“Ageing is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” – Betty Friedan

As a kid all I wanted was to be a grown up so I could do all the things adults do, (whatever that means to you but don’t let your imaginations run too wild 😂) and for someone like me who needed the freedom and independence that comes with being an adult I couldn’t wait to turn 18. Well turning 18 I realized life isn’t the bed of roses I thought it was and being an adult requires so much.

I wasn’t scared of growing up at first but getting to that age, all I want now is to go back to being a child. I think being in one’s 20’s comes with some kind of realization & fears especially in this generation. I realized how fast years keep adding to the 20 & how much time is spent already.

I started getting worried because I was not able to do any of the things I wanted to do at some certain age and at that point I regretted how much I wanted to grow up and even felt guilty.

Speaking to my friend (Tiwa) one day we got talking about how this whole pandemic shii might affect things and slow down some aspect of our lives. And I realized I’m not the only one with this fear of becoming older & not achieving anything yet. She said she wished she doesn’t have to add this year to her age.

That conversation made me realize we probably have to live life the way it comes & enjoy every moment of it instead of worrying about getting old. It’s not like we can pause our age ( tho I wish that’s possible 😂) so we move!

Aging shouldn’t make you feel scared, I mean we will all get old whether we like it or not, so why get all worked up over something you can’t change?

I’ve seen and heard of people who change their real age to a lower one just so they could look younger and those who change from a lower age to a higher one just so they could appear more mature and those who won’t even say what their age is because they believe it will influence people’s opinion of them and yet we say “age is just a number” .

In reality though, it’s obvious that age is more than just a number because it influences us as individuals and serves as a determinant to many societal factors such as: education, relationships, goals acquisition and so on.

We see many who wants to graduate in their early 20’s; get married, have kids and a successful career before they’re in their late 30’s; and thus feel like a failure when they cannot achieve it all on time; but the truth is you’re not too old or too young to achieve your dreams.

Do not let society’s standards on when you should start and finish school, get a job, marry, have kids and so on, give you sleepless night or make you look twice your age (we’re still gonna get there in a couple of years anyways).

Also, don’t forget it’s your life and your age, if God wanted you to be a year older or younger, he would have made it so. So work towards the betterment of your older days which is incoming so you won’t have to dread the inevitable!

Mind you I’m still not a preacher nor a motivational speaker 😁