2018 we will ‘slay’ but that isn’t quite happening?

Welcome to the club. Get your self-acquainted with the rest of us.

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Now that we’re all done, can we FINALLY JUST GIVE UP?

Let’s refresh, shall we?

A lot of good did come out of last year and looking back at how I felt at the beginning of that year, and how I feel now, I can’t help but be thankful. It was a year of growth. In fact, this had a post of its own.

2017 gave us more Donald Trump, BAAD, Odunlade memes, an almost invisible president, the first ever Nigerian Bobsled team, among others. Now, I know that a lot of sadness resided in 2017, from Manchester to Vegas to Libya. I acknowledge that and respect it, and still remain thankful, not for, but in spite of all the evil that came.

I have mentally decided to leave some things behind this year, and honestly, I feel like putting this out in the universe would make me more accountable and enable me reach out to YOU.

This isn’t just for me, as the title suggests, but for all of us, every single one.

You.. yes,  Y O U!

 As you take out these few minutes to read this, please make a mental note to give up because… YOU damn well CAN!!!

2018 is literally here, and yes, let us be cliché, let us set goals for ourselves. Let us try.

If we fail, we know we tried. We allowed ourselves move to become better.

In 2018, we must actually give up!

We Will Give Up Self- Doubt

This we will do, with no hesitation because we can do anything we want to.

We will no longer feel insufficient. NOPE!

We will wing it, until we fly, and limitlessly so!

We will abolish undesirable words from others that make us distrust ourselves, because they are not God (and we thank God for that).

We will believe in our business ideas, and how awesome they are.

Then, guess what, we will actually actualize those plans.

We will get that job, be in that relationship, travel to that country, get that scholarship, write that book, get those hours of sleep.

We Will Give Up Disbelieving In Others.

So people messed up in 2015, 2016 and 2017! They made us cringe and crawl into little shells within ourselves.

They made us feel that people will never be enough, that they will always mess up.

They gave us mantras of doing it by ourselves alone.

Well, hello, 2018!

We will move to believe in people again because just as we have good within us, they do too!

We will rise to open up ourselves again to people and allow ourselves have all the fun and growth we deserve.

We will drop the negative and uplift the positive in people.

No matter what happens, we will never forget to believe in others, because sometimes we might be their only source of positivity. We might be a major source of throttle for them.

We might be the hope in their bleakness, and there are few gifts greater than this in life.

We Will Give Up Body Shaming.

We live in a very visual world that teaches us to look like the Kardashians and have the brains of Zuckerberg.

A world that gives us proportions that are ridiculous, even unnecessary, to start with.

Well, people, guess what?

We are dusting off our shoulders and whipping our ever so tightly woven 4C, Nigerian hair!

We are looking at the mirror and admiring our beautiful selves!

We are wearing that dress because we damn well look great in it.

We are telling the girl sitting next to us in the bus that she is really pretty, because we can and more importantly, because she is.

We will not allow people tell us that we CAN NOT because there exists not such a thing.

We will give up on Chasing Our Dreams

Yes, I said it.

We will no longer chase our dreams.

Why, you ask?

Well, because, chase is just a lazy word, my people.

I mean, you don’t catch everything you chase. I have countlessly chased cockroaches, only to have them enter some crevice, so uhh… No bueno.

We will not chase…

We will demolish that baby girl!

We will take her (or him or them) and hit the aforementioned with a 100 ton-stone attached to a crane till she comes down just how we like.

Or maybe..

We will pick her up gently, like an egg and incubate her till she is at term. We will take care of her, nurture her, just as we should.

She will come to fruition. She will bring forth joy

We will do anything appropriate, but chase, because chasing is just inadequate.

We Will Give Up Procrastination

Yes, I know, you said this in 2017, 2015, 2014 and in 1999. I did too.

You know what they say about failing… You actually try again, because what if you soar this time around?

What if? Just what if?

So between you and I, let us do a turn-around!

Let us take a pen and a paper (not a book right now, just a plain old piece of paper) and write three things we have always wanted to do, and procrastinated year in and out.

Do it Now! Don’t even procrastinate this one, please. I am begging you.

Oya please, just stand up from your bed, and pick that paper and pen.

No, your ‘Note App’ on your phone does not count right now, although it could serve as a back-up.

Remember, these are not all your dreams, just some of them. The ones that have remained dreams for way too long.

W R I T E   N O W.

1. Start up business with C and G in earnest.

2. Stop being a ‘Yes girl’. I genuinely need to learn to say ‘No’ when necessary.

3. Get a desireuba.com and actually be serious with this blog. It actually makes me happy.

Those are mine, so do yours, tenkiu!

Ah, refreshing, isn’t it?

Now, tuck that somewhere you know is safe or paste it on your wall!

Look at it every day, and start making minute, baby steps which I promise you will lead to gargantuan ones.

Now, these could be tweaked as hopes and dreams do change as we grow, but here, where you are right now, work with who you are.

So please, let us join hands virtually, sing kumbaya and stop the procrastination.

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Thank you for joining me, and I know we are here to support each other and thrive!!!

Cheers to FINALLY giving up in 2018, because we are giving in… to much better.

I will not bash New Year Resolutions because they give us hope that we can actually do better, and I am always here for that, guys!!

Are we together in this, my people?

What are you giving up in 2018?

Please let us know in the comments so we could join you and support you in your journey.

PS. Did you notice my slight change in title / quote graphics? Please, which format do you prefer, old or new?

VENI, VIDI, AMAVI.

Desire.

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