I had mixed feelings when I saw this week's prompt. Introspection and self-reflection is something I’ve run away from for so long, and seeing the topic made me question my growth 🤔. But after pondering for hours, I started seeing how much battle I’ve fought, how much I’ve won—and even lost. Looking back, I’m grateful. Because amidst the failures, I’ve grown a lot.
Growing up, I was always that curious kid—tinkering, exploring, questioning 🧠. I wanted to be a lot of things: an inventor, a writer, a lawyer (I know, ironic mix), even a photographer 📸. I knew with how curious my mind was, Civil Engineering would be a good fit. So I studied like a mad man and eventually got into the University of Lagos (UNILAG) . Gaining admission into that school wasn’t easy at all.
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When I finally got in, I struggled academically. But along the line, I found the hack to surviving a tertiary institution—especially in the Nigerian setting. One major decision that helped me was learning to collaborate with peers, network well so information doesn’t pass me by, and most importantly, work smart 💡. I realized it’s not just about being book smart. The same thing plays out in real life—success isn’t only about grades. It’s also about emotional intelligence: how you build relationships, adapt, and think.
From my first year, I saw that with the kind of grades I had, I needed to stand out in other ways. So I decided to gain on-demand skills, especially tech 💻. Then COVID happened.
I feel like a bad person calling the pandemic a blessing in disguise, but it was. School and work were on hold, so there was time to learn new things. The issue was—I didn’t have a laptop. I hate being idle, so instead of waiting for the “perfect time” or right tools, I started learning soft skills and reading books using my phone .
I took courses on communication, emotional intelligence, relationship management, CV and resume writing from Coursera and Google Digital Skills. It was tough. No constant power supply. In fact, I don’t think we had light up to 6 times throughout those lockdown months 💡🚫. My parents did their best with the generator—even if it was for one hour a day, they put it on ❤️. Internet access was expensive too, so I waited till midnight to use MTN night plan 🌒.
That’s how I slowly finished my courses. I also read books—How to Talk to Anyone by Leil Lowndes helped me improve my communication and networking skills. The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz literally shifted my mindset 📖. Those books built me.
After the lockdown was easing up, my dad noticed I was feeling down because I couldn’t do more. So he started bringing his laptop back from work at night so I could use it 💼💻. That’s when I started learning to code—HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Since I only had access at night, I used my phone for coding during the day. I found online IDEs and continued learning. I literally learnt to code with my phone .
Progress was slow, but I didn’t give up. I eventually owned a laptop and moved on to React.js and building even more projects ⚙️.
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Sometimes, I feel bad. I had the foresight, the drive—but I was limited by resources. I feel like my success would have come faster if I had all the available resources. But now, I’m more grateful. That slow progress gave me things that can’t be taught—resilience, grit, critical thinking, adaptability 💪🏽.
Why do most people not achieve their goals?
Honestly, both individual background and Nigeria’s economy are big factors 💭. Nigerian students reading this will relate: the moment you plan to invest in your growth(lock in), NEPA will strike ⚡. National grid collapses. Internet fails. Fuel prices rise. All these slow you down ⛔.
But I learnt to improvise. Even with little resources, you can still do something great ✨.
So if you’re reading this, two things:
1️⃣ Scarcity is a mindset. Fight for what you want. Maximize what you have.
2️⃣ Never stop learning. Information is power. Reading changed me.