It will hurt sometimes 🌶
Chronicles of an Afropreneur
Dear ,
Yesterday something odd happened to me and although it sounds funny to narrate now, it was hell.
I was cooking with my wife and decided to help clean and blend the pepper into a puree (something I've done so many times in the past). But this time turned out different, I'm sure you're wondering where this is going.
I started feeling a slight burning sensation about 15 minutes after I was done. 1 hour later, my hands were practically on fire. But I could still manage it, no big deal.
I started googling for a solution to my problem. I washed my hands with dish-wash liquid and salt, nothing worked (grew up hearing this worked).
One site said, wash with alcohol, the other with vinegar which I did. Guess what, my hands literally visited hell after this. I was in big trouble.
I then tried soaking my hands in baking powder instead of baking soda paste (I was so flustered and desperate that I forgot there was a difference between baking soda and baking powder). Another site advised soaking my hands in milk and I did, still nothing. By this time, it felt like I was finished, I had never felt so much discomfort and confusion from just pepper.
Luckily for me, my wife, who kept on teasing me and telling me everything will be fine did some research and advised me to rub honey all over my hands for 30 minutes (and it was so specific).
Guess what, after 30 minutes, the pain subsided. Whoooop!
Here are some lessons I got from this incident:
Don't suffer in silence, look for answers.
Share your pain with your trusted tribe (my wife in this case).
Not every advice will work, per time. Don't be dejected, keep trying to solve your problem.
Don't blame yourself, bad things happen to good people too. It's not always your fault, life has its ups and downs. Would I cut off my hands just because of the pain I felt?
Push through the pain. Even while I was hurting, I still had to deliver to my clients. No one loves to listen to excuses.
Be ready to go again. This incidence doesn't stop me from trying to make a pepper puree again. What I have learnt is how not to chop and clean the pepper (even if I thought I knew before).
What works for Mr A might not work for you, be careful when the following advice from other people.
The solution may seem like it's not working, be steadfast!
Bonus tip: When someone has a pain, they'll go the extra mile to look for solutions. When your target market is in search of a solution to their pain, make sure they find you by offering the solution even before they ask, with your content, product or service.
What has hurt you recently? What is making you doubt your yourself?
Remember that life comes with its surprises, even the ones we swore will never happen to us. Grieve for a time and get right back up! This is what champions do.
Share your experience and feedback with us via replying this mail, or share on Social Media for all to see. Don't forget to add the #AfropreneurTribe hashtag so that I can track and respond.
Keep grinding,
Uwem
P.S: Watch my YouTube video on Imposter Syndrome - https://www.youtube.com/UwemUwemakpan