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Dare to Dream

2020, Dare to Dream, Her Version of Events, life lessons,

Ore’s Reasons To Stay Alive

March 20, 2020 / By 

I recently read ‘Reasons To Stay Alive’ by Matt Haig and it got me thinking about all the reasons I have to stay alive and I decided to write them all down. Please be gentle with me and do leave a reason or two of yours in the comments. 

Things I Want To Keep Experiencing 

  1. Live worship sessions: From singing off-key during my private worship sessions, to singing with my friends and gathering to singing at church events, I always love and look forward to every worship experience.  
  2. Time with my family: Listening to my brother and sister’s endless banter on who is finer, my dad constantly reminding me I am the shortest child and my mum laughing in the background echoing that all her children are beautifully made. I live for these moments, the reassurance of love I feel in them and the knowing that I have a tribe of people looking out for me. 
  3. Conversations with my Uncle: Here is the weird thing, my almost 60-year-old uncle is one of my best friends. I appreciate our safe space, where we can talk about everything from work to self-created boy drama. He listens, gives his opinion and I always walk away with a course of action. 
  4. Written Word: From novels, poetry and essays to hand written letters P.S. I don’t receive enough hand written letters. Please feel free to send me one.
  5. Dairy-Free Ice Cream/Products: I love ice cream but it always upsets my stomach. Dairy-free ice cream provides me the opportunity to indulge with reckless abandon. 
  6. Sun rise and sun set: I know it is cliché but I love how beautiful the sky looks and the routine of the sun’s rising and setting, two constants regardless of whatever is going right or wrong. 
  7. Walking: I love walking and listening to loud music or having a conversation with anyone that I have successfully dragged on a walk with me. 
  8. Conversations with my friends: I am grateful for the important connections I have made over the course of my life and the safe spaces created from these connections; spaces where I can be myself, share my dark humour and sometimes, find answers to my questions about life. 
  9. Total Woman Conference: My friend and I run a ministry for women. We have a yearly conference and, year on year, it is always the most beautiful experience with the Lord and the ladies who attend. Definitely one of my highest points every year. 

Things I am Yet to Experience 

  1. Falling in love: I know, I should have experienced this by now but, it is what it is. That said, I don’t believe I have ever taken the plunge and let myself go in the knowing of another person and getting known by them in return. 
  2. Traveling: I have this dream that I will wake up one day and buy myself a round trip ticket, hop on a plane and experience food from diverse cultures all over the globe 
  3. Read my bible cover to cover. 
  4. My first book signing event. 
  5. TamTam, Kunte, Kiite, Forekems’ (my cousins) graduation from university and just the opportunity of watching them grow and find their place in life. 
  6. Graduate from a PhD program. 
  7. Share my faith; talk to someone about why I believe in God, His love and truth in bible. 

This list is really important to me because I spent most of my 20s feeling very hopeless; questioning why I was here in the first place. Many, many months were dark and it has been a journey of walking through scriptures and filling my life with a lot of love. 

It feels really good to be able to dream again, to have hope and even have a list of reasons I need to be here and things I’m looking forward to to share.

My biggest take away is that there is always light, some of us just have to search a little harder for it. 

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Dare to Dream, The Interview Series,

The Interview Series:Moriyike Mejabi

May 22, 2017 / By 

What is your name?
Moriyike Mejabi
What do you currently do as a job?
Information Technologist
As a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
Hmm.. That’s a tough one- a journalist, then a designer, anything with travelling!
Did primary school and secondary school shape your ideas about your dream job?
Not really- I didn’t think about it as much- until I had to fill my JAMB form (to get into the University). SMH.
At what point in time did you change your mind about that dream job?
When I filled my JAMB form.
Why did you study what you studied in university? If you have a do over will you study the same course?
I consulted a bit with some successful adults at the time- and just looked at the possibilities- felt Computer Science would be a great fit. If I could have a do over- I now think this field is actually great for me, but I would explore Psychology as well.

How did the ‘’reality of adulthood’’ affect your dreams?
I realized that it’s all about those skills! And you’ve got to put in the work/ effort- even if it’s in practicing the guitar or brushing up on that programming language.

Do you believe your dreams are still within your reach?
YES! I absolutely do. …Because I can do all this… through Christ 🙂

Are you fulfilled with your life? If “Yes”, how? If “No” why?
Hmmm… another tough one. I’ll say yes, I’m content, but I know there’s sooooo much more– In that sense I’m not content! I’m not fulfilled! I want to experience MORE!

