Ex-Miss Nigeria, Chioma Obiadi, has advised women, particularly young girls not to limit their dreams in life to a particular age.
Obiadi, the 40th Miss Nigeria, spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday.
According to her, the world often teaches young women to limit their dreams, to aspire only to what is “safe” and “realistic”.
Obiadi, who was crowned Miss Nigeria in 2016, replacing Lessi Peter, urged young girls to be ambitious for what they aspire to attain.
“Let this be a beacon of hope for you, that your dreams are valid, your ambitions are beautiful and like I always say, if you dream it, you can be it.
“I took my first major stride into the hall of pageants when I contested in 2015 and became the Face of Unizik.
“My victory in the campus pageant as a fresher was a glaring indicator that I was making a right turn into professional pageantry as I focused and became the 1st runner up in Miss Anambra pageant,” she said.
She noted that her life had become a true experience for a growing lady who aspires to succeed with her dreams.
“All through my journey, I have learned that our dreams are not mistakes.
“They are divine seeds planted within us and we owe it to ourselves, and to the world, to nurture them until they bloom.
“And so, to every young woman especially that small-town girl who dares to believe in something bigger, I offer my story as proof.
“You are not too late; you are not too much; you are not too small.
“If I, a girl from a modest background in Nigeria, can build a life of purpose, can step onto global stages, can start businesses, earn degrees, and still believe the best is yet to come; so you can,” she said.
She described her life as an unshakable dream, to live a life of meaning, adventure, and impact.
“I did not always have the roadmap. I did not always have the permission. But I had a dream and that was enough to begin.
“Looking back to the age of 21, when I had the honour of being crowned the 40th Miss Nigeria, a moment that changed my life forever.
“It opened doors to experiences across the world, exposing me to possibilities I had never dared to imagine as a little girl. But it was only the beginning.
“With a fierce spirit and a desire to build something lasting, I founded Tyra Homes and Designs in 2020, my own interior design and real estate business which I like to call my COVID baby.
“I took a bold step not just to work for success but to create it, to design beauty, and to build spaces that touched lives.
“But in my heart, I know that I am yet to scratch the surface, because true success is not a destination, it is a journey of constant beaconing,” she said.
She urged young girls not to see their dreams as a mistake but divine seeds that was planted and should be nurtured to achieve success.
“As Lois P. Frankel wisely said, good girls don’t get the corner office, and as Issa Rae reminds us, you have to be a little delusional to succeed.
“Real success demands bravery. It demands the willingness to defy expectations, to dream recklessly, to fight for visions no one else can see,” she said. (NAN)
