Two days ago, I was editing my 2023 recap video and I remember saying to myself “Hm, Kome, you lived a little”.
For two years in a row, I wanted to join the famous yearly trend of “and with that, the twenty-twenty-something season has come to an end” but it’s either I never had enough clips of that particular year or it was a boring year; and now that I think of it, it’s the latter.
2023 was a year of many firsts for me — first time with a clear career path, first time setting yearly goals, and smashing? crushing? some of them, first time attending “tech” events, first time being intentional about friendships, first time being “okay” with my income, and so many more firsts, but you get the gist.
At the beginning of the year, I was unsure of what I wanted my expectations for the year to be. I mean, I had a few “God, please, let 2023 be good” and “let your will be done” but did I have milestones I wanted to reach? achievements I wanted to attain? did I have financial, spiritual, or physical goals I set to crush for 2023? Nope, not really.
Of course, that changed.
Toward the end of January 2023, I wrote down some, might I say, mundane things or “goals” for the year because I wasn’t entirely excited about anything. I was uncertain about what I wanted to do with my life.
But that was it for me, I realized it didn't have to be something major or big, it was the little, very little things that summed up to big things.
“If you can't do great things, do small things in a great way”
So I penned down what I wanted to do, no matter how little, and worked towards achieving them.
Self
I’ve always been content with myself. I love every part of me and no matter what my body goes through due to stress or bad eating habits, I’ll still love myself and my body regardless. However, I was always tired (and still am) and figured I wasn't prioritizing my self-care enough, so I changed that. I took naps whenever I needed to, I was intentional about putting aside whatever stressed me mentally and spent time doing things I enjoyed like watching movies, listening to podcasts, and reading books. I also looked forward to maintenance days because whenever I looked good, I felt good.
I’m never properly rested, but will I ever be? Anyway, I have found serenity in the little things I do to care for myself.
Career
Looking back, it’s surreal to see how far I’ve come. From being uncertain about what I wanted to do to having some clarity. I haven’t quite figured it out yet, but there is a direction and that’s the path I’m following. I started working in tech through my first position at Catlog as a merchant success specialist, a fancy name for customer support because my main goal was to make sure every merchant was successfully onboarded and support was given whenever they needed help.
I slowly picked up more tasks and I figured I could do more. My interest in marketing grew and I took a few courses on digital marketing and content marketing. I was (and still am) in awe of the beautiful and great work marketers put into selling and marketing a product. The vast options of career paths one could take up being a marketer, are incredible.
And so gradually, I transitioned to a marketing role. I’m still a newbie but I’m grateful for the opportunity to be working and putting into practice everything I have learned thus far.
Looking forward to 2024 and all the great things I’ll achieve on this career path.
Relationships
- Friendships
Do you know how certain people always post about finding their person on Twitter? This is me but for friendships and sisterhood. There’s a longing to find that “person” who’ll be my friend turned sister.
One big lesson I’m learning is that friendships are hard. This year had its challenges — I lost some friends but also made amazing ones.
I’m learning to be a great friend, to show up when needed, to be as present as I can, to be a reliable friend, and a shoulder to lean on. I’m grateful for the friends I have and as great as this year was for friendships, I look forward to more in 2024!
- Family
I’m the first-born daughter.
Lmao, can you paint a picture? I bet you can. On some days, I want to scream and run away.
Everyone reports to me! I’m always settling disputes, I’m expected to always have an opinion on things. I feel like I’m responsible for everyone. It’s exhausting.
Sometimes, I wish I had an older sibling.
This morning, my daddy prayed for me. You know how it feels when someone is entirely grateful for your existence? That was how it felt. It was such a heartfelt prayer and I felt really good.
Amidst the crazy, I’m grateful for being the daughter my parents are proud of and the big sister my sisters can call on at any time.
I pray I never stop being that person.
My highlights of 2023 might not be a lot but they made me happy and content so here goes:
- Learned how to drive!
- Read more books.
- Invested time in my skills for work and became a Meta Certified Digital Marketing Associate thanks to Ingressive for Good.
- Got a salary increase.
- Became a mini content creator at Catlog 🙈
- Completed NYSC.
- Achieved my saving goal.
This year, I learned, unlearned, and relearned so much about myself, the woman I’m becoming, the things I love, and those I cannot stand. I found myself liking things I would’ve never imagined, like catfish! lmao. I nurtured relationships with friends and family. I attended events, I partied, I cried, I laughed a lot, I met and lost amazing people, I loved and was loved. This year, I lived… a little and I’m glad I did.
So here’s to 2024 and all the experiences it’ll come with. I’m confident that I’ll live and enjoy life even more than I did in 2023.
Cheers to 2024 🥂
