The VOCAL PEN

12/03/2025

I've been doing a lot of building lately, and sincerely speaking, just a week into it, I already feel like backing out and curling back into giving excuses.

So, sometimes last month, I received a message from a strange number saying I volunteered for a role at the New Man Movement, but I didn't, because I've been working as a content writer for the New Man Movement since 2023.

However, for some personal reasons, I took a break, and since then, I haven't been able to go back. But one thing I love is the fact that the founder never gave up on me; he always reached out to me, asking me how I'm doing, even though I made it obvious I might not be coming back.

Well, this is not the only blog I write for, but the others didn't really do much since the silence; they just removed me from the group and blocked my access to their website.

I didn't really see anything because I already kinda gave up on writing, and I don't think I want to start explaining myself to anyone, so I didn't bother to reach out. But the New Man Movement never stopped reaching out to me.

So, when I received the message from the New Man Movement HR, I simply told her that I didn't apply for this role, but I was an old writer who took a break. But with this message, I think it is like a call back from God to me, so I told her I would like to go through the process again and come on board as a new writer.

Guess what? The founder was so glad to have me back on board, and for like a month now, it feels like I never took that break. Somehow, my fear of running out of ideas or inspiration has somehow been overcome.

The truth is, a week into it, I almost gave up again because I have to put it in my schedule to find time to write and post on the website. With the kind of person that I am, I get easily overwhelmed, but I have to talk to a friend about it, and somehow, this person came up with a plan that I am trying as much as possible to stick with.

Anytime I didn't get to follow the schedule, I don't feel so guilty or beat myself down like I normally do before. Building structure is actually one of the most difficult things to do, but if we learn to ask for help from friends and also learn to show ourselves some love and compassion, we will allow ourselves to grow through the process of building this structure.

It will be overwhelming at a point, but when we understand that this is not work but something we are intentional about doing, we will find pleasure and purpose in doing it.

This post is not to paint a picture perfect, but to let you know that yes, we are human, and we can desire something but find it difficult to build structure that can help us achieve those things. But instead of pulling ourselves down and wallowing in not being enough, we should journey in self-compassion and yet focus on that big dream ahead of us.

In conclusion, I would like to leave you with the lessons that, as a leader, learn to care about your employees because we don't know what people are dealing with. Don't just assume they are being lazy or uninterested, especially if it's a volunteer role (for someone to go through training and process of volunteering, and all of a sudden, they stopped showing up). It might be because they have personal life challenges they are dealing with; reach out and do them the honor to take a break, try to understand, and give them the honor to end it professionally, just like they started.

Meeting me for the first time? My name is Damilola Jacobs, but you can call me The Vocal Pen. I'm a Christian creative content writer and a graphics designer. To read my content, make sure you follow me across all my social media handles, and remember to always engage and share with your loved ones

05/03/2025

Some days ago,I had already planned my day because I had a lot of things I wanted to achieve before the month ended, so I scheduled my time. However, some unforeseen things happened, and I couldn't follow the plan. For hours, I was restless and couldn't bring myself to a state of balance since my plan had been interrupted. I had to admit to a friend that I was feeling restless.

Thank God for such a mature friend. His first question was, "Dami, what did you plan to achieve today?" At first, I thought, "What is he saying?" but I knew I just had to answer that question. So, I answered, and while giving that answer, I became aware of why I was feeling overwhelmed and restless. He then told me that I could still achieve my plan, even though it felt like I couldn't. We went through my schedule together, and I realized I actually could, and I did.

I know it's a new month, and there's someone out there who couldn't achieve all their goals set for last month, and they're feeling behind and restless. Breathe, baby, breathe. Don't overwhelm yourself. You can still achieve those goals. Don't give up yet. Just sit, re-strategize, and move forward.

Happy New Month of March! This month, we march into greatness and grace.

Meeting me for the first time? My name is Damilola Jacobs, but you can call me The Vocal Pen. I'm a Christian creative content writer, a graphics designer, and a lover of God. To read my content, make sure to follow me across all my social media handles, and remember to always engage and share with your loved ones.

26/02/2025

There is something profound about the book of Matthew 2:11-12 that I feel we don't even notice. Here, the magi who went to Jesus had a dream about not going back to Herod, and they listened.

Now I'm wondering what if these people didn't listen, what if, like some of us, they were still running with the first instructions when God was already in agenda 2? What would have happened to our baby Jesus and his parents? Yes, God is merciful and all-powerful, but one thing I've come to know about God is that He is a God of principles and process.

Assuming these people weren't in alignment with His principles, surely He would make a way, but things would have been a bit tougher for baby Jesus and his earthly family. I know some of us are in alignment with God's instructions, but unfortunately, some of our gatekeepers – people who God has placed in our lives to bring ease in our affairs – are running on zero or number 1 instructions when God is already in number 5.

And in some ways, we are busy wondering why God isn't listening to our prayers or why things aren't changing, even though we are obeying every instruction. It's not you, and it's not God. That's why we should, as much as possible, pray for those people God has allowed us to meet at any point in time.

Because they may be the ones with the key to that gate you've been knocking on for a while, and if they don't know or aren't in alignment, it will take time and grace for you to get that key.

I pray for you today that anyone God has placed in your life to bring ease, but who isn't in alignment with God's instructions, will begin to align, and God's mercy will speak for you.

Today, I want you to
- Take a moment to reflect on your life and identify areas where you may be out of alignment with God's instructions.
- Pray for those people in your life who may be hindering your progress, that they may come into alignment with God's will.
- Ask God to reveal to you the "gatekeepers" in your life and to give you wisdom on how to navigate those relationships.

