How I Learned to Stop Faking It After A Banana Peel Fiasco:"

 How I Learned to Stop Faking It and Start Storytelling for Real"

You would think that in a society where everybody is either “grinding,” “hustling,” or “securing the bag,” no one would have time to worry about something as trivial as storytelling.

But oh, how wrong I was.

It happened on a humid Thursday in the heart of Lagos, where the streets pulse like a living being and your dreams can get crushed under the wheels of a keke if you’re not careful. I was standing at a crowded bus stop, phone in hand, trying to shoot a quick video for my serious content creator brand. The script? Perfect. The lighting? Questionable. The audience? Nonexistent.

I hit record—and just as I launched into my "5 Tips to Explode Your Business on Instagram," a teenager skateboarding past flung a banana peel squarely at my chest. (I wish I was making this up.)

There I stood: stunned, sticky, and the unwilling star of a scene straight out of a slapstick comedy.

But the real drama wasn’t the banana peel.

It was the realization that I had been doing the same thing in my content: faking polish, preaching success, and avoiding the messy, real stories that actually matter to people.

Standing there, laughing at myself with the crowd, something shifted.

Why should anyone listen to a story that doesn't show the scars, the scrapes, the failures? Why should anyone care about "tips" from someone too afraid to admit they get hit by banana peels too?

That day, I threw away my perfect scripts.

I started telling real stories—stories about dreams, doubts, faceplants, and unexpected victories.

And guess what?

The real engagement started then.

The same way the streets of Lagos never apologize for being loud, unpredictable, and full of wild stories—you don't have to apologize for being real in your storytelling either.

So if you've ever felt invisible online, if your brand feels like it's standing alone at a noisy bus stop hoping someone notices... maybe it’s time to drop the act. Maybe it’s time to pick up your own messy, dramatic, wonderful story—and tell it loud.

Because real stories don’t just attract followers.

They create movements.