Nobody Shows You What Happens Behind

Nobody will tell you that they have been applying to various opportunities and getting rejection mails..☹️ you will only hear the good news when the opportunity finally succeeds.🙂
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Nobody posts their ugly pictures 😣 on Facebook or IG.. they won't tell you how many pictures they must've have taken and deleted before settling for the one they finally post for you to see.😁
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Nobody tells you how many times they feel low, how many times they cry in private or how many times they feel like shit.😖 But whenever they come out to the public, you get to see happy, lively, charismatic and smiling faces.🕺🏽
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No one posts pictures of when they were reading or studying hard to pass in school. But when the results come out, you will be the first to hear who got A, who got first class.. etc
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The entrepreneur will not tell you how many times he felt like quitting 👎🏼during the early stages of his business..but when the business kicks off.. you will hear the net worth of the company!👍🏽
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A guy won't tell you when he was having sleepless nights and semi heartbreaks trying to woo his girl.💔 But when the time reach, na the wedding invite you go see.💞
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Point is.. we live a world where we mostly only get to see just the good end result of stuff. We usually don't get to see the full picture of what happens on the background or that failures even happen.. And that's why some people begin to erroneously think that things are easy for some people because they don't even know what is going on. They just assume.
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If you are allowed to know the full story behind most of the success stories that we like to hear, you will be surprised. You will see that there is really no point of feeling that you've not gotten there yet. 🤷🏼‍♀️You will even not see the need to envy anyone because everyone has got their own story.
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It's a wake up call to everyone who has allowed the things they can see to make them feel like it's their own situation that is the worst. There's a quote by Rafiki in Lion King I really like. He said "Look beyond what you see". Whatever you may be presently seeing is not really as real as what you believe and work towards achieving.
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Focus on doing your own little best in your own little world. If you're facing difficulties, know now that those difficulties aren't peculiar to you! The people who seem to be enjoying those things you want to enjoy today have faced those same difficulties before getting there. It's not something you can jump or hurry towards.
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If this post makes sense to at least one person, it has served its purpose.
#Nigel

Where has our humanity gone?

When we were little kids, sometimes we will see a very dirty car parked outside and in our little minds, the stuff doesn't look right to us. Cars are supposed to be washed and taken care of. It looks absurd to us.
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So what comes to mind? We go closer, look left and right to confirm no one older is watching and we write "pls wash me." The ones with better GST skills will add "..I am dirty" to it. Plenty of us have been on this table.
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My mind cast back to this thing because I saw it today. As innocent children, there was a consciousness in us to at least attempt to make things right. If something doesn't look right, we tried to make it right by in this case "writing something". Thereby "speaking" on behalf of the vehicle to whoever owns it.
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This innate drive to make things better is why children don't keep grudges for too long. They play and quarrel, next minute, they're together again. Chaos and absurdity is naturally abnormal to them, so they keep drifting towards the ideal.
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As young adults, we begin to think that we've understood how the world is and how the government works. We try a few times to correct things and we fail, then we begin to accept that nothing else can be done about it. Why not leave things the way they are?
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We begin to develop a sort of indifference to things happening around us. And that's how our minds gradually starts becoming closed to stuff. Now you don't give a damn about most things. If no one's doing anything about it, why bother yourself?
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And without knowing it.. not caring about stuff starts becoming a way of life. Your neighbor is screaming out for help and you don't give a shit because it's not you or your family.
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It's now all about family first.. every other person can actually go to hell. We're desensitized to the plights of people around us. And all we're bothered about is our selfish interest. But when we need help, we expect people who are not family to come to our rescue, right?
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I don't know how we got here. But I hope the eyes of our humanity will be opened once again. A lil kid playing with other kids don't know which child is family, which child is white, black, Yoruba, hausa or Igbo or Christian, Muslim or traditionalist. A child just wants to play and be at peace with all men.
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Growing up, I think this has become a pipe dream. The more we think we've known, the more foolish we became.
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#Nigel

Why?

Sometimes in the middle of all these daily struggle and aspirations to become something, to do something, to make impact, to be successful, to get married, and etc, I always ask myself the big question: why?
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Why do we do these things? Is it our way of finding meaning in life? Is it our way of keeping busy so we avoid our thoughts? Is it just the way the world is? Is it just to keep up with what our peers are doing? The big question is why?!
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Often times, we don't get to ask ourselves this question. We just follow the trend and we try to become like other people or do things just because other people are doing them. This leads to a lot of confusion. The trend is not always right for you!
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The danger of just doing things because you're pressured to do so without really understanding why you're doing it is that you will eventually find yourself dissatisfied and discontented, and when that happens you will not even be motivated to continue because you're like: what's the point?
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That's why you have got to clearly define the reason why you are struggling or working or investing towards anything. Is it just to make money? Is it the desire to fulfill a need? Is it love? Is it to be able to help others? Is it for you to be happy? Is it for the sake of your family, friends and loved ones? The answer must be very clear to you.
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When the answer is clear, even in the toughest of times, you will persevere and not give up easily. You will be having fun even in hard times. Why? Because you are fully conscious of why you have been doing whatever you've decided to do. With this consciousness firmly rooted in you, there is no problem or challenge that you cannot pull through.
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You must everyday remind yourself "why" you're doing anything. The worst reason you can give yourself is that "you're doing it because other seemingly successful people are doing it". That's very wrong because you are you! You're not someone else.
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What's driving them may not be same thing driving you. What's making them happy may be what brings you pain, so you find your own drive by asking yourself that question and answering it with all sincerity.
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None of us really knows how we found ourselves in this place called earth and none of us really knows exactly where we are going from here. But one thing is sure: you have consciousness.. you have your mind and spirit always with you. You know what's best for you. Discover your drive through "why?" and make the most of your life.
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#Nigel