Incase you are meeting me for the first time.
My name is Damilola Jacobs (The Vocal pen), a Christian creative content writer, graphics designer, a lover of God

To read more educative article, follow me across all my social media, Link in the comments section. Don't forget to engage and share with your friends.

10/02/2025

Extract from the strength in our scars

09/02/2025

Extract from the strength in our scars

05/02/2025

Hi there, I'm here again for the continuation of yesterday's review (The Strength in Our Scars).

The writer said, "The moment you truly start to believe that you are deserving of happiness, love, and something bigger than what you have been settling for, your heart weeps a little, as if it's the first time in years it has been able to lay down its arms."

This paragraph broke down a few things I've been discovering about self-love. I used to hate myself, and anytime anything bad happened, I would internalize it, saying words like, "I deserved to be treated that way because I'm not beautiful, because I'm not brilliant, and so on."

When someone showed that they cared or were just being kind to me, I would panic because I wondered why they were being nice to me, since I didn't really feel like I deserved it. After all, I strive so hard to receive love from people around me because I couldn't give it to myself, and I got so hurt when people couldn't feel the void in me.

Recently, when I started to love myself, I realized I no longer strive for people's love because I had enough flowing from within. Now, whatever people do, I realize it's not about me, but about them, and in some way, my heart remains at peace.

I also learned that it's okay for me to still love with the same intensity, even after so many hurts from people, and that doesn't make me weird or justify whatever hurr caused.

I also learned that anyone who makes me question whether I'm worthy of being loved is not worthy of my love.

Love won't save me, but it can hold my hand while I save myself.

To wrap it up, I also learned that there's nothing as letting go and hoping for it to come back if it was meant to be, But if it was meant to be, we would have made it happen; we would have stayed, we would have fought, and made it happen.

04/02/2025

So I said I will be doing a review of the book I read for the month of January (The Strength in Our Scars). I won't like to bore you with so much explanation, so I will try to be brief as much as possible.

The book taught me that our scars, in some ways, add to our uniqueness, and we shouldn't become cowards in a bid to prevent further scars. We should allow ourselves to feel intensely, as we were created to. We shouldn't let the fear of past hurt hold us back.

The world is beautiful, but inasmuch as it is beautiful, at one point in life, we will be faced with painful things too. It made me understand that some of us build up walls, and sometimes we feel like we don't have the ability to tear it down, but if we are courageous and embrace those scars, we can pull it down and break it into pieces.

It also taught me that it's okay to miss those friends we've lost, those family members we've lost, because they never stay gone. They show up in street corners, familiar laughs, and places you've been to together.

We don't always have to repel people due to our lack of trust caused by past traumas, but we can always give new people the chance to love and care for us without seeing the person who once hurt us in them. Let me stop here and pick up tomorrow.


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03/02/2025

Happy new month, I pray this month bring with it a satisfying love, unwaivering love, love that reflects that of God, love that magnify our true identity.

love that is soft and warm and mostly importantly love that emit from the core of our being (self love)

30/01/2025

I will be a bit vulnerable today. I recently got talking to someone, and we've met a couple of times before, but it was just a random "hi" or "good morning" kind of greeting. Recently, we got the chance to sit for hours and talk. I talk a lot, but it depends on the person. With this person, it was kind of weird because it usually takes me at least 2-3 weeks of consistent chatting to get comfortable talking in person. But it was different; maybe because the person made it easier.

Unfortunately, this person is leaving very soon. At first, I was thinking of doing the usual "I don't care" thing, but then one of the things I want to work on this year is not letting fear hold me back and not being afraid to feel, even if it comes with hurt. So, I let myself feel it - the pain of connecting with someone and losing them before even getting the chance to build a great relationship with them.

For some days now, that overthinking personality in me has started to win. It keeps asking questions like, "Why talk to someone you won't talk to again? Why be friends with someone you might never get to meet again? Why create memories that might bring regret?" It went on and on, pointing out the number of friends I've lost, the number of people who left, people I wish I still talked to like before, and people I wish I didn't meet at all.

In the midst of this inner battle, a word came to me: "Be grateful for the lessons you got to learn from them, and don't burn bridges because of distance." As much as these people aren't in your life forever, carry the part of them that they left behind and treasure it. Also, make sure you leave them with a memory of you that is worthwhile, because tomorrow is uncertain, and we can't say if you will get to meet these people again.

In conclusion, I've learned that it's okay to feel the pain of losing someone, but it's also important to focus on the lessons learned and the memories shared. By doing so, we can cherish the time we had with that person and continue to grow as individuals.

28/01/2025

Last year, I lost my phone, and it really amazed me that I couldn't cry or feel sad about it.

Well, the truth is I didn't really know how to feel or what to feel, maybe because I had already told myself that no matter how hurt I felt, it wouldn't bring back my phone.

But in the midst of this, I learned many important lessons. One important message I learned is that social media has taken over most of "me" time and also serves as a way of escape from reality.

I used to do that a lot. Whenever I'm having a bad day or was angry or uncomfortable, the place I ran to was either TikTok, Facebook, or listening to music. But I couldn't access any of these, so I replaced those activities with reading or being conscious of my environment, and I enjoyed it, though it wasn't easy at first.

The silence was exhausting and uncomfortable, but I learned to stay with it and, in some ways, have conversations with myself.

I learned that I could live without the internet and still be okay.



I learned that silence is not just the absence of noise, but it's also an opportunity for self-reflection and growth. It's a chance to tune in to our thoughts and emotions, and to discover new things about ourselves.

So, to my readers, social media is a nice place especially if you are using it for your personal growth , but learn to take breaks away from social media as often as you can, just to feel yourself and be present in your environment, and build bonds and relationships with real people.

Happy new year friends, let me know how you are doing in the comments section.

26/12/2024

25/12/2024

It's been a while here. Merry Christmas family
The VOCAL PEN