What New Skill, Course or Goal are you Smashing in April? #2020Challenge

In one month, Nigeria has gone through one of the most difficult periods in my lifetime. The COVID-19 virus has swept through the world and many cities are on lock down including Lagos, New York, London and Abuja. This means that most people are working from home and many people now have their schedules more under their control. This is the perfect time to learn something new – a skill, take a course, or simply brush up and apply to go back to school!

Before we continue, how did it go in March? Did you spend up to 15 minutes focused on prayer, meditation or yoga? Tell me about your experience in January, February and March, tag me on IG or Twitter and use the hashtag #2020challenge.

Alright, back to our April challenge.

This month, I am working on building my expertise in a few different areas. Some of them will continue throughout the year but I am using this opportunity to finally achieve these goals. Here’s a list of mine:

1. Take a documentary-writing class (2 months)
   1. I found this amazing class that’s offered by an Ivy-League school that will take me closer to my dreams of creating brilliant travel stories for Netflix and National Geographic! I am pretty excited about it.
2. Drop 2 dress sizes (9 months)
   1. I have started working out every day. I am combining core strengthening moves in the morning with aerobic exercises in the evenings.
3. Fix my teeth (18 months)
   1. I finally got braces, yay!
4. Achieve advanced level French fluency (3 years)
   1. The best way to learn a new language is to use it! I have already achieved beginner-level status so this month, I set up a Hello Talk account where I discuss daily topics with native French speakers. I also now have three French-speaking buddies with whom I converse entirely in French and they correct me where necessary (thanks Kathleen, Motunrayo and Rotimi!)

Now, it is your turn. Would you like to learn how to swim (with someone you’re self-isolating with of course), pick up a course on Udemy or Coursera, take an Ivy-league course, learn how to cook, pick up a new language, brush up on professional photography or apply for a graduate degree that starts later this year or next year? Now is the time to go for it! Here’s a list of courses that are currently free!

1. 100 free courses on Coursera
2. Free photography courses by Nikon
3. 450 free Ivy League courses

So, tell me – what skill, course or goal do you want to achieve this month? Or this year?

Please share your stories with me in the comments or reply @funmioyatogun and tag #2020Challenge so I can get a glimpse into your world. It gives me great joy to see your stories about this challenge.

‘Funmi Oyatogun is a vibrant explorer and travel entrepreneur at TVP Adventures; a company focused on leading people to their dreams by designing creative and meaningful travel experiences within Africa. She is also an experienced travel writer whose stories are focused on breaking through African borders, uncovering the historic stories of her people and places, and presenting first-hand information about tourism and adventure opportunities. She has been featured on the BBC, CNN Africa, Arise TV and many more renowned platforms. Follow her on Twitter (@funmioyatogun).