No doubt most of us have been sated with oft-repeated stories of slaves of eons ago who were freed and their captors drowned; tales of children who were meted inhumane treatment by their so-called families and who later became benefactors to those same families; graphic illustrations of poor souls who rose dramatically from penury to prominence; dullards and dropouts who began to dominate different fields with astonishing breakthroughs. We have been inundated with heroic motivational speeches of some fellows meteoric jump to the top, and we all wish to be like those world-renowned figures of the past or the present. But why?
No, this writer is not against having lofty aspirations and even vaulting ambitions, and day by day we work (or at least think) in the directions of our expectations. We are encouraged to have foresight, insight, hindsight, high-sight, website. We are urged to memorize quotable quotes so as to ponder upon and recite at some imaginary plebiscite that goodness-only-knows about in the future. The number of sights, -sites and cites seems endless, and in the fast-paced world of this 21st century jet age we all wanna emphasize the human factor above the impersonal functioning of computers and robots because we fear for our jobs, even though we ourselves do make use of machines of different sorts because there is so much work to do and so little time to do it.
The result: STRESS!
Stress is what happens when we refuse to take a pause. We push ourselves and let others push us too hard, forgetting that no one is indispensable. We feel so insecure about ourselves that we pretend before our colleagues at work, before our friends at play, and even before our families at home. But…hey, one reason you were able to grow up is to be able to celebrate your freedom to chart your own course. Nobody does it any better, and if you do not come to a point where you call the bluffs of the world and say, like the funny quip, Abeg, I cannot come and go and kill myself away, you will be the ultimate loser.
Here, then, is my advice: Take the time out. Visit that fancy place of which youve always dreamed. Buy up that house. Find that work (job or vocation) that gives you rest of mind. Return that ill-gotten money. Hang out with that person who means so much. Throw that party that has hitherto been mere wishful thinking. Join that club. Play that sport. Quit doing anything that keeps you in bondage. If it takes working extra hard in order to leave that prison and reach the palace, then do it. Enjoy yourself; life is too short. A famous quote says, If you dont like where you are, MOVE; you are not a tree (emphasis mine). The rewards far outweigh the cost when you live your life ultimately Celebrating You!
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