The Rere Platform: Blogger

G.R.A.T.I.T.U.D.E

2018 was quite frankly the best year of my life till this year 2019, which will be even better. I started the year finding out I had a health condition. It scared the hell out of me, especially because the doctors said “Oh, there is no cure for this except you have surgery.” Strangely enough, the worry did not last, I felt peace knowing the ultimate Doctor was my father. I prayed just one prayer, “God if you love me as much as I know you do, don’t let them have to cut me.” And true to his word, like magic I was made whole and well. If only I knew the awesome plans waiting ahead for me.

Prior to that I had been hoping to get this particular job for the longest time, somehow someway when I was not expecting, this job came through. All of a sudden it looked like Rere was special, as if I knew more than my mates. During the course of the year, I kept super late nights because of work and despite Lagos not being the safest of places, I got home safe each night. At every turn, I had angels sent to help me out of every situation that seemed like a big deal. That definitely was not my doing, a superior power was watching over me.

In the same 2018, I started and completed a self-sponsored 6-months branding course, which when I started, it felt like I was wasting my time. Today I can proudly say that knowledge from that course which I applied in my business (@footwearbyrere) has yielded plenty fruits. One thing stood out, and that was the fact that I was a benefactor of God’s grace. I fell, I stood, I learnt and I grew. All I had to do was want something enough and tell him, he’ll hand it to his baby girl.

In everything I learnt to be grateful, to give thanks, no matter what. It was in the tiny things, I found my own testimony. There were some low points, times when I cried and just questioned everything in my life but the good definitely outweighed the bad. I learnt some valuable lessons in 2018, some of which include that in order to live the best out of life you need to be true to yourself. Be real to your heart, because the moment you start to lie to yourself then you deprive your soul of peace. The right people will stay, the right people will be attracted to you because you are proud of who you are. You’re not too weird, or too quiet, or too ambitious or too fiery, nobody should be allowed to make you feel like your dreams are too small. As long as you stay humble, you believe and you are not too scared to embrace your imperfections, things definitely will work for good.

My biggest lesson of the year was realizing that most of us live our lives for other people. Our state of mind and choices are based on the simple question “What Will People Say?” We make decisions as simple as the clothes we wear, the friendships we keep, and the food we eat, based on the fact that other people are watching and listening. You forget that your happiness should be the only thing that matters, your ability to make decisions and be proud of them. Choices you can stand by and defend because you know it is really what you want, not what someone else wants for you.

The goal for 2019 is to stay happy and spread happiness. Frustration, confusion, sadness, fear, all those things come into play the moment you start doing things to get approval and acceptance. When you try to tailor your choices to what the society expects of you, that’s when things start to go wrong. There are only 2 people you owe anything; the Creator who gave you life and YOU. Everybody will not approve of your choices or even your lifestyle, so why care? At the end, they are all just selfish people looking for what is in it for them, your life is yours for a reason.

2019 is for doing things that make you stand out,

It’s for embracing the fact that you are Abnormal (Above Normal),

2019 is for multiplying, being a source,

It’s the year to make life changing choices, the time to forget the meaning of the word regret,

Its 365 new opportunities, 12 new chapters and YOU are your own author.

Embrace who you are and enjoy the best out of life.

Lastly, what do you want to be remembered for in 2019?

The answer to that question lies in the decisions you make all year long.

I wish you all the best and I love you.

Cheers to 2019!!

Love, Rere.

2Comments

, by The Rere

In Africa, Blogger

Who Am I?

Hey,

How are you doing? How is life treating you? As for me I really enjoyed this Eid-el-fitr holiday because it helped me regroup and refresh, and now I feel as good as new. Well, some days before the holiday my sister called me to tell me how one of her friends died in a ghastly car accident just that afternoon. I was shocked, that a 21 year old final year student who had not truly started living his life was so suddenly gone. Someone who left home thinking he will be back to probably play video games or catch up with friends. I was sad, mostly because it kept hammering in my head that this guy had just missed the chance of living a full life. I kept asking, is this how people die?