Love is The Greatest

Love is such a beautiful thing. It drives you do things that you yourself never thought you could even do.
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I remember one time back in the teenage years I had to travel to Abuja all the way from 042 because of one girl I felt I was in love with.. under the guise of one personal development program which I applied for but really had no interest in.
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It was a risky thing to do because anything could have happened. But I did it anyway and it turned out a good decision because asides the girl, I had the opportunity to make some money from the program I didn't really want to attend.
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One time I had to stay late in one estate because of one girl, just so she could sneak out her house and come see me. Mosquitoes were biting me and I was scared of how rough the street may be as time went on, but thoughts of just seeing this girl kept me there.
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It was love that made me continue teaching my junior brothers mathematics, even after all my efforts felt like I was pouring water into a stone. I was frustrated most times, but love kept me teaching them gradually until they at least learnt.
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Some people have flown in from other countries to Nigeria just for the sake of someone or some people they love. Some people have flown out.. just to find love or for the sake of loved ones. Some have donated their kidneys and done blood donations just to see their loved ones alive and kicking.
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Do you know that wars have been started, men killed and cities burnt because of "love"? Helen of Troy, Mark Anthony and Cleopatra? It was love(the stupid kind😆) that made King Herod unable to resist her daughter's request to have John the Baptists head.
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Love even made a whole Jesus(Son of God) even come down to earth and accept all sorts of insults from mere mortals just to ensure that you and I are saved.
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Such a powerful force of nature. Higher than anything else.. power, wealth, etc. Love is the greatest.
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In all you do, try to show some love. Even if it's to a total stranger. It goes a long way.. it's love that makes us like God himself.. because what other love could be higher than giving us the opportunity to have consciousness and experience this world with a soul and a body? God's love is the highest!
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Just as love could drive you to do positive things.. it can drive you to also do negative stuff. It's wise to allow wisdom and conscience guide one's actions.
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#Happy_Vals_Day

Does it Matter?

Juliet was a lively and happy young girl in her teens. She was so full of life and always created an atmosphere of happiness wherever she went to. Her smile was infectious and she had a lot of friends and well wishers who were close to her.
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But it all changed one afternoon during a heated argument between her dad and her mom. The parents had thought she was outside playing with her friends, so they were unbridled in the use of their words.
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"You got me pregnant with that stupid kid that I hate." the mother said. "you destroyed my life and shattered all my career plans with a baby I never wanted.." she continued...
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Juliet had heard more than enough.. she was the product of an unwanted pregnancy and she was devastated. She went out without the notice of her parents and shed tears. Life became all gloomy suddenly and she was tired of even existing anymore.
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She refused to go hang out with friends anymore and her performance in school dropped significantly. Her behavior too changed. She was really hurt. How could it be that her own parents didn't want her? It was hard for a kid of her age to understand it.. so she was really worried.
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And then the school counselor noticed how Julie's (as she is fondly called) behavior changed over time and called her into her office. "What's really the problem Julie?" She asked. "This is not who you are. Are you facing any problems??"
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Julie was reluctant to answer the question, but because of how close she was to the woman, she opened up to her. The counselor showed compassion on the poor kid and was able to assuage her fears that she was not wanted. Then after a long pause, she told her something which changed her forever.
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"Julie, does it really matter if you were wanted or unwanted??" "I've known you over time and I see you're a great kid with a lot of potential." "Whether you were wanted by them or not doesn't really matter because you're here now!"
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"You're here to make the most out of your life. God has allowed you to be here. So whether anyone wanted you to happen or not should not be what is bothering you for now. Focus on being the best version of who you are."
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"Don't allow that to affect your disposition." "As a matter of fact, it shouldn't! You're here for a reason regardless of how you came.. so find that reason by developing yourself and taking advantage of the wonderful opportunities that each day brings."
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These words hit Juliet's core. She cried, but on the inside she was transformed. She hugged the counselor and left her office.. Julie went back to being as happy as she used to be. Her grades picked up and she was back to living her admirable life.
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You see in life, learning about some circumstances surrounding you can hurt you and make you feel like there's no point to even try to enjoy this life. But the truth is that your circumstances shouldn't really dictate how your life should turn out.
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We can all give plenty excuses and reasons why we should not go ahead to succeed, be happy and win at life, but the truth is that the excuses/reasons don't count. You have to rise beyond them. That's what makes you a super human and that's what makes you strong.
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"I'm not too tall or short", "I'm not fair or dark", "I was born in a too rich family (which made me lazy), I was born in a poor family (which tied my hands)".. "I'm too fat or too skinny".. "I'm too wanted or unwanted.." "I'm too beautiful or ugly.." "I know too many people that can't even help or I don't know anyone.." I this.. I that… the list of excuses can be endless..
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But guess what? You owe yourself the best life you deserve regardless of any excuse you may trick yourself to accept. You have no limitations whatsoever.. all you need is faith and a drive to succeed.

#Nigel