6am

My alarm went up blazing, I had stayed up late the previous day to engage in discussing the previous year’s activities, how our goals went, the ones we could not achieve, and why, it truly was a long engaging session with my best friend, we discussed further the future of Nigeria and why 2023, may make a difference if we decide to exercise our voting rights and do it properly. Amidst the bants of the night, she reminded me of my plans years ago to contest for a political position, i had a deep sigh and after the call, took time to think about what changed, could it be political apathy, fear of the unknown or the unpleasant tales of riding in the murky waters have restrained me from pursuing my ambition? My eyes fixed on the white blank sheet, only to turn around and see that it was 3 am in the morning, I remembered two lessons I had learned which are “Evil thrives when good (competent) people remain silent”. “You want to do great work, remember to get enough sleep”.

So, you must now know how I felt when the alarm ranged loud, it was day 1 of trying to imitate the power of the 5 am club and quickly practice the 20/20/20 rule before heading to work. I struggled to wake up knowing fully well that the first battle to win is STARTING. When I started writing, my struggles started from the PLACE OF ACCEPTANCE. A friend while giving his review about his perception of what I need to work on years back, said, I should stop living for people’s validation as I dwell much in the fantasy of things being beautiful before I start, and yes, he was right. We are afraid of how we will look in the face of people who we think love us, respect us, mock us, gossip about us or will have something to say, in such cases as starting out in the gym, beginning a diet journey, a no-alcohol journey, a writing journey e.t.c. Acceptance is one of the reasons why we never start.
It is Mid-January today, and I am excited about the possibility of staying consistent with my dreams. While I have started a lot of times before now and failed in my different pursuits, the strength that comes with starting my day at 6 am dedicating 20 minutes each or more on some days to praying/meditation, exercising, and planning has been rewarding. I decided I would hold myself accountable by writing about how magical I have found this practice to be, and it is truly transformational. You could download the 5 am club app on your phone, and the meditation app, and begin your journey as well. “Own your morning, elevate your life”.

In 2022, I was able to achieve 70% of my goals because I spoke about it a lot, to everyone who cared to listen, and to my friends who hold me accountable to different parts of my life, and this greatly influenced my growth process. We have all written our goals for the year, the question will be how realistic are they? have you relayed them to your spouse, partner, close friends, loved ones, accountability partner/group? Please do, we cannot do great things in silos or break away from addictions, and bad habits or stop certain activities. For example, i am on a break/ stopped indulging in certain things, and quite a number of them will always be present around me, so i decided to speak up about it, so i am held accountable to my decisions and get the necessary support to follow them. Men define the possibilities in our lives, let us continue to pray for great men to support our dreams.

My fears were a little stronger than my faith, and this has limited me in time past., in 2022, my friend asked me why I was scared, and what am I scared of. Early this year, she randomly texted me to ask the same question… while I am aware of how dangerous this is and continually put faith in God and in my work, i want to also admonish you, that fear kills dreams. I mean, the risk that evil people take is daring, how much more do you, who perceive to a large extent emit goodness? Exchange your fears for good works.

I can tell you, “Pressure sometimes is a privilege”, to start again, to re-think, to evaluate, and to better position yourself to achieve your dreams. The pressure that comes with the new year is beautiful, a fresh opportunity to restart, to find your best self, to commit again to that dream, to subtract and remove the clumsy goals and simplify them, and to do great things again.

Change is hard at the beginning and if you are feeling likewise, know you are not alone. My experience lately has not been short of this, but it is rewarding to know that winning is in the beginning because when you win in the end, you get celebrated, but you would have been celebrating yourself from the beginning as those are the true transformation period.

In 2023, like I will keep saying, forgive yourself more, embrace gratitude and do the good work your heart yearns for.

You notice that there is an emphasis on friends, as much as I have a private life, I have invested in friends and they are by far life’s best gifts, in rainy days, I hope that we can keep supporting each other. The Mountain is YOU, conquer it.

Happy new year folks. Thank you for subscribing and also sharing. Will like to read from you your experiences, share what you will like me to write about, and encourage me to keep writing beautifully.

Its 6am again, START LIVING THE DREAMS.

Your fav Writer,

Olajide