I begin my third decade of existence in three months. Yes, I am counting down. And so are a vast majority of millennials. I can't help but think about how my 20s have flown by, what I have achieved and what I am yet to achieve. I would like to think I have lived quite an interesting life so far:
I have had several careers; administrative assistant, sales and marketing, human resource manager, nutritionist and general manager, and now recently turned freelance writer and book seller.
I have lived alone away from home in Nairobi, Kisumu and Eldoret. I have also traveled once out of the country.
I have had a couple of failed relationships but fortunately now I am in a great one.
If you were born in the 1990s, you understand what it feels like to be at the end of this defining decade. We put a lot of expectations on ourselves to tick a thousand boxes by the time the clock hits midnight. My dream is to have made a million dollars and gathered a huge following on my website by the time I turn the big three 'o'.
Unfortunately, I am still quiet far from fulfilling that goal, but that's not what this post is about. Instead, I would like to acknowledge and celebrate the new me, Nyatichi 2.0
Last weekend, I was walking through the mall when I bumped into an old friend from college. We decided to have coffee, and catch up on what has happened in our lives since we last met. There were talks of engagements, weddings, babies, change of jobs and what the things our other classmates were up to.
Looking at her from across the table reminded me of how long it had been. I had a moment of relection on how far I have come, my experiences, my past failures, the lesson learned from my mistakes, and what I could do better. She suddenly went silent and asked, "Are you okay?"
"You seem different, a shadow of the person you used to be."
She seemed really worried but I assured her I was fine. I understand where she was coming from. I have changed a lot. Believe it or not, I am not the confident woman I am now. Normally, I would have overshared, and made significant efforts to people please. Instead, I maintained a calm demeanor and listened, more than I spoke. I didn't worry about what I wanted to say next, glance down at your phone or jump in to offer my opinion.
I am older, wiser and an improvement to my old self. Nyatichi 2.0
I wish I could tell younger Nyatichi that she won’t be naive or feel lost forever. Sure, she made mistakes in the past and some might be haunting me till now. However, her hard-work, patience, persistence and firm stand in her values paid off. We are living the life she always dreamed of. I may not have made the million dollars or the millions of followers, yet! But I am rich in love, purpose and good health.
The biggest takeaway from this decade is learning self-love. I now know and love who I am. Even when I make mistakes, I love they way I learn, and the pace with which I learn. I don't want to be anybody else but me and by knowing this, I want to continue creating who I see myself to be.
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