Please bear in mind that I am not here to judge him nor dissect how he lived his life. It is not my place to imagine what if he lived his life some type of way or criticize what he could have done better. The good part is that this guy’s death led me to something. I am going to call it the MYSELF SERIES. The more I look, the more I realize most people are just existing and not living. Many of us cannot say, this is who I am, this is why I am here. Personally I am still on the road to discovering myself and truly understanding why I am here, so that it does not become a case of Rere just occupied space on earth. Finding and understanding one’s self is something every individual should do regardless of your age.

Let me just drop it here now that age is truly just a number. Your age does not necessarily mean you are well grounded or mature enough to handle every situation. I understand the place of respect in our society but I think it is time we realize that we should be respected for what we bring to the table and not just how old we are.

The greatest and most important adventure of our lives is discovering who we really are. Yet, so many of us walk around either not really knowing or listening to an awful inner critic that gives us all the wrong ideas about ourselves. We mistakenly think of self-understanding as self-indulgence, and we carry on without asking the most important question we’ll ever ask: Who am I really?

When many people hear “finding yourself” the first thing that crosses their mind is what do I like? what are my hobbies? But honestly it dives deeper than that, it is a process that we all need to go through because it affects every single area of our lives. In order to be the most valuable person to the world around us, the best partner, parent, friend etc., we have to first know who we are, what we value and, in effect, what we have to offer.

The Myself Series is going to be as follows:

- Discovering yourself

- Embracing yourself

- Living the Dream

It is time to understand that maybe it is okay to be selfish about some aspects of your life. When you understand who you are and what you stand for, then it becomes easy for you to offer spice and sauce to the people around you. Then you will become that person everyone respects and holds in high esteem.

What my mum told me as a child is true; the way you carry yourself is the way people will address you. But if you don’t know yourself, how can you carry yourself?

Don’t be an empty vessel.

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, by The Rere

In Africa, Blogger

Expectations, Expectations...

Hi,

Been a minute, Lol!

Somehow you would have to forgive my disappearing acts, but then I have discovered than I am not one to just wake and churn out crappy stuff. I actually enjoy making sense. I missed you guys, who missed me? I am grateful for everyone that keeps messaging me to ask for my next post. You are my true inspiration.

I’ll be talking about expectations today. Over the past few weeks, I have been privileged to be in some amazing gatherings. Some I want to tell you about but then I know I might not fully pass the message the way I heard it. Which will be sad, but trust me I will try.

Why do we expect soooooo much from everything around us??

The world is guided by people that feel so arrogantly entitled to getting things when they want it. Life is a gift to mankind but humans are cocky to the point where we sleep at night and automatically expect we will wake up the next morning. Without even stopping to think about the mechanics behind it or who/what makes it happen.

Research has shown that the rate of depression and suicide has increased by 50% over the past 5 years alone. This stat puts a hamper on my mood because after thinking it through I realized the foundation problem is “Expectations”. Why are your expectations so high? Why do you intentionally mount pressure on people?

The society expects the world of you, so much so that you push yourself till you break into tiny pieces. Every parent expects their child to go to school, get good grades, then get a good job, get married and stay responsible. As a child, you expect your parents to always be there for you attending to your every whim, pay your bills till you can take care of yourself and just generally set a great example for you.

Now the problem is nothing ever goes as planned. Then we start to feel disappointed, which turns into resentment because expectations are premeditated resentments. Does it now make sense why the rate of depression is so high?

So many friendships, relationships and marriages fail because individuals fail to realize no two persons are the exact same. Stop expecting your friend to like the same music you like, stop arguing with your boyfriend/girlfriend because they don’t see things the way you do. If 6 is written on a sheet, one person will see it as 6 while another will see it as 9. No one is wrong, they just see it from different points.

When we realize we are not all the same, we have the power to conquer two things; - Competition & Comparison.

