What I taught my kids about life?

” Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” Ralph Waldo Emerson.

There are three greatest things to do in life- (marry a woman you love), have a kid (son), write a book, and plant a tree. The reason is simple, life is short, only these would outlive us and hopefully, our legacy will continue after we have passed.

I am blessed with two sons and my family is the most beautiful thing in my life. During this Covid-19 pandemic, I talked about life with my kids every evening I came back from work.

They listened to me about my childhood stories, stories of the courtship of their parent, and of course the life lessons I wanted them to pick up during their childhood. I taught them these lessons.

#1 Life doesn’t wait for you

Live your day like you live your life. Don’t waste your precious time away every day. Spring has passed, summer has gone and winter is here. My youthful years happened only yesterday. With just a blink of eyes, those miraculous years of me studying hard for my high school exams, dreaming of a girl I liked and working part-time to help my mum will never come again.

We procrastinate and put our dreams on hold. Hoping that after today, we would have more tomorrows to complete our dreams.

“The greatest amount of wasted time is the time not getting started.”

Dawson Trotman

I told my sons, “Start whatever you want to do in life as early as possible, don’t wait until tomorrow because tomorrow might never come!”

Do the right things today be it telling the woman you love, investing your first ETFs, or changing your job.

George Bernard Shaw was asked on his deathbed, “What would you do if you could live your life over again?” He replied with a deep sigh:” I’d like to be the person I could have been but never was.”

Don’t look back at life and regret what you have not done. Your life is created in such a way because of the choices you make and how timely you make them!

Life doesn’t wait for you. The world won’t halt its steps for you to catch up. You either buck up or lose out!

#2 Appreciate what you have

Stop complaining and comparing and start living. Appreciate what you have in life and work harder to achieve better results in life.

” I wept because I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet.”

Ancient Persian proverb

Life’s greatest setbacks and disappointments always reveal life’s biggest blessings. Don’t feel bad if you are wearing Bata Power shoes while your friends are showing off their Nike sneakers. Materialistic possession is not the greatest achievement in life- knowledge is.

Stop comparing and complaining about life and trust me, you become a better and stronger human being.

#3 Think different

“Think different, if you follow the crowd, the place you will most likely end up at is the exit!”

Robin Sharma

It is OK to be called ‘weirdo’ in school. When 9 persons say yes, you should be the tenth person to think again before saying ‘yes’ again. You are unique and don’t follow what people ask you to do.

You start a life race, you run at your own pace and set your own destination. As a parent, I would not accompany you for the whole journey. I guide you the first few miles but you have to finish your own race.

Don’t divert from your race because of social pressure, discouragement from your peers. There is only ONE you in this world, you are free to create your own unique path.

# 4 Failures are parts of living and life, it is ok to cry.

“Many of life failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

Thomas Edison

You only fail if you stop trying. Life is full of failures but see failures as part of your journey. It is ok to cry and be disappointed in life. You can fail your exam, you can fail your first job interview, you can fail to impress the first girl you love but never fail your life.

Don’t give up on life or else life will give up on you! I have gone through poverty, fear, disappointments in life, and many failures ( investments included) but giving up was never an option for me.

Albert Einstein once said,” Failure is success in progress.”

Different people measure success differently in life, don’t be blinded by the illusory version of success in life. Driving a big car, living in a big mansion, and using the latest gadgets in town don’t automatically categorize you as a successful person. Life is more than materialistic possessions and money.

# 5 Read books, listen to music and travel the world

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies.”

George R.R. Martin​

Start reading books when you are young. Learn from people’s mistakes by reading their books. Keep your favorite books in your room. Remember the quotations that motivate and inspire you in life.

I love to listen to music. Listening to beautiful music which is gentle and soothing to my ear is the best part of my busy day.

Travel the world and see how insignificant you are! See the world and learn from strangers. Learn how to forgive and forget. Treat people the way how you want to be treated!

Conclusion

Our life is brief, it is like a candle in the darkness. I am just a relay runner, hoping to run as fast as I can to pass the torch to the next runner. I would not falter and I would not fail my life race.

To keep the torch burns as brightly as possible, I hope to handle it to the next generation and keep the race going. Hopefully, this world will be a better place with or without me.