Silver Year Reflections

It's January 12 and almost my 25th birthday. About a month ago, I had the instinct to write a piece for my 25th. I needed to reflect on what my journey has been through to my silver jubilee.

At 25, I'm genuinely satisfied with how far my journey has brought me. My thoughts easily wander to the point in my life two years ago when I was in my lowest moments. I was disappointed about my choices and didn't know where my life was headed. I had lost hope and sometimes considered giving it all up. Following those two years, I have been happy about gaining clarity about my future. I have stopped putting premiums on my goals and just focused on working towards them and having a balanced life. Why? Because Life is just life. Nothing comes easy, and things also take time. I realized there was no point worrying about the things I missed, but I focused on the positives and pushed through it.

My own Ghanaian dream? Usually, this takes the turn of a career. My first complete thoughts of my Ghanaian dream were in 2015 when I read an article from Modern Ghana by a certain Kwabena. That gave me the motivation to introspect and discover my own Ghanaian dream. Growing up, it was a lot of academic goals and dreams of becoming a doctor. Maybe it was because of the prestige attached to being a doctor then, but I remember how convinced I was. I never for once thought that wasn't what I wanted. I could count many kids who wanted to be doctors because they were book-smart. I sometimes feel I was conditioned to believe that a doctor was the most prestigious thing I could become, and since I was academically good, it made it a lot easier. I slowly got myself to believe that was precisely what I would be. Long story short, I didn't become a doctor but an engineer. I still have the draft piece on why I didn't pursue Medicine and how happy I am. Victor Asemota's TEDx on A Future Built on Role Models may give a good sense of my switch. The presence of a sponsor/mentor and a role model must be addressed in the journey to success.

From a much broader perspective, my Ghanaian dream has always been to have a successful life here in Ghana. A vision that encompasses creating an impact that affords me a comfortable life where I can always travel to see other places in the world and be happy to come back home. In no part of my Ghanaian dream did it include relocating outside of Ghana permanently for the better. In my adult age, I've had to consider that critically. Each day, I realize more how much the Ghanaian system is a matter of luck and was originally set up to fail the average Ghanaian. Again, I have lived above the average Ghanaian for most of my life, but it's really not where I can pin all my hopes on. Simply put, I want to achieve my original Ghanaian dream and will give so much more for it. Then again, I can't afford not to achieve any of my dreams because of my love for Ghana(a country that seems not to be working anymore)

January 13

This year I set my theme goal to intentionality. As I turn this new age, I am pretty content with my life and want to spend my day reflecting. Songs that have had me in a good loop in the last month are Dreams, and No Regrets by ShowdemCamp. At this point in my life, I am grateful for the lottery of life. In my years, I have learned and picked up many life lessons, and with me feeling poised for life after 25, I am focused on living a well-balanced life and crossing as many life goals as possible.

Initially, I planned to take a worthwhile vacation on my birthday. I wanted to spend it in a way that makes it a very special one. My thoughts were around putting together a 25-year-old writing piece that highlights all my achievements and progress so far, and also throws light on the question I keep getting asked for the last 20 years.- What happened to your eye? Well, that couldn't happen for some reason, so I decided to put down my reflections in the rawest states. I want to be happy, I clocked 25 and have a personal reflection of the journey—postponing these plans to a more suitable day/period.

