I’m doing this because of Omolara.
So before you continue reading, better say, thank you Omolara.
Done? Good.
Where do I start?
Inconsistency
5th of May 2022 made it a year since I started this newsletter.
People have come and gone since then, and to you who’s still here checking in on my silly little letters, I thank you.
I’ve lost a lot of friends since then, but I’ve also gained a few new ones. This is the cycle of life, but that’s not why I bring this up.
On the 5th of May I was meant to release a letter celebrating our one year anniversary, discuss with you the things I’ve learned and share my plans for the future.
But I didn’t. Not because I forgot, I just didn’t.
In June I intended to send another letter with updates but I didn’t.
I also started a story series that I intended to run for 2 weeks, but because of EEDC as well as other factors, I abandoned that project.
I did get to write two fire stories though, and I’ve scheduled them to be sent out by Monday and Wednesday next week. So be on the look out.
I bring these up because I don’t have time to live a life that shames you for failing.
Life happens and the plans you set out will crumble. I’m no longer an inspire to pespire person, life go show you shege, if you like don’t prepare.
In the beginning of this year I promised to be inconsistent with these letters so that I can focus on my life and career. How has that been going?
A FUCKING DISASTER
Okay maybe I’m exageratting the disaster part.
But it’s not been smooth sailing either. And I guess that’s what happens when you go into the real world to do real work.
Everything is not as it seems.
What does this mean for me?
I’ve decided to sacrifice most of the 2022 goals I set in January, in order to achieve just 3.
I won’t be telling you what they are, but I will be telling certain people…
People who will help me achieve it in one way or another.
Plus I’ll be writing it on my mirror so that I can kill myself when I dont achieve them.
Okay I wont kill myself.
Failure is allowed.
But, considering these are achievable goals within this time period, I’ll most prbably be intensely depressed if I don’t achieve all of them. Or at least make significant progress in all of them.
Ambition is not a character trait that I was born with. It is now a skill I must develop in order to get things done, which for a non-ambitious person is also fucking difficult.
Now you’re asking: Isn’t that like an excess amount of pressure?
The answer is yes.
Then you’re asking again: What happened to staying easy?
Well darling, sometimes you’ve got to go hard.
And thats what she said!
Boom!
What have I learned so far?
Everything sucks, but sometimes there’s a little light.
So far I’ve gotten different opportunities that have propelled me forward in little ways. Whenever these happen, I take it as a sign that I’m moving on the right path.
They may not be solving the problems I want them to solve…
Nor are they moving as smoothly as I thought they would…
But they did give me brief moments of excitement that made me feel that everything I’ve been doing so far is worth it.
In a way that counts, and I accept it.
Money
I’ve also learned that a lot of shit when it comes to making money, and I mean real money, is quite difficult in the beginning.
I’m only saying this for the people like me who thought it’d be fairly easy. It’s not. If it was, every one and their mother would do it.
To get to where I want to get, I will have to willingly lose a lot of things.
The philosophers will call this sacrifice.
I call it wtfgodandmyteachersthisisnotwhatiwaspromised
For example, learning the skill, that’s the easy part.
Setting yourself apart from your competitors so that the market sees you as valuable and gives you money for it… now that one is something that will stump you.
Let me not talk too much, when you start you’ll see what I mean.
Happiness
Regardless of the tone of this email that shows that I am still angry at the world and myself for not being where I want to be…
I’m in a relatively more happy place than I was a year ago, two years ago and probably even 3 months ago.
I’m not peachy yet, but I’m getting there.
I’m in a state where I’m more accepting.
I no longer get mad when the food burns…
Or when the delivery doesn’t arrive on time…
Or when I bust a nut too quick. If she really wants that nut, she’ll get it herself.
I’m not kidding. Life happens and I can’t be at my best everyday.
But that’s like the point. Happiness is not a state of mind that you can always be in.
Nor is it something that only happens when you’re stimulated or excited.
You’re only happy when you don’t allow the things that are out of your control to disturb your peace.
This includes life: the weather, people’s opinions of you, and if you live in Enugu, the delivery not arriving on time. (I promise you, it’s a nuisance.)
That’s the way I’ve come to define happiness – as being more accepting and moving with the flow of life.
The only time you’re unhappy is when you give power to things you have no control over.
(Except you’re a mental case with serotonin deprivation, then stay on your meds my gee.)
But asides that, stop giving these things/people power, you’ll be happier for it I promise.
(Re-reading this section during my edit, and I think I sound like a 30+ man with waist pain and existential crisis.)
Anyway what else
Oh yes…
The Future
This newsletter may come to an end soon.
Maybe not an end, but it’ll change platforms depending on how my life and career keeps moving.
For starters, I’d love to host things on my own website where I can have more control.
Before I even do that, I’ll create a more personal email list where the wisdom I share will only be in the emails and not on public domains like this one. (unless I decide otherwise.)
That email list will be to build a community and make impact in people’s lives who need it.
This is just bullshit speak for I’m going to sell my shit knowledge through email.
This is a new part of my journey for me.
It’s a bit scary because I’ve never sold anything that’s mine before
And I’ve never built anything that’s also mine
But I’m going to do it because the reality is you need to sell stuff if you want to make owo.
Value exchanges for value.
I’ll update you as time goes on but if you want to take active participation rn, here’s what you can do for me:
One of the assignments I’ve done in my learning is build an email model for a writing course.
It’s a model, meaning it’s still empty and I don’t know what to fill it with yet.
The goal of the course is to make you a better writer skill-wise…
And the transformation you can expect is to be able to use your writing skill to make money for yourself or your business.
It’ll show you how to make your sentence flow, how to get ideas, how to deal with block, how to negotiate with clients and how to write for your own business.
As you can see, it’s really all over the place and my ideas aren’t very solid yet…
And I don’t really want to create one because there’s no actual demand for this thing plus teaching writing is extremely difficult and technical.
But I’m confident I can do it because if there’s anything I know how to do well it’s write.
And when I say write, I mean write.
So if you’re in for that kind of thing, send me a message on this number saying you’re interested…
And tell me the part of your life you want writing to improve for you.
If I get at least 10 responses, I’ll start creating based on what’s requested for the most
Let me also inform you that this shit is not for free.
You will pay money for my knowledge, expertise and services.
However, because you’ll be the first set of people I’ll be creating it for, you guys will set the baseline for what the initial price will be.
And you’ll be there to test out the ideas I send to you and see if it actually works for you.
Basically we’ll perfect the product together so that we can send it to more people who need writing.
So again, if this shtick interests you, text me here.
If it doesn’t and you know someone who might be interested in this, send them the link to this and let them read this.
And if you’re here for the first time wondering if i’m actually good at this writing thing, go here and read all the other letters I’ve released.
If you’re not impressed, then yes you’re too good for me and you don’t need to text me.
Sigh
This was something.
I didn’t get to make jokes today.
Anyway, the next letter I’ll send out in exactly 2 days is a very interesting one.
I wrote it that time I was challenging myself to write stories everyday and it blew me away.
It’s fiction.
And more importantly, it’s proof that I sabi this writing thing.
If you want to be alerted to when it’ll be released, sign up here and youll be informed in due time.
Until then,
Stay hard!
(hahahaha)
Dave
First of all, Thank you Omolara.
Well Done Dave... Can't wait to read the story in two days!
I resonated well with the content of your newsletter, awesome piece