#BN2022Epilogues: For Oluwadamilola Fisayo, 2022 Had Many Chapters of Beautiful and Challenging Moments

Year ‘22 in itself.

The conditions that come with living life are one too many. It seems as though it’s almost impossible to live or let live but life in itself has conditions. I faced these conditions and took some measures to survive 2022 one step at a time.  

2022 was filled with chapters of beautiful and challenging moments. It was a rollercoaster and I can’t ascertain which outweighed the other because it was like a rollercoaster. The excitement at the very beginning, the fear during the process and then the fulfilment at the end. That was the sum of my year in total. 

The beginning: excitement. It was just like yesterday I stepped into a new year with so much enthusiasm. I had expectations, resolutions and goals for the new year. There was optimism in the air and I enjoyed living with it. I was so convinced 2022 would be a great year. To be fair, the beginning was beautiful. I got a well-paid job without having to struggle. I started my youth service and met the most amazing people. I was able to build mutual platonic relationships irrespective of any kind of differences. I clocked 21 – a growing adult who hadn’t come to terms with that fact. Fortunately, I smelled the coffee before the next ring of an alarm. The lesson attached to this phase is that denying reality would only hit you in the face. At least, I can say so for myself. I’m glad I was able to admit facts in time, as that helped put me in perspective for better responsibilities. 

The process: fear. With so many expectations and goals on the table, I knew I had to put in the work to achieve great results. Did I achieve all? Partially. I was taking baby steps to accomplish the goals for the year. 

• I started reading more often
• I committed everything to God, no matter how little.
• I kept a learning streak in the subject areas I wanted to achieve. It helped with consistency. 
• I made my journal a friend. It helped with curating thoughts and ideas and to maintain sanity.  
• I recognised that no one who does it alone goes far, so I became open to the idea of team spirit. 
• I made idleness an enemy. Even while seeing movies, I ensured I picked something beneficial that I could apply to my career in the long run. 

While working on becoming a better version of myself, a major incident occurred and I felt like escaping from all of the troubles but I didn’t know how. I was getting different thoughts and they were unhealthy for me. I knew I couldn’t put much pressure on myself as that incident already took a huge toll on me so I took a long pause on achieving but rather reflecting. I wanted the storm to be over. I was living my daily life still grinning from ear to ear not necessarily letting people into my business. Well, only a few who I deemed fit could help me feel better at the time. I leaned closer to God because only he had the answers to the challenge. Through him, I was able to overcome the storm (faith speaking) and regain focus on attaining my goals for the year. I reflected and achieved. A blessing in disguise. 

The end: fulfilment. In my case, I know attaching fulfilment to an end is ironic because it always births new interests and they are never overwhelming. Fulfilment at different stages has helped me set smarter goals. It’s a feeling I never want to end, this is why it’s my drive and reward. I haven’t been able to attain a few of my goals and I know it’s not too late to tick check in my journal. A smart woman in my life often says, ‘It’s not over until it’s over.’ There’s still a chance for me to achieve a lot and till the clock ticks 12:00 on the 31st, I remain breathing an air filled with optimism.