It is important to know that life does not promise anybody anything. There is no guarantee that you will make it even when you try your best, and there is also no guarantee that you will fail if you try. There is no specific manual for living this life; we are all simply trying to survive and find our way. Most times, we learn from people who are ahead of us and have experienced life more deeply, often following in their footsteps. At other times, we choose a different path and learn along the way.
I watched a clip online yesterday where someone talked about how our background is a major determining factor in our success and how far we go in life. He explained that being hardworking alone is not enough because a person can work hard and still lack the opportunities needed to move forward in life.
He recounted how, despite being a brilliant student who came first on several occasions, he still struggled with depression. He also spoke about meeting someone they attended primary school with who was not even among the top ten students but eventually became the head of one of the largest financial institutions in the UK.
In all honesty, our background matters, and it often influences our decisions and what we eventually get out of life. Imagine being hardworking while also having the necessary support system; you would understand how much easier it becomes for things to work out well for you.
Now consider someone who is hardworking but lacks any support system. You would realise that, by the time such a person struggles for funds, supports themselves, and searches for opportunities, a lot of time may already be gone. In the end, the person may have to look for a job or create opportunities independently. It is not always easy for someone who only has hard work to rely on. It takes a great deal of patience, resilience, and dedication to succeed under such circumstances.
Another factor is where you come from. Many people from African nations, especially those from less privileged backgrounds, find it difficult to achieve their dreams because they spend most of their time struggling to survive.
Imagine someone who needs to travel abroad for a course but lacks the necessary support system; such a person will likely find it difficult to make it happen. If we did not have the right background growing up, it is important that we become the support system and foundation for our own children. We cannot continue blaming our parents for not doing enough because they, too, may not have had the support or opportunities they needed.