Let me practice my TED talk

I had always hoped for an opportunity to be on this stage, for as long as I can remember! Ever since I knew about TED and TEDx, I had always felt that this is something I would want to be a part of, and this led me into being a part of the teams that organized local TED events in Enugu Nigeria. Today, I can proudly tell my parents, look what came from all these years of being involved in TEDx events, an event that sometimes could be hard to describe to people, without having them understand it as just one seminar or motivational speaking event.

What Made it possible?

I wouldn’t say that it was my involvement in TEDx events that made it possible to be on this stage today, in faraway Rome, but rather, that one fact that I strongly believed in – That we all could be professionals on LinkedIn and still have a normal life to live without being seen as all suit and tie, everywhere we go.

While trying to figure out life in my university days, back at the University of Nigeria Enugu Campus, I had come up with a plan of being a “tech bro” as we called it then. The problem was that I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to be. I had juggled from being a DJ to trying out digital painting, 3D Modelling, animation, and Coding, an area I keep running from till today for my sanity. Shout out to the guys who code, you guys are strong.

In all that I did, I ended up in graphic design, and branding, which was something I really loved doing, but I needed a platform to communicate all that I do, and that is where LinkedIn came In.

I knew this was it for me, not because I was good at writing, but because I got good at writing, and it gave me an opportunity to think through my thoughts as I share them for impact with people.

It was no longer just about communicating visually through my designs but communicating with well-thought-out words that would help me share my thoughts in their rarest form.

What then was the challenge?

I quickly grew on LinkedIn and was able to position myself as a professional in what I do, but that ushered in the problem. People saw more of the professional version of us. The leader, the suit and tie figure, the teacher figure, and a lot more.

Imagine seeing your suit and tie model on shorts and kicks, running and seating on the sands of a beach. That’s a bit weird right? That’s because you too imagine that professionals cannot have a social life. Particularly, you feel that being on LinkedIn prevents you from leaving a regular lifestyle.

This should not be the case and is not the case, and I will share some reasons why you should stop thinking this way.

Why you should remember that LinkedIn professionals have a regular life

1. First and foremost, we’re humans too, and we want to also have a taste of that good life occasionally. So, when next you see me eating in a restaurant on the streets of Rome, remember that I’m a human that could also love some nice local dishes and drinks occasionally.
2. LinkedIn is a social media platform. It is social before it was made professional by the users. We just chose to socialize professionally on this one platform, and not just the way we do on other platforms.
3. Too much of everything hurts. Personally, I would not feel ok mentally, and physically, if I were to keep up this professional approach to life for 6 months, without getting involved in other social activities. These social activities help to detoxify the mind of its mental stress, and by extension, keep you physically fit. Better still have a jog on the beach if an exercise and it’s recommended for all to engage in various forms of exercise occasionally to keep fit.
4. Let me be a little bit sarcastic with this… I don’t owe you my life, and I get to decide what is good for me. Hahaha… don’t get me wrong, but at some points in life, we know how things are true. Despite all the success being shared on social media, we know our setbacks, and sometimes, the best we could do is just unwind, without thinking of how you wish to judge us. For the records, we all know that there are legal and sensible ways of “having fun, unwinding, relaxing, or whatever you choose to call it. Be rational with your actions, else, in the long run, you would be hurting the professional brand you have invested a lot into building over the years.

Let’s all remember

We all could be professionals too, without losing all the colorful parts of our life. They are still a part of our identity, and you would not have to sacrifice an aspect of you, just to push the version you want people to know you for. If you do this, then you would be a step closer to a faker than a person building an actual brand.

It might involve you finding another platform that is more welcoming to that other aspect of you to share it on. Here are two people that are doing it right, and I would recommend you take cues as you can.

Enioluwa Adeoluwa

“Enioluwa is a writer, a public speaker, art director, media and communications specialist. He believes African millennials and generation are going to lead a tremendous impact on society and the world at large and takes a keen interest to be a part of this impact. He graduated with a first-class at age 19 and won the National Prize for the best student director (NUTAF 2018) at age 18 making him the youngest recipient of these awards…”

You probably don’t know about all this, because the more popular version of him that you know is what a friend has referred to as “Lip Gloss boy”.

On LinkedIn, he serves just the right amount of professional content that needs to be known about him. On Instagram… That’s where we get a version of him that most of us know. A skit maker as many would term it. But he not only lives out his life in full style, he also goes a long way to add smiles to our faces with his videos while regularly adressing certain issues. Guess what? The Lip gloss lifestyle has been turned into a full-time business for him.

Deyemi OKANLAWON

I prefer to call him uncle Deyemi, for some reasons I still can’t explain. We all know him better from Instagram as @Deyemitheactor and we all know how funny his posts can get.

This same experience is found on his LinkedIn page, only that this time around, he finds a creative way of introducing humor into his posts still, this way, you can help but still know him as that individual that wears many shoes, depending on what the situation calls for.

Let’s Roundup now

Let me cut you short right there. You’re welcome to my TED talk. A round of applause is due for me, right? I just have these imaginations about when I will be invited to speak at an International TED event, and I have just the perfect Idea to share if called on.

For a start, I have shared a part of this in a book – LinkedIn Triad. Click on any of the images below to know more about this.