You may just have to work

“Do not store your dreams in your eyes, they may roll down with your tears rather store them in your heart as each heartbeat may inspire them to be achieved” - Someone somewhere

In 18 years I will be 40. What do I want my life to mean by then?

People always say your 20s are for relaxing. Enjoy your 20s, don’t rush. I used to heavily oblige this advice until I deeply thought about it one random day.

Being in your twenties means that in less than 20 years, you’ll be in 40s by the grace of God.

What then do I want my 40s to be? I didn't really know exactly but I knew I have to be alright by that age. Alright in the sense that I worried not about finances. Noone wants to be in their 40s still figuring out life, worrying about how to pay the next bills. Most of our parents who were having 3 full time jobs at 17, 18 still have to worry about that now and I found that sad.

I had to ask myself. With how I lived would I be alright by then?

The answer shot back at me. Definitely not!

I decided then to make good of my youth if I want better. I need to use my twenties to build, skill up, learn. Because when you really look beyond the bandwagon of complainers and entitled grumblers, we have so many opportunities now that our parents did not have.

You would never have these youthful days again, sure. But work also while you play. Balance, they say, is key but right now work has to outweigh play. Especially when you come from a background like mine where you have to work extra hard to get things others easily get.

There’s only so much privilege to go around though. So even you too coming from that privileged background, work so that privilege, can be preserved and expanded for your descendants. We all just have to work to make better stepping stone chances to success for our future generation too or just yourself.

I know it is annoying to accept work is the only way to get things out of life but until you become the creator of the universe, you really have no choice but to follow this already set principle. Work = Rewards. There truly is no long lasting peace that did not come after some pain and sadly, that’s life.

But what do I know really, I’m 23 years old still living at home and heavily dependent on my God and parents. Still, I sure as heck would not be here in the next five years, talk less of my 40s because I make sure to work my ass off. You should too, because before AG baby became our daddy he said, “Work e o, Work e o, hustle no fit to kill anybody o”. Please this is guaranteed if it’s the clean kind of work.

Regardless, every kind of work always pays. It's up to you to choose the best kind that will make you have peace of mind in your 40s. Nothing beats that sense of security from having your life together.

It is annoying, stressful, risky but you have to pick yourself up now even with no guarantee that you would not have to keep working all your life. But the good news here is that, you can start working now. It’s never too late. Work now so you’ve built a solid foundation where in the future, you will be required to do as little as possible work.

So, please do not come to me with that your 20s is for living bull. I intend to not worry about how I’ll pay my my bills by 40 and I’ll be 40 in less than 20 years. So I'll be working hard.

You should too. I can't stress the fact that most people in the 40s - 60s age group had full-time jobs at 17, and many still worry about financial security and life in general.

God forbid such!

Shalom ❤️