What advice would you give your 21 year old self?

A letter to my growing-up self

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Photo by Kate Macate on Unsplash

Dear Teboho

I write this letter to you as the loving older self. I have seen way too much in this life, through the ages. I now know that life is full of many possibilities. I know you have had many people say this. I also know that it embittered you when you failed to see the practicalities of such a statement. That my friend I understand.

I was always by your side. Do you remember that? I also know that, you thought you knew what was best for you. I know that, because of your life situation, by which I mean family, friends and societal influences you came into contact with conflicting ideas about life.

Some people told you that going to school was a smart investment. You believed them. Who couldn’t? But then again, some said schooling wasn’t a prerequisite to being successful in life. Sure they gave you a few examples of the world’s prominent individuals. During which times, you felt uncertain about whether or not you should continue with schooling.

I also know that, at one point, you wanted to just get over with schooling. Do you remember your final years in varsity? Well I do. You just wanted to do what you can to leave schooling behind.

You have come to hate school. Some people made it unbearable. But there we some good times, though.

Then, after times of hard-working the miracle happened. You were finally graduating. Then you came into the real world, by which I mean the world of work. You finally had come into the cut-throat world, where job-hunting is fiercely competitive.

You, for the first time, had to deal with years of being rejected in the job market. You gave up every now and then. How do I know? I was always there with you.

After trying out several opportunities and being rejected constantly, who couldn’t? But, I also know that you knew that, somehow you had to get your act together.

Do you remember those days when many people took advantage of you, promising you permanent employment if you volunteered with them and it all turned out not to be true? I do. You were angry with life and everybody.

During this period, you didn’t see the value in constantly reading books. After all you were done with schooling. Weren’t you?

You sought ways of convincing yourself and everybody that, you didn’t have to pursue reading because many years you’ve spent reading and it didn’t pay up. You did not want to come to terms with the reality that life has changed.

In fact, you despised change. You surrounded yourself with equally inactive age mates. You complained about life. You hated the government and witches.

You believed things, bad things that is, came to you because some wizards were onto your case. You strongly believed that some people were born to succeed. Any ideas about reading were rejected by you and your ignorant friends.

After several years of struggling to make it in life, you reluctantly tried out the reading route. You read books, in fact, lots of books. Except the fact that, oft repeated times, you came across some unhealthy reading materials. Some led you astray. But little did you know that you were being deceived.

Thank goodness, some writers took you back on track. Once you began to pursue reading with purpose what happened? Your life took another form. It was transformed. Drastically. Now you began to see that going to school, although not sufficient in guaranteeing success, it played a very significant role in positioning you for success.

You had to believe that, going to school was meant to help you to read and write. After all, life around us involves a lot of reading and writing. During your years of ignorance, you were left out. You lived on the outskirts of reality.

Failing to read or an inability to read leaves one’s life on a very precarious condition. How could I not know this? Ever since, you began to see reading as an essential aspect of successful living you saw how compromising illiteracy is. You began to appreciate life more. I’ve got to say, I am proud of you.

To bring it to a close, I have got to say, tell all your young old time friends that reading has become the key ingredient to succeeding in this life. Encourage them.

Yet, I must also say, enjoy life. Remember, treat success an ethical issue. This is where most people miss it, by treating their success as somebody’s responsibility.

Your grown up self.

Teboho

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