Life Update| January 2020

I don’t even know where to begin!!! I started the new year on a high. I had my whole family with me and though I had lost my voice, I was happy. Gradually, everyone started returning to their normal lives and reality set in. Back to work week was hell and when I say hell, I mean HELL. I was busy on my first day back because I had to prepare for planning week which was the following week. I’m happy to say that the planning week went well even though there were a few last-minute decision making and approvals. 

In January, I hit a creative block. Well, this started in December but I thought I fixed it. I really wanted to write more in January than I did in December but I didn’t meet my target of twelve posts because I only wrote nine. On the flip side, I was contacted by the Marketing Coordinator of Future Females, a movement that connects inspires and supports existing and aspiring female entrepreneurs across the world. She wanted to know if she could share my post about 9 Tips To Help You Manage Your Finances Better on their website. This simple email gave me more motivation that my content is valid and that my goal of inspiring the world is coming to fruition. I gave her approval and here’s a direct link to the post(click-me).

I started working out again in the third week in January. Yes, I stretched my return that far lol. As usual, the first week was a struggle and I’ve been working hard to meet up to my previous strength and stamina level since then. For now, I’m only doing my early morning workout routines because I’m still trying to find a way to incorporate my evening walks to my forever busy schedule.

So far, I’ve only read 1.5 books this year. I was meant to read these four books this month but I have only read The Introvert’s Edge and I’m halfway into Talent Is Overrated. I think The Introvert’s Edge is a book every introvert or someone who doesn’t like speaking in front of a lot of people but has to should read. The tips are useful even if you aren’t a salesperson. Geof Colvin thinks talent is overrated and he has a good reason to believe so because most of the famous world-class performers we know today, applied deliberate practice to master their craft to be where they are today. It’s been interesting learning how people like Tiger Woods, Chris Rock, Jack Welch, etc. worked hard to get where they are now.

A lot of things happened in January that made my high get low real quick. The Ukrainian plane that got shut down and led to the loss of 170 people, the coronavirus that is killing people in China every day, the fires in Lagos Island market, birth tourism visa regulation rule change in the United States(there goes my future American baby☹️), but the one that trumps it all is the sudden loss of Kobe Bryant, his daughter and everyone else on board that helicopter. We lost a legend and the news of his death shook the entire world. Kobe Bryant was not just an NBA star, he was a husband, father, mentor, coach, businessman and philanthropist. I can’t even begin to imagine how his family are coping after losing two people at the same time. I pray God gives them all the strength they need during this difficult time. His death made us remember how short life is and how much we take leaving the house and getting back home for granted.

Amidst the gloom, I was intentional about my me-time this month. I’ve come to realize that if you are not intentional about making time for you, life just passes by. So I managed to make it to the beach which is one of my favourite places in the world and I also ate out a couple of times. I made two trips to the nail salon and I think I’ve caught the bug of painting my nails regularly. My current nail colour is purple and I like it a lot💜. I also tried something new to my hair, I was a bit apprehensive but the feedback has been great so far. Oh, and before I forget to mention, I finally got two new ear piercings(another thing crossed off my bucket list).

February is here and it’s already moving whether we like it or not. It is a season of love and I hope it brings joy and laughter as opposed to the gloom of January.

Happy new month, I hope this month brings you closer to your goals.

Stay happy.

Mariam Shittu