“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it”. -Maya Angelou
Dear Younger Self,
For as long as I can remember, I have always lived by these words “do you”. To me “Do you” means being my authentic self no matter what I do for a living, where I am and who I am around. It means being true to myself at all times. There is so much liberty in just being yourself and having people accept you as you are, I promise you.
Sometimes, when I reflect on my life journey and some of the decisions I have made, I wish there was a reset, erase or undo button that would allow me a “redo or do over”, but then again, when I think about it, my journey is what makes me the awesome person I am today. I had to go through the fire to be refined, molded and shaped into the person I am today. I would not be Remilekun without my battle scares.
I grew up in an upper middle class family of 6 with good Christian values and morals. I lived in Nigeria up until the age of 8 when my family relocated to the US. We eventually moved back to Nigeria when I was 15 and right after I finished secondary school. I went back to the US for University and studied Accounting. I worked as an Accountant for a while, then opted to change careers 8yrs ago to become a Business Analyst and a small business owner. I met my husband and best friend during my University days (younger self…University is meant for higher learning, not for chasing boys or boys chasing you..lol). We got married and eventually relocated to Canada in 2005 and the rest, they say is history.
Below are 10 things I wish to share with my younger self……
- Being an adult is a scam: Do not be in a hurry to grow up. Enjoy the time of your youth, do not be too eager to want to grow up. “Adulting” as it is called today, brings with it a lot of responsibilities, stress and sometimes anxiety. Enjoy your youth for as long as you can.
- Your mother is not your enemy and healthy discipline can help shape your future: My mom was really strict growing up. At times I wondered if she was really my mom. I would have to do the same task our house helps were doing and she didn’t spare the rod either. It was not until I became an adult that I realized that she was actually preparing me for the WORLD. I now have a deep appreciation for my mom and all she taught me growing up, because left to my late dad, I would have been spoilt rotten. Mom gave me the rod and dad provided the ice cream after..Lol
- The grass is not always greener: Be content while still being driven. To be content, does not mean one should not be driven. You should still set goals and a road map to achieving those goals. Don’t look at your neighbour’s grass to judge yours, their grass might just be artificial.
- Run your own race and stay in your lane: It is important to run your own race at your own pace. Don’t look at what others have achieved or are achieving and judge yourself based on that. Face your lane and stay on course, eventually you will get to the finish line, just stay focused.
- Never stop learning or improving your knowledge: You are your biggest asset and knowledge is power. Always look for ways to improve yourself through education & life experiences. Never allow your mind to stay stagnant.
- Mistakes are good…sometimes: Learn from your mistakes and grow from them. Never allow yourself to make the same mistake twice.
- When life throws you lemons, make lemonade: We all know that lemons are sour, but if you add a little sugar it becomes lemonade. Always look for the positive side of a negative situation. Look for the silver lining, sometimes it’s hard to find, but trust me, it is there. Negative situations sometimes need to occur for something positive to happen. My outlook on life is to always find the silver lining in any negative situation I find myself in.
- Self love: Get to know yourself, enjoy your own company and love yourself. Be your biggest cheerleader and number one fan. Pat yourself on the back often and praise yourself out loud. Don’t be too hard on yourself, embrace your imperfections and laugh at yourself so no one can laugh at you.
- Never dim your shine or light: Be all you can be and never dim your light to make people comfort. Let your light shine bright wherever you are. Do not compromise your happiness and well-being for those who don’t appreciate your light. Surround yourself with positive people and be a blessing to those around you.
- God first: Put God first in all that you do. Endeavour to have a one on one relationship with God. I turn to Him in my time of need and He has never failed. Lean on God and you will not be disappointed. This is one of my favourite scriptures in the Bible “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint”.
Isaiah 40:31 KJV
Finally to my younger self, life is like roller-coaster ride, it’s scary, fun, exciting, it can be full of twist and turns, just make sure you have your seat belt on so you don’t fall off and you will be alright.
Bonus nugget….dear younger self, when puberty comes calling and you get your period, if your mom tells you that you will get pregnant if a boy touches you, looks at you or stands next to you…do not believe it, it is a lie
