For Linda Ikeji and our Collective Lessons in Vulnerability

[ruthcoldiron622]

<br>Let me first start this article by stating that I don’t understand Linda Ikeji personally, we aren’t close friends, and I’ve “met” her only a number of times at celebrations …<br>
<br>Written By:
Francesca Uriri<br>
<br>Published On:
24 Sep 2016<br>
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<br>However with all of that being said, I likewise have a deep and abiding respect for her. Is that paradoxical? Perhaps. But I’ve come to understand that you can disagree with somebody on something and still respect them. Whether you accept it or not, Linda has actually shown through her exceptional journey of being a blog writer and opinion influencer, that she is an inspiration to many individuals all over the world. She has boot strapped her method to success using a design that was when undesirable and scoffed at. She’s an Outlier, and handles to motivate, incite and baffle lots of all at once, and with fervour.<br>
<br>I can’t consider a lot of individuals who have actually run a modelling company, an events company, a magazine and a bunch of other companies, stopped working at them, and still kept pressing forward. I likewise don’t understand of anyone else (at least not on this side of the planet), who is lawfully making tons of money by blogging.
[advertisement] I mean, before Linda, whoever believed it was possible to purchase a house in Banana Island, and open a string of media-related businesses gained from the profits of running a gossip blog site? If the United States of America has the “American dream,” then Linda Ifeoma Ikeji has the “Naija Dream.” Strong, unrelenting in its pursuit of joy and hope, and eventually, successful. Here’s a lady who struck ground zero at some time in her life, and is back to level 100. You need to such grit and decision, due to the fact that as my Sapele individuals will say “E nor easy.”<br>
<br>Linda or “Lin-Lin” as she’s fondly called by those who are close to her turned 36 years old a couple of days earlier; and to mark her special day, she posted a 14-minute long video on her blog. Within hours of her publishing this video, social media was buzzing with all kinds of remarks and remarks about it – and I understood that I needed to see it for myself. 3 minutes into the video, I wasn’t quite sure whether I liked it or not, because it came off as slightly insincere and scripted; plus Linda looked a little uneasy dealing with the cam. However, something altered soon after – I’m not even sure what. But the veneer of coolness cracked, and something more warm, earthy, genuine and vulnerable spilled out.
[advertisement] And as Linda started to discuss her failures, her desires, her relationship with God, her belief in the credibility of her dreams, her utter awe at how her life turned out, and the affirmation that she still “plans to be around for a long time,” something in me likewise paved the way to the hope and motivation that she was sharing.<br>
<br>And maybe it was a psychological minute, perhaps that thing was fleeting, but I acknowledged it, and I felt it strongly. Because it was genuine, powerful and heartfelt. And because one special minute, I forgot all the times I did not like Linda, or all the frustrating things she had done, and in that suspended space, between my laptop computer screen and her video, I celebrated with her. I cheered her on, and I frantically desired her to be successful.<br>
<br>So you can picture my inflammation when people took simply a few seconds of that video – of her preferring a fantastic guy for a hubby – and turned it into an event for awful banter, ridiculous rhetoric and painful remarks. How do you condense ALL she stated, and narrow that down to just one section of her video? What is wrong if she openly (and very honestly I might add), spoke about what she wants? Is her desire for a hubby in some way less valid or disgraceful since she spoke about it in the open? If she had spoken about further growing her business or purchasing another home – would those statements be met derisive comments? Exists not a peaceful strength and dignity in such a guileless program of vulnerability? When people honestly and truthfully open up themselves, the least we can do, the least we should do as people is to accord them the respect and self-respect that they are worthy of.<br>

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