Greetings!
A lot of things happened in the just-concluded year, 2024, and these occurrences poured out lessons and renewed those I had previously known about life. Life is a journey, so unpredictable and filled with everyday learning. To navigate life, we must adapt, learn lessons through experiences, observe others' mistakes, and be prepared to tackle challenges when they arise in the future.
Like I said, a lot happened to me, my family, and the world at large, which made me see things differently. Here are some of the lessons I learned:
Problems are bound to happen—get prepared
I have a friend who always says that whenever you are saving money for food, drinks, and all sorts of merriment, make sure you save for problems too because they will inevitably show up one day. That is very true about life. No matter how careful one is, challenges are bound to happen.
In the middle of last year, I received a call from home informing me that one of my siblings was sick. The sickness was not ordinary because the 16-year-old boy suddenly began vomiting blood after experiencing six hours of fever. Sickness is normal, right? Yes, but how it happened completely threw us off balance. It happened at midnight, and you should have seen how unsettled my family became at that moment. That night, he was rushed to the hospital, attended to, but nothing seemed to work. The next morning, he was referred to a bigger hospital. Fear gripped me so intensely that I had to leave my base and travel home.
The situation lasted for about two weeks before my brother fully recovered and was discharged. Although we knew problems are inevitable, we were shocked at how it unfolded, especially given how little money was available for the hospital bills. But thank God for everything. Even though I knew it was good to save for emergencies, I learned that saving small amounts isn’t enough—one should save a significant amount of money for unforeseen events.
The money you don’t budget for will be spent unknowingly
Maybe this is just me...
I found myself keeping spendable money in my account without a budget, only to see it disappear without any clear direction. Towards the end of last year, I decided to trace the amount of money I had spent on a particular person due to frequent pleas for help, which I couldn’t resist because I had the money at the time.
When I reviewed my spending, I realized I had spent a significant amount—much more than I thought. This experience prompted me to start budgeting every amount of money that comes my way and leave only a small portion for minimal miscellaneous expenses.
I also began making purchases based strictly on the budget as money came in. Otherwise, I would find myself spending it on less important things. I’m someone who finds it hard to say no to someone’s request when I have the means to help. But I learned that being a little selfish sometimes isn’t a crime.
Thanks for reading.
This is my entry to #thoughtfulthursday prompt
Images used are mine