Inspirational Story: How My Story Changed in 9 Months

At some point in my early twenties, I had what you can call the Nigerian dream. I graduated from the University at the age of 19, and by 23, had two degrees, a good job, and was married. I had achieved pretty much everything I wanted at that age. I worked for a couple of months before getting married, and after marriage, resigned my job and relocated to another town. That was where the narrative changed. Getting a job in the new city was very difficult, and I ended up spending three years out of work. So far, I’d say this was the most challenging period of my life. To be unemployed and financially dependent was not a good place to be. I had bouts of depressive moods, anger at myself, the country, and pretty much anyone or anything that reminded me of my situation. Earlier this year, I became really fed up with my situation. I wanted a job, money, and I wanted to feel young and independent again. So, I decided to take full charge of my life, stop giving excuses, and rise above the obstacles. I figuratively folded my sleeves and got to work. I narrowed down my employment prospects, and what I needed to do, or who I needed to contact, to get in. I knew I needed a backup plan incase this didn’t work, so I looked into starting my own business. I had never been interested in entrepreneurship, but I explored the option all the same. As it turned out, that was the route that gave me the breakthrough that I needed. To start, I made of list of my degrees, courses I learnt in university, as well as skills I’d acquired over the years. I also made of list of my hobbies, and work ideas that I was interested in. I then began matching my skills and education, with the job prospects. This exercise was important because, as much as I needed a job and money, I also didn’t want to be stuck in something I hated, or worse, something I wasn’t good at. All this happened in April, 2014. By December, not only was I running my own business from home, I’d acquired enough clients to keep me busy and make my business profitable. I could even turn down new clients because of a full schedule. As for money, I was finally able to splurge and save. It was quite a relief. The most important part of this journey, for me, was rewriting my own story. I knew if I wanted to go back to who I used to be, then I needed to make the necessary changes. I’ve seen a lot of people in the same situation, but instead of rolling up their sleeves, they unfortunately get sucked into the negative cycle of playing victim and cursing their luck. I am happy with myself, and with how far I have come in such a short time. If you are in a similar situation, I hope this inspires you to take charge and make a change to your life.  It is never too late. Start with whatever you have, and keep forging ahead. You can do it!   About the author: Amina Salau is a writer and editor running The Illuminated Pen. You can find her online at www.theilluminatedpen.com and on Twitter (@_Aminah)

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This article was first published on 29th December 2014

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