Follow your passion

A lot of times, I hear people say, "follow your passion" as an encouragement to do what you enjoy. They mean it as a way of encouraging you to turn what you love into a career so that you feel fulfilled and so that it would not feel like "work."

However, as I start to maul it over, I find that the dictionary defined Passion as "a true desire sustained or prolonged" or "fervour and determination." None of those words used to define passion are easy to do. They require diligence, perseverance and consistency. Just like any other job would demand.

As someone who mostly enjoy to work behind the scenes, my work with Umi requires me to cultivate relationships with so many participants of the mentorship programs, our partners and the gorgeous mentors who have dedicated their lives to impacting the young mums in our community. I have loved cultivating these relationships (mostly because these people have given me enormous access) and people who are close to me have even said that I am good at it. But that was not easy for me to start. I was so scared when we were going to start because I never want to be an imposition on anyone.

However, I had mentors and friends who made me see that Umi is bigger than me as a person. And if it would reach it's potential, I would have to get comfortable with "bothering" people. They encouraged me to get comfortable with hearing "No" until I hear the best "yes." Thankfully, Our "yeses" have been more than the "Nos"

I have been doing this for two years, I have felt so fulfilled by the numbers of lives that the mentorship program and all our other offerings have impacted and we are working on so many amazing things that I probably would not have pictured myself doing five years ago. But the fact that I enjoy it does not mean that it is easy to do.

None of it is easy for me.

I love a routine. My work with Umi is anything but predictable. But I love it so much that I continue to stay the course. I am so determined to see more mums in Africa be all that they can be while they remain awesome mums to their kids.

So, yes, follow your passion. But know from the beginning that it doesn't mean that it would be easy to do. You will need to do the work, just like you would any any other job. Even more so, because this one will define you more than anything else would.