Should I return to paid employment, or should I take the leap?!
Dear Evolving Human,
I hope this letter finds you in a moment of reflection, ready to embrace the whispers of your soul. I cannot believe that this is the first time I am writing this year! I must apologise for my radio silence. It’s never too late to welcome you into 2025, so this is my long overdue welcome. Thanks, for sticking with me.
As I sit in my home office writing to you today, I am reminded of my own journey, a path that has been both uncertain and exhilarating. Life often nudges us toward decisions we never imagined making, and for me, one such decision came last November 2024 when I left my role at the Edo State Government.
Leaving was not easy. It felt like stepping off a cliff into an abyss where clarity dared not tread.
The questions swirled endlessly:
Should I return to paid employment?
Or should I take the leap and focus on building something of my own?
My mind was a cacophony of voices as you can imagine. Some cheering me on, others warning me against taking risks. Risks are a curious thing. We dread them like fear and never quite find a way to make them right in our heads. In search of answers, I decided to retreat inward. A personal retreat became my sanctuary, a space to silence the noise and reconnect with myself. There, amidst stillness, I realised that fear often masquerades as logic, but courage is the true compass of growth.
By January 2025, after weeks of introspection, I said, “hello courage, my old friend.” On that cold January morning as I counted 40 trips around the sun, SkillzHQ was born. A management consulting and skills development company whose vision it is to help African businesses with sustainability planning while ensuring every African has a skill they can monetize. It wasn’t just about starting a business; it was about igniting change. I wanted to create a platform that would empower people economically and equip organizations to thrive sustainably. My entire career has been dedicated to impacting lives at scale and I was not about to change my trajectory.
Building from scratch has been a bundle of contradictions. Sometimes, I feel all the emotions in a day and even question my sanity.
“Was it right to turn down jobs, when I didn’t know where to begin?” I thought.
However, my over 15 years experience became my guide, faith my anchor, hope my fuel, and passion my driving force. Every step forward taught me something new about myself, my resilience, my adaptability skills, and the power of execution over strategy. You see, being an entrepreneur isn’t just about having a plan; it’s about moving even when the road ahead is shrouded in fog. ‘Fortune truly favors the brave,’ they say and sometimes, all you need is the audacity to look fear in the eye and do it terrified, not afraid.
Feel the terror and do it anyway. No one is coming out of earth alive, so we might as well make this human experience terrific! There were days when doubt crept in, whispering cruel lies about failure. But through those moments, I held tightly to my faith. Entrepreneurship, I’ve come to learn, is a faith dance, one where you trust God (or whatever higher power guides you) more than your fears. And let me tell you, joy does come in the morning. Those mornings may look different for everyone, but they arrive nonetheless, bringing with them breakthroughs, lessons, and victories you once thought impossible.
If there’s anything I want you to take away from this letter, it’s this: Keep going. Hold on to your dreams, no matter how distant they seem. Move forward, even if you don’t know all the steps yet. Execution trumps strategy every time because action births momentum, and momentum births results. Don’t wait until everything feels perfect before you begin. Start messy, grow steadily, and watch how life unfolds in ways you could never have scripted.
To anyone reading this who feels stuck or afraid, remember, you are capable of far more than you think. The world needs your unique gifts, your voice, your contribution. So rise, evolve, and dare greatly. Be the light that inspires others to do the same.
As I close this letter, I want to express profound gratitude, for all that is seen and unseen. For the challenges that shaped me, the failures that taught me, and the triumphs that continue to affirm my purpose. Thank you for subscribing and engaging with some parts of my evolving story. May it spark courage within your heart to pursue your own dreams relentlessly.
To your ascension,
Precious Imuwahen Ajoonu
Founder, SkillzHQ
www.myskillzhq.com