Writing my annual review has been a rite of passage into the new year for me. And thinking about my life especially for the first ten days of every calendar year before my birthday on the 11th of January is a subconscious thing too.
Just like every other form of activity we do in life, this is for me. Not writing because I want you to read (that a plus) but because I have to write for me, esp. for future me when the bio-harddisk (the brain) gets too fragmented and starts failing.
The person who most benefits from your writing might be you.
Write!— Rufus Oyemade (@Oluwarufus) June 3, 2018
Unlike, 2018 and 2019 review, I’m dividing these into 3 parts, you may click on any of the titles to navigate to that section of this article.
What went well in 2020
1. Family
The year started with my sister, the baby of our house,’s convocation. Please the next time you see my parents, if you know them, say thank you and well-done on our behalf. Though my siblings and I may not say this enough, we actually know and appreciate the privilege we enjoy. Nah to start paying black tax fully remain now.
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Our marriage turned 2. That’s 24 months of waking up to someone with the privilege of loving and serving them. Despite all the experiences we wish we can avoid, it’s been a beautiful journey so far with my wife.
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2. The car + Driving
Sometimes in January, my wife and I went to a driving school and registered. It was supposed to run for 2 weeks but we couldn’t finish because of work and the lockdown. I attended about 6 classes before dropping out, LOL. I had the opportunity of practicing with my colleagues’ cars.
By March I thought I was ready, then I started the process of buying a car from the abroad. Well, the car got here in May and started cruising around town. That’s a lie, it took me a couple of months to get the confidence I needed.
I remember driving to see my parents and in-laws, it was great surprising them esp. with the ability of driving. By October, I was ready to audition for Fast and Furious, no jokes.
3. Fitness
Regardless of being on lockdown for over half of the year, I worked out 107 times. That’s a lot more than I envisaged considering the pandemic. I also progressed to bench-pressing 6okg, which is not bad for going in and out of the gym.
Workouts per month in 2020:
Jan: 13
Feb: 15
Mar: 14
Apr: 8
May: 4
Jun: 5
Jul: 0
Aug: 11
Sep: 14
Oct: 12
Nov: 11
Dec: 0
4. Work
We went fully remote @ Cregital when the lockdown started and till now it’s still amazing how much we’ve been able to achieve working remotely. We started the year at Disha by bringing Blessing Abeng on board as a third co-founder to lead communications and marketing. Disha grew really well and we were firing on all cylinders until the pandemic hits but that’s a story for another day.
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5. Modelling
I took a lot more pictures this year and added a bit of intentionality to the modeling thingy. Had a professional shoot for a fashion brand @dmwardrobes. I also started taking my Instagram feed and theme seriously, started skincare routine (thanks to my wife) and though these may look like minor changes, I believe it’s cumulative.
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6. Trips
No trips outside the country this year, but there were trips out of Lagos and hangouts. I even had a road trip to Ibadan in December. Also, this is a nice opportunity to thank Jesse and Blessing for the sponsored trips in October, they made a difference.
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What didn’t go so well, minus the obvious; Covid-19 pandemic.
1. Gospellyricsng
In January, I had a very awesome meeting with people that I believe will help me achieve the goal of selling 100 merch for the year. It was productive: we designed & printed the delivery bags, also printed some sample designs. We were planning for the photoshoot when the coronavirus lockdown hit and we had to pause on everything.
We didn’t get back to the photoshoot mainly because we had lost the momentum we had before the lockdown.
Also, I didn’t do so well with managing and pushing the platform. I even tweeted about a redesign and that’s still not ready to this day. 🤦🏽♂️
2. Work
When the lockdown started, we switched fully to remote work at Cregital and that’s most likely how we are going to continue.
There’s still a lot to talk about the year 2020 but I guess I’ll share as it matures. I didn’t build any personal product as I planned, didn’t get the Tesla, LOL, didn’t speak at any physical events, didn’t save much.
Though the year didn’t go as planned on many fronts, though the profit and loss account didn’t balance, it was a good year. The year I changed apartment, even protested at #EndSARS. At the end of the day, I’m here, living and breathing.
What I want 2021 to look like
I don’t have any anticipation for this year. It should look the way God wants and I make it to be.
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