What is my proudest achievement?
Honestly, when I first saw this topic, I stomped for a while because when I thought about it, nothing came to mind that could stand as my proudest achievement.
Now, do not get me wrong, I have done a lot of things in my life that I am super proud of. But then now having to decide the one I am most proud of… it is kind of akin to asking me which of my teeth I prefer. They are all important, thank you!
But then, I still had to choose.
Ever since I decided to take control of the reins of my life, I have experienced all-round growth in my life. I have gone to school, gotten jobs, built myself… all these are achievements, but they are also things that I would have done anyway.
So, as I think about it, wondering what this could possibly be for me, only one thing struck my mind. And as I thought about it, I smiled because I knew that it was most definitely correct. It was something I had not even realized I was proud of until I had to think about it. And what did my proudest achievement turn out to be?
It was my financial independence.
For some, this might be something that is just another day in the park. But here in Nigeria, with the economic situation on ground and just how messed up life is here, becoming financially independent is an achievement indeed.
I have seen people that are older than I am that still have to rely on their parents or their uncles and aunties for basic needs that normally everyone should be able to afford. They feed off their aging parents and instead of reducing the stress of their old age, they would be adding instead to it. Seeing things like these just break my heart and I shake my head.
I see these people as a source of motivation for what I do not want to be like! I do not want to be the son that will be a burden to my parents when I should instead be the ones lifting burdens off their shoulders. I will not be the one to rely on my parents for basic things like bathing soap and toothpaste when I should even be helping out in the finances of the house.
I am not saying that those adults that are still relying on their parents are bad people, I am just saying that this country has deteriorated to the point where you can be a first-class graduate and you will still be poor and wretched, without a job or a single kobo in your bank account. For many people, it is not their fault, the economy is to blame. Bad governance happened to them. I know for certain that no one in that situation will enjoy it, it is not a happy place at all because it can even push one into depression. But when they have no choice, what do they do? They still have to survive, right?
Although there are still those that just choose not to work because they know their parents will do all the work for them. That one is just another topic for another day.
All I am saying, in essence, is that being financially independent in this era of change is not an easy feat. It might sound like I am tooting my own horn, but for someone that chose not to scam for a living, choosing to survive instead by my skill and hard work. It is a big deal for me.
Every day I try to deliver, doing what I have to do so that I will either get higher on my ladder or I will at least stay in the same rung. Because any small mistake can take me down hard.
I am not rich yet, but I am not poor anymore either. And I do not have to rely on my parents to pay my bills, instead, I help them out with that. When I look at how far I still have to go, I realize I have not even covered half the journey of where I am actually going. But also, when I look backward and see all that I have accomplished, I know for certain that nothing at all was in vain, and going forward everything will work towards my good.
There is still more work to be done, and I am willing to do it. In time, I will definitely get into that promised land I have promised myself.
Thank you for reading, till we meet in the next post.
This post was inspired by the third topic for this week which is Your Proudest Achievement. Feel free to try it all out.
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