What are your hobbies? And does your current line of work give you time for them?
I love to watch movies, and I enjoy music as well, and I like to make things look pretty.
Well yes, when I get back home from work, I can grab some good food and watch a great movie. I can also listen to music even while at work. The best part is that some of the work I do helps me use my creativity as well!
Do you have any regrets? If “Yes”, what are they?
Yes. I should’ve made better use of my spare time in Uni. I also should get better at exploring and sharing my natural gifts and talents.
Will you look back in the next ten years and be happy with how your decisions today have shaped your future?
Yes I would- I’d look back and laugh at some of my silly decisions- but all in all, I will be content.
Do you have any fears for the future? If “Yes”, what are they?
Yes. I worry a lot about the specifics of my future. I know it’ll be wonderful- but the details of how that wonder would come to reality- my future family, geography, career- those are uncertain. That uncertainty is what fuels whatever fears I have about the future, but I know it’ll be spectacular… I just need to rest in that truth.

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Dare to Dream, The Interview Series,

The Interview Series:Oluwatobi Bamgboye

May 22, 2017 / By 

What do you currently do as a job?
I am a pastor, a Christian Minister. I am also an entrepreneur, I basically run a vegetable farm and an Agro-business.
As a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
Among other things, I wanted to be a Pastor. I also wanted to be a doctor, or something in the medical line.
Did primary school and secondary school shape your ideas about your dream job?
I think that certain school experiences distracted me and shaped into me what I thought was supposed to be my dream job. I felt I needed to prove a point that I was intelligent. So, against deep personal convictions in SSS 1, I held on to my dream of becoming a doctor which at this point was no longer deeply rooted. The students considered more intelligent in my class were grouped into the science class. I was one of them and following my convictions would have seemed like making a statement that I wasn’t up to the task of coping in the science class.
At what point in time did you change your mind about that dream job?
After my one year pre – degree session, it was clear to me that becoming a doctor wasn’t the path I should follow, it wasn’t my strength but I still continued with one of its neighbors. It wasn’t until my 2nd year in University, that I accepted what my true passion and dream was. I didn’t exactly change my mind, I would say I accepted the already lingering but misunderstood  and overlooked dream.
Why did you study what you studied in university? If you have a do over will you study the same course?
I certainly would not. I still remember arguments I had within me in SSS1 when I  knew deeply that I shouldn’t be in the science class, that it wasn’t my natural expression but convinced myself otherwise to keep up with the Jones’s.
I studied chemistry because of all the options I had in the science department, microbiology and chemistry were the only two courses I felt I could manage, without feeling frustrated. At the end of my pre-degree, I felt I had too much vested in science already, I just picked the “neighbors” of medicine I could manage with.
How did the ‘’reality of adulthood’’ affect your dreams?
It made me see how foolish it was to have accepted a societal convention to live a life inconsistent with my inner essence. I had a total overhaul, though I couldn’t pull out of school to study another course, I had the chance to prepare for my real life while still studying a course I couldn’t wait to finish.
Do you believe your dreams are still within your reach?
They certainly are. They are really big but they are achievable.
Are you fulfilled with your life? If “Yes”, how? If “No” why?
I am not entirely fulfilled, I see fulfillment as a continuing journey of growth. I don’t believe I am there yet, however, I believe I am well on my way to fulfillment as I experience little jolts of fulfillment when I do things consistent with my dreams.
What are your hobbies? And does your current line of work give you time for them?
In no particular order, thinking, teaching, reading, speaking, writing, doing music, and coordinating.
My role as a pastor gives me not just the time but the platform to teach, speak, write and coordinate. Teaching feels like the most fulfilling thing I do. I literally can do this all day.
I still get the chance to do some church music although not as often as I used to. I still compose songs.
Business brings out the strategist, the coordinator and fast thinker in me, the challenges and the targets all serve to give a sort of fulfillment that a routine job can’t give me. I must admit though that starting out has been more engaging than I imagined and it has threatened to take up every available time but that is just a phase and things are gradually balancing out as we set up better running structures.
Do you have any regrets? If “Yes”, what are they?
I did but I have outgrown my regrets. Though it seems I started early. I regretted that I knew better than I acted in the past and should have aligned with who I truly was much earlier than I did. My take on my regrets is that “the earliest time I have to Make a change is NOW.”
Will you look back in the next ten years and be happy with how your decisions today have shaped your future?
I hope so. I believe without apologies that even though I have doubts, if I keep following God, my future is certain. Some of the things I’m now grateful for and comfortable with were things I feared to dare in the past, they were decisions plagued with many doubts. However, I figure that today was yesterday’s future and if today, I’m glad I dared to stay true despite uncertainties in the immediate past, I can be confident that this history might repeat itself.
Do you have any fears for the future? If “Yes”, what are they?

Yes I do. Fears that I may have been wrong, fears that things may not work out as planned. Upon arriving at the present, I realized that my past fears didn’t live up to their threats, so,  I’m learning to live with the fears till my results prove them wrong.

