2014 Epilogues: Go After Your Dreams – Lowla’s Ruby

2014 has been a very interesting year. As it comes to an end, BellaNaija seeks to showcase a human interest segment, dedicated to looking back at the year. We’ve teamed up with a diverse group of individuals and asked them to share how their year has been. The brief was ‘a personal look back at the journey thus travelled. The idea is to use 2014 as a focal point. The honest and heartfelt piece should talk about your ups and downs / victories and failures – a general self assessment. It should be a raw piece which shows you as a person – the human angle is important.

Each of the participants has graciously sent us amazing pieces about themselves. As you read these pieces, and take stock of the year you’ve had, we encourage you to get inspiration from our 2014 Epilogues.

The 2014 Epilogues gemstones will be dropped at 2pm everyday till the end of the year!
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Looking back at the past 5 years of my life, the first thing I do is thank God. I thank Him for everything, the ups and down, successes and failures, good times and sad times. I say past 5 years because that’s when I really started living life the way I wanted to, and even at that, I feel I still have a lot to do as regards living the life I have envisioned for myself.

I grew up an only child for 24 years and that helped me have a sense of independence in life. I like doing things my way. I found it hard working for people or having people order me around or telling me what to do, but in the past 2 years I’ve been able to control that feeling knowing that life really doesn’t work that way.

I set up my company in December 2009, signed my first client in February 2010 and it’s pretty much been good/bad since then. Over the years I’ve managed artistes and handled PR for a number of people. I like to think of myself as really special and good at what I do because from the very beginning, I have never gone out of my way to approach people as regards working for them. I usually get calls/emails from those who want my services. Yea I’m a badass, LOL. But it hasn’t been easy, many clients think they know it all and literally try to do my job, so I ask them “why did you hire me if you know you can handle it? I can as well sit back, do nothing and just chop your money”.

2013 was what I like to call ‘The Year from Hell’; it sucked the life out of me. I was depressed beyond measure, I wasn’t happy with work and my relationship life was literally ZERO. Working out became the only thing that really made me happy. It was the year I clocked 30 and on my birthday my cousin came into my room to ask me a couple of questions about how intend to live my new year. It was the extra push I needed because I had been thinking a lot about my life that year but I was still not sure how I wanted to move on, maybe I was scared.

That was the year I got closer to God, I would wake up at 3am and have prayer sessions alone in my room. Start with my songs of praise and enter prayer warrior mode. For months I prayed and prayed, but nothing happened, I would cry to God and beg for a sign, beg him to show me the way as I was completely lost, but still nothing happened. I read my Bible inside out, prayed over everything I ate, even my bathing water. Yes it was that DEEP.

My dad always said to me, miracles don’t happen immediately and you never really notice when it comes. I remembered his words more that year and I never stopped believing that things would get better, I didn’t know how but I knew it would because Jesus really didn’t die for me to not have a sense of direction in life. I had been doing things for myself for so long, coming from a well to do family didn’t mean I had to just chop my fathers money and not make a living for myself. I am determined to continue doing things for myself and even be better than who I am now.

Just like everyone, I long for someone who’s got me, someone who understands me. About 6 years ago I started living life like I needed someone/something to make me happy in life. So this is saying if I’m single I need work to keep me happy and if I have a boyfriend and no job then I am still happy but if I don’t have the 2, AHHHHH then there is problem ooo. If I have the 2 then I’m the happiest person alive.

I say this and you read it but there are so many people who live life like this, dare I say we all do but we don’t look at it the way I have described it.

December 2013, I finally decided to get a day job and stop looking for what I wasn’t sure would come. For 5 years I had worked for myself, moved around when I wanted to, didn’t answer to nobody, slept and woke up when I wanted to, sat in all day because I worked from home. Now this was no longer working for me, I was getting really bored and my life didn’t have structure anymore so I decided I needed some form of routine and it was time to say goodbye to my special line “I’m never going to work in an office”.

In January 2014 I started applying for jobs, I decided to finally go after my presenting dream so either for a Radio or TV platform. I went for a few auditions and got the “We’ll call you soon” response. It felt like I was in a movie because I have never been denied that way before.

I finally saw something online, Ndani TV was hiring. Okay na, lets approach them. I applied for 2 positions, got called back for one, had an interview and finally got a “You have been Hired” email. YAYYYY!

I started working with Ndani TV in February 2014 as the Publicity/Social Media Manager and I also organize events put together by the company. It’s been a great 10 months working with Ndani.

Working for Ndani didn’t mean I would stop what I had always done; I had one off contracts with people who needed my services. It was easier that way plus I didn’t see myself working long term with most of the brands/people who approached me.In April 2014, I got a call from the RVMG team, I had been recommended by 3 people and they wanted me to manage/represent DJ Cuppy in Africa. HUH Hello, Yes! Thank you very much.

It is December 2014 and I’m doing the things I love. I have 2 jobs that don’t make life stressful but fun for me. Management/PR has always been a part of my life, I’m new to working with a production company but I am so much better than when I started in February. I’m still going after my presenting dream and there seems to be some new progress in that. WHOPTIDO!

Its not like I haven’t succeeded in life, its not like I didn’t have things going good for me. I did, but I wanted more, I wanted to do better, I wanted to move up in life and stop doing things the same way. I want to succeed, I will succeed. God has just started with me and aspa the boyfriend issue, well we go soon know as me myself never know yet.

2014 has been an amazing year for me, it is my life and it’s up to me to push myself, to make decisions and pray to God that they are the right ones. I learn from people, I listen and take advice from them but at the end of the day it is my life and it is my job to make it a happy one.

Never stop believing in yourself is my message to everyone, go after your dreams and never sell yourself short… Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year. God’s blessing now and always.

Love Lowla.

xXx

Photo Credit: Dreamstime | Yolanda Van Niekerk