Just Charly by Charly Boy
Twitter: @Areafada1
This write-up is not about validating or explaining all the shenanigans of the Brand, CharlyBoy. But in my customary habit, it is to encourage people of all ages who may be battling with who they really are as oppose to who they think they are, so shine your eyes.
These days with all the ‘fakeness’ and all hypocrites that abound in Naija, It is very refreshing and special to meet people who are severely and unapologetically themselves. I thank God that as a child when others wanted to be doctors, lawyers and whatever, all I wanted to do was to do ME even without understanding at the time the consequences of doing me!
However that came with its price, because my old man didn’t spare the rod when it came to putting me in check for being restless, reckless and rebellious. Unconsciously, I imbibed the habit of doing me or nothing. I certainly did not foresee that one day I would find myself in the position of being both myself and a whole lot more.
It is a fact that the most powerful and enduring publicity brands are built from the heart. They are real and sustainable. Their foundations are stronger because they are built within and from the strength of the human spirit. It is not an ad campaign or a flash in the pan.
The brands that are long lasting are those that are authentic.
From the get go, I came to the realisation that I am not here to fit in, be well balanced, be everybody’s friend, be liked or disliked or play to the gallery. Mbanu! Damn it, I am here to be eccentric, different, perhaps strange, perhaps merely to add my own small piece to the colours of the rainbow, but above all, I am here to be me!
As God intended, we are here to become more and more of ourselves.
Impressions and perceptions have run amok because a few see the brand as socially awkward, I send una? I isolate myself intermittently because my creativity, mindset, philosophy is less compromised by what has already been said and done. My forte in this game of life and showbiz is to keep reinventing myself, to keep my creativity as fierce as possible. Being the odd one out may have its temporary disadvantages, but more importantly, it has its permanent advantages. After all, if one needs to be seen in a sitting crowd, what do you do? You stand up to stand out.
Naija has become a society that is grossly dysfunctional and emotionally disabled. I have no shame in expressing my authentic feelings. Those who are at times described as being controversial, troublemakers, too hardcore, have a basket mouth, opinionated, or brutally truthful are the very people who keep the dream alive for a more caring and humane world. I can never be ashamed to let my tears shine a light in this country that has been bloodied.
So what does being Authentic and true to oneself mean to me?
It means being more concerned with the truth than silly opinions of people with pedestrian intelligence and mindset.
It means being sincere and not pretentious.
It means being free from others opinions of me especially when those opinions are based on ignorance and not facts.
Great spirits I know have always been violently opposed by mediocre minds. And that has given me the strength to accept and love myself, to be awake to my own feelings and definitely walk away from situations where I can’t be myself, because I no send anybody. I am not afraid of exposing my vulnerabilities because I know who I am. That’s why I can walk my talk.
When people ask how I deal with unconstructive criticism, I say I can understand it, because it is coming from a position not only of ignorance but also out of resistance.
When myopic minds see others living their authentic selves, it drives them crazy especially if they have not lived out their own.
My final thought is, be your authentic self, speak your truth, and be your truth. God created us all to be uniquely different from each other. He must have had a darn good reason.
DONT MESS WITH THE PROGRAM. My guys, Dem no dey use Paracetamol cure abiku or ogbanje.
