What do you want out of life?

Hello again,

How are y’all doing? Hope all’s well. I am very well, thanks for asking. I have started a new job and so far, it’s ok. I’m seeing someone too so you could say my glass is quite full. God has been good. Over the last year or so, I’ve been thinking very hard about what I want out of life. Yesterday’s church service kinda hit home as a result and I was in a reflective mood throughout the day. The title of the message was “The Power of Vision”. The pastor talked about visualizing where we want to be in the next 20 years. I like to think that I’m a serious guy and I live my life on a mostly needs-based basis. I am intensely aware that I’ve been blessed to be born into the family that I have and that makes me acutely aware of the things that I take for granted. As a result, I have very simple things I want to accomplish in the next 20 years – I want a good wife, I want to be able to send my children to the best schools, I want to have my own business and I want to be able to help underprivileged people. These are the things that would make me happy 20 years from now. They are not lofty ambitions by the world’s standards – please note that I’m not bashing what we would normally call lofty ambitions. If you want to be the future president of your country or you want to be the future CEO of a fortune 500 company, more power to you. I was talking to a friend of mine last night and the conversation drifted to this topic. I told him that I would consider my parents to be very successful. My father has worked in government all his life and my mother has risen to the top of her profession. While that’s good, what makes them successful in my eyes is that they have given their children the platform to succeed in life by sending us to school and leveraging on the goodwill they’ve accrued over their careers. At the end of the day, it all comes down to what you would consider success in life to be. Insha Allah, I am on my own journey and it will end up well. My church has become a very important part of my life now – it constantly reminds me not to relent in the pursuit of the life that I want but that I should always put God first. I couldn’t always say that and my mother is a pastor. Go figure.

Like all good people, we want the good things in life. I think in this day and age, these things have drifted to the more superficial things. To me though, these things are usually what other people would consider good. Don’t get me wrong – I want to be comfortable and God knows that I cannot Imagine living off the Island. However, a lot of these things are things we don’t actually need (remember needs-based living?). That lavish wedding you want when you haven’t paid rent, that flashy car when something cheaper would do the job and the one that absolutely irks me – renting more space than you actually need. For what? So that people can say we are successful? Give me a break.. Sometimes, our self-consciousness as humans makes me so sad. I was at a friend’s place about a month or so ago. She just got married and she and her husband live in a one bedroom apartment. It is small but I absolutely fell in love with it and their situation. Just her, her husband and their tiny place. I’m an idealist and I don’t think there are many of us left so we always seem to be a bit off. I’m happy with that. Over the last few years, I’ve come to realize that the only opinion of me that matters is my own and it is liberating. I want to be rich but I don’t need to be. If it happens, it’s a bonus and it would mean that I can help more people. In my opinion, that’s what Nigeria needs – people who will stand up to be the examples they want to see. In my humble situation, I’m trying to do that. And that makes me happy which, at this point, is all that matters.

On an unrelated note, Arsenal drew with Man City on Saturday. I honestly thought we'd lose but hey, I'll take a point.  Nothing has changed though - looks like the FA Cup is the only hope for silverware this season. I hope they don't bottle that.

I haven't seen any movies recently and I don't know when I will again but rest assured that I'll let you know when I do. I just can't shut up really. I also finished reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. It is a good book - very soft but very philosophical. It talks about fulfilling your destiny too. Kind of a running theme this weekend, huh?

That's all from me. Till next time, I remain your fantastic Mr Fox.