Why is this life so difficult? Why is life hard? This question is not an uncommon question. In fact, there have been times in my life when I asked this question.
As human beings, we are either seeking pleasure or trying to avoid pain. We don’t want any uncomfortable situation at any time because comfort to us is paramount.
So why is life hard? Why can’t things be easy and straightforward? Well, the following are the reasons why life is hard in my opinion.
- God designed it that way
Think about living in a world where there is no problem. A world where everyone get what they want. How about a time when you sleep till whenever you want before you get up from bed? A world where you don’t go through any physical or emotional pain.
Let’s not fool ourselves, that kind of world will be boring. Imagine a perfect world. Where will testimonies come from? Actually, there won’t be testimonies in church. Maybe the world wasn’t designed to be perfect.
You have just one minute to share your testimony. I was blind now I can see. Lol.
- Society deceive us
There is what society have as the definition of success. A lot of people are deluded. They look at success as having a lot of money or living in a big house or working in a big international company. Actually, there is nothing wrong with all of these. However, you don’t need to have all of these to live a good life or to be happy.
Okele gbigbe pelu itelorun.
(a hand full of swallow (okele) must be carried with utmost ease)
Iwa bi Olorun pelu itelorun, ere nla ni.
(there is a lot to gain from being content, as being content is God’s image)
- Social media problem
Don’t get me wrong. The internet is the second biggest miracle after the miracle of sleeping and waking up. Believe it or not, the internet is now an essential need just like water and electricity. Actually, our whole existence at the moment revolves around the internet.
One of the children of the internet is social media.
It’s now easy to catch up with one another on various social media platforms. We see our friends, families and work colleague’s lovely photos and they are smiling and wearing gorgeous attires. Emotions and wishful thinking sets in and we start comparing ourselves to them. We then ask ourselves why things are hard for us.
Because we are emotional beings, we fail to understand that Aso nla ko ni eniyan nla (expensive attire doesn’t define great men).
Ultimately, we should thank God for where we are and not compare ourselves to another person. Because you never know what really happens behind those cameras.
- We underestimate the challenges of life
Eni ija ko de ba ni o npe ara re ni okunrin.
Life is a roller coaster and we usually don’t prepare for the dark side of life. Actually, we cannot prepare for the dark side of life. Whether you are rich or poor, at one point in your life you will experience the dark side of life.
There are a lot of things that are beyond our control.
But there are a lot of things we have control over. We often neglect what is coming until it get to us.
When I was in high school, I didn’t study hard enough. The result was a lot of Ps. which resulted in writing WAEC the second time.
Life is CAUSE and EFFECT. I will not ignore the place of GRACE and FAVOUR. Some unexpected advantages will come your way in the journey of life. But majority of the time you have to create your luck. You have to work hard and hat’s the truth.
It’s in our nature as humans to underestimate the challenge ahead of us. That is one of our flaws.
I applied for over 40 different jobs after graduating from the university and I didn’t prepare for that. During that time I always thought life was hard and it is in fact hard but the truth shall set you free.
And the truth is:
You want a job, there are a lot of other people who want the same job.
How about university admissions? There are a lot of people who want a place in the university you are applying to.
You want a contract, a lot of other people want the same contract.
The list go on and on and it is in fact endless. The point is, life is competitive and you must treat it as such – a competition. So how do you beat competition?
- Be on the Lords side
- Have goals and create plan that will help you achieve your goals.
- University certificate is just a piece of paper, add more to your knowledge through life long learning.
Aye yi ko le awa eniyan inu re la mu ile aye le.
(life isn’t hard, it is we the people who make it difficult)
Finally, I will leave you with a Jim Rohn quote,
“Don’t wish it was easier wish you were better. Do not wish for less problems wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge wish for more wisdom”
