Yesterday was quite funny. My neighbours were having a naming ceremony right behind my window, they cooked and even killed a cow. It was a really big party, yet they failed to give me food. You know there’s a way people give their neighbours food during parties like this? These ones aired me. 😭
Guess what I did? I went out to throw the trash, I even greeted them to remind them that I’m home but they just said “hi” in return. No food, no nothing. A fucking bunch of slys.🙄
This is a short reference to what happened yesterday, yet a great symbol of what I did in 2020—refusing to stay at home. I went out to disguise for the jollof rice, it didn’t come, painfully so, but taking a step made all the difference. Usually, my normal self would have stayed at home.
“Home” in this article will mean two things. The home you naturally know and a symbol to portray my comfort zone, my default setting.
This is a review of the many ways I refused to stay at home in 2020, damning the COVID official rule for the year, figuratively. You get to decide which worked out positively and which turned out otherwise. Deal?
Hey answer me, I can see you. Deal?😋
I Refused to Stay at Home at Home.
Or I tried.
2020 was the year I planned to move out of my family house to my personal space, I just needed to meuve! There were a bunch of reasons, the major one being comfortability and easier access to my work location, Victoria Island, Lagos. Oh yeah, I planned and achieved it, almost.
At the beginning of March, I got an apartment and paid 80% of the fee, planned to pay the rest at the end of March, when the original occupant moved out. But well, before March ended, COVID happened.😕 Thus, the original occupant decided to stay in, which means I lost the apartment and some 20% of my money. (Now, I’m thinking I should call my lawyer. Hm.🤔)
Up till now, the last day of 2020, I could not recover from that loss. I really tried to avoid staying at home this year, but COVID had other plans.
COVID 1 – 0 Oyinlola
I Refused to Stay at Home at Work.
I joined Teleperformance in December 2019 but I was in training till January, when I started proper work, collaborating with Facebook. I felt like resigning the next month, my emotions told me to stay at home but I refused.
My role at Teleperformance was a combination of many things my entire being never planned to get used to. One of such was making calls. Except we are discussing what makes my life better or you’re psyching me, telling me sweet nothings😍, or well, I like you, I don’t expect you to call me. I don’t like telephone calls at all. Making this a major thing for my 9-5 was tough. I mean, I spoke with people across different countries at an average of 45 minutes, about 7 – 8 persons per day for 45 minutes each! Make that make sense!🤒
And no, they weren’t professing love to me.🥴 I was there troubleshooting their Facebook and Instagram ads, telling them what to do, what to avoid, and literally how to get better results. It was a really “hot” role that involved a lot of stretching!
Sometimes, I wanted to scream, scatter my table, and destroy my workstation as they do in Hollywood. But I realised I had no money to pay back for those destroyed items. Then two, resigning meant choosing to stay at home, my comfort zone where I’m not stretched and hardly learn. I refused!
1 year gone, I can say I have learned a whole lot and garnered more skills that have opened doors for me. I was glad I disobeyed COVID rules, I didn’t stay at home guys!💃🏾
COVID 1 – 1 Oyinlola
I Refused to Stay at Home on Social Media.
Omo. If there is anywhere I just relaxed and chilled in 2019, it’s on social media. Apart from writing stories on Facebook—awesome stories to be exact, I did nothing else on my platforms. I had close to zero followers on all platforms and I was so comfortable staying at home, watching others cross milestones from afar. I woke up one day and said, “Not today, Satan, not today.” So, I stood up and left home!
I successfully showcased myself as the awesome Writer that I am, a professional Digital Marketer by day and a Copywriter by night. With targeted Instagram slides and intentional Twitter threads, I got better and crossed milestones. Oh, I didn’t leave my awesome stories behind, yunno.
This year, I also built this blog from scratch, thank you Simeon for always urging me on. Here, I shared multiple materials and proceeded to create my portfolio, a very beautiful one at that. Oh yeah, all of that by myself. C’mon, ain’t you proud of me? In fact, call me a Senior Developer. 😍
2020 was the year I set out to leave my comfort zone and be more intentional about building my brand and oh boy! COVID couldn’t keep me at home. 😊
COVID 1 – 2 Oyinlola
I Refused to Stay at Home with Friends/Networking.
I’m quite friendly, probably one of the friendliest people you have met. Thus, I have many friends. However, these were friends I made from home, my comfort zone. They were friends from work, friends of my friends, friends who reached out first, writer friends, and marketing colleagues.
