I spent my holiday in Accra exploring art, camping with amazing people, and scouting locations for the Ghanaian edition of my art space, Polygon. In between, I found time to rewatch some of my favourite scenes from The Blacklist and I was reminded of what kind of year 2024 was.
“I wish more people were unafraid like Glen.” That line from Raymond’s eulogy for his quirky associate, Glen “Jellybean” Carter, struck a chord. Glen didn’t fit the typical image of bravery—he was a small man, physically challenged, and lived with special needs. By all accounts, he had every reason to lead a life overshadowed by fear. Yet, he chose the opposite. Glen embraced life with courage and joy, inspiring those around him to do the same – even the FBI’s most wanted criminal on the Blacklist.
It’s a new year, and there’s a palpable tension in the air – understandably so. And here I am, wishing more people were unafraid of what comes next. Whether it’s relocating, starting a family, or a new venture. I wish the uncertainty becomes the fuel.
For those of us who appear bold and driven because of the paths we choose, I hope it’s clear that it is not the absence of fear, but because we can act despite it. I live with constant anxiety, and every move I make is in daily defiance of it. Sometimes I win the battle; sometimes fear does. But that rarely makes it to the internet, and I wish we could be as open about our failures as we are about our successes.
This year, I’m taking a mini-sabbatical. I’m slowing down, doing less, and leaving space for life to surprise me. And that scares me. It’s not my first rodeo, but fear doesn’t give a damn about experience—it’s new every morning. Like me on a plane: no matter how frequently I fly, it doesn’t make me love it.
When I saw the question in the second slide at the Citizen Curatorial Gallery in Accra, it struck a nerve and made me reflect on my own fears in ways I didn’t expect. So, I wrote down my thoughts, and I’m sharing a piece of them with you as my New Year’s message.
I can’t vouch for being a flawless advisor, so consider these reflections more as personal insights than wise counsel or a self-help guide. They’re 24 snippets from my journey through 2024, touching on life, careers, and everything in between. Reader discretion is advised.
- Life is a party pooper. It’s not a respecter of the good times. You could be having the time of your life and you’d get a call that ruins everything. On the bright side, life is not a respecter of the bad times either.
- Nobody ever said paying your dues was a one-off activity.
- Nobody is bigger than being confused about what’s next.
- You must have heard this a million times. But it’s worthy of emphasis. Stop caring too much about what people think. It’s the most wasteful use of your mental energy. The people you put on a pedestal are all caught up in their own dramas and don’t have the time for you as much as you think.
- Nobody is self-made.
- Don’t let people be afraid to be rich around you.
- Money doesn’t make you heartless. It makes you use your heart, less.
- Don’t be afraid to be seen trying.
- What will you do with a lot of money? Think about your answers and write them somewhere. One day, you will make a lot of money and this will come in handy. Because money — a lot of it — has the power to format your memory.
- It takes a little more than talent to make a champ.
- Remind yourself why you love the things you love.
- The people you look up to will become the people you look sideways to. Don’t mess things up when the leveller happens.
- There are no gatekeepers. There are only people who did not open the gate for you. Think about it. The people we call gatekeepers have opened the gate for certain people. Those people will never call them gatekeepers because their perspective is different. If the gate opens for you too, what will you do?
- Ambition is ambition irrespective of scale. I’ll explain. Ambition is not only the burning passion to build a tower that will touch the sky. Ambition is also building a small cabin if you’ve never built anything before.
- It’s never about the size of an opportunity, it’s how well you can discern what’s in it for you.
- “Do it afraid” is easier said than done, but do it afraid.
- Give yourself good things. Get used to getting good things. So that when you demand good things from others, it becomes bare minimum. If you don’t give yourself good things, people will give you things and call them good. How you treat yourself is a template for how others will treat you.
- Know ten times what you say. There’s no trophy for the best talker.
- Optimize for peace of mind. Let nothing take away your sleep, no matter how fancy it looks in the interim.
- People use people. You will use people, and you will feel used. It is what it is.
- Life rewards stubborn people. Watch what happens if you refuse to take no for an answer.
- Build for legacy. Because you will die.
- The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing. Learn to specialize. It doesn’t take away from your multi-hyphenate abilities. But there must be one thing you know more than every other thing. People won’t pay you for the things you have an idea about. People pay you for the things you know like your first name.
- Embrace the difference between articulating your value and bragging.
Happy New Year, my people. Here’s to courage, and the unexpected beauty that comes with it.
