Excellence isn’t the absence of challenges but the ability and grace put into overcoming these challenges as they come.

An average Nigerian’s key characteristic is the resilience and hustle to be the best. This had conferred on us a highly competitive spirit as somewhere there, right from when we were all so little, someone somewhere had drummed the importance of success in us, be it a healthy success or not.


However, one part we struggle with is the thin line between being humble and making ourselves visible. The urge to be the best, to attain perfection, sometimes makes the best of us quiet and even sabotages our growth by believing it is not the right time.


One example that comes to mind is one true to me. From day one of my time in the university, divine providence had guarded me into my path, which I chose to remain blind to for years because I thought it wasn’t for me or the right time. If I were to forgive myself for one wrong, it’d be for doubting myself and self-sabotaging many years ago when I could have put on my big boy pant and hit the road.


Our competitive spirit and the urge to excel above our pairs sometimes make us strive for perfection. Still, the truth is there’s never perfection, but just a healthy dose of continuous excellence in all we do. This singular truth is one I wished I had learnt years back. Growing up, we were told empty barrels make the loudest noise, but in this age where everything seems to happen so fast, being able to make some noise comes with its advantage.


I remember conversing with a friend who was visiting from another state. We got talking while he casually browsed through some of my works. This prompted him to ask why we were doing less as a brand regarding awareness. He moved on to say something that hit me that day. ‘In my state, there are a whole lot of people who don’t know half of what you do or are skilled as much as you are, but they are the ones who get the gigs because they make noise about what they do’.


This statement is not aimed at throwing shades at anyone’s skill set, as that isn’t the priority. The mistake we make, especially as creatives, is spending so much time trying to perfect our skills without giving any time to putting ourselves out there. It is usually because of the thought or fear of not being good enough or not having it all perfect. We forget that it is all a process, a growth process that never actually ends, as there is no true perfection.


There’s never really any perfect event, but there are excellent events. Excellence isn’t the absence of challenges but the ability and grace put into overcoming these challenges as they come. Ask anyone, whether a creative or a business person; everything only sometimes goes according to plan, and it isn’t a result of poor planning. Shit happens, as they say. I have had events where we forgot an accessory we had planned to use for the event. We’ve seen events where the schedule for the day on paper ended up being different from what happened in reality. This, from the eyes of perfection, isn’t perfect as it all didn’t go as planned, but it didn’t stop these events from being the most beautiful moment in the clients’ lives. We grow into learning to excel in every situation rather than crumble because we hope for perfection that never is attainable.


Does this mean one has to be the empty barrel that makes the loudest noise and gets into trouble? No. Growth is all-rounded rather than one-sided. This means that instead of waiting to achieve perfection, we can learn to believe in ourselves and our process and believe in our current skillset. At the same time, we continue to put in the effort to grow instead of waiting to achieve perfection, which never really comes, before learning to put ourselves out there. In fact, we are not being fair to our audience if we stay in hiding while we leave them exposed to whatever they find.


With this in mind, I know I stalled for some years before stepping out. Those years cost me some relationships, contacts or referrals I would enjoy now if I had stepped out and started small.
My advice to younger creatives who are already sure what they want to do with their life is to start now and grow into that image you have always envisioned. In this age, there’s almost no idle time, and nobody is waiting on anyone. There are always options as the space is filled with lots of competition, so start now, and make the little mistakes you can make while young and growing. Now that the stakes are not too high, dip your feet in the water, believe in yourself, and be confident of your skillset.


There’s the business side of things and the technical side. You don’t want to spend years learning the technical side while doing nothing about the business side because you hope being good enough is all it takes to excel.


Make your noise, and believe in yourself. Don’t strive for perfection, but be continually excellent in all you do.


May the Lord bless the reading of his word.