The choice is yours, do you want to continue living life hoping that people live up to your expectation of them? Or would you rather love life by expecting nothing and appreciating people when they do things? My take would be that you give people the chance of being themselves around you, because…

… Peace begins when expectation ends…

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, by The Rere

In Africa, Blogger

Stay Strong

I have a very strong feeling, to encourage someone, who is just on the verge of giving up. Lately I see many young people actually trying, making efforts to be better, to do better. To be different, but it seems as if all their efforts are just in vain. Sadly it seems like nothing is working, like things are only getting harder. I don’t know how all of a sudden, everywhere I turn I see sad, almost depressed young adults. Little wonder why the rate of depression has increased over time.

Someone reading this might have reached the point where all you are thinking is “I’m tired” “I can’t continue” “The pressure is too much” “Why are things not working for me” “Why is my own different?”

Never forget that, God never gives you more than you can handle. If you are faced without something that seems too big for you to carry, be rest assured that He considers you strong enough to overcome. Why are things not working out for you? It turns out that even brilliant, highly accomplished people have felt this exact way at some point or the other.

One thing to avoid though is complaining, stop comparing yourself to the young guy you see buying houses. In fact, decades of research on achievement suggests that successful people reach their goals not simply because of who they are, but more often because of what they do.

What should you be doing differently?

1. Get specific. When you set yourself a goal, try to be as specific as possible. “Lose 5kg” is a better goal than “lose some weight,” because it gives you a clear idea of what success looks like. Knowing exactly what you want to achieve keeps you motivated until you get there. Also, think about the specific actions that need to be taken to reach your goal. Just promising you’ll “eat less” or “sleep more” is too vague — be clear and precise. “I’ll start writing a book, this weekend” leaves no room for doubt about what you need to do.

2. Seize the moment to act on your goals. Given how most Nigerian parents are, most of us are scared to pursue what we truly love. Just because your mum has always dreamt of her son being a Lawyer doesn’t mean her son is destined to actually be a Lawyer. Accepted the music industry might be full or is it fashion? But never forget that the sky is wide enough for everyone to fly. I am not saying copy someone else because you think there’s money there. I am saying do something you are truly passionate about, you don’t have to wear a suit and tie to be successful. Rest assured your parents might not support you at first but if they see that truly you love what you want to do, any sane parent will support eventually.

3. Be a realistic optimist. When you are setting a goal, by all means engage in lots of positive thinking about how likely you are to achieve it. Believing in your ability to succeed is enormously helpful for creating and sustaining your motivation. But whatever you do, don’t underestimate how difficult it will be to reach your goal. Most goals worth achieving require time, planning, effort, and persistence. Studies show that thinking things will come to you easily and effortlessly leaves you ill-prepared for the journey ahead, and significantly increases the odds of failure.

4. Have grit. Grit is a willingness to commit to long-term goals, and to persist in the face of difficulty. Grit predicts which runner will make it to the finish line. In fact, grit even predicts which round of contestants will make it to at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The good news is, if you aren’t particularly gritty now, there is something you can do about it. People who lack grit more often than not believe that they just don’t have the innate abilities successful people have, (which is a big lie). If this statement describes your own thinking …. Well, there’s no way to put this nicely: you are wrong and silly to even think that. You have to realise that how your future turns out, lies solely in your hands. Each of us have to be accountable for the abilities God has put in us.

5. Focus on what you will do, not what you won’t do. Do you want to successfully lose weight, quit smoking, or put a lid on your bad temper? Then plan how you will replace bad habits with good ones, rather than focusing only on the bad habits themselves. Research on thought suppression (e.g., “Don’t think about white bears!”) has shown that trying to avoid a thought makes it even more active in your mind. The same holds true when it comes to behavior — by trying not to engage in a bad habit, our habits get strengthened rather than broken.

Don’t cry, don’t be weary and don’t be sad. Just hang on and stay strong. Ending your life isn’t the best option. Giving up isn’t also an option.

Find a way to stay happy, to be happy.

Live, Laugh & Love.

Your best is yet to come.

