Reposition ✨

I grew up in an extended family. I lived with my mother, aunts and I was always surrounded by many cousins. The constant presence of family in my life made me comfortable and some may even say spoilt. My meals were always fully prepared; my clothes washed, hung, folded and ironed, and I was picked up and dropped off at my leisure. Although I was always given the “princess treatment” to the point where “princess” had become my permanent nickname, my mother made certain that I learnt how to do domestic duties for myself. However, the ever-present safety net that my family provided caused me to develop a dependency on them for completing simple tasks and also, for never being alone. This made the transition to university quite difficult in the initial stages.

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I began my university journey in September 2018, and again being as spoilt as I was, my ENTIRE immediate family accompanied me to get settled in. My attachment to my family was so strong that, despite paying my deposit and securing my place on hall, I decided to remain with them in their hotel. This I did notwithstanding their reluctance. When they left, I realized that this was the first time in my life that I was truly alone. Albeit the hall was filled with vibrancy, the faces were unfamiliar and as a result I remained in my dorm alone forcing myself to grow accustom to depending on myself for everything. Remember, before university I had almost everything work in my favor and I grew awfully accustom to that. However, upon entering university I received a RUDE awakening that life isn’t all flowers and sunshine but most times thunderstorms and gusty winds. The countless losses I began to experience was undeniably a wake-up call and they helped to make me stronger and to accept defeat as a learning experience. I realized that I could not let my new position in life break me or my spirit, I had to use it as an opportunity for growth in order to emerge triumphant.

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Life is all about transitions. Remember, we were never meant to remain stagnant. This journey will be one where we are placed in different stages with different challenges. The transition to university was not an easy one but it was necessary for independent growth. I no longer had the privilege of being irresponsible and careless as there would be no one to clean up my messes. University forced me to literally GROW UP as I now had to employ time management skills to juggle academics, extracurricular activities, domestic duties and spiritual upliftment.

If you’re also transitioning from a comfortable position into one that is not so comfortable, I urge you to remember that the challenges you will be facing in this new position will make you stronger and more durable provided you continue to persevere through it all. Train your heart and mind to accept and learn from losses. Use that experience to motivate you and to aid you in making wiser decisions in the future. If you fall seven times, get up eight. Giving up should never be an option. You got this my loves 👊🏽✨❤️