Several years ago I used to say “Chai, the day I will fly on an airplane eh, I will make sure I take 100 pictures so that people can see that I’m now a big boy.”
Lol.
After the first time, the second time, this once special thing became ordinary for me. Now, when I see people taking pictures before boarding a commercial plane, I smile and occupy my mind with thoughts of the business structure of the airline owners, the imaginations of what could change in the way we fly in the near future, and most importantly, the intelligence of the manufacturer.
There was a time I said, “Any day I travel out of this country eh, I won’t come back to Nigeria.”
Well, I have traveled to 23 countries now and I still come back to Nigeria. I didn’t remain in any of the countries. Whenever I travel now, I struggle within for that excitement, fun, and pride I thought I would feel by traveling, but I find very little of it. I no longer count it as an achievement. The achievement would be being part of the people who make my own country a place that foreigners would dream of visiting.
I also thought about the excitement I would feel when I buy my first car and how I would post it to prove to people that I now own a car.
Lol. I bought my first car for almost 11 million naira and after a few days, the excitement faded away, and I could no longer feel any difference from how I used to feel before the car. I didn’t even announce to anyone or any social media that I bought a car. I have never for once announced buying a car and I don’t think I would ever do so. This is not to say that those who do so are wrong. It’s good to publicly celebrate your wins but I have learned differently from my mentors.
How about clothes? I used to say if I could just have those jeans, oh, how happy I would feel if I could just afford that shoe or that shirt. I would imagine how I would feel wearing it and think that my validation and fulfillment would come from there. Now I have a loaded wardrobe but would prefer to just wear my shorts and slippers anywhere I’m going to. When I didn’t have them I felt my validation would come from having them, now I just see the vanity, but it’s still better having more than enough than having less.
Should I talk about iPhones, MacBooks, etc.. There were times I felt my validation would come from owning those gadgets but these things all mean nothing to me now. I realized, after owning them of course, that none of it is a proof of wealth, happiness, fulfillment, or validation.
This should teach us that the fulfillment, contentment, and validation we earnestly seek will come from the inside not from the outside.
Once you have those things that keep you awake at night you will see the emptiness. So, don’t rush, take it easy, relieve yourself of the unnecessary pressures, and don’t feel as if you have been left behind and remember that there are people who stole Nokia 3310 and are still in jail. There are others who kîlled to buy a Mercedes 180 and are still languishing in jail. Imagine how they would feel if they came out now and saw the modern versions of what they committed crimes to have. Think this through.
The picture below was taken several years ago when I thought that owning a GLK and Venza would be the best thing that would happen to me. Well, the excitement died just within a few days. Funny thing is, there are still people out there who would commit all kinds of cr1mes just to have these things that someone else is tired of. Crazy world.
I had to repost this to remind you that life’s in stages. Whatever stage you find yourself in, don’t let it get into your head or weigh you down. Every phase will pass and someday you will look back and judge yourself for the things you do now.
Writer: KAA
#kaa_truths
wow this is Inspiring …thumbs up