2022: A Retrospective
Looking back at the blur of 2022
This year has been….interesting, weird, mixed…
It’s hard to break it down to a single word or theme.
In January, during the week of my birthday, I went to my home town in the northern part of Ghana to bury a close uncle who had passed away in December.
That same week, I celebrated my 34th birthday.
It was a weird mix of emotions when go to someone’s funeral and then turn around and celebrate your personal life. But then again, that’s kind of life in a way.
The rest of the year has been somewhat of a blur. I’ve been in and out mentally. I’ve been contemplating more about life and what comes next. I don’t know if that’s just age or the fact that I’m in my mid 30s and I’m not married, have kids or in a relationship.
It’s been kind of lonesome but not “lonely” if that makes sense.
I took a lot of solo trips at the beginning of the year. I don’t know if it was to “find myself” or just get away from the familiarity in the city.
From trips to Akosombo to spend time alone near the water or driving 3 hours to Keta to send time by the beach, I’ve been with myself for a bit.
Apart from doing more solo trips, I’ve been doing a lot of work this year and it’s been showing dividends.
If you know me, you know I’ve been working on a technology news website called Tech Nova. This year in April, we celebrated its 5th year anniversary and I got a nice gift in the form of a newspaper placement.
Work never sleeps.
I’ve been pushing content, attending events and doing lots of networking. As an introvert, it can be a lot to be honest. But the work pays off especially if you’re intentional.
By the middle of the year, I was burned out. I was moody, sensitive, annoyed, tired…. All the symptoms of burn out. So I decided to leave the country entirely. And so, I went to… Abu Dhabi.
That’s a weird location if you think about it. But I chose Abu Dhabi because it was the cheapest with the least visa restrictions and also because there was a friend there who I could catch up with it.
Not going to lie, I should have done more research on the weather because it was hot AF! Lol.
But I was able to get lots of sleep and recover a bit from burn out.
After all that, it was back to work. I had no ideas and new plans for the rest of the year.
I decided to launch a new project: Labari Magazine.
It’s a website similar to Tech Nova but its more focused on other categories including Lifestyle, Entertainment, Food and Drinks and Women.
To wrap up projects for the year, I finally launched a new podcast project for Tech Nova which had been buzzing about in my head.
I found a recording studio, booked guests and recorded episodes for the first season of “What’s Your Story”, a take on the popular “How I Built This” podcast but for African entrepreneurs, business people and creatives.
After that, the rest of year has been a blur.
2022 was me doing a lot of thinking, reading and working. I’ve been thinking about my own life, my circle of friends, the country I currently live in, my family’s health and a lot of other things.
I’ve had some depressive episodes which kicked my ass. But I’ve also built and produced a lot of content this year that I’m proud of.
Is it weird to say that I’m not really “excited” for 2023? Not trying to be negative but I’m getting to the point of just letting things fall into place instead of getting overly excited about the prospects for next year.
I do hope next year gets better and I build on the things I’ve done in 2022. But I’m taking things one step at a time.
Next month, I’m turning 35 and I’ve already getting the birthday blues.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
2022 has been mixed for me but I’m thankful for good health and the ability to work hard and for the opportunities that came my way.
Hoping 2023 brings more health and more opportunities.
