Today is my newsletter-versary...

'I can’t do this anymore lol, I dey go chop.'

Hello guys,

Hope you are well. I’m okay, Alhamdulillah.

I woke up this morning feeling exhausted. I was out all day yesterday and got back super tired. Then I had to eat, pray, catch my breath and get some work done which kept me up till a few minutes past 1 am.

By the time I woke up, one part of my brain went ‘go back to bed man, you need to rest today’. The other part went, ‘you need to make 3 calls this morning, write your newsletter and then prepare to go out.’

The second part won. Two calls later, I am lying in bed trying to put words together. It is 9:38 am and I have a splitting headache - hunger. There is a restaurant just below me and they are open till 10 am, but I wanted to make some headway first.

I can’t do this anymore lol, I dey go chop. Delayed gratification go dey alright. 😂😂

Back now. It is 12:18 pm and I am again lying in bed. 😂

No empty stomach this time. I had cooked, eaten, and was watching a little too much of ‘How To Become a Tyrant’ on Netflix when I remembered that this newsletter had fallen by the wayside.

Ah well.

—————

I just realized today marks one year of writing this newsletter.

And quite a journey it has been. With the exception of a Sunday in October 2020 when I declined to write as I believed the #EndSARS movement was more worthy of attention, I have put out content every single weekend. Alhamdulillah.

** side note: For those of you who subscribed somewhere along the way, this was my very first post back in August 2020.

I am genuinely proud of this.

And it has not always been easy. I have written when I was sad, stressed, angry, lonely, busy, and broke. I have written from 4 different countries on 3 continents.

Fun fact: I very nearly missed a flight in July because I was writing this newsletter in a quiet lounge of the airport. This led to a scene like from a movie when I received a call that the plane was about to leave and I was the last missing passenger. I ran like a mad man to my boarding gate! 😂

Me trying to meet the plane 6 Sundays ago…Image from The Atlantic

I have written exactly 10 times while in isolation, either locked inside my room (because of contact with the coronavirus) or in a hotel to fulfil international travel requirements.

But it has also been very rewarding.

About 1,428 of you have decided (after much prodding!) to be part of this community, and quite a few of you I have built personal relationships with.

I have learnt a lot about consistency and resilience. I have become more observant of the interactions in my life, books, videos, and podcasts as I permanently search for things to write about. My writing skills, while not poor previously, have improved for the better.

Some people in my network, even friends and family, think better of me because they read this newsletter. Haha I always find it surprising, because I am mostly the same person I was this time last year. But writing this has somehow ‘elevated’ me in their eyes. Lool.

The reminders I share with you are also beneficial to me, perhaps more than you can imagine. The emails I receive from people who ‘found something useful’ or ‘never thought of it that way’ have made my days many times over.

Thank you for reading my newsletter, I really appreciate it. 🙏🏿 🤗

** side note: Been out all day. It is 8:11 pm and I am tayaddd. Tomorrow na Monday. God airpuss.

So what now?

One question I get every once-in-a-while is ‘Hameed, what is the aim of your newsletter? What is your plan for it?’

And I think it surprises them when I answer, ‘I have no clue. Just seeing how it goes.’

I really don’t.

I have had temporary ideas at different points, but I still haven’t found the time or inspiration to figure out a long/medium term plan. I have considered writing less frequently multiple times, and as the constraints on my time increase, it is a possibility I might explore soon.

But for now, let’s see how it goes. As long as I have thoughts to share and there are still people for whom this newsletter is valuable, ‘Hameed from Hameed’s Newsletter’ will continue to pop up in your inbox.

In sha Allah.

** Jara content:

“No matter who we become or what we accomplish, we still feel that we’re essentially the kid we were at some simpler time long ago. Somehow that’s the trick of leadership, too, I think, to hold on to that awareness of yourself even as the world tells you how powerful and important you are.

The moment you start to believe it all too much, the moment you look yourself in the mirror and see a title emblazoned on your forehead, you’ve lost your way. That may be the hardest but also the most necessary lesson to keep in mind, that wherever you are along the path, you’re the same person you’ve always been.”

- Bob Iger, The Ride of a Lifetime

Have a great week. 💫