It’s been 4 years since my high school graduation and I’ve only started getting into the real deal of deep thoughts around life recently, “What do I really enjoy doing? What future do I want? What lessons have I really learnt?” And there’s more thoughts piling up.
Story Time! — my personal journey
As a teenager, to me it seemed like school would never end, but it did. I knew I’m graduating soon but I just felt… numb. Well that’s my experience in a nutshell.
Fast track to 2020. Finally I thought I would have a student life, but that was not the case, it was lockdown.
HARD LOCKDOWN.
I played games till I started rotting from being a couch potato, trying to make time pass. Got scammed which did take a chunk [not a lot if I look back at it now], and went through a breakup of a relationship that wasn’t working and lasted way too long. Triple Whammy I would say. But it’s all for a good cause. It is, right?
2021 was when I decided to take on the “Year Challenge" of it only being God and me spending time. I did a course called City Changing Equipping Program [CCEP] [which I do highly recommend]. Some people would say “New Year, New Me", but that is actually the wrong mindset now that I think of it.
We can’t change without growth. We can’t change instantly like the new year’s resolution’s saying “New Year, New Me" that lasts for about… 3 weeks, maybe less for some. We should rather ask, “How much do I want to grow this year?” because that’s what will determine how much you are willing to change. Fortunately/unfortunately change is the only constant thing in this world. Like it or not, your comfort zone will kill you over time if you’re not willing to change or grow.
The breakup and scam taught me a lot because I chose to look at my past mistakes and learned from them.
The breakup lead me to learn what I truly would want in a relationship. And something I can’t stress enough for any type of relationship is, COMMUNICATION!
The scam, well that did put me in motion to actually start focusing on my financial lifestyle. As a teenager you don’t realise how much you’re wasting money. 19 yo me wouldn’t think he would be who I am today.
Somewhere in the middle-near end of my jewellery manufacturing course I really doubted if I was on the right path. The world puts so much weight on you because of… problems, like inflation literally happening in front of my eyes! A mini milktart was 8 ZAR and in 2022 ended up being 32 ZAR. That is bonkers, and you can’t deny that COVID made the world cripple for a moment especially if you’re living in a corrupted country.
But this article is not for complaints. The opposite actually.
Back on track. My dad came to me after I asked too many times, “Am I on the right track?” and told me that he got a Bible verse, Exodus 31:3–5 back when I turned 1 yo. I held onto that for dear life and did not send any prayers questioning that [most cases you end up with more questions in the end]. I finished 3 years of training, and now… I am an apprentice.
2023 I thought, well, everyone around me thought, is going to be so much better than 2022. It’s going to be the year. It’s the year of growth and confrontation in my books indeed.
I ended up damaging my knee to a fuller extent than what I have expected. And now I am in recovery mode, not allowed to run for the next 12 months.
For 6 weeks I had deep thoughts which steered me. I quit social media like Instagram, anything that clouds your mind. Oh boy… I sank into ground breaking thoughts that lead me to this very moment.
I had plenty of moments throughout the years of regretting:
- Putting that much money into scams.
- Being in a relationship for a year too long that wasn’t working.
- Playing games and spending money instead of upgrading skills that I was interested in during lockdown.
- Not taking educating myself seriously enough.
But without those parts of my story, I would not be the person I am today. Each one taught me a lesson. The regret will fall away if you make peace with the character you are today. If not, change. Change now by start doing now by working towards your goals now.
If it was not for my ability to time travel, I would not have learned these things:
- To have peace over not having control over time, act in a more holistic manner.
- Being in a relationship for a long time, doesn’t always means it’s working. Take care of yourself before you can for someone else.
- Some events that may seem terrible, can be the motion setter for something far greater.
- Don’t hold on to friends. People come and go. The sooner you make peace with that, the sooner you can move on with your life.
- The best investment you can make is in yourself. Don’t spend money on XYZ growing schemes, spend them on a skill that can level you up in life.
- When you look back in time, it all actually seems so small.
- Be intentional with the present, everything and everyone around you. Even be intentional and selective with your thoughts.
- Honour Your Body. Take care of yourself, otherwise you’ll end up with a bigger problem down your lifeline.
Sometimes we regret, but over time if you’re willing to learn from everything in the past and start looking towards what the future holds; You’ll be unstoppable [but only if you take action].
Safe Travels — Sleep Safe