5000 lessons, lights & gifts.

the one where i say thank you with words and actions

So. . .

We got to 5000 subscribers last week, and I haven’t known how to properly express my excitement — so much so that I posted about it on Twitter, and Instagram but for some reason forgot to acknowledge it here, where it matters the most.

Thank you for reading 20 Something.

When I began this newsletter, I had no big dreams for it. I simply wanted to write about my experiences navigating post-adolescence in hopes that it would resonate with other young people in their twenties. I never imagined that one day there would be over 5000 people on this boat with me, and yet here we are.

Thank you for giving this newsletter a purpose. I keep dreaming big dreams and having “maybe I should do this . . .” conversations with myself, and it’s all because of you guys. I appreciate every single one of you!

Last week, I thought that maybe I should share some things I have learned while writing this newsletter, in hopes that it would encourage anyone in the process of writing a newsletter, or simply executing a project in general, since a lot of the lessons I have learned are fairly transferable.

Here we go!

1. You don’t have to know where you’re going before you start. Sometimes the purpose fattens up, acquires shape, and finds you while you’re already on the way. You meet people who cast a new light on the ‘why’ of your project and endear it further to you. You discover use cases that never existed before. You find things that cement belief over any doubts you might have had while starting, and make the journey more worthwhile. It’s okay if you don’t have it all figured out at the beginning. Just start.

2. Consistency will take you very far. When I began the newsletter, I was very consistent for the first year. I remember listening to

   Lade Falobi
   on a Twitter space talk about how her consistency propelled her newsletter, and the same happened to me. The more you show up, the more you build trust with your audience and get them to show up for you, too. That has been my experience building 20 Something.

3. Following the above point, consistency is not the same as frequency. Last year, I wrote weekly for as long as I could, until I couldn’t anymore and my consistency dwindled. This year, I’m writing bi-weekly for the time being. This is the level of consistency I can devote to the newsletter at the moment, but it is good because it establishes a standard that I am able to maintain. For some people, consistency can be monthly, or quarterly, or yearly. The most important thing is being able to establish a standard with your stakeholders. So they know when they can see you. So they wait for you to return.

4. You get good while doing. People ask me questions about writing all the time, and sometimes I worry that the advice I give might be too simple, or not involved enough. But I give the same advice every time: if you want to be a good writer, then you must write. Anything you do consistently for a long time becomes second nature. You can walk in it without having to apply vaseline on your heel. With any skill you’re trying to build, you need to get yourself to the level where you can do it without having to think too much. Where it gets a little boring. Just a little. That’s when you know you have mastered it.

5. Don’t take yourself too seriously. My favourite pieces are the ones where I don’t have to think too much while writing them. I have seen this play out with visual content, too. The beauty of being a human being is that our experiences are not archived pieces, locked away in a private museum. Rather, they belong to the Great Collective and are touched and felt by others with the same (or even more) fervency. The things you love are loved by others too. The things you have felt, tasted, and touched. Yes, including that powdery sensation you feel when you breathe in after the rain. So you don’t have to try too hard to write things people can relate to. There will always be someone who’d understand. If you have fun with your project, instead of measuring every teaspoon of personality you allow the world to see, wonderful things will happen. Whatever you devote your time and energy to should be fun anyway. So allow yourself to have fun while doing it.

6. But also, be yourself. If you’re not the funny guy, the detailed journalist, or the didactic marketing expert, then don’t be any of those people. This thing works because I allow myself to just be. I have learned that there’s enough room for everyone to flutter their feathers. I have learned that there’s beauty in that, too. What you don’t get from me, you would get from another writer. Some days you might crave this feeling of “oh my god she just gets me” and other days you might want something that tastes a little different, and that’s okay. You cannot cater to everyone. No canteen in the world does, anyway.

7. As long as human beings exist, there will always be stories to tell. I honestly didn’t think I would be able to churn out pieces that people would want to read every week. I have had moments where I have felt like I wouldn’t know where the next newsletter was going to come from, and then the night before, I would be frying an egg or watching a K-drama and it would strike me like a lightning bolt. As long as we exist in this great plane, there will always be a story to tell. You just have to allow it to sit with you, and grant it permission to break dance or cry. With this, I mean that you shouldn’t be scared of running dry. Creator’s block can be a myth if you believe it is one. When you don’t know what to do with the paper in your hand, turn it into a cap, or an airplane, but don’t throw it in the bin. The story will find you if you give it some time.

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The Giveaway!

Part of the reason why this piece took so long to write was because I thought to myself: “Man, I really cannot just say thank you. I want to do more than just say thank you, so I think I should give something away.”

But I have never done a giveaway before so I took some time to think about what that would look like, especially because I know that not everyone subscribed to the newsletter lives in Lagos, or is accessible to me.

This is the best I have been able to come up with, and I hope it means something. Please bear with me. I’m still a beginner giveaway-er.

I will be giving out gifts to three people.

All you have to do is:

1. Be subscribed to the Newsletter (duh).

2. Leave a comment directly on this blog post (not email) telling me how the 20 Something Newsletter has made your life better.

3. Get as many people to like your comment!

(I know we hate popularity contests but unfortunately, that’s still the fairest way this can be done!)

First place: Guest Post on the Newsletter + a 10K gift card of your choice.

Second place: CV Revamp Consultation with

InclusivelyR

+ a 10K gift card of your choice.

Third place: 10K gift card of your choice.

I will be stopping count on the 8th of March by 11:59 pm (WAT), and announcing winners in the next newsletter (9th of March).

Thank you guys so much, once again!

Have an amazing amazing week!

Rooting for you!

Tres.

ps. this giveaway is only accessible to subscribers living in nigeria.
don’t worry, when we blow it will go international!