Feel free to send me an email if you want to talk to someone, it's okay to be needy, it's also okay if you want to stay anonymous. Reach out, i'm available anytime.

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, by The Rere

In Africa, Blogger

2018 & Peer Pressure

Happy New Year!

Lol, I am a joker right? It’s almost the end of the first month and I decided to crawl out of my hole to write something. Consistency has got to be one of the hardest things to attain in life… wow… How do you guys that gym do it? This year, I will not apologize on this particular post for staying away for so long. Why? Well because I am scared it might become a situation of me apologizing on every post. Rest assured though that this year I am going to do big things here and share them with you guys.

Later in the year by God’s grace I will be organizing a mini-conference for young entrepreneurs who have a startup and other young people who aspire to be entrepreneurs. It will be sort of like an empowerment/mentorship program for all of us to grow and become better people.

So, today I would like to talk about Peer Pressure.

Peer pressure comes as a result of intimidation by what you see others do or out of curiosity, and the desire to fit in among your peers. But I noticed that the moment you type in peer pressure on Google. Most related topics only address peer pressure as something that affects only youths and teenagers.

I don’t have a problem with that, but I personally have discovered overtime that peer pressure is common to every age and gender, it is just as much in older people as younger ones. Many of us give in to pressure because we want to belong, to be liked, to fit in, everybody is doing it, we worry other people may wonder why “your own is different.” But never forget that no matter the reason you are pressured into acting contrary to your better judgment, or common sense, you can walk away and not let other people dictate how your life goes.

What we forget is, sometimes the people you associate with or call friends may determine how far you go in life. So why not keep things clear with yourself by choosing wisely the people you associate with, they should be people with integrity and wisdom. Don’t just do things because every other person is doing it or every other person will talk if you don’t do it.

As a country, Nigerians have that problem in common because we are aspirational beings. We want the exact thing we saw one woman in church wearing, or we want to vote for the same person Banky-W will vote for. I think it is time to start making independent decisions that will make “me” as a person happy and fulfilled.

Leave the next person to live their life that way it pleases them, not only will it help your personal growth but also our country’s progress.

Until the next post…

iamtherere

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, by The Rere

In Africa, Blogger

The Choice is Yours

Personally I don’t believe in saying it’s too late. Why? Because there’s nothing like that. As the year draws to a close, I am sure there are some people thinking “the year is gone, what more can I achieve?”

Last night I got home really late from work and I had to sleep past midnight. The story here is before going to bed I knew fully well that I had to be somewhere at 6am. We all have that one neighbor who leaves home really early, so I called mine that I would like to go with him. Unfortunately, he said he had 4 people who already go in his car. I felt deflated yet I still knew I shouldn’t procrastinate the meeting I had that morning. Waking up at 5am was hard, considering I had a long and stressful day. I struggled but long and short, even if I did not make it for 6am, I got there at 6:30am due to the distance.

Moral of this story is, at the end of the day every accomplishment, every move, every positive decision is based on that desire and determination to WANT. If you do not want something enough to fight for it or aim for it, then it might be hard to even get it in the first place.

I want this post to serve as a reflection, a wake up call for everyone who feels there’s just a few weeks left in the year. What can I achieve? You don’t have to wait till December 31^st to start writing 7 prayer points for the year or 10 New Year Resolutions that you know won’t come to fruition.

I have realized that Nigeria probably has the most spiritual people in the world. That’s great! Trust me, with God nothing is impossible. But don’t forget that even the bible says, Prayer without works is nothing. It is necessary to pray, but the prayer won’t work if you don’t act or make a move. Before this turns into a sermon, kindly take two minutes to think about that one thing you can still do before the New Year rolls in.

You can choose to wait or move. At the end the Choice is Yours!!

Your New Year can start NOW! The ball is always in your court…

Peace…

Image from pexels.com

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, by The Rere

In Africa, attitude

Confusion...

