PHASES (Autobiographical Series Continues)

It is no small feat, reaching into the shadows, to wrestle demons in our nightmares. These demons assume different forms, and vary from person to person. They could be economic, social, physical or emotional, regardless, they limit our progress as individuals hence their effects on our lives. The mental preparedness involved in confronting them is essential to our success as people. We must never leave anything to chance or let overconfidence betray the efforts made in facing the tide head on. For many, emerging at the other end of the tunnel is just as hard as deciding the best cause of action. Still, we must never relent at any stage, especially when the temptation to surrender is at its strongest. Alone, we may succumb but identifying others who face the same trials as ours and doing it together, is an alternative that we must never undervalue. I have learnt this the hard way.

Nine years have gone by since i dashed against the dead end i erected. The rebuilding process has thickened its fists but so has the story been told with a daring smile. The gravity of the loss of time has partly receded  into the shadows, but the lessons learnt from the experiences still linger.
I have not arrived my destination yet, but i have made considerable progress moving forward. What momentum i gather today is born from girding my loins to take as much responsibilities with end results that will generate a measure of security and stability for me in the very near future. My mistakes of years ago have led me through a deserted path where i have had to taste failure. As such, i know how it feels to be gripped by the tension and pressure of failing again.
I am resolved, however, to adopt every creative strategy to advance life for me and mine. I am actually a work in progress but i have no need to shiver as if from cold in harmattan and cower under the bed because i have had the experience of dealing with a cracked calabash and finding that to mend a cracked one is a daunting task. Still i am working at a pace that i can cope with, perhaps not as fast as others expect or are doing, but so long as the objective is success, we have that in common. 

I have learnt something else too, that there is an illusion that comes from assuming that because others are excelling in a particular venture, some will do too. This is a stereotype idea that many accept as truth without considering that it is not applicable to every person, especially given the  psychological makeup of people which varies from person to person. I recommend strongly that people go with ventures that work for them. This is not to say that one should not cultivate an open mindset or seek other ways of adding value to self or learning a new skill, or even exploring sources of knowledge. In my case, I have been advised to embrace a great many life-impacting options, and the reasons given appeal to me just as strongly. Being open minded about career, knowledge among other opportunities, is a skill i am learning with vigour. I am passionate about certain things, and I am just as interested in other things that would add value to living.
University days have come and gone, but i must admit that there were times when apprehension had me in its claws. Mainly because i went back to the same Department, which meant meeting known faces with questions, whose answers could not be supplied simply. You see, until the old skin of unease is completely shade, such situations will always hold one captive for a longer moment or so. The same is true for me. I was sometimes trapped between telling everything and holding some things back.
In all the time it has taken me to write a new page whose content is about the phases i am going through, the freedom to reinvent myself has allowed me to be involved with networks and platforms that have given my life new purpose and through which i have had the opportunity to tell my tale of mistakes and lessons learned with the goal to warn and advice against blind moves such as mine. The years may not have yielded too readily to laughter, but the tears have not been shade out of regrets. Suffix to say that my scars from the past are fading with a vigour of their own.
I now more firmly focused on the single streak of creating my own unique profile, born out of creativity and resourcefulness. I can rightly say that my efforts are now synced with what i call the 'moving forward' process.