My good friend, Mercy Makinde
(whom I'll be talking about a lot more in subsequent posts) rings me up one
memorable day and started to share with me her dream about wanting to have a
support group for women where they can be empowered, mentored and most
importantly supported to face the vicissitudes of life that comes with being a
woman. It sounded quite interesting and I was excited about it particularly
because I know her story and how she was still standing against all odds.
Before I knew it, plans started in top gear and we planned the whole event
within a week. But that's not even the gist. Like two days after we talked, I
was at her place and then she gave me the 'shocking' news that I'll be the
anchor of the event. I said shocking because when I saw the line up of
speakers, I was truly amazed.
These are women who are
considered icons in their industry and rightly so including a man who is the
Vice President, Corporate Communications & CSR, Airtel Nigeria Limited.
Fine I know I enjoy talking and I am a good conversationalist, even if I say so
myself, but holding a conversation and compeering an event are two different
things. I left her place that day and later sent her a message thanking her for
the vote of confidence and opportunity and she replied as if sensing my
unexpressed hesitation,
"It's in you! I say this
all the time. My instinct never fails me".
I read the message and I said
to myself,
"O pari! I don enter
am".
The days leading up to the
event, I cannot count on one hand the number of times I thought of calling her
to say she should use someone else. I was so unsure of myself seeing that I had
never compered an event before how much more a high profile one such as this.
Every manner of self limiting thought crossed my mind.
"What if I bore the
audience?"
"What if I get so tensed
I start stumbling on my words?"
" What if Mercy is not
impressed at the end of the day and says because of me her instinct failed her
this time?"
I was all mix of emotions.
Tensed, excited and apprehensive but through it all I kept saying to myself,
"Toyin, do it afraid. Do
it shaking till you shake no more."
The day before, I had
attended an event, the inauguration of the Youth church of Grace Assembly (this
is the church I attend by the way) where the speaker, Debola 'Lagos' Williams
(you need to google this guy men, that's all I can say) had said in sharing his
story,
"Take on that
'thankless' job to sharpen your skills".
That is, for one to continually
develop oneself, one will need to take up some jobs or assignments that one may
not necessarily get paid or commended for but it will be an avenue to sharpen
one’s skills. That was exactly the disposition I had towards this assignment.
At least I will learn how to compere an event and what's more, it could
possibly open doors I didn't even see before.
Now I have shared my story.
Peradventure you have read it up to this point and you are scoffing at me thinking,
‘’What's the big deal in
anchoring an event? What's the big deal about the speakers? Are they not women
like yourself? Is it not to speak English and be composed?’’
I apologize for disappointing
you but that was my #doitafraid moment. Maybe yours is even bigger and more
distinguished than mine. My question to you is,
‘’Are you doing it at all not
to talk of doing it afraid?’’
Remember action is better than thoughts. I
think from the feedback I got from some of the audience and my beautiful
friend, I did not do badly so I said to myself in Steve Harris' voice,
"Done and dusted!"
In a later post I will share
with you some useful tips on compering an event. Not like I am now a pro but
just based on this my first experience. Boy, did I learn. So like my people in
Warri will say,
"Na from clap e dey
enter dance".
Na from dis first event I go
get plenty till I become a professional. I’ll say to you to never pass up an
opportunity to learn and develop yourself. Like Mrs Adenike Ogunlesi, Founder
and Chief Responsibility Officer of Ruff n Tumble said to us at this event, she
said,
"Stay fresh! Stay
green!"
To all my women readers I
want to urge you, if there is one empowerment group for women you should join,
it has to be the Amazing Amazon Initiative. For more details, please take time to visit and register to join
at www.theamazingamazon.org . We started in Lagos, next stop is Abuja, then
Port Harcourt and eventually to all the states in Nigeria and yes across the
continent. You sure will thank me later for this to which I say in advance,
"The pleasure is all
mine".
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