Minutes turned to hours, hours turned to days, days turned to weeks and now we’re here. There is no excuse for this sort of procrastination, I might say I have been swamped with work and I don’t even have time to breathe. Yet every time I say No, Rerelolu you won’t stop writing, you need to continue people are waiting. It feels like I am trying to convince myself more than I’m trying to convince you guys.

A wise uncle of mine once said to me; you can alter the pace but don’t shift the goal post at every chance. And you also know what they say, a rolling stone gathers no moss. It is better to have long term goals and break them into short and medium term goals than to have short term goals that you only cook halfway.

One thing I’ve realized is that it’s so easy to want one thing but get distracted so much you forget that one thing you want. So many of us are confused about what we want, forgetting that there is a difference between a want and a need. The same mouth you use to call it labor market is the same mouth someone else calls it favor market. The difference is that they have a clear cut dream they are chasing without stopping to attend to distractions.

I have realized there is no such thing as a hopeless situation, there are only people who have hopeless attitudes. When I started this write up, I did not know where I was headed. Now I think I have a direction and that is addressing the confusion among many people (both old and young) in the world today.

I met someone recently who has big dreams, she’s relatively young with commendable achievements for her age. The issue is that she wants to do everything, entrepreneurship she’s interested, working for others she’s also interested. If you say real estate, she will be interested, talk about farming, marketing, just name it. Don’t get me wrong, I love the zeal and I think it’s amazing how her mind works and how hard she’s willing to work for her success. But then again doesn’t it seem like maybe she might be swamping herself with every and anything just to get rich quick? Or what if that really is the way to go?

When people would ask what my career plans are, I would give a long list of everything I want to do. From owning my chain of companies to producing my TV show, to empowering young people, to public speaking, modelling and acting and definitely fashion designing. Yes you might say ahnahn, sister calm down but as my mother will say, nothing is impossible. Also many of us have allowed our families and the society cage us into believing that some things are the norm and some other things are “impossicant.”

I read somewhere that if you want to achieve greatness, you need to stop asking for permission. So my question goes to everyone who is just as confused as I sometimes get about their goals and how to achieve them.

Would you rather do all the many things you want to do at the same time or would you just take one route and see where it leads.

Share your thoughts and comments below, I look forward to reading them.

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, by The Rere

In Africa, Blogger

From A Nigerian Girl...

I pledge to Nigeria my country, to be faithful, loyal and honest…

Very deep right? It’s sad that the very people who make this pledge are the same ones who are unfaithful, disloyal and very dishonest. I can’t say I understand Nigeria very much, but like everyone else I have an opinion to give.

When I was younger, all I had to do was go to school, live the baby girl life, pass my exams, collect prize (if possible). We were told that if you study a professional course you will be very rich when you grow up. I remember wanting to be a surgeon as at Primary 2 yet I was the newscaster for my primary school.

My family was a typical Nigerian family, daddy always at work and mummy shuffling work and children care. My mum was just learning to drive when I was in primary school so it usually took us double the normal time to get to school. She was so careful with her driving because her precious babies were in the car. I read the news every Friday on the assembly ground dressed up in Yoruba attire and it was surely one of my high points.

Fast forward to senior secondary school I was so sure I was going to study law. Very active in press club, always talking, most punishments I served then was because I was making noise during class. Definitely I would have been a lawyer, until my school asked us to do 2 weeks internship in our dream career. This particular law firm I spent my 2 weeks internship was the most boring period of my life. It was so dry, I fought with my dad to change his mind about law because the man had plans… petroleum law, working in shell and things like that.

At the end of the day, I ended up studying something I loved and more than a year after I have come to realize it was all a farce. Every year, many graduates come out from the universities and colleges of education in Nigeria with little or nothing to contribute to the society.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, more than 200,000 alumnae graduate from Nigeria tertiary institutions yearly, but only very little number of them secure jobs after years of their graduation. The reason is because there are little facilities and ill-equipped lecturers/instructors who rendered poor services to the graduates when they were in their institutions.

And so, the graduates come out of school half-baked, without practical background to make good impact to the society, neither are they able to defend the certificates which they are holding. The result is that they add to the unemployment level of the country each year.

