Lessons from the Youth: Reflections of a Global Underdog's Journey.

As we celebrate International Youth Day this week, I reflect on my life and see a couple of beacons which could be great to share with our young ones.

Disclaimer my life experiences do not represent all the youth's struggles in the world, and my background may differ from many. However, the lessons may be relatable and help one reshape life and do great things.

In my youth, I grew up in the village, and life was so sweet that I still hadn't found anywhere else where I could have such fun and stability. You see, we didn't have to worry about bills, we owned the beautiful muddy houses we lived in, with free supplies of natural water from the rivers and rainfall. We shared food and helped each other without any expectations.

We had a genuine friendship network where we would walk miles and miles to meet and share with our friends; we supported each other in communal work and sharing real life experiences. I learned a lot about being a great human being.

As I joined my twenties, a significant shift occurred. Leaving behind the familiarity of the prestigious village life, I embarked on the hustling city life, driven by fictional dreams of urban success and the enticement of wealth, success, and power. Unfortunately, this decision would eventually lead me to part ways with genuine life experiences that would remain out of reach forever.

Guided by my inherent strategist mindset, I knew I had to strive and make it or risk diminishing along the process; I set my self-ambitious goals; I wanted to settle down in marriage and have a child before I reached 30 years. I wanted to have a place we call home, a stable job and even acquire a pre-owned used Toyota auto mobile from Japan.?

As I left the village, the challenges surrounding financial instability, access to quality education, and meaningful friendships proved tough to crack. Most of the time, life revolved around ruthless competition and comparisons to those we believed had achieved "success". Often with an additional layer of complexity when considering those who had experienced life abroad or in the big cities with distinct accents or working for re-known companies. As I live abroad or overseas today, these experiences have reminded me of real-life facts and the fictional reality many believe in.

Friendship and loss, as life beat me from right, left, centre, front and back while abroad, I strived only to keep one friend, Jack, not their real name. This childhood buddy taught me?invaluable life skills, including swimming, driving, and promoting responsible behaviours. Regrettably, the relentless COVID-19 pandemic would tragically separate us.?

Despite the many challenges and many barriers deliberately set ahead of me every day not to thrive, which have characterized great part of my life journey, I always emerge unbroken as I reflect. I accomplished each goal I had set before my thirtieth birthday.

I competently secured a position within an esteemed International Organization in a foreign land. I acquired small possessions, including fully self sponsored Master of Science degree, that have fulfilled my heart's desires, a testament to the fact that there is potential within every individual to realize their aspirations.

The Key Life Lessons Learned

Environment and surroundings:?I may be biased, but village or farm land life is the best, and nothing can beat that; please visit the village/farms in whichever continent you live, connect with nature and embrace that life.?

1. Spend time with animals, and the farmers learn how to grow crops and care for animals, enhancing your hands-on problem-solving skills.

People and society in general: Regardless of what people tell you, there are only two types of people I have encountered: Good and Evil. Good people will take care of you without any expectation; neither will they even talk about how they have helped you because it is not about them. It is about genuine service, treat them with the utmost respect, and let them know you appreciate them.

1. ?Be aware of the evil people or the evil eye.?They are the majority I've met in our society. Unfortunately, they hold positions of power or influence in our communities and are most likely rewarded for their crafty characters.
2. They survive on politics, networks, references, and intimidations because they cannot live on their natural skills; they will character assassinate you any moment they realize they have no control over your life and, even worse, lay down strategies to harm you physically or emotionally.?
3. Take care of who you engage and who you let into your life, no matter their job titles, level of education or influence in society; put them on the scale of integrity. Deeply scrutinize their morals, character, and behaviours before you engage. Engage the Zero Trust strategy until people prove trustworthy beyond reproach.

Social Life:?Be very careful of social networking, communities, or clubs not based on any transparent, verifiable technical professional bodies or affiliation with government or accredited academic institutions.

In my experience, many communities are like an open-air market masquerading as professional community support center's formed by people who love control, money, and politics, even though they won't say so and may end up misleading you.?

1. Engage to learn their art but be extremely careful not to over-expose yourself. Say no when it's needed. Do not compromise your integrity no matter what is being promised to you.?
2. Be ready to be isolated, spied on, intimidated, and excluded when you stand by your standards but do not give up on working on your dreams. They will advise you need someone to get a job, a position, or a favour. Tell them I have survived with pure strangers changing jobs in over five reputable organizations on three great continents, and I am still surviving and don't intend to use any other route.
3. Genuine people with high integrity do not need to be your friends, familiar or be from your tribe, race, community, country, or social status. They only need a few hours to listen to your story, connect, do their due diligence, and decide whether they can engage and invest in you or not, very simple.
4. People without a sense of integrity will keep you pending, siphoning your information, taking you round and round, and eventually dump you and blame you for what you lack because they are cunny and selfish. They won't find even a single noteworthy thing about you.
5. Being liked. Please stay away from the toxic narrative that you need to be liked. You don't. I believe one should have as many "enemies" as one progresses and develop unique skills. The average people don't like people who are different from them. The good thing is that we live in a world of willing buyers and willing sellers with a diverse market share of a population with atleast seven billions in six continents and the "space" emerging soon.
6. Spend time honing your skills and your craft, people will buy that even when they dislike you. It is like going to the doctor who you may not like but are in dire need of their service to save your life. I always compare my profession and skills to a mortician. People only need my skills when they desperately need my service, and I don't expect to be glorified as the "surgeons" or even recognized, no matter how great I do my work.

Lifestyle:?Live a simple life and embrace simplicity as you work towards your goals; nothing wrong with sleeping in a tent or being homeless if you cannot afford a house. I have slept outside many days in the cold but with a mission and clear objective.

Suppose you do not engage in illegal activities or abuse alcohol or drugs. You are just fine, DO YOU? Learn and keep going.

1. Please stay away from alcohol and bars by all means; it's a total waste of money and time and deteriorates your health, even what they call a glass of wine. Do not take it, these are the biggest traps you will fall in, and it will be challenging to get yourself out of it; true friends will never buy you alcohol or drugs neither should they only meet you in bars or clubs.
2. Drink water, natural juice or milk, eat healthy food from the farms and exercise; you will live a content life.
3. Invest in your education: instead of wasting time with people who don't care about you or won't help you to progress, study new things. In my life, I have spent almost half of my total earnings over the last fifteen years advancing my education or learning new skills, and I am happy and incredibly proud of the achievement. And absolutely no one else can claim or take that experience and knowledge away from me?

Relationship:?This a two-way traffic, people who do not respect you have no room in your life.?

1. Avoid them as plague. Ensure they know you are diplomatically avoiding them so they can change their behaviours or at least leave you in peace. Those who respect you treat them with kindness, love and utmost respect.?
2. Respect all, but please fear none as long as you observe and adhere to all the laws of the land.?
3. Speak your mind with care and no regrets; this is how we can improve human race and remove ourselves from the entanglements of social politics and toxic manipulation games in our society in the rat race of money, titles, power, control and general populist politics.

Wishing you the most elevated success as you create your life's path. Remember that you hold the tools to fix your life's manual. Keep a positive attitude and be aware that within you lies the solutions to overcome any challenges, regardless of anyone attempting to hinder your progress.