As I turn 25, my goal is to achieve my Ghanaian dream. The same Ghanaian dream I talked about has been through several modifications and will continue to. At 25, I will agree that I have more clarity on what I want for myself. Funnily, this has always been the case for me throughout my life. At each point, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted, but I also picked up several happenings and lessons that made me revise what I wanted for the better. At the center of everything I want is the underlying priority of creating an impact with whatever I do. Ten years ago, I was convinced I wanted to be a Doctor. 5 years ago, I was more convinced about becoming a full-time entrepreneur or ending up in software engineering. Today, I am confident that I can create an impact in whatever space I find myself in and have a good life as I pursue that. In the last two years, many things have changed for me. I want to live life on my terms and make it worthwhile without regret. On a professional career level, I am focused on building a promising career in the energy industry. I am more thankful to Elorm Bansah for the opportunity at GE. That internship exposed me to the possibilities of impact from the corporate world. To think that then, I was given an opportunity without knowing anyone or anyone speaking on my behalf. I can't provide a vivid illustration of where I will end up, but at this point in my life, I know that is what I want, and I am ready to give up a lot for it, as I have already begun doing. With several people helping me walk this path I have decided to pursue, I am confident I will see it through.

As an entrepreneur, I have taken several risks at 25. I casually remember the many opportunities I have ventured into and think of all the money I could have saved or probably made. From taking risks on high-yield online investments in 2015, investing in maize farming, which I lost to fire, trading apple products, organizing events, Kareeba, advertising, etc, my work with Envision Digital stands as the thing I am most proud of today as an entrepreneur. I am still determining how I've managed to keep it running, but shoutout to FM and Bernard! If this journey ever seemed possible, it was because of their sacrifices! Also, I greatly appreciate Isaac, Moyo, Antwiwaa, Jason, Sheriff, Janet, Kwaku, and every single person who has worked effortlessly to get Envision going. My most exciting work has always been working in the advertising business. I will always appreciate Kojo Gyan for bringing me on board with Adinkra and inspiring me to take up a corporate internship. Also, I thank David for grooming me early, and Daniel Morgan, who made it possible for me to maintain business continuity. I will forever be grateful.

Surprisingly, the first time I met Michael in person was two months ago at the GCR Mosaic event. Although I see a vast potential, the same vision that drew me to get it going, I also feel the need to be innovative with the progress. I am confident about the need to expand it off campus and leverage more technology as a tool for the future of the business. Moyo's wish for me this year is execution, which I resonate with very well. Too many plans were made without execution, but I want to change that this year. A lot more would have been achieved if I had gone ahead to graduate from Founders Institute, but then again, I felt it wasn't the right time then, and I have no regrets today.

Today, my reflections are not in exhaustion. There are a lot of things to reflect on. Just as Ghost said on No Regrets, I am happy 2020 didn't get the best part of me. Looking back at how worried and sad I was two years ago, I tell myself I should have been patient. Things could have been different, but for all that bad experience, it was also a necessary experience. Though I have grown a tough skin to many things, I remain committed to helping many others with a better experience during and after school. I also remember throwing away an excellent opportunity in the tech world with MEST. Still, I stand by the same decisions today, and I hope my many offer rejections in the last year and a half work out for my good.

WHAT'S NEXT?
I want to be better! My mind has gradually settled on pursuing an energy career. This goes beyond just professionally, but also entrepreneurially. This has always been my most substantial goal since I decided to pursue a degree in electrical engineering. My knowledge of the startup ecosystem currently surprises me, but it proves that it is a space I want to be involved in. There have been several ideas of what to dive into as a new startup. I am keen on making contributions to Energy and exploring Blockchain technology in the Energy Sector, and I am confident of my interest and impact in these areas in the near future. I would like to do what Gregory Rockson is doing in Healthcare in the Energy Industry for Africa. I'm focused on building good business knowledge in the energy industry and exploring other great avenues.

In the last year, I have been pursuing my hobbies more. French and Travel Photography have been at the top. Casually learning French from Duolingo and bagging a B1 certificate is one of the things I have been happy about lowkey. Also, finding friends with whom I share many common interests. This year, I want to improve my French, travel more, and play my guitar more! As I travel, I plan to execute my plan for myghanaiandream.com. I have been on this idea for 5 years, and it's about time. There's much more I am not comfortable sharing yet, but I'm looking forward to life after 25. I want to make myself, my family, and my friends proud. As said on No Regrets, I know many people share their wins, but I am just trying to show you how it all begins.