The failure of the government to perform their constitutional duties has its own contribution to the high level of unemployment. How could I not talk about the high level of corruption in Nigeria, they say it is prominent among politicians but I beg to differ. Corruption is everywhere and it has resulted in the mismanagement of the funds and resources supposed to be used for the betterment of this country, which is just sad. Without going too far, Nigeria is said to be the 8th most corrupt country in the world. In this country with the right connections, money and power you can get away with anything and everything.

I used to love Nigeria but I’m not so sure anymore how I feel about my country. Sometimes I find myself wishing I was born somewhere else and it makes me unhappy. I’m sure there are many people like me wishing things were better, easier, more organized. Somehow as Nigerians we also have to play our part in reducing the level of unemployment in the country. There has to be a repositioning in our minds, a change of attitude for the future of the country. We need to understand our responsibility. It’s time we vote for people with credibility, answers and readiness to work.

I want a better Nigeria for me, for my family, for my friends and for my future.

The question now is How and When?

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, by The Rere

In Blogger, Determination

Opportunity Comes Once

I read somewhere that if you focus on problems you will have more problems. And if you focus on possibilities you will have more opportunities. Over the past couple of weeks, one thing has become clear to me, excuses will be there for you but opportunities won’t be.

As Thomas Edison said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

So many people are quick to make excuses because we refuse to open our eyes and see that life is beyond the now. If you don’t take opportunities as they come, what would be left is a life of “What ifs” and “Maybes”. The open doors of opportunity are all around you, but they won’t do you much good unless you learn to see them and recognize when to walk through them.

You see, you never know when the door of opportunity is going to open wide. For some, the big break comes early in life and for others later on. But for all of those who become successful, there is one key similarity: They were ready. And for every one of those who were ready, there were thousands more who weren’t.

One of life's biggest ironies is how often people complain about their circumstances, yet rarely do anything about it. It's not that they don't have good intentions, or the desire for change isn't great. It's that change is scary and risky. Even when we're unhappy with our current situation, we are familiar with it. For this reason, we often miss opportunities, even when they are staring us right in the face.

Let me share with you a story I read. Laurie was frustrated and burnt out from a very stressful job, she found herself with little energy or time to work on her wellness goals. Working in the face of constant deadlines led to lots of eating on the run, convenience foods and stress munching. Extraordinarily long hours made getting to the gym difficult. The only enjoyment Laurie got from her work was the huge paycheck she received at the end of the week. Of course, she had no time to spend it on entertainment or shopping. Although her savings was growing, her happiness was declining rapidly.

The one bright spot in Laurie's week was the volunteer work she did with underprivileged children on Saturday mornings. Despite the hectic schedule she kept, she never missed that appointment. She also served on the organization's board, made it to every meeting and did all the bookkeeping for them.

It was fascinating that although she complained about having too much on her plate, Laurie never entertained the idea of giving up her volunteer work. It was the one place she got to use her strengths, forget her daily concerns, and have fun!

Laurie began thinking around the idea of looking for another job. As so many others, Laurie had a vision of a better way, even a clear picture of what she would need to get there, but she was so often frozen in her progression. At times, she was desperate to switch gears, and yet sometimes undecided about making the change.

The more she thought about it, the more her confusion and worry mounted. What if I can't find a job that pays as well as this one? Could I make do with less? What if I think the new job sounds great, and it turns out to be just as stressful as this one? "What ifs" were keeping Laurie exactly where she was--except now, on top of everything, she was feeling frustrated and annoyed at herself for being "too scared" to try something new.

Laurie's story is not unusual. Why is taking a chance so difficult? Why do we hesitate to change, and so often spend more time thinking rather than doing anything about it?

Most of us lead lives filled with routine. We get up at a particular time, get ready for our day, and embark about the myriad of responsibilities we need to attend to. We don't give much thought to them; we just go through the motions getting things done, crossing them off our lists and then moving on to the next. When thoughts such as, "Is this all there is?" or "I'm bored, and want a change," creep in, we know it's time to look for new opportunities.

