By: Okunola Michael Ayodele
Tagline: Word for Change — A Voice, A Shift.
INTRODUCTION: THE INVISIBLE PRISON
There’s a kind of suffering that doesn’t always show on the face. You wake up each day, go to work (if you even have one), try to push, try to plan — but you’re stuck. Not stuck physically, but mentally, emotionally, financially, and even spiritually. You’re in a circle — going round and round, but not forward.
It feels like you’re busy, yet nothing is changing.
You’ve prayed, fasted, helped others, and waited.
Years have passed. Your mates have moved ahead. Your juniors are building. You? You’re still here. Still going round.
That is the pain of being in a circle.
REAL LIFE SCENARIO
Baba Jide was a brilliant civil servant in Ibadan. For over 18 years, he submitted promotion letters, attended trainings, and led teams. Yet, year after year, younger colleagues were promoted while he remained on the same level. Frustrated, he took loans to start a business — it collapsed. His children dropped out of school. In tears one day, he said, “I’m just going in circles, like a mad man in a roundabout with no exit.”
Sadly, Baba Jide’s story is the silent echo of millions across Nigeria and Africa — men and women who are trapped in cycles of delay, disappointment, demotion, and depression.
WHY PEOPLE GET STUCK IN CIRCLES
• Lack of self-awareness – You can’t move forward if you don’t know who you are.
• Wrong environment – Being planted in toxic or stagnant soil kills growth.
• Fear of starting again – Many stay in bad jobs, relationships, and habits out of fear of the unknown.
• Cultural and systemic limitations – Corruption, tribalism, gender bias, and poverty trap many.
• Spiritual limitations – Sometimes, it’s not just physical. The battles are deeper.
THE LONELINESS OF CIRCULAR LIVING
Being “in a circle” is not just frustrating — it is lonely.
You stop talking about your dreams because people mock you.
You no longer attend family meetings because “they’ve all gone ahead.”
Even your prayers become mechanical.
But hear this: You’re not alone.
BREAKING THE CIRCLE: PATHWAYS TO FREEDOM
- Acknowledge the Pattern: Denial delays deliverance. If you’ve been going in circles, call it out.
- Re-evaluate Your Circle: Who are you surrounded by? Some people are not just bad company — they’re spiritual brakes.
- Seek Knowledge, Not Just Prayer: Spirituality without strategy leads to frustration. Learn a new skill. Change your methods.
- Fast From Familiarity: Growth rarely happens in comfort zones. You can’t change your life if you refuse to change your thinking.
- Speak Out: Sometimes your solution lies in a conversation. Seek mentors, counselors, or trusted friends.
- Engage God Deeply: Not just surface prayers. Go deeper. “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:21)
QUOTABLE QUOTES & PROVERBS
• “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein
• “The river that forgets its source will dry up.” – African Proverb
• “You can’t climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets.” – African-American Saying
• “Life is not a circle; it’s a path. If you’re not moving forward, you’re not really alive.” – Okunola Michael Ayodele
- * “The tree that is not growing is already dying.” – Ghanaian Proverb*
YOU MUST REMAIN IN IT — BUT NOT THE SAME
Yes, you may feel like giving up. But don’t step out of life’s race because of the circle. Instead, break it.
Be the first in your family to say: “This cycle of poverty, shame, stagnation, and failure ends with me.”
Use that pain. Fuel that frustration into motion. Purpose is born in broken places.
You are not cursed. You are not forgotten.
You are just at a divine awakening point.
The moment you realize you are in a circle is the moment you start drawing a straight line out of it.
IN CLOSING:
No matter how long you’ve been trapped in that repetitive loop, there is a way out.
You are not your background. You are not your failure.
You are more.
Choose today to draw a new path. Not a perfect one — but a forward one.
Because the only thing worse than going in circles is believing that’s all there is to life.
