About Me — Paul Gimsay
Veteran, peacekeeper and writer. It is never late to start
Take what life gives you and run the formula.
This has been my mantra while growing up. Everything happened to me by fate, or rather providence. It is not only my story; it is the same story for millions of children from my part of the world who grew up with one parent.
My name is Paul Gimsay. I come from Plateau State in North Central, Nigeria. I am the first son but second in a family of 3 boys and 3 girls. We were all raised single-handedly by a mother, who saw to it that we acquired the basics of life and education.
The famous Actor, Marlon Brando, said that sometimes your destiny changes when you lose your father. This clearly summarizes my story.
I grew up confused as to what to do. The lack of a father figure to provide guidance was obvious.
I had so many strengths, but I didn’t know because there was no one to point them out to me. I was very good in sports and strong with schoolwork. I had a strong passion for books — I read everything from fiction, non-fiction to biographies. This gave me the foundation I needed.
Growing up, all I wanted to do was to go into the academic world, become a professor and add to the body of knowledge in my field of expertise. This never happened as fate decided otherwise.
I joined the army at an early age and served for 26 years. I gave all my youth to serving my country. It gave me the opportunity to travel and see the world. I was able to support my siblings financially. It was the best decision of my life.
The army opened a new vista for me. I settled for the Signals Corps and became Signals Officer for all my years of service. The army provided the sponsorship for me to go college and study Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering.
I was launched into peacekeeping in Liberia in 1991. I served with the Nigerian Battalion 7 as the Regimental Signal Officer (RSO). This was part of the sub-regional peace enforcement forces ECOMOG, under the auspices of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
My journey into peacekeeping continued in 2006 when I joined the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) to head the Communications and Information Technology Section (CITS). I primarily identified field communications requirements and recommended to the Head of Mission. This is then passed to the Head of the Darfur Integrated Task Force for review and adoption.
I have been in international peacekeeping operations working as information systems manager. My areas of expertise include Innovation Leadership, Digital Business Transformation Management, Governance, Risk and Compliance, and Strategy and Leadership.
My motivation for writing on Medium
I was a Medium member for two years before I joined the Medium Partner Program in January 2020. My motivation came from three triggers.
When the world closed early this year due to COVID-19, I decided to take up writing to kill time. I wrote in FB, LinkedIn and Twitter from time to time, but I wasn’t regular due to lack of time. The reviews were good, and I had sizeable followership.
My daughter started her blog this year. I was not only thrilled but captivated with her simple writing. This inspired me; after all the apple does not fall far from the tree. I had it in me too.
As a storyteller, I have seen immense benefits in learning by doing, listening and sharing experience. Every story shared brings with it an experience which must resonate with someone, somewhere.
Storytelling helps to connect to humanity as you never know who it touches.
Presently, I write for two publications in Medium — The Innovation and An Ingenious Piece (An Idea). Thanks to Quy Ma, I have started now on About Me Stories. I write mainly on leadership, self-empowerment and growth, entrepreneurial leadership, innovation, sports and digital business transformation.
Life Philosophy
I take time to visit Orphanages occasionally. When I cannot visit, I make donations in cash and kind. This is my way of giving back and touching lives.
The picture above speaks for itself. I visited one of the orphanages in Kenya and the experience was life changing. I saw determined kids who want the best out of life. Talking to them showed that it does not matter how you start, once the opportunity presents itself, you will grow.
I donated money for books because I strongly believe that a hand that puts down a book is never the same. I benefited a lot from reading and should therefore share the same message.
All it takes is one idea from a book to impact one’s life forever.
Family and work
I live and work in Nairobi, Kenya with my family — my wife, 2 sons and one daughter.
There are so many experiences to cherish in Kenya with its abundance of tourist attractions such as the Maasai Mara wild. The annual migration is always a sight to behold.
Ranging from Safari trips, mountain climbing, hiking and the white sand beaches, the choice remains yours to make if you visit Kenya.