I have always admired Tunji, a friend and boss, he has a huge network of people he has access to, who are rich in worth and offerings. I decided to do that, get out of my comfort zone and meet people I want. I planned to do this physically in meetups and hangouts but COVID won there. Yet, I refused to stay safe indoors. I reached out on social media (read Twitter.) I started conversations, joined conversations, aired my opinion, and made myself “obvious”, then I started sliding into people’s DMs as they did mine.
The highlight was joining the OG5, a community of 5 people led by O’Gbemiro with tailored conversations around brand storytelling, communications strategy, etc, for three months! I’m super excited!!💃💃
Honestly, I made a lot of awesome people, increasing my social net worth. I could list them, but the list wouldn’t end. I still keep growing the list and glory be to God, I haven’t trended yet.😁 See? “COVID thought it had me, but the Internet came and grabbed me…” 🎶🎶
COVID 1 – 3 Oyinlola
I Refused to Stay at Home Financially.
I really need to meet that person who can spend lavishly more than I do. That person needs to be imprisoned because, omo, I spend like I didn’t work for the money. Tbh, I did work for it.🤒
I decided to leave my comfort zone, and move out of that shitty home where I’m too comfy spending lavishly. I joined LWB Money Gang and I also had different other plans on Cowrywise. My goal was to save 1m. It may be small to you but it was a reach for the spender that I am.
Well, I couldn’t. COVID rules worked, I stayed at home a bit, comfort is enticing. But today is 31st December, all my savings plan across board totals #543,000. I don’t know who won here, me or COVID, but I’ll leave my conscience to decide.
Conscience: You won, baby!
Me: Awww.😊
COVID 1 – 4 Oyinlola
I Refused to Stay at Home with Romantic Relationships.
Hmm, Oyinlola, did you?
I think I stayed at home here. I needed the break, yunno. I went through a painful heartbreak and it wasn’t funny, to be honest.
I just needed to be sure I wasn’t using somebody’s son as a rebound while leaving true love out. Sho get? So, bonus point for COVID rules, I stayed at home here. Apparently, there’s safety at home, this time. 😁
COVID 2 – 4 Oyinlola
Of course, I learnt some lessons.
- I needed to show up for people to know what I can do, just professing who I am and doing my work at home is not enough.
- I can’t be there for everybody. I lose myself in the process and eventually, fail at it.
- If I keep understanding and allowing small “shit”, bigger ones will come. People won’t stop until you stand your ground to make them stop.
- There’s nothing I cannot do, except what I’ve decided not to do. As long as it can’t be learned, it can be done.
- Everything I need is on Google. Sometimes, the quality ones are on the 15th page of Google, they just don’t know how to do SEO.
- There’s no stagnancy in life. If I stay on a spot, I’m actually retrogressing without knowing.
- I need people. Yes, I do need quality people in life.
- It’s okay to be afraid, anxious, and unsure. However, I should not let it stop me.
- Love is sweet on Twitter. Ahn ahn.
- In Design, 65px is big for a button. I don’t know what that means but I’ve seen it so much on Twitter and I agree. 😂
So, in 2021, am I staying at home or what?!
Well, below is a list of the “homes” I’m breaking out of. Like, I gotta move!
Home: Forget figure of speech, I’m moving out of home gangan, max by March in Jesus name. If God has called you to sow into my life to support my ministry, ask for my account number.
Work: Oh, I’m staying far away from home this time. I’m joining a Startup where not only will I harness my potential fully but also take advantage of the access to learn everything possible from colleagues. Maybe I will become a proper Tech Sis that time.
Friendship/Networking: I’m too friendly, this has become a problem for me apparently. I can’t cater to the expectations of all my friends in the long run. I plan to keep increasing my social capital, yet I’ll limit daily access to the friends’ zone and my inner circle. About 5 persons are enough to be in this inner circle, even less. Life will be easier for me that way, or it seems.
Media Platforms: Oh, yeah. I plan to explore this one well next year, my blog, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, in that order. By the end of the year, I want to have grown by 200% across all platforms. (22 blog posts, 1500 and 1617 followers on Twitter and IG currently)
Relationships: Nothing much to say here. Just that again, I’ll be putting myself out there to love and be loved. I’m not sure I’ve seen the person yet, except well, they ain’t talking. In all, 2021, I’ll leave home, maybe find love by the gate.
Finance: Loading Loading Loading ding ding Loading. Swears, I don’t know yet.
In summary, I refused to stand by the major 2020 rule, stay-at-home and see where it got me!
Cheers to 2021, another year of figurative disobedience—moving further away from my comfort zone!
