Recapping 2017: The Year of Immersion
Happy New Year! I hope your year started on the right note. It’s been over a year since I blogged and lots have happened in between.
Last year, I quit my job. Yes, I flung that heavy security blanket off me like it was crawling with bed bugs. That happened in June, and then I moved to a new state with my family, a place I knew no one, and it’s been one of the most freeing experiences of my life. But I don’t think the freedom started wit the move. It all started in my mind. The decision to leave my full-time job and set out on my consulting and writing career began with a struggle years ago. Struggling with the fear of not having a constant paycheck, (remember that I am still an author trying to ensure royalty comes in regularly:-) ) They were years trying to balance everything and still staying sane. Not that it gets any easier, but when there is clarity of purpose, it can be managed and enjoyed. While I was coming to my decision, I was offered the opportunity to teach. I knew this was a sign.
I taught my first entrepreneurial and financial management classes to women entrepreneurs, most of them immigrants, thanks to a friend who referred me while I was still working full-time. I enjoyed it so much, and definitely see that I have a calling for teaching.
Entrepreneurial training class. Yours truly in yellow
I’m back to reviewing books, and recently completed one for Washington Independent Review of Books on J.T. Ellison’s LIE TO ME. Read the review here. I’ll be reviewing more books this year. Just hit me up with an email at nikecampbellfatoki@gmail.com if you would like to have your book reviewed or if you would like to be a guest reviewer.
I also finished editing my new historical fiction of which I will not yet be announcing the title. It was so hard finding the right title for it that when it eventually found me, I couldn’t believe it. The title was already calling from the pages of the novel, it was right there in my face. Much like everything else in our lives I had to go through these phases – we’re too busy not to see it, too stubborn to accept it or too afraid or lazy to change it.
By far the most rewarding part of 2017 was volunteering at Our Paths to Greatness (OPTG), a nonprofit organization that celebrates the accomplishments of Africans, dispelling the negative myths of this great continent and inspiring others to follow their dreams. It all started with a Facebook group created in 2015 that blossomed into an NGO. OPTG’s focuses, providing educational and professional opportunities, leadership training and supporting community development projects. I’ve met great men and women who really just want to give back. This year (fingers crossed) promises to bring programs and events that impact students and professionals in African communities. To learn more about OPTG, visit the website.
With the ‘ladies with the pink bags’ at Ken-Ade Primary School in Makoko giving ut school supplies to the less privileged children in October 2017. I was not alone. I had a group of volunteers who gave their time and energy.
2017 was the year of putting in the work, and 2018 promises the same with dividends. This year, I am committed to writing often (which includes regular blogging as well), nurturing friendships both old and new, and above all, staying true to myself and my faith. What are your commitments (in lieu of resolutions) this year?
Wishing you only the best in the new year. xoxo
