Ben
Ben works for an oil company and gets good pay. Ben decides to get married and start a family. The kids start coming and Ben can afford a decent education. Years later, it is time for Ben to retire. Ben is suddenly pensive. What is going to happen next? What would he do after retirement. Live on his pension all his life? Would that be enough?
Jennifer
Jennifer glanced at the door of her shop once more. It was midday already and no single customer had stepped in to patronize her. Maybe starting a business was probably not a wise step after all. Her friends, colleagues and pretty much everyone had told her not to bother. She was a lady after all, she could end up with a rich man and would have no money troubles. But she had not listened. Being dependent on a man and a monthly salary alone, just was not in her DNA and that was why she just had to do something with her hands.
Oh, she had a job alright. She worked as a lecturer in a College of Education and invested her free time in her shop where she sold jewelries she made herself.
Years later, Jennifer is a Professor and owns a renowned fashion school. Her husband, a one time governor was thinking of going to the Caribbeans for a year long vacation. Jennifer is thinking, she probably should just retire and join him. She had nothing to lose. Business was thriving and she really did not have to teach anymore and have been doing it just for the love of it...
What do you observe from the two stories above? Apart from the fact that it is fiction obviously...
Jennifer did not have to go do something on the side. She had more than enough from her salary. But she could not just get over the feeling that her resource was dependent on a system that could crash anytime. She had to thrive for more. She had to take charge of her life and resource and even when it got hard, she did not give up. Because self-sufficiency was her goal.
Ben on the other hand was content. He had a good pay from a system that seemed stable. He only realized he should have done something extra when he was about to retire. He was suddenly at a loss, having thoughts that people in their late 20s and early 30s were having.
And that's the mistake most of us are making today. We get too comfortable with basic salary and our jobs. We fail to thrive for more. Thriving for more is not just for salary earners alone, but for everyone.
Always thrive for something extra. It could be learning a new skill, reading about a whole new field, getting another certification.... Just something! You have nothing to lose, trust me on that!
I hope with these two stories of mine, I have been able to convince you and not confuse you that you should always thrive for more, no matter where you are right now in life... 🤓🤓
Thank you!