If You Want A Better Life, You Cannot Let Circumstances Hold You Back

There are more than 7 billion people in the world.

Probably about 20% of this population have achieved their biggest and wildest dreams.

Frankly speaking, following and actualising a dream is difficult. Who wants to waste time trying to live a great and fulfilling life, or trying to give themselves and their loved ones a better life when they can easily be out partying, drinking, smoking, chasing women, lying in bed all day and doing nothing?

Ask yourself whether the amount of time you’ll dedicate to working hard, praying, or the sleepless nights, the discipline, and dedication is even worth it.

Why bother? After all, you were born in a poor home, your parents barely saw you through school, you had to skip meals some days, you had to wear the same uniform for almost six years, you had only a pair of sandals, and you still survived!

Your kids will figure out how to bear the poverty too.

They should feel the pain and shame you felt when you were sent back home from school for not paying your school fees. They should learn how to eat only twice a day. They should feel sad that they get to wear only one pair of trousers for years while their friends change clothes every day.

Your wife will learn how to manage five hundred Nigerian nairas for soup for two weeks and how to hawk pure water and cut firewood like your mother used to do.

What about you, the one who has discovered what you’re passionate about?

The moment you discovered what you wanted to become in life, you were so excited that you called your parents and told them all about it. Your dad laughed so hard and said, “How do you plan to become a writer when you’ve never passed English before?”

You shared your dream with a close friend and he looked at you and said, “You can never achieve this dream, it’s too big.”

You went around, asking people for help but they all shut the door in your face. You got rejected over and over again. Some gave you excuses while many said, “The industry is too hard you can’t make it here.” or “Lower your expectations.” At home, your wife said, “You’re being unrealistic.”

At this point, nobody believes in you, understands your dreams, supports it, or wants to invest in it. Why continue holding on? Why not just dream smaller? Why not just lower your standards? Why keep believing in yourself when no one else does? Just give up already!

Give up! Give up! Life is a bitch. It’s Adam and Eve’s fault that we are in this mess. It’s God’s fault for allowing you to be born into a poor family.

Go on, blame others for your problems, okay! It’s not your fault. You didn’t ask to be born in a country where creating a better life for yourself is so hard. You didn’t even ask to be born at all.

Live a poor, miserable life and when it’s time, die and be buried in a very quiet way. Leave this world without being known, don’t leave an impact or change anybody’s life.

After you die, let the world move on as though you never existed. Sounds good, right?

I hope right now you’re saying to yourself, “Hell no! It doesn’t sound good, I want a better life for myself and my family. I want to be remembered when I’m gone. I want to change and impact peoples lives!”

If so, then never give up.

Are you thinking of quitting just because you’ve struggled for five, ten, or even fifteen years? Okay then. But time will still pass anyway.

Many people who are living their dreams today also almost gave up too. They cried themselves to sleep sometimes, they felt dejected and worthless sometimes. They wondered if they were on the right path due to so many rejections and failures. They weren’t strong all the time.

Listen, you’re allowed to break down, cry, and feel helpless.

What matters the most is that after crying, you fight back, press on, face your defeat. Failing doesn’t make you a failure, giving up does.

Do you want to look back twenty years from now and say, “What if I hadn’t quit?” Or do you want to say “Thank God I didn’t quit!”?

Your choice.

Nobody is going to help you actualise your dreams — Only you can.

Never give up!