A lot of people live an unfulfilled life. It is a customary problem. People often say they feel lost, isolated, demotivated, and trapped by their responsibilities. They always think that the challenges they face are too significant to overcome. Such as; debt, a lack of direction, being trapped by a well-paid job they don’t find rewarding, financial and family commitments, fear of failure, and self-doubt.
The list is endless. This category of individuals feels so engulfed by these commitments that they believe they don’t have emotional, financial, and practical space to live the life their hearts genuinely crave.
So, they decide to throw in the towel. Instead, they focus on trying to survive each day, going through the daily routine of what they need to do to survive.
Regardless, many of us still have a deep desire to change; we frequently turn away from opportunities and experiences because the reasons NOT to do things weigh heavier than the reasons to do them. We’ve left it too late to make the desired changes.
A practical example of my mother. My mother married my father when she was just in the last year of senior secondary school. In most cases, the responsibilities of being a wife and a mother would encourage many women to drop out of school. They would instead become an ordinary Nigerian housewife.
But it wasn’t the case for my mother. After having her first child, she sat for WAEC and NECO. She passed with flying colours and proceeded to the College of Education. At that point, she had a second child and a third while still in school. I witnessed my mother going to school. I still remember when she locked I and my siblings at home because she couldn’t take us to school.
She graduated from the College of Education, thinking that is where she would stop, but surprisingly, she continued to a University. The university she gained admission to was far from home, and she had to leave us in the care of our father. At this point, it was difficult for her and us. But then, she had our support. She gave birth to the last child while still in university. She only spent six months with the baby after giving birth because she had to concentrate on her studies.
At this stage, my mother was at the university simultaneously with her first child. It was a strange situation, but she didn’t give up. She graduated, served Nigeria, and now holds two master’s degrees. The fact is that it’s never too late to be who you want to be. Of course, people will always quote seemingly legitimate reasons, but if the desire is strong enough, there are no barriers that we cannot overcome.
