Youth is the best time to learn and unlearn. It is a time to make mistakes, even if you don’t learn from them. Here things happen by themselves, you might find yourself helpless at certain turns but then at some later stage of your life it will all seem worth it.
In my free time, the little that I have, I often introspect and think about the ways I took to reach so far. Like everybody else, I miss the carefree times of youth. Science and Sports were the two things I was most passionate about. My life revolved around these fields. At 22, I did things I loved without having any idea how they might be useful in my life later.
Now working in banking sector, I was earlier more interested in the scientific side of life. I changed my stream of studies after attaining a Masters Degree. I was doing Chemical Research at that time which basically involved cooking in the lab, it really helped me learn how to cook well. I won’t say I am a gourmet chef, but being able to go into a kitchen without burning it down is a much needed life skill. And I am thankful to the learnings in my twenties for it.
Never in my dreams, did I think that moving from Chemistry to Finance will have any affect on my banking career. I didn’t appreciate the value of skills and transferability of knowledge.
But now when I sit back and analyse, Chemistry was about creating new drugs, trials and errors and probability. My analytical skills are definitely a direct result from there, which is so useful in Banking. It was definitely a blessing in disguise.
I have always been good with numbers, they have helped me not only in studies but also in sports. At 22, I loved sports, and I played Rugby, Hockey and Doubles Tennis. Today, I do not get as much time to play or enjoy them all. However, I still try my hand at Golf and go for a good run to unwind.
Being part of Rugby or Hockey team at those days was more about the ‘spirit’ of the game. In team sports, it is about how you compliment your team member’s strength. Today it is so useful in my professional life, but then I had no idea I was learning so much and I think that is the beauty of it. That made me enjoy it.
The spontaneity of youth is another thing that helps one to make gut decision. I realised that you should never be scared to do something different. At Diamond Bank I have experimented and tried new things. We have introduced a whole new way of banking in Nigeria, but trust me I was never scared of trying it out. Nervous, yes, but not scared. Go ahead, try something new. Be spontaneous. Life never goes to plan, just live the adventure.
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