I Did It Anyways Osayis Story - When I Grow Up

I Did It Anyways Osayis Story - When I Grow Up This series used to be called  The Recession is Bullhonkey series, where I shared stories of those who had gotten hired and/or started their own businesses (or sometimes both!) since 2008. In 2016, though, it felt irrelevant, so Ill now be sharing these made-my-dream-career-happen-despite-challenges-and-adversity stories under the title I Did It Anyways, because by golly, they did!   Osayi Emokpae Lasisi is the personification of this,  walking the talk to find courage to be whomever you want to be. Single women do not usually write books about finding satisfaction as a single  woman â€" but I did. It all began when I stumbled into blogging in 2009. I was in Law School then and I  had begun realizing that maybe the legal career was not for me. But I was on a full  scholarship and I couldn’t quit now, I just couldn’t. And so I began blogging. Writing  had always been my passion. I remember telling my dad I wanted to be a journalist â€"  because English was the only class I was enjoying, and journalism seemed like the  best thing to do with the English language. “Over my dead body” was his response. I  don’t blame him though, most journalists in Nigeria are just one step above beggars  on the totem pole. And so I continued blogging. I wrote about random things â€" the  weather, ordering pizza, dealing with customer service in Philadelphia, whatever  was on my mind. I tried to sound smart in case one day someone stumbled upon it,  but sounding like someone else was taking the fun out of it, so I just started writing  like I was writing to myself, which to be completely frank, I was. The only person  reading was me and the crickets… chirp chirp… Eventually I stumbled upon something that resonated with people. I began writing  about being single, and the pressures for ladies in my generation to get married. I  began writing about why our lives should not be dictated by whether we choose to  marry or not. I began writing about how we can thrive and be happy whether we get  married or not, and all of a sudden women (and a few men) began contacting me,  telling me how the words on my blog spoke to them, and encouraged them when  things were challenging â€" when parents and friends were placing pressures on  them, my blog had become a solace, a sanity boost, and so I continued writing. And  eventually I turned it into a book â€" Impossible is Stupid, which my blog community  helped me launch. It was exhilarating and exhausting. By the time I wrote the book  and published it I didn’t have the energy to market it. I was working a full time job,  which I am super thankful for, because it helped me to pay the bills, but that job was  draining. I had become a lawyer, I had passed the bar exam, the world was my  oyster, and yet I didn’t find joy in the law. Instead I found joy running home to write about my most recent experience as a single woman. Eventually I got married, eventually I started working in HR, which made me realize  even more how much I enjoy helping people, and how desperately people need us to  believe in them and support them in their journey. So here I am in all my glory â€" I write blog posts, write books, create online courses  all to encourage people and to help them find their courage to be whomever they  want to be. Osayi Emokpae Lasisi helps businesses recruit and retain the right people for them.  She is the Author of “Invest in People, Invest in profits.” You can find her on most  social media platforms @OsayiLasisi. You can connect with her and get her book for  free: www.OsayiLasisi.com/Invest-in-people