Steem4nigeria Accelerator Contest Week 159: Life is a Journey

emishael60 (71)Member| Verifiedin Steem4Nigeria • 3 days ago

Honestly life has just been showing me that I really have to smile no matter what I face in life because not everything will happen the way I plan it. Sometimes the things that might pain me today will later become the same things that will help me to grow. More so, as I sit down trying to think about my life, I realise that many of my views have change with time.

Do i think it's better to focus on reaching my goals or just enjoying the ride?

Before, it was always goals that full my head. I always keep looking the next level. Once I achieve one thing, my mind will move to another thing already. I do believed that happiness is waiting for me somewhere in the future. But for now life has humble me a little. Now I know that if all my joy is at one destination, I might miss a lot of beautiful moments that is happening around me. Yes, I still have goals. I still want to make my life better. I am still working hard every day. But I don't put my happiness on a hold again.

Some of my best memories don't always comes from big achievements. They do come from ordinary moments, random conversations, small wins, and days which I just felt very grateful to be alive. So for me, reaching goals is very good, but enjoying the ride is even more important. Because life is short and it's not all about only where you are going, it's also what is happening as you are going there.

What’s a mistake i made that actually ended up being a good thing in the long run?

One big mistake which I make was caring too much about what people think. I used to overthink everything all the time whenever I want to make decisions. Before I make any decision, I will first of all ask myself how people will s it'see it. I wanted everybody to understand me. I wanted everybody to approve my choices. The truth was that I finally got tired of it. No matter what we do, some people will still have something to say. I learned that lesson in a very hard way. There were times I delayed things wey I wanted because I was waiting for acceptance from people.

So Looking back now, that mistake seriously helped me. It taught me to trust my own mind. It taught me that this is my own life and it's me that is living it not anyone else. However since then till now, I still try to respect people's opinions, but I no longer allow them to keeps controlling my direction and personal decisions.

Do i feel like I am still the same person I was a few years ago, or have I become someone totally new?

Honestly, I can feel and see that I'm not the same person again. The old me worried too much. The old me wanted answers to everything at that moment. The old me thought that growing up means having life completely figured out at once. Now I know better. I have become more patient with myself. I don't panic the way I used to back then. Some things that would have keep me awake all night before, I just look it now and tell myself, "It is what it is."

I have also learned to protect my peace. Not every argument need my own response. Not every opinion need my personal attention. Deep inside, I am still me. But experience has shape me differently. So no doubt I can say that the way I just see life now is not the same way I saw it some years ago.

Who is someone I met who changed the way I look at things?

I once met someone which is my best friend, he's not rich , but he is genuinely happy and he doesn't leave an expensive lifestyle. Neither forming for anybody. However he doesn't compete with anybody too. Yet every time we talked, he aways looked contented.

Why it really changed me is because most of us do always chase something. More money. More success. More recognition. We might tell ourselves that happiness will come after the next achievement. But this person showed me another side of life. The person taught me that peace of mind is valuable. Very valuable for that. More over since that time till today I have been trying to appreciate what I have more not to hoping for what I don't have. I still want more better things, but I don't by any means to overlook today's blessings just because of my tomorrow's dreams.

If I could go back and redo one part of my life, would i actually want to?

To be honest, I'll said no. Definitely there are things I regret. There are mistakes I wish I have never made. Also there are moments I wish it happened differently. But if I remove those moments, I don't know if I would still be the person I am today. So with that , every disappointment taught me something. Every failure opened my eyes to something new. Every difficult season I have forced me to become more stronger than before.

However, the truth is that nobody likes pain while it is happening. Even me too I don't like it too, but many of the things that shaped me came from those hard times. So if life gives me the chance to go back and rewrite one chapter, I don't think I would take that chance I'll just leave it the way it is. Everything, the good, the bad, the embarrassing mistakes, the lessons, and the struggles, all of them joined hand together to make me who I am today. And honestly, I am still growing, but I am grateful for every part of this journey.