We recently connected with Owen Odigie and have shared our conversation below.
Owen, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
There is no single moment in which I developed my confidence and self-esteem. Confidence and self-esteem are like muscles, they constantly change and evolve. I think achieving small goals is the key to sustaining a high degree of confidence and self-esteem. Confidence begets more confidence. With each success, your confidence grows. However, I think what’s more important and sustainable is when you begin to separate your confidence from your accomplishments. When you can bifurcate between who you are and your accomplishments, setbacks or failures don’t have such a lasting impact. And once you understand that setbacks are simply an inevitable part of life, your confidence grows because, with each new challenge, you know that even if there’s a setback you can overcome it. And that’s when you’ve truly mastered confidence.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I often joke that I am a walking plot twist. I have a lot of interests that may not make sense to others, but they all make sense to me and I love the element of surprise, it keeps things exciting. Currently, I am finishing my dual-degree Master in Business Administration (MBA) and Master in International Affairs (MIA) at Columbia University in New York City. Getting TWO Ivy League masters has been incredibly challenging and came at a price (emotionally, financially, spiritually, etc) but I’ve grown tremendously from this experience. For example, at the Business School, I served as the Student Body President in the 21-22 academic year which was a demanding but rewarding role that gave me the opportunity to be a commencement speaker at graduation. At the International Affairs School, I served as the Co-Chair of the Columbia Africa Conference which was the largest student African-focused conference at the University.
After graduating in May 2023, my plan is to work in the media/entertainment space in a variety of roles. I really love storytelling and how it brings people together in a real way. There are many ways for storytelling to manifest itself but I would love to become a writer/author, public speaker, and a multi-faceted producer.
I also love to travel, meet interesting people, and am always up for a good time. Life is (hopefully) long, we should enjoy all of it whenever we can. All it all, I just want my life and myself to stay interesting and filled with as many adventures as possible.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three qualities I think will take anyone far in life.
1) Perseverance – Do not give up. Life is difficult and trying to make your dreams a reality is even harder. Plans and circumstances will change but believing that there’s light at the end of the tunnel even in the darkest storm will get you to the promised land. Hang in there, hold your head high, and keep striving forward.
2) Confidence – if you don’t believe what you’re saying, no one will either. Confidence is key and often comes through trial and error. If you can build the confidence to understand you don’t know the answer to everything but you can find out or get help to find out, everything becomes easier.
3) Calm in Calamity – navigating uncertainty is so critical to success. We all have fear, anxiety, imposter syndrome, and every other negative emotion that holds us back from reaching our true potential. You have to find ways to remain calm and steady despite those feelings. For me, meditation helps ease the grip those negative emotions have on me. It helps me realize that my thoughts aren’t really me, they’re just thoughts and they’ll never stop. Once you can find your inner calm in the middle of the storm you will be ready to take on new challenges even when you feel like you’re not enough (but trust me you’re more than enough!).
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
Unfortunately, I get overwhelmed a lot. It’s actively something I’m working on, I simply try to take on too much at once, all the time. This has led me to let people down or not being as communicative because I’m so overwhelmed with so many things. What I started doing is just writing down 2-3 things I want to do. Don’t write everything down because the list will be too overwhelming. Just write 2-3 most important and start with one and focus on that one until its complete. Then move on to the next, and soon you’ll start to build back your confidence and get things under control.
I also recommend changing your physical environment. Clearing my mind and changing my scenery helps me reset and get new perspectives and energy to take on the challenges in front of me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: triple0papi (triple ZERO papi)
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owenodigie/
