Happy valentine's day

Hm.

What should I write about?

Happy Valentine's Day, Praise.

Tell me — what are you doing today? Single? Dating? Married? Single but far away like me? Dating but a little broke? Single but crushing on someone? Married but fighting?

Not that I don't care about you, but good luck! Just don't forget, it's just a day; so, celebrate the heck out of it — if it's your thing.

Lol!

I had a talk on Friday and a bunch of things stood out for me.

I was asked to tell my story. I do okay at this — but not the way I tell it in my head. No matter how hard I try, it is always haphazard — usually ending with different lessons depending on the audience.

But that isn't what blew my mind. Not yet.

Right after the event — I got to answer some questions regarding art, pricing, identity/personal branding, positioning — a lot of people walked up to me asking for my contact and asking further questions. It was an interesting day.

Here's something about asking for my number. I'll give it to you — two of them in fact — as long as you're aware that you are not entitled to a reply when you text or send a WhatsApp message or, worse, you call.

Oh no! I won't ignore you. I try not to — if I ever have, I probably didn't see your message or you just sent a "hey" — but it may not be instant messaging like you assumed it would be.

I don't think any sane person can give that kind of commitment to everybody. I wonder how they'd get any work done.

Right! Let's talk about what blew my mind.

Two people told me they traveled to hear me speak. Technically, this should no longer surprise me. 30+ people did the same thing last year, and even spent two nights with me.

What still blows my mind is that the event was announced on short notice. One of them said he'd been looking to connect with me since #EndSARS, and this event was the best way to physically introduce himself.

Lol! In my head, I was like "whoa, that's extreme man!"

I knew I always wanted a community equal to the intensity of a football club. It is one of the reasons my dream job options include Head of Brand at a football club — preferably Arsenal.

I knew it was always going to start somewhere, somehow.

But seeing this made me scared — excited, but scared.

Here's why:

I have a part to play in a lot of people's choices. There are people who think "what did Praise say I should do?"

Like I almost can't do "I have my life to live; I owe it to no-one". It is scary to think about. And weirdly, it has the capacity to change how I do stuff — which it shouldn't.

The next day at TEDxFUTA was another one.

The things I initially did for fun and personal validation have blown out of proportion into perceptions I had no plan for — the workbook, tons of virtual speeches, Twitter, etc.

I catch myself asking "where?" when people say they've seen my work and they're in awe of it. I'm like "dude, where?"

I find it disturbing sometimes. Cute, but disturbing. Do you know why? Because the existence of a community means some level of entitlement to you, your time and your mind.

Maybe I should pull a Kanye or a Cardi B.

I could do a Jay Z or Rihanna too. Switch podiums, remain me but slightly up the perception (and reduce the entitlement). I could do an Obama; leave the spotlight, but remain influential whenever I decide to show up. I could do an Elon; build and make memes.

Or in all honestly, I could pull a Philemon.

Saturday had us (Kitan, Theodox, Kilani, Bolaji, Victor & Onike) telling stories around a table of cocktails, fries, chicken, shisha, and whatever. Then, we hit a club next at the other side of town.

It was fun waking up the next day knowing you had a table full of deadlines.

Sigh!

I enjoyed myself. More importantly, I'm grateful for the community that's growing itself around me, my opinions and my circle. I know, for sure, that it is still at infancy.

There's more to come.

And to all 534 of you who receive my letters, I love you.

Happy Valentine's.

Ciao.

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