This is the most difficult email I've ever had to write

An issue of the Chidera Peters Dispatch (CPD)

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is TIME! Let’s dig in, shall we?

Pause. So the craziest thing just happened, and I am in panic mode! I usually create an outline for every dispatch email and drop ideas in it throughout the week so I don’t forget what I want to write about. Well, guess what?! I just opened the Notes app on my phone, and I CAN NOT find the outline for this email. Turns out that I didn’t back up the Notes app to my iCloud storage. Here’s how it happened: I changed phones. I returned my new iPhone 14 because it had camera issues and went back to using my iPhone 11. Apparently, I didn’t back up my notes app to iCloud storage before resetting the iPhone 14, so now I have lost the content for this email, and I am trying really hard to remember all that I wanted to share. This sucks big time, Simple technology 1 - Struggling Tech Sis 0 😭

A thumbnail for a Youtube video that was never uploaded.

👩🏽‍💻 What I worked on this week

I rounded up the last session of my 4-weeks academic writing boot camp this week, and I couldn’t be happier. I’m so glad to have contributed in one way to the success’ of the 22 persons signed up, + I’m also glad to have my Friday evenings back.

Pause. I’m really struggling with this email. Without my outline, I feel lost. I literally had a long list of things to write about. Also, my husband just came by to reassure me, and as much as that helps, I just need my outline. This is hard.

🤔 What’s on my mind

Usually, I write this section a bit closer to the end of the dispatch, but this is the only part I can recall from the outline.

If you’ve been here for a while, you’ll recall how I shared my struggle with figuring out what to post on youtube. My channel was focused on academic help + life in the UK as an international student, and I felt like my audience (mostly students) was finding it difficult to relate to the new content type I was posting, which was marriage, relationship and lifestyle. And how this disconnect impacted my motivation to show up on youtube and also affected my view count. Well, say hello to the new me because I am no longer sorry.

I was sorry that my content was changing; I felt like I had to continue with the academic help content even though it didn’t feel true to me but forced. I felt bad about my low views but not anymore. I can only share what feels true to me, what I feel is valuable and what I am sure will help one person get it right. And if in this very moment, it’s talking about marriage, then so be it🙃.

I was scrolling on Instagram and came across a post Maraji shared showing her baby laughing as they were about to head out. And it hit me, this is Maraji, who started out making funny skits on Instagram but ever since she had her first child, her content has leaned towards motherhood and its unique challenges. I, for one, have learnt some things about motherhood from watching her. Are you getting what I’m driving at? No? Perhaps another example will help.

I also watched a video by SalemKinging on Instagram (yes, I spend a lot of time on Instagram 🌝), and in this video, he was sharing his experience living in Lagos as a former Abuja resident. Highlighting the differences between the two cities. He’s made a couple more videos sharing his experiences. Now, do you get it?

Change is the only constant thing, and as a creator, it’s OK to share your current experiences in hopes that it resonates with someone else. The most important thing is to stay true to your WHY - your reason for creating content in the first place. My why is to help one person get it right. My focus has always been on one person. When I was an international student, everything I shared on Youtube was about helping one international student get it right. Now that I am no longer a student, why am I trying so hard to remain in a phase that is over?

If my content no longer resonates with my current audience, that’s fine too. A new audience will come as long as I am sharing something valuable. If showing up and being my authentic self could get me from 0 to 32,000 subscribers, then why do I think the growth wouldn't continue with the same authenticity? I’m saying, show up, and the rest will fall into place.

The time we spend overanalysing and wondering “what if” are times we could use to improve our craft and just show up as our authentic best selves.

🙈 Update on the diet

Because this email is already too long, I’ll make this brief. Yes, I followed my diet to THE letter this week 💃🏽. The diet was for 7 days, but I only did 5 days and lost weight. I started at 64.8kg, and I am currently 63.9kg. Yes, I’ll stop with all these diet things for now. I have hit my weight loss goal for the year, and I’m happy! 😁

✍🏽 Quote of the week

The faintest ink is better than the strongest memory — Ancient Chinese proverb.