Don’t disgrace me .

"Disgrace na the national cake, everyone must chop him own".

I read somewhere that the universal language that every person in the world understands is a smile. I agree. However, I think the one thing that we share in common is our ‘fear’ for disgrace. Collectively, everyone detests disgrace . We all have this resentment for anything that might "stain your white" . This is what motivates us to be the very best at whatever we do. Maybe it’s not exactly the dominant reason, but you’ll agree with me that a lot of decisions we make are fueled by the necessity to have an edge over everything and everyone else including disgrace. You don’t have to agree, but pretend you do. 

The very first time I heard the phrase “Don’t disgrace me” was from my mother. It was my birthday and we had gone out as a family. My mum, my brother, my sister and I went to eat at Mr Biggs. I was about 6 years old and I was about to dig both my hands into my food when my mother screamed “Stop that, don’t disgrace me in public. Use your cutlery”. Well, I'm proud to tell you that ever since I've proceeded to countlessly disgrace myself. 

When I started this blog, I wrote so many drafts waiting for the perfect blog post to come . Then, one night I told myself that the worst thing that could happen would be that I'll be a terrible blogger,  nobody will read it and I'd probably look for something else to do. I'll probably be embarrassed that I failed as a blogger and that'll be it.

You see, disgrace is inevitable. One way or the other, you're going to encounter disgrace. Embrace it, don't be afraid because you'll learn from it. What other people's stories and even your experiences have refused to teach you, disgrace will teach you.

I'm not encouraging you to roll in the mud or anything ( you're already a Nigerian, it really doesn't get muddier ). All I'm saying is test the waters, try out new things. You're young and vibrant now, all your mistakes will count as youthful exuberance. Win Win.

See that business, Start it. That craft, learn it. Do that thing now!

What's the worst that can happen? It'll probably fail and you'll know that you tried your best.( You can blame it on the system, on the government, on your enemies). You can take your L and move on. Then again, it probably won't and that'll be a big win for you. 

Don't let the fear of disgrace stop you because let's be honest, disgrace is like Jollof rice, everyone must have their share. Now, it's up to you to decide how large your portion will be. 

Good luck with that!

January-2021.

Music: I'm currently listening to a lot of Burna boy and Show Dem camp. Mostly music from twice as tall and Palmwine express.

Feelings: I'm currently feeling very anxious about a couple of things I'm working on and my education has been a major concern too. I'm really learning to articulate my emotions and I'm very excited about that.

Thoughts: I'm currently thinking about my life as a Nigerian living in Nigeria and I must tell you, I'm very unimpressed.

Projections: I'm currently looking forward to removing myself from all of the shackles of the Nigerian system.  I wish myself luck.

Till next time,

Your Chief.