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Dare to Dream, The Interview Series,

The Interview Series: Ellen Ngohide Ukpi

April 22, 2017 / By 

What do you currently do as a job?
Currently a freelancer for social media services/ Media Strategist at TMB
As a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
LOL I wanted to be so many things I lost count! I was smart so I thought medicine will be the way, then I could speak and didn’t mind reading so I thought Law was the way, I was good at literature and my lecturer thought I will make a fine journalist. At some point I wanted to study glass technology. Truth is I have never had one lasting passion
Did primary school and secondary school shape your ideas about your dream job?
Hmmm in a way they did, I mean I was taught if I get good grades I will get juicy jobs and if I work at it I will grow through the ranks and live happily ever after. It also made some professions look much better than others making some professions the most clamoured after. So it shaped what a dream job was supposed to be, prestigious, recognized with a lot of money
At what point in time did you change your mind about that dream job?
I went into Uni to study a course I wasn’t particular knowledgeable about. I picked the course cause 1. The name sounded different and 2. I heard I didn’t have to do maths. Looking back now I realize I should have had some proper counselling before taking this course. Safe to assume I went through 4 years studying what I wasn’t excited about.
Why did you study what you studied in university? If you have a do over will you study the same course?
I already explained why I studied what I did. If I have a do over no I would not study the same thing I studied.
How did the ‘’reality of adulthood’’ affect your dreams?
Mennnnnn It was brutal! Lol this life isn’t a joke! It doesn’t play by any rules really. Its like you go in and figure it out as you go and this works differently for different people. I mean I still dream I never lost that ability but my dreams change now and then and am fine with that
Do you believe your dreams are still within your reach?
Yes totally I do. Except the one where I played international basketball lol that one is gone. Anyway I wanted it for fame and money so yeah was never going to work I guess
Are you fulfilled with your life? If “Yes”, how? If “No” why?
Yes I am, am happy with the person I am, the progress in my growth and the person I look forward to being. I don’t stop living in wonder of my abilities and me. Its amazing the different things we can do if only we try. So my how is trying; I don’t stop trying and am open to different opportunities
What are your hobbies? And does your current line of work give you time for them?
My hobbies are listening to music, reading and watching movies and I make time to do all these! Lol even in the midst of work when a girl has to listen to her jam she goes right ahead! I read to sleep or watch a movie (Bad habit) but yes I have time for my hobbies. I love to explore and travel and I still do that every now and then not as often because it costs money but not yet because I don’t have the time
Do you have any regrets? If “Yes”, what are they?
Nope regret is such a strong word. Every bad experience has taught me something positive so I love my mistakes flaws and all
Will you look back in the next ten years and be happy with how your decisions today have shaped your future?
Am hoping I will be. But if am not I will remember how happy I am currently and that should be enough

Do you have any fears for the future? If “Yes”, what are they?
Fears… another strong word but I fear ‘mediocre’ looking back and seeing that I performed below my abilities all my life ouch! That will hurt major! Especially if being mediocre means I remain broke! Ahhh we cant be broke forever!

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Dare to Dream, The Interview Series,

The Interview Series: Okosun Anthony

April 22, 2017 / By 

What do you currently do as a job?
Technical Sales Lead {however my true scope of work covers everything from accounting to procurement, admin, logistics etc.}
As a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
Scientist with my white lab coat, mixing chemicals in beakers and conical flasks. {Dexter inspired}. Subsequently I became obsessed with Petroleum Engineering and its exploration.
Did primary school and secondary school shape your ideas about your dream job?
Not so much. Books from my father library shaped my idea about a dream job, it is still surprising why lawyer dad had petroleum books.
At what point in time did you change your mind about that dream job?
Last year in Secondary School. Had a talk with my dad and he pointing out the over specialization of a first degree in Petroleum engineering, so I decided on chemical engineering and I walked into a new world. {Dexter meets real life=chemical engineering}
Why did you study what you studied in university? If you have a do over will you study the same course?
Chemical Engineering offered my multiple doors to various industries without being out rightly specialized. I would study it again. I would like to skip the first 2 years.
How did the ‘’reality of adulthood’’ affect your dreams?
All isn’t as it seems in books and the mind of a child, my dreams have evolved with experiences and with the wisdom of adulthood.
Are you fulfilled with your life? If “Yes”, how? If “No” why?
Yes and No. It is a journey and I am where I need to be per time. But I don’t wish to be stuck in one stage of the journey so I press on wards to the next stage of the process daily.
What are your hobbies? And does your current line of work give you time for them?
Drawing, programming, baking and cooking. No my current line of work doesn’t give me much time to fully explore them.
Do you have any regrets? If “Yes”, what are they?
Yes I do. Not taking my first 2 years of university seriously.
Will you look back in the next ten years and be happy with how your decisions today have shaped your future?
Yes I expect so. Because I make the decisions of today with midterm and long term goals in mind.
Do you have any fears for the future? If “Yes”, what are they?

Stuck in a great rewarding job that robs me of family time.

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