I had a plan for 2016. Graduate in September, look for a Masters program to start by September/October as a means to stay busy while I process my job applications to the country I plan to move to, travel to a new country/city once a month, do better with my businesses, get better with my spiritual life before the end of the year and finally, grow with my partner. That was the plan until 2016 started to unfold in a different way.

The first half was a rollercoaster, things got extremely shaky and I didn't know then, that it was in preparation for the second half. Half of my plans went down the drain and all kinds of emotion took over. I wasn't as happy anymore, I yearned for a more spiritual life (for more on how I got this, read Journey Back To God) and everything around me just seemed uninteresting. I had to give up my relationships, friendships but through it all, I was hopeful that my turn around was coming soon. Thankfully, exams were going okay and at least the plan to graduate by September looked achievable.

The second half of the year started on a better note even though I still had no Msc admission or even have an application sent. I was optimistic and looked forward to celebrating with my folks. I created a brand name, started blogging regularly, became a frequent face in church and I was just happier with my life. Fast forward, I finally found and got enrolled in a post graduate school and I graduated from Medical school. Suddenly, the dreams I never had started unraveling.

A few of my close friends can testify to this when I say I never dreamt of a famous life. I was the type of child that believed living a quiet life equalled optimal security. I value peace and I live by it, all day all year. I wanted to be successful but the quiet type that will only give anonymous donations and be represented by someone else at an event. I never wanted to be at the fore front of anything. All these changed when God instructed me to email my story to news platforms the day after I passed my board exam. I deliberated on it and didn't even know what I will write in the email. I prayed about it and two days later, I sent an enquiry email. I was shocked when the three platforms I emailed responded almost immediately with the request to send in the story. Of the three, two people fulfilled their promises and published it exactly one week after my board exam. My story became a sensation, from shares to likes to requests to messages. I was overwhelmed (more about that here On Dr Dedun).

My folks couldn't make it for my graduation and I had to come to Nigeria just to visit them and have our own party (ahah we've not done that yet lol). I also had contacts with people I was supposed to meet, interview I was scheduled for and a conference I was supposed to be a delegate at. Those were my plans for my supposed short trip to Nigeria but lo and behold, God had better plans. All of those plans never happened and I was down. I had so much negative vibe around me I just wanted to leave Nigeria, go back to my cozy apartment and continue my life. In all of these, I kept telling God to take control as I had no energy left in me to accept another disappointment. I did not want to believe that Nigeria will always disappoint me so I confided in a friend who gave me some energy boost and I went back to the drawing board.

As I was scrolling on my Twitter feed, I saw a repost about a TV program and I clicked on it. The next day, the urge to email the producers of the show was too much for me that I just did it! As God would have it, this landed me my first TV interview ever with Ebony Life TV on their show, The Crunch. It aired yesterday and I will update the blog if it gets posted on Youtube. All the dreams I never had started coming to life. I became one of Jumia Food's ambassador, I'm becoming more popular, networking with great minds and getting calls left and centre for interviews and one more huge announcement coming very soon.

All of this is beginning to make sense to me. During the course of the year, I was confused about where I would move to and I asked God to direct my steps. He didn't give me any answer before and immediately after I graduated but all of a sudden, the answers are rolling in and I'm amazed. The point of this post is to let you know that truthfully, your dreams are valid but God's dreams for you are far better and as you are busy making your plans, don't forget to give God the chance to have His way. You will be blown away by how inconspicuous your dream is to His and that is exactly where I stand right now.

Once upon a time, I had the dream to be quietly successful with hidden influence on others but today, I am living the dream I never had because I let God take over. I have more influence on people, doing my quota to make the world a better place and living a better life than planned. What are you waiting for? Submit all to Him who owns your destiny. God bless you.

I'm sorry again that I've not been updating often on this blog but please follow my social media pages as my presence on them these days is something else. Instagram, Facebook and Twitter 

I will be interviewed live on The Woman on Nigeria Info 99.3 FM Lagos at 4pm today. You can listen on www.nigeriainfo.fm and click on the listen live link.

Thanks for all your support.

Love,

Dr Dedun