Practicing Gratitude
A goodnews Chat with Seyifunmi Adebote
Compliments of Seasons!
This week, our goodnews is from our chat with Seyifunmi Adebote, a leading environmentalist, media consultant, and development practitioner.
He spoke about setbacks, and practicing a lifestyle of gratitude, among many others things.
Enjoy every bit of it.
What was the turning point for you in your life/career choice?
It feels like I am yet to get to the turning point regarding my career but on the other hand, it is also clear that I have had a number of turning points and I am excited about the many more to come. One event that comes to mind was being Nigeria’s youth representative to the United Nations, both for the General Assembly and the Youth Climate Summit in 2019.
Since 2017, I have been actively learning about Climate Change at the global level and genuinely working with individuals, groups, and organizations to make strong connections with how Nigeria is being impacted and the efforts required. The opportunity to share the stage with world leaders and be the voice conveying the experiences of millions of people was huge. Quite a surreal experience!
What was that one piece of advice that changed your life?
Just start!
We are surrounded with much uncertainty and the biggest blow to ourselves is not to start because we are unsure of the outcomes of a project or task.
How do you deal with setbacks?
Setbacks are never personal!
To deal with such, I retreat often – especially in a place where I can feel connected to nature. These personal retreats afford me moments of reflection which helps bring to mind the successes enjoyed in the past and to consciously appreciate the little things in the present. Those make the perfect ingredient to hope for a better future. I should also add that I try not to wait for a major setback before taking time to retreat.
Music has also been a useful tool for me to re-calibrate myself. Country Music, Folks Music, some Jazz music and spoken words! The thoughtfulness and sincerity of music help me see life from different perspectives.
What good news/thing in the world is being overlooked?
It could have been worse! Remember the fear that engulfed the whole world when the uncertainties of the COVID-19 plagued us. I think we have very quickly overlooked the miracle that it is to get back to our life.
Even more, we overlook the gift of every day – being able to go out, to meet people we love and do the things that make us wonderful people.
What are three things you have done over the years that have made a big difference?
Thinking about the things I have done over the years that have made a difference, three that comes to mind are:
Investing in people: In 2019, I took a lot of time to invest in people – young people especially. At the time, it was an unintentional motive but looking back and seeing the growth of folks that I closely worked with. I think investing in people is such a priceless thing to do!
Being deliberate about my mentors: Along the line of my career and daily life, I have met or read about folks that I now regard as mentors and love to share my growth process with. Some are younger, some I have only seen once, some have a different outlook of life, but being deliberate about my relationship with them and paying attention to what is happening in their own lives has made a difference in my life and contributed to my growth.
Practicing a lifestyle of gratitude: At different times and in different places, I have read about gratitude. From reading the bible to autobiography and studying books, etc, but I have never personally understood what it meant until recently. I could perhaps use the opportunity to recommend Thich Nhat Hanh’s “Peace Is Every Step” which I read many years ago and has helped me in living a lifestyle of gratitude.
What's something that makes you feel hopeful for the future right now?
More like someone, and that would be my daughter!
What is the one piece of advice you will give to someone just starting (in your space)?
Understand the subject and know where you fit in! Being an environmentalist, with an interest in climate change, it is very easy to get swayed by the different propaganda and the many narratives. So having a clear understanding of the subject and knowing how you can contribute is central to growth. I leveraged my media skills to write about the reality of climate change in Nigeria, to host a podcast, to spark online conversations, to support the policy and advocacy framework of the climate discussions in Nigeria. This advice is as valid for folks in my space as for folks in any other field of life. Understand the subject and know where you fit in.
What are you reading or listening to currently?
Recently I have been listening to This is the Future Podcast hosted by my friend, Dayo Moyo. In some 8 different recent episodes, he has given a platform for young African to talk about their respective home countries – with guests from different parts of Africa - Northern (Algeria), Western (Nigeria), Southern (Botswana), Eastern (Kenya) and Central (Sudan), This Is The Future podcast is a growing compendium documenting knowledge about Africa told by Africans. I am not reading any book at the moment, though I have a book titled Invoking Flora Nwapa by Paula Uimonen, a Swedish professor on my desk. Interestingly, I am about to start writing a new book and I'm so excited about it!
You can find out more about Seyifunmi Adebote here
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From AllforDevelopment.
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