Kedu, ?

I know...I know...I have been gone for too long...almost 5 months *covers face in shame*

Before you ask, yes, I have reasonable reasons why, and I will be sharing some of them with you shortly.

I will do my best to make my gist as brief and as transparent as possible *winks*

"Sorrows...Sorrows...Prayers"

I am sure you are wondering, wetin happen now, o? *hehehe*

If you are a Bridgerton fan (The only series I watch and look forward to!), you will definitely understand the above statement *shines teeth*

Apart from the fact that I have been dying to use this phrase in my newsletter (*chuckles*), I have to say it actually reflects how I felt about my life this first half of the year.

"Be Still..." Psalm 46:10

This is the focus word that I got for the year 2023.

And if you read my email on it, you will recall I said it was going to be a hard phase to apply in my life because I am an ENERGY BUNNY who doesn't like staying in one place...both inside and outside *laughs out loud*

Well, I admit I didn't adhered to the phrase and I suffered greatly for it. Let me list some of them...

1) AfricaNXT 2023 - To be honest, this was actually a plus for me, because I wasn't in the mood to host a session this year. But as God will have it, mine was approved. However, thanks to the Nigerian elections and the sagas that came along with it, this was the lowest turnout ever for the event since I started attending and hosting 5 years ago. My session was definitely affected, but it was still a good one as my tourism community showed up for each other's event on the Tourism Day.

2) Tourism Women Luncheon 2023 - This one too, I wasn't down with hosting it either, but thanks to my partnership with Magsha Africa, it was a done deal. But alas, thanks to the gubernatorial elections in Lagos, we initially rescheduled, but eventually had to cancel. I no go lie, e pain me sha! See my IG post expressing my disappointment *rolls eyes*

3) Africa Youth in Tourism Summit 2023 (Namibia) + Walk For Love Africa (Zambia/Zimbabwe) - Sigh, as I recall these two, my heart breaks into pieces *silent tears* I missed these two Pan-African events because of my passport, o! *sniffs*

So, it is international standard that once your passport is less than 6 months to expiration date, you won't be able to book a flight, even if you have a visa. For example, for Namibia, I had a visa on arrival approval, but due to the "less than 6 months policy," the organisers could not book my flight.

The Zambia/Zimbabwe event was two weeks after Namibia. Thanks to God's favour, I spent 6-figures in Naira to get my passport in less than 10 days *laughs hysterical* However, we were going through Zimbabwe, and their visa takes 7-days to process. I filled it 4 days to departure. Na, so I miss that one too. *smh + laughs*

Disappointments come with it's blessing,

Though I will be very honest with you, I haven't really seen the blessings that came with these above disappointments yet.

But if there is anything I have learned from the first half of this year is that I need to "calm down and smell the roses".

I don't have to be "busy" to make impact or to build my brand. I need to be strategic. And sometimes it comes with being still - farabale...calm down and smell the roses.

While at it, also learn to take your flowers,

That means acknowledge the good works that you have done so far.

In times of stillness, you might start feeling inadequate...unimportant...not useful to your community.

When you start feeling like that, take a deep breathe and reflect on what you have done or are currently doing that has enable you stand out from the crowd.

Acknowledge them, and take your flowers, .

A few weeks ago, my alumni association hosted an event called the SOAR Series, where they focused on spotlighting Covenant University Eagles, as we call ourselves, who are thriving in the Creative Sector. You can watch the recap here.

The Travel and Tourism Sector was part of the sub-sectors they promoted and yours truly was spotlighted. You can read the post here.

, I felt good about myself when I read the post. I stopped feeling sorry for myself and started acknowledging the works I have done so far that have brought me to this point of my life.

Yes some things are no longer serving me, but it doesn't mean they are now useless - on the contrary - they are still part of my history...my journey to building my brand and my business path in the Tourism space.

Ayeeee!!!! I have taken my flowers with full pride and with my full chest! Please take yours, 💐

To wrap this my gist, I would like to acknowledge that so far, my second half of the year has started in a good note *Yaaay*

Early this year, I shared with a friend how stuck I felt about the next stage of my life especially in the area of my business and brand. And he advsied me to take a retreat outside Lagos, as it would give me the opportunity to be away from everyday life distractions.

The plan was to go in March, but alas - elections disrupted it *side eye*

Anyhoo, two weeks ago, I finally went for my first ever 3-day retreat at the beautiful International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan, Oyo State

I went with my Twinny, and it was the most refreshing experience I have had in a long, long time. We reconnected, rejuvenated, and relaxed ourselves *happy sigh*

See eh, if you haven't started already, I highly recommend taking a few days off 'everyday life' to tender to your body, soul, and spirit. You will thank yourself later for doing so.

Self-Care is very important for your total well-being, so make sure you take good care of yourself *smile*

Remember, life is short. Let's live it to the fullest.

And don't forget to take your flowers, *hands you a bouquet of flowers*

Till I e-write you again...I promise I won't stay away for another five months *covers face with one eye open*

Odabo *waves*

Your wanderluster,

Ajala Nene 

P/S: You are receiving this email because you have either subscribed or attended one of my past events. Feel free to unsubscribe if you don't want to get emails from me again. No hard feelings *e-hug*