Sometimes, all you need to do is right there staring you in the face just waiting for you. It is better to act and be wrong than to not take action and be stagnant.

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, by The Rere

In Africa, Blogger

Success Is Not For Lazy People...

I have a confession.

Even after I wrote about procrastination, sometimes I still deal with it daily. At times I have to push myself to do things, prep myself to be extra. I have also discovered that if you do not have passion for something, there’s a slim chance that it’ll last very long.

If I have learnt anything, it is the power of hope. The Power of One Person. A Washington, a Lincoln, King, Mandela and even the young girl from Pakistan, Malala. One person can change the world by giving people hope.

Know that life is not fair, that you will fail often. But if you take some risks, step up when the times are the toughest. Face down the bullies, lift up the downtrodden and never ever give up. Know that if you do these, the next generation and the generations that follow, will live in a world far better than the one we have today.

Last week at the MSME Fair held at Teslim Balogun Stadium, there was this incredibly talented young lady. To be honest, I had stumbled on her instagram page a day before. Guess what she does? She uses old tyres to make furniture… genius right?! But that’s what I would call thinking outside the box, beyond the circle.

The beautiful thing is that she’s a slay queen! But this is a total slay, because even her brain slays with brilliant ideas.

You might have heard about Cyrus45 maybe stumbled on their page on the gram. Cyrus45 Factory is a company that focuses on not only recycling but also producing bespoke and ultra-modern furniture and products for the art savvy Nigerian. Olabanke Banjo, the creative director of Cyrus45 is a writer, Digital strategist and an all round creative. A graduate of Foreign Languages (French) from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife Osun State, Olabanke always stood out as an artistic child with an unmitigated interest in literature and fine arts.

When and Why did you start Cyrus45 Factory?

"Cyrus45 factory is an idea that was birthed last year May after several attempts to put my creative skills to good and impactful use. I was living with my elder sister in Lagos and at the time, there was a pile of about 20 tyres in her compound which her neighbours planned to dispose of. Being a lover of revamping old items, I told them to give me the tyres. The initial idea that popped in my head was to make a coffee table. So I went ahead to consult Google on recycling and reusing old tyres. I made a table for myself and after getting great responses, I thought "why not turn this into a real business?" And that was it.

What Motivates you?

Not to sound cliche, but my motivation has always been firstly God. He is the master creator of all things beautiful. Secondly, I have always been a lover of the Arts and more importantly, unconventionality. My family and friends have also been a strong support system. These are the things that inspire me. God has been my drive. He is the one who gave me the talent to be creative. All I know is Cyrus45 factory (which is derived from Isaiah 45) was established by God.

What Challenges Did You Face?

Just like any business or startup at its baby stage, things were not so smooth initially. There were production challenges and also, low sales. There were also very few people who truly appreciated my products and treated them as works of art. As a result of these challenges, I decided to shut down the business in May this year for about two months to restructure and re-strategize. After going back to the drawing board and tidying up to backend, I changed the business name from 'Revampe' to Cyrus45 Factory and relaunched in August. Let's just say the reception and recognition I have received after relaunching has been nothing but overwhelming.

In addition, I have always wanted to impact the society through my art and knowing that Cyrus45 is reducing environmental pollution, global warming and also conserving energy gives me the utmost joy.

Any Future Plans?

My plans for the future is to expand in furniture designs, create more functional products and also change the general perception of Made in Nigeria products. I also hope to be named one of the game-changers in the creative industry.
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Sometimes forget about winning or losing. Put your focus on learning and developing. It is a much better long term strategy, trust me. In her own little way Olabanke is changing the world, but the question is what are you doing?

One of the secrets of life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks. Hold on to whatever you believe in, forget tribe or religion and just know there is God. Trust in that Supreme Being and watch things take shape.

Don’t let one bad day stop you from reaching your goal.

Keep pushing, every dream is attainable.

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