29 Things I learnt in 2020.
By: Okoro Uche
Tags: 2020, Life, Advice For Life, Living With Purpose, Lessons Learned

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From global lockdown to death of important personalities, 2020 will definitely last in our memories. There’s no better to describe 2020 rather than a disaster for everyone involved. A lot happened. A lot of lessons were learnt.

Here’s mine:

You can tell people the video they are showing you is not funny. If you don’t want to fake laugh for 3 minutes, tell them you’re not interested. Nobody really cares about those small details you think they will notice. They care mostly about their own small details they think you will notice. Life is fickle. You can die anytime, anywhere and anyhow. You can also lose people you love anytime. It’s something you don’t have much control over. Money actually makes you happy. Nothing beats the joy that comes from a credit alert. Nothing. Even if money doesn’t make you happy, it tilts the odds of being happy to your favour. Connections are the most important tools for being successful. Hard work gets you prepared, connections get you there. Relevant connections and networks hold your ladder while you work your way up. You are not as awesome, intelligent and important as you think you are. Learn to take constructive criticism and improve yourself whenever possible. Nobody sees you as significant as you think you are. People think about themselves 90% of the time. Look at the strangers you pass on the street everyday. Do you give a shit about them? Definitely not. That’s exactly how they feel about you. Society favours attractive people. There’s a fine girl advantage and there’s a fine boy advantage. No amount of campaigns or awareness will change the perception of beauty by the general society. You can make certain people socially acceptable but not what people think of them. Life is harder if you’re unattractive. No amount of shielding and positivity can cover that. The best thing to do is own it and work on things you can easily control. Opinions on social media is mostly about who is saying it than what the person is actually saying. People look at your status before listening to you. Most people say they don’t believe in God or gods, they always condemn people for defending their gods. But, they make gods out of strangers on the internet and worship them. If you attack their “gods”, they become what they condemn. Just because you are offended by an opinion doesn’t mean that particular opinion or statement is wrong. Feelings are subjective, facts aren’t. There’s something useful you should be doing now but you’re here reading this. Thank you! People get away with terrible things and Karma doesn’t exist. Kindness is a lot more important thank people think. Nobody will look at your open casket and think “He fucked like a horse” or “She wore the best dresses I know” People remember what you did for them. You cannot force love. No matter how much you love people and want them to love you back, it won’t work. If they don’t care about you, there’s nothing you can do about it. You have to put in the work! There’s no escape. If you want anything that’s not common, you have work your ass off to get it. Everything won’t turn out well just because you’re a good person. A lion won’t spare you because you love wildlife. Life is that wild. Good things don’t come to those who wait. If you don’t grab what belongs to you, you will stare at that thing into oblivion. You can maintain patience in your efforts, but don’t wait for things to come to you. Most people want attention, and they care what others think of them. Some people are just good at ignoring them. If you eat well consistently and exercise regularly, you will lose weight. The primary reason for obesity is poor diet, lack of exercise and lack of consistent effort. If you can get these right, it is biologically possible for you to lose weight. Opportunity, timing and luck matters. There’s a broke Dangote walking around the street. The difference between him and the real Dangote is opportunity, timing and luck. Nobody is born equal. Genetics, generational wealth give some certain people better chances and better perspective to life. Most times your problems are not your fault, but it’s your responsibility to do something about it. Life is a deadbeat. It will fuck you over, get you pregnant with problems and leave you hanging. Only the right people around you will understand. Saying No is an important life skill everybody should learn. Not just saying no to others, but saying no to yourself. Nigerian government doesn’t give a shit about its citizens. Your life is worth the same as a Christmas chicken or Turkey. Africa is a country. Look closely and see how similar African leaders are. They are just different people with common ideology. Nigeria won’t change until people start working on themselves and focus on improving themselves and others. The government take as much blame as us.

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