Favvy_Okwans🖤

My first day in uni, I cried. Funny abi? Because this is the same person that did not allow God rest and was constantly praying back to back for admission not long ago. Now the very thing I prayed for is here. I know I am ready for this big step, but I was so overwhelmed. I remember calling my sister and crying that I wanted to come home. There was nothing I wanted more at that point than going home to my sisters and my father. Going back to my comfortable house where my sister would give me foot massages whenever I was tired or stressed. Where my dad would tell me stories and my boss would pamper me. It was hilarious. One survival hack? Constantly reminding myself that I was working on an answered prayer. Yessss. I did not get here easily. I cannot just run off because it feels hard. It is a huge cultural shift. So when I get hit by waves of overwhelm and I am trying to figure things out and all I want to do is cry, I lift my chin and remind myself that I am walking in an ...

You will encounter some kinds of brains and you will be like “God create o” because damn it. Some people have two heads. There is nothing anyone will tell me. In fact, they have ten heads. *** A few days ago, I watched a video by Eric Gugua where he talked about the fear of asking people to make space for you. Omor, it felt like a personal attack because I am terrified of asking people to make space for me. I had even written about it. So today, I stepped out. Yes o, madam “I don’t want to inconvenience anybody” asked not just one but two people to make space for her. First was in a crowded class.  Normally, I would just stand if I could not find anywhere to sit. But this day, I wore audacity and asked someone to kindly make space for me and she did. It was not convenient for her, but she willingly shared with me because I dared to ask. Next, I met a group doing a task I wanted to participate in and yes, I asked to be included again. For someone who has lived most of her life waiti...

Guess what?? I attended a football match today and I actually enjoyed it. It is not even about attending the match, but the enjoying it part?? If you know me, you know me. I am hardly a fan of sports. While I appreciate it, I do not make an effort to understand it or follow up. So imagine my shock when I realized that the best part of my day was going to a silly football match. It was an inter departmental match, my department against another. Initially, I was not excited at all. I just did not have anything else to do with the free time I had. However, the moment I met the right crowd, everything changed.  You should have seen me jumping, shouting, and laughing. It was so thrilling and exciting. My eyes were literally following the ball, willing it to go in our favour. I wanted our team to win so badly, I almost wished for superpowers just so I could direct the ball into our opponent’s goal post. For me, it was not even about how much fun I had when we won, but how my ...

There is this beautiful thing about nature or maybe life itself. Have you ever had a thought and then suddenly you see it show up in real time? You think of calling someone and they call you. You make a mental note to text someone and they reach out first. It almost feels like everything is quietly aligned, like the universe is breathing in the same rhythm as you. I love to call it being in sync. It is one of my favourite mysteries of life because it feels gentle and intentional, like life paying attention. And yet, there is a soft logic to it too. When someone is already on your mind, your heart and attention are tuned to them.  Your brain connects the dots faster because your attention was already there. It is not magic exactly, but it is not nothing either. There is this person my coach has been urging me to meet since I travelled. I had thought about reaching out several times but there was this quiet reluctance I could not explain. Still, he stayed on my mind. Then this aftern...

Merry Weekend As my first weekend in Benin, my roommate and I decided to go for a little sightseeing, and it was really fun. For someone that hates busy cities, I surprisingly enjoyed the hurriedness everyone here possesses. The air felt alive, and the sight of people constantly moving up and down the streets was oddly comforting. But the buses? Nah. Not cool at all. These guys drive like they have nine lives, especially when they are trying to escape traffic by entering alternative roads. You will just be covering yourself with the blood of Jesus up and down, because it is never a smooth ride. Being here has been a cultural shift, something I have looked forward to so eagerly for a while now. You know how you get comfortable with certain things simply because that is what you are used to, like the sameness of my childhood environment and everything that came with it. I like to say that each city has its own air. As I looked at the buses one more time and stole a glance at a beautiful ...

“In the future, personal branding will be less about curating a perfect persona and more about embracing the authentic self.” On today’s chapter review of the book Personal Branding by Kenrick Urhefe. (A little backstory, in case you are wondering why I am talking about this book. I took on a personal challenge to read one chapter every week and write my reflections on it. So far, it has been an amazing read, and I would honestly recommend it to anyone who is serious about personal branding, standing out on social media, and building a strong and formidable brand.) Chapter 8, which is the final chapter of the book, focuses on the future of personal branding. According to this chapter, the future of personal branding will move away from one size fits all marketing tactics. Instead, individuals will begin to create hyper targeted content for niche audiences, content that speaks directly to their specific needs, desires, and realities. This chapter explores several interesting concepts su...