Start Young!

Ruth Yimika Afolabi · 29 Jul, 2020

How I got started ...

I began Magnify in February 2009, when I was 19 during my first year at Durham University. The vision came about from a personal experience, when after losing three family members in quick succession, my faith was really shaken. As hard a time as this was, looking back (as cheesy as it might sound!), I’ve come to believe that everything happens for a reason. It was through these challenges that I had the opportunity to wrestle with my faith and understand what it meant to me. Eventually I grew in my faith and became stronger in it too. Ultimately, this led to me starting a personal relationship with Jesus that changed my life. Without facing these hardships I would not be where I am, or who I am today.

The good side of pursuing ideas young ...

While starting out young meant I didn’t necessarily know all I needed to, there were so many benefits to it also.

Aside from university, my life commitments were minimal, meaning I had spare time. I used my free hours to understand what I wanted Magnify to be and to build the vision which today remains the foundation of the organisation.

Another good thing about starting Magnify young was the enthusiasm I had, as well as the youthful positivity which came from not yet being weighed down by some of the pressures that can come later on in life. Both of these things were needed - and used- in abundance to help keep up momentum and stay motivated to ensure it was a project which would last a long time.

Not knowing enough doesn't have to stop you!...

It is rare there will be a time in life when we have every skill set needed to pursue the task ahead, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn them. Going from only having worked at Topshop or doing temp jobs to running a whole organisation, this was definitely the case with me when setting out. Pretty much everything I needed to know, I didn’t.

For one, I was studying politics for my degree, so I had no real formal training in media or creativity which was now looking back seems crazy as Magnify is a media organisation. I also knew I had to get the word out and share the vision of Magnify which meant a lot of public speaking, something which I strongly dislike. To this day I consider myself an introvert, but I have to overcome this to be a spokesperson for my company.

I won’t even show my team the first issue of the magazine that I produced, but it’s a physical reminder that you have to start somewhere and there is growth and improvement that will always take place. A lot of perseverance and learning on the job was done, but it has been a lesson to me that a lack of experience should not hold you back and is definitely not a disqualifier.

What I've learned since I started ...

Aside from practical skills gained along the way, there have also been countless life lessons too.

In stepping out and having to take risks, fear has been a common feeling along the way, but I have learnt to feel the fear and do it anyway. While being comfortable feels safe, there is no room for growth in the safe zone. I’ve also learned to trust God and know that if things are taking time there’s a reason for it. As well as this, to ensure I didn’t let what I didn’t know stop me from pursuing my purpose, being proactive in learning skills was a must. Even when formal education stops, learning is something that I continue to do. Patience has also been a lesson which has taken time to get to grips with. Although there are times when I wish that the journey was quicker or more smooth, on reflection, I am grateful for the challenges, as it’s allowed me to be present in each step along the way.