Welcome back, my people! Another Thursday, another opportunity to sit down, exhale deeply, and gist like we’ve known each other since primary school. This one is special because it is the first Thursday Chronicles of the new year, and if we’re being honest, January has already started showing us small character. No warm-up. No “happy new year” grace period. Just vibes, responsibilities, and reality.
The new year always comes with fresh energy. New planners, new resolutions, new prayers, new affirmations, and that strong belief that this year will be different. Everybody enters January with motivational quotes flying around like birds. “This is my year.” “No more nonsense.” “Laser focus.” “Soft life only.” Meanwhile, Nigeria is standing there like, okay… let’s see.
January in Nigeria is not for the faint-hearted. It is the month that humbles everyone equally. Salaries come late. Transport fares remain high. Bills do not respect resolutions. And your bank account—ah—your bank account is doing yoga, stretching itself thin and hoping for a miracle. Yet, somehow, people are still moving forward, still trying, still believing.
That’s the thing about a new year: it forces optimism, even when reality is stubborn.
You start the year determined to be organized. You promise yourself you’ll wake up early, eat healthy, save money, avoid drama, and mind your business. By the second week, traffic reminds you that patience is a skill. Work reminds you that stress does not take holidays. People remind you that boundaries must be enforced repeatedly, not just announced once.
And yet, there is something refreshing about beginnings.
A new year makes people reflective. You start looking back at last year’s lessons—friendships that ended, goals that shifted, plans that didn’t work out the way you imagined. You realize you survived things you never thought you would. You handled situations you were not prepared for. You learned when to speak, when to stay quiet, and when to simply walk away.
January also comes with that subtle pressure to have it together. Social media does not help. People are already announcing wins, new jobs, relocations, businesses, engagements, and breakthroughs. If you’re not careful, you’ll forget that life is not a race and that progress does not run on one timetable. Some people are sprinting. Some are jogging. Some are resting before their next move. All are valid.
Let’s be honest, many people are not starting the year with loud wins. Some are starting with quiet determination. Some are starting with hope and prayer. Some are starting again, for the third or fourth time. And there is no shame in that. Restarting is not failure; it’s courage.
This new year is also a reminder that growth is not always dramatic. Sometimes growth looks like choosing peace over proving a point. Sometimes it seems like budgeting is better. Sometimes it looks like cutting off what drains you, even when it hurts. Sometimes it seems like showing up consistently, even when nobody is clapping yet.
And through it all, Nigerians will still laugh.
We will joke about the economy, drag ourselves gently, laugh at memes, tease our friends, and find humor in situations that should honestly make us cry. Because laughter, for many of us, is survival. It is therapy. It is resistance.
So as the year unfolds, maybe the goal isn’t perfection. Maybe the goal is progress. Maybe it’s doing your best with what you have, learning as you go, resting when necessary, and not being too hard on yourself. The year is still young. There is room to grow, adjust, dream again, and do better.
If January has taught us anything already, it’s this: life will not slow down just because it’s a new year. But you can choose how you respond. With grace. With wisdom. With humor. With hope.
So here’s to the new year; still fresh, still unfolding, still full of possibilities. May we navigate it with clarity, laughter, and strength. May we celebrate our wins, learn from our losses, and remember that we are allowed to take things one day at a time.
Another Thursday.
Another chance to reset.
Another Chronicles to remind you that you’re doing better than you think.
Until next Thursday; same seat, same gist, same Chronicles.
