From London With Lessons🧳

— This journal entry was written from the corner of my bed at Kimpton Fitzroy hotel. Thanks for a relaxing stay — 10/10 for location!

For the people who know me forreal or have been part of my Instagram community for quite some time, you’re familiar with my often-reposted sms story that says “I might look okay, but deep down inside I want to move to Europe.”

So, when my team asked who wanted to do some research in London, I jumped at the opportunity (🙋🏾‍♀️London me please). Within two weeks, ya girl was flying first class from LAX to LHR, ready to embark on my very first international research experience. Ayeee!

It’s wild to think that just five months ago, I was reeling from the disappointment of a cancelled international trip. As I wrote in my journal at the time, "when God says no, issa no for me dawg🙅🏾‍♀️," but when He says yes, absolutely NOTHING❗️ can stand in the way. Period. (Acts 5:39 Taiwo Ade Version)

During my week in London, I had the chance to live like a local, well, sorta.

I woke up early to the grey streets of the city, worked out at 1 Rebel💪🏾, indulged in chai tea with oat milk☕️ from local shops, picked up bagels from St. John's Bakery, and attended meetings in one of our London offices. I even took the Tube to meet up with friends for dinner at Dishoom🍛, my favorite Indian restaurant, and did some light shopping at Selfridges. It was everything I had ever imagined and more.

But as the week drew to a close, I realized that my dream of moving to London had come to an end. It was a deferred dream.

I no longer craved living in London as I once did, and I knew that God had given me a glimpse of what I wanted to help me see that it was time to move on. Don't get me wrong, I'll be visiting London many more times in the future in hopes of developing a British accent, but this experience was less about the city itself and more about understanding that as I grow and evolve as a woman, so do my desires.

This realization has been reflected in every area of my life. Take my career, for instance: I started out in the tech sales world, but now I've found my way to the product team. In my personal life, I used to crave a tight-knit group of friends, but now I embrace having groups of friends from all corners of the world who don’t know each other. My fashion choices have shifted, too: I used to choose pieces based solely on trends, but now I'm building a forever closet filled with classic staples. Even my creative pursuits have changed, as I've been stepping out of my shell and appearing on camera more often (which, as an introvert, is no small feat). I know this might be hard for some of you to believe, but I'd still rather show you experiences than my face, 💯% of the time.

Ultimately, I'm learning to accept that I don't have to be the same person I've always been, and I don't have to continue doing what I've always done. It's okay to change my mind and embrace new desires. And though it took a trip to London to help me come to this realization, I'm grateful for the experience and excited to see where this newfound self-awareness takes me.

My trip to London was about more than just experiencing living life in a new city. It taught me to be open to change, to let go of the things that no longer serve me🚫, and to embrace the evolving person that I am becoming.

My hope is that you, too, will find the courage to let go of the ideas of who you were "supposed" to be and become the person you were meant to be.

〰T.