Tuesday, December 18, 2018, at 4:33PM I made this post on Facebook with the attached picture:
“Do you have a story that is capable of inspiring change and sparking possibilities in others? In your business, career, passion, family, health or organization, ministry or your start-up experience, let me hear it and tell it to the world. Do not domesticate your breakthrough, Inspire others with it.
Send me an inbox and let’s meet for an exchange.”
A few weeks before that time, I had sent a message to Adebukola Margaret who I met at a radio station in Ibadan. She had a business that processes, bags foods, and blends natural spices, Amaz foods. I had an idea of helping people starting with her to tell their founder’s story, I called the platform Inspire with AI. We had a meeting at the University of Ibadan, I listened to her story, scribbled it, took some pictures and published it on Facebook. After that I also met a very skillful drummer in my assembly, Fanen. I interviewed him, asked the photographer in church to take a few pictures and published his story on facebook. After those two efforts, life happened and I didn’t know what happened to the idea. I walked away and forgot about it. I didn’t have sufficient knowledge, information, vision and drive to execute it. I moved away from it totally. I wasn’t sure I even pondered on it.
Seven years later, I had moved to Lagos, married, switched to brand communications, spent a year in a brand managerial role for a tech company and boom we have recorded five episodes of The Breakthrough Podcast with distinguished creators and CEOs who are some of the best in their fields!
I did not plan to write this letter until I saw Adebukola’s picture in my Facebook gallery a few days ago and light went up in my head. It suddenly made sense. There was no way I was going to succeed in 2018! I had no experience and knowledge about what I was building. I had passion but the big picture was not clear. I did not consult or ask questions about what I was up about. Maybe that was not the problem. Maybe timing is. Maybe the idea needs some germination. But one thing is clear, helping business individuals tell their stories was a seed in my heart and nothing would remove that seed! Not life, not my distractions, not my inexperience or lack of exposure. Nothing.
I’d probably have forgotten this If I had no picture on Facebook because I paid no attention. I was just flowing with life and doing the things I consider purposeful. I didn’t make an active move to go back to telling stories of businesses under the tree or in church.
Now let’s pick the lessons.
Purpose is in your design. You don’t need auto reminders.
Life will bring you around the things, people and purpose you are made for.
As long as you keep listening to instructions and following the path, you cannot miss the signals. You can be out of radar for a while, detours can happen but it cannot be for long. You can lose time as some have but you will come round the corner. Do not abandon the signals because of that, time wasted can be difficult to regain.
As soon as an idea hits your mind, seek commensurate information and exposure. Inexperienced women can be pregnant(every mother was once inexperienced) but the survival of the baby depends on the amount of learning she is able to take. Same for your ideas, no matter how excited you are to carry that baby. What you know about caring for the newborn deserves its survival.
“Studies have found a higher risk of complications and mortality for first-time mothers (primigravida) compared to women having their second, third, or fourth child. The risk factors are particularly high for very young and older mothers and are influenced by factors like access to quality healthcare”
This is even true for rabbits which I farmed for almost a decade. Most of them do not pick caring instincts for their kits until their second and their third kindling(birth)
So get information about your pregnancies(idea) so you can be successful at it.
Share other lessons you picked in this article with me.
Have a great day and breakthrough from within.
©Abiola Iyiola, 2025
