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You have to be ridiculously delusional to succeed in life. And I mean ridiculously. I’m the kind of person who can discover an opportunity 10 hours after the application deadline has passed and still send in an application.😂 Of course, the sensible thing is to apply before the deadline. And I try to do that. But if I’ve missed it, and I think I have a reasonable shot, why shouldn’t I try? What’s the worst that could happen? They say no? Well, I already had a no before I applied. I think too many people disqualify themselves before anyone has even had the opportunity to disqualify them. I remember when I submitted my poetry chapbook, Invocation, to the African Poetry Book Fund. The deadline was approaching, and I wasn’t even satisfied with the manuscript. Some poems needed more work. I hadn’t arranged everything quite the way I wanted. There were things I would have changed if I’d had more time. And I could have decided to wait for another opportunity. After all, why submit something I didn’t consider perfect? But I submitted it anyway, at around 11:59 p.m., just a minute before the deadline. And guess what? The chapbook was selected for publication! Now, imagine if I’d decided that the manuscript wasn’t good enough and simply abandoned the application. I’ve carried that lesson with me ever since. It’s the same thing with jobs. You see a role that interests you, you have many of the relevant skills, but perhaps you don’t meet every single requirement. So you conclude that you aren’t qualified and move on. Why? The truth is that even people who meet every requirement on a job description still have things to learn when they join an organization. They have to understand its culture, processes, internal tools, and ways of working. Of course, some qualifications are non-negotiable. And I’m certainly not suggesting that you apply for jobs you have absolutely no business doing. But if you have a reasonable foundation and believe you can do the work, or learn what you don’t yet know, give it a shot. You might be surprised by how much employers are willing to overlook or teach when they see potential. And please, follow up on opportunities. Respect people’s time, certainly, but don’t assume that silence automatically means rejection. I’ve always believed that resilience requires a certain degree of audacity. Sometimes you have to be willing to look a little ridiculous in pursuit of something you genuinely want. You won’t always succeed. I’ve received plenty of rejections myself. And sometimes, no matter how persistent you are, the answer will remain no. That’s fine, too. But at least let the people making the decision be the ones to tell you that. DO NOT DO THEIR JOB FOR THEM.

Machine Dreams at Moonshot ‘26. Love how @_atolani put this together.😍