Lagos, Leisure and Lessons

Happy new year again guys!

It’s been an amazing holiday so far, just relaxing and taking a break from it all, physically, socially and mentally.

I spent the last couple of weeks in Lagos (the city where madness prevails, the city that sleeps not and the city where 100k Naira can go just like that) bonding with family and friends but mostly refreshing my mind and body in…solitude for lack of a better word. I literally cannot remember the last time I did that…did nothing; did nothing and was not pressured by any external factors; did nothing and was proud of myself for doing nothing.

• 

• 

• 

I cleansed my mind and was quite empty for a while which felt really good. People did attempt to call me and lure me into their absolutely unnecessary urgencies but I swatted them away like flies…mentally of course and it felt really good. I’ll be doing a lot of swatting away in 2019 to protect my mental space.

One cannot underestimate the importance of rest for the mind and the body. The mind is so used to doing something at every point in time that you may find your mind fighting you when you try to get some rest and do nothing. It’s like it tells you “You’re not doing anything! You have to be doing something!” Then you lazily scramble around looking for something seemingly productive to do so you don’t feel like a soggy donut.

Anyway I fought my mind back and came out victorious…and slept like a dog for most of the weeks. Sleeping is one of my favourite things really, I remember when I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life some years ago (not that I fully do now anyway) and did some research to find out whether there were any organisations or companies that employed people to sleep and then maybe they tested the relationship between sleep and some hormones in the human body but the job description would entail sleeping and then getting paid in thousands of dollars at the end of the month or so…I digress.

I also watched a lot of movies I have watched before. I love old movies where I already know what’s going to happen in the end. I did however step out of my comfort zone and go see Aquaman (which is a must see in my opinion) and loved every bit of it. I also proudly and without any shame whatsoever, ate to my satisfaction and probably now weigh a million kg, but hey, who’s counting… TeamFitFam2019!

Lagos Island brings back fond feelings of nostalgia and now that I’m not immersed in the crazy Lagos life anymore, it’s weird how I can smile at the traffic, the ridiculously high Taxify prices, the persistent and deafening honking of cars and perhaps humans alike, the craziness and hustle and bustle of it all. I smile at it every time because I know I’ll leave soon to come back again another time and repeat. Loool.

• 

• 

• 

In one of my numerous moments in solitude, I pondered deeply on growth in general and my growth so far as a person in various aspects of my life. I thought about growth from different angles. Growing through phases of life; growing to mental maturity to deal with certain situations, growing through pain; growing in one’s craft and/or career.

The one thing constant in growth is time. Growth takes time.

I’ve found that it is soooo easy to get caught up comparing where you are in life to where you want to be or feel you should be or even get caught up comparing your beginning to another’s end without understanding their beginning. You can admire another person’s destination and learn from their mistakes but do not feel as though you’re not as good or you can never make it or even be better than the person you admire.

I love growth because if you’re deeply honest with yourself, you can see how far you’ve come in whatever area of your life.

“Love yourself enough to create an environment in your life that is conducive to the nourishment of your personal growth. Allow yourself to let go of the people, thoughts, and situations that poison your well-being. Cultivate a vibrant surrounding and commit yourself to making choices that will help you release the greatest expression of your unique beauty and purpose.” ~ Steve Maraboli

Nourish your personal growth. Celebrate the little victories. Enjoy the process and look forward to the destination.

x.