Characters from Real Life
Introducing Author Kingsley Asuamah
Life from different perspectives
A few days ago, I read this article on Medium:
In this simple article, each idea is exciting and potentially the topic for meaningful exploration. I highly recommend it.
I reached out to the author, Kingsley Asuamah, suggesting that we explore the topics in a series of posts to show how writers with contrasting backgrounds, living in different parts of the world, decades apart in age, perceive these essential topics.
Kingsley agrees that discussing these issues in public is an opportunity for both of us to learn and grow while we share the experience with the entire Medium community.
A Tale of Two Authors
Kingsley is a 36-year-old Nigerian national living in Ireland. He left Nigeria to pursue a graduate degree abroad in his early thirties.
I was born and raised in the United States. I still live in the US at 59. I have considered moving to another country. My wife and I spent seven weeks in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in 2021 as part of a trial run. The heat and humidity were too much for us, but I seriously contemplated what moving abroad would entail.
Kingsley says, “It took me almost three years to save up for the program, and I had to defer my admission twice. I sold my car, home appliances, and other personal items to make up the entire amount I needed for relocation.”
I’m a full generation older and have reinvented myself multiple times. I am transitioning as I write this article, moving from my established real estate career to the world of writing and speaking in an effort to improve the world one life at a time.
Change is difficult. Change is necessary. Change is frightening and rewarding.
Kingsley has already published several books under the name Nda Esio. I am envious! Here is a link to his work:
Reinventing Ourselves - Chris Compton
I joined the US Navy when I was 19 years old. I failed at college and didn’t have a clear idea of what was next for me. I felt tremendous pressure to get started. For all its drawbacks, the military is certainly a place to get started or start over.
At 34, I woke up and realized I was going through the motions. I hated the military. I was ideologically opposed to the entire concept. With fifteen years of service, I was less than five years from the brass ring of retirement.
I told my then-wife and my family that I was leaving the Navy. The vote was predictable. One for quitting and all the rest for pushing ahead to retirement.
I had two small children at the time. “What about the kids?” was a popular introduction to another contentious critique of my plans. My position was that I could only take care of my children to the extent that I took care of myself.
Putting my needs first was the right decision. It wasn’t easy to knowingly disappoint my spouse. It was uncomfortable to make a weighty life decision that flew in the face of conventional wisdom and the wisdom of everyone I had grown to rely upon for advice.
At 35, I was an unemployed veteran with no clear roadmap, with the highway of life sprawled out in front of me and no traffic in sight. What a feeling of freedom!
Reinventing Ourselves - Kingsley Asuamah
Kingsley started his adult life as an IT professional in Nigeria. He felt like “a local champion,” he told me. But he wasn’t satisfied. Kingsley had a dream of something bigger for himself. He wanted to build IT products with global reach.
A plan began to form in his mind. Over the next three years, Kingsley saved his money. He applied to a Master’s Degree program in Ireland and jumped through the hoops that stood in his way. Nothing is easy when you are making a life change, and it took Kingsley three years of scrimping, saving, and deferring his admission before he could sell all his possessions and make the 3000-mile trip north.
When he graduated, he was offered the opportunity to remain in Ireland, and he took it, saying, “Remember, I sold everything I owned, so there was nothing to go back to.”
Now in his mid-thirties, Kingsley lives in Ireland with his new wife, working in the IT field, writing on Medium, and brainstorming software products that will allow him to make a difference in the rapidly changing world of tech.
Impressed by his metamorphosis, I asked Asuamah what prevents people from making big important changes in their lives. He said “Laziness. Most people just sit down and wish but are not willing to put in the work required to achieve what they want. For example, everybody would love to be fit, but they are too lazy to hit the gym regularly and effect the required lifestyle changes. I am guilty too.”
Writing About It - Kingsley’s Story
Kingsley joined Medium in 2016, long before I heard of it. He started writing during Covid and has published dozens of articles.
He says that Medium has long been one of his favorite sources for information on a variety of topics. Writing about his own areas of expertise was a natural progression.
I asked him when he began to think and write about the topic of self-improvement. He said, “I am always working on myself and looking for something to improve about me, to make me a better person. I am easily drawn to articles about self-improvement. I just assumed it would be the same for everyone else.”
When I asked him what he was trying to accomplish in his own life, Kingsley revealed the source of his motivation. He is determined to build a legacy that he can pass on to his kids and be the best husband he can.
Writing About It - Chris’ Story
In 2023, I signed up for the Ship 30 for 30 cohort. I spent thirty days learning about digital writing from Nicolas Cole and Dickie Bush. I published my work on X, and for the most part, it was shit.
I knew I had valuable stories and ideas to share, but I didn’t know how to expose those ideas to any significant audience. The algorithm on X seemed determined to limit my audience to my fellow Ship 30 students and a few random trolls.
The best part of Ship 30 is the opportunity to connect with others on Zoom calls and exchange ideas and experiences. One of these connections was Kathleen Safron, who introduced me to the Medium platform.
I started posting on Medium, and one of my early articles developed a following far larger than anything else I had posted. I saw the value of the platform and began to publish most of my work here. Kingsley is far more prolific, but I am working on it!
What’s Next?
You will recall that Kingsley and I connected over his article, “20 Interesting Self-Improvement Facts You Should Know.”
We are going to write about the twenty facts in the article.
I will approach the topics from the point of view of a nearly 60-year-old American, and Kingsley will write from the perspective of a 36-year-old Nigerian living abroad in Ireland.
We are hopeful that our collaboration will help both of us find new and interesting ways to look at our self-improvement journey while providing useful information for our audience.
We welcome your comments and participation as we tackle this collaborative project.
Chris Compton
02–23–2024
