MY JOURNEY THROUGH 2020
By: Omobude Faith Osarumwense
Tags: Success, Pandemic, Vision, Violence, Resolutions

A stepping stone for the coming year

It is December 17th, a few days to the coming year. I am so exhilarated. Where do I start?. This year, a lot of events have happened, both negatively and positively. Now let us talk about the global pandemic.

Covid-19 Pandemic

Well, I just got admitted, completed my clearance procedures. I was ready to start up my new journey. I checked the school calendar, lo, and behold, I found out there was going to be a 6-weeks break due to the Edo 2020 sports festival wh uniben is the venue. School closed on February 20th, and a few days later, I had to travel back home. Glad to see my family again. I missed my mum’s cooking. Laugh all you want, you got to admit it, no place like home. I never stopped reading, I followed up with my smart colleagues, and we did some tests at the end of the week to see how far we’ve gone and known if there were room for improvement.

Four weeks went by, the pandemic started. Everyone was in panic mode. I was so scared of everything that was going on during that period. My elder sister came home, and you can imagine the kind of joy I felt. At least there were vibes in the house, and I was glad that the whole family was together. Schools, Marketplaces, Banks, Churches, mosques, you name it was all locked down, I was always glued to my Tv screen watching the news update. Something I would have never done.. laughs. But to be honest, I was not happy to see people all around dying due to the virus. God help us all. But a few months later, precautions were taken so people can get provisions for their families. I can remember, anytime my mom goes to the market, once she gets back, we always stay back so that we do not contract the virus. Anyone who coughs, we just assume he/she has the virus.. laughs.

We were all in fear, fear of the unknown. But still, we never lost hope. It is a testimony that everything is back to normal in Nigeria. Everyone said it was never in Nigeria, to begin with. Well, it does not matter anyway still we need to be careful and cautious. Schools, Marketplaces, Banks, to mention but a few are finally opened. We thank God for that.

Asuu Strike

This is one of the major problems we face in our educational sector. As a student, I can testify that this has affected me. During the pandemic, the strike commenced. And all hope of the union calling it off has been to no avail. I must say, I am in full support of the strike. The government has been so selfish and unfair. Although it has affected our academics, I’ve learned to understand the lecturers’ perspectives, and to date, it’s still on-going. I hope all this doesn’t go in vain. While the Asuu strike was still on-going, a great event occurred. This leads us to the END SARS PROTEST.

End Sars Protest

The protest was to be a peaceful gathering so the government can take action and look into the SARS and call to rectify the bad authority of these officials. These so-called officials have been seen to be doing some illegal conduct like extorting money from our youths and killing of our youths for no reason. And still, the government did nothing about it. While the protest was on-going at Lekki toll-gate at Lagos, several deaths were recorded, and a lot of injured victims. The media denied these even if they were video evidence. What a country I dwell in. Well, for peace to reign, the protest was called off. I must say, the year 2020 has been a year to watch. But in all of this, I have learned a lot, and I thank God for it all.

MY 2020 GIFT.

Well, this has to be my favorite part of this story, and you wanna know why? Chill, don’t be too hasty, let us talk about how it all started…

I was in my room going through my phone on a social media platform, I found a video that interested me, and while watching, an ad popped in. It was an ad on digital skills. It got me thinking, and I decided to give it a try. I found my path in digital marketing and content/copywriting. I spoke to my friend about it and to think, he once told me about it, but at that point, I never understood what he meant. And when I finally did, he helped me and showed me platforms to help me with them, and something great happened, a program called Coding4Employment by AfDB in partnership with MIT happened to show up. I registered, and all the way, it has been pretty amazing. I met great people and learned from them.

Still, on my journey, I have seen a brighter future. I met two mentors, and they have impacted me and developed my level of thinking. I have to keep the pace going. Age is just a number, and you are never too young to succeed. I have met people with great potentials and great dreams. I pray we all succeed… now that the year is almost gone, the year 2021 is gonna be a great year, and I believe.

YOUR 2021 RESOLUTION

The new year is forthcoming, and what are your plans/goals?. Do you plan on setting 2021 goals for yourself?

If you are like many people around the world, the answer is probably yes.

Whether you want to call it a New year resolution or a goal, having goals for yourself can be a great thing. And, the new year is the perfect time to think about what you want your future to be like.

Setting goals for the new year is a long-standing tradition.

However, only about 8% of people achieve their New year goals each year. And only 75% of those who are setting 2021 resolutions will follow through with them after the first week of the year.

It sounds crazy to know that 25% of people will stop working towards their resolutions after just the first week! And by June, more than half of the people who set 2021 resolutions will have forgotten about them.

So, why do so many people fail to reach their goals each new year?

There are many reasons why goals are not met, and a lot of it has to do with how you set your goals.

Is your goal specific enough?

Is your goal achievable?

Is your goal realistic?

These factors can have a huge impact on whether or not you can reach your goals.

Goals are important in life because they can help you grow, give you motivation, learn new skills, improve yourself, and more.

I believe in what I can do, and I will make my 2021 resolution. And be among the 8% who set out to achieve their goals. What about you?