Summary

The article emphasizes that life's journey is unique for everyone, suggesting that personal growth and fulfillment can begin at any age, particularly highlighting the forties as a significant starting point for truly living.

Abstract

The article "Life Begins At Forty" presents a reflective perspective on the individual journey of life, asserting that one's true existence may commence at forty or at any other point, unique to each person. It acknowledges the struggles of the past decades, especially for those who have had to strive to survive. The author draws a parallel with the Israelites' 40-year journey through the desert before reaching the promised land, symbolizing the personal growth and challenges faced before achieving one's dreams. The piece encourages readers to embrace change and the unknown, rather than clinging to familiar hardships, suggesting that freedom and success come from consistency, truth, and sometimes, luck or mentorship. The article serves as a message of hope, urging individuals to live in the present and recognize its importance in shaping the future.

Opinions

The author believes that the instinct to survive is inherent and passed down from our ancestors, suggesting that we are naturally equipped to face life's challenges.
There is a critical view of the common saying "better the devil you know," implying that it can lead to complacency and hinder personal growth.
The article suggests that success stories often lack the full picture, omitting the elements of luck and support from others, which are considered essential components of success.
The author expresses that the pressures of early adulthood can be both motivating and destructive, emphasizing the dual nature of responsibility and societal expectations.
The piece conveys that the present moment is crucial for personal development and that the future should not overshadow the importance of living in the now.
It is implied that the future can be an escape from present difficulties, but the author advises against this, stressing that the present is what builds resilience and wisdom for the future.

Life Begins At Forty

Your life journey doesn’t have to be like everyone’s. Whether your life begins at forty, before or after that it is still your life. Be happy with it.

Life begins at forty. Whoever said that statement was very right. It is a great time to start living when you have spent your last four decades trying to survive.

This might not sound the same to some people because they might have had a different life (born with a silver spoon or maybe they got successful earlier in life).

But the story is the same to most of us. The ones who were supposed to survive to make it to where we are today. Some of us are still trying to make it through the second decade of our lives, and this is the most challenging decade.

The good thing about surviving is that we are born with the instincts. The instincts that I believe they were passed down from our parents, they were survivors who gave birth to survivors (an apple doesn’t fall far from its tree)

This article just popped into my mind while updating my WhatsApp status. I wanted to write just a single line then I realized that I could draw more words from this.

It came into mind that even the Israelite after leaving Egypt had to spend forty years in the desert before they could make it to the promised land. They started a new life just after they left Egypt but it took them forty years before they started enjoying the land of milk and honey.

We are born into a world that we know nothing about and just like the Israelite we need to navigate through this desert with neither the skills nor the experience.

Even though life in the desert would be easier for the desert people it can’t be easy for those who were used to a different kind of life.

The Israelite faced their first challenges at the Sham sea. They had water to their front and the Egyptians at their back. They told Moses that he took them from Egypt to let them die at the hand of the pharaoh.

But with the help of God Moses took them through. Then the second time they wished that they were back at Egypt because there they had a life even as slaves. They told Moses that he had taken them from Egypt to let them die of hunger in the desert.

Even though they were given food in the end but you could see their mentality something that most of us have. We think that we should live a life that we are used to rather than embarking in a new one as strangers.

There is a famous saying that it is better the devil you know than the one you don’t. So, we stick with our devils and hope that they eat us but not finish us(zimwi likujualo halikuli likakwisha).

But what if our lives are on the other side of the river? Are we not going to cross it? We need the hearts of a warrior and the instincts of a survivor.

Life begins at forty but before that the seed has to be sown deep into the ground, die, and rot before it gets to rise to life. And only then, when the seed has risen that people will get to appreciate its existence.

There is motivation everywhere, the thing is the motivation doesn’t do us any good because it pushes us to start something and leave us right there at the beginning. What we need is consistency and the truth. The truth that will eventually set us free.

Freedom is not always a good thing because too much of it could spoil you. But we need to survive. We do not need the success stories of people who filter all the juice from it.

We need people who will tell us that they got to where they are today not by just being smart or working hard but they also got lucky somehow or maybe someone somewhere held their hand and showed them the way. This is to say that they will have to return the favor and hold our hand too.

For most of us, we face the reality of life in our early twenties. This when we get slapped on the face with a few responsibilities but too many expectations from our families and the society around us. This could be a good thing as much as a bad one. Too much pressure could either make us or destroy us indefinitely.

I want this to be an article of hope

My heart feels burdened most of the time and I find it hard to get sleep at night. After several turns on my bed I then realize that most of the things that I think about are out of my control and if I keep on holding onto them, I might lose focus of what is more important to me now.

The future is telling me that I should be all settled now and building my family but on the other side, the present is telling me that I need to live my life now however it is.

The future is telling me that I should be living my purpose right now but the present is saying that I shouldn’t worry because whatever I am going through right now is preparing me, its preparing me for the purpose that I will be living when the time is right.

No matter what your future self is telling you today don’t let it trouble you. we both know that the present matters more and it is from the present where the future will grow from.

Your future wants to stretch you because of all the pressure that you are under. The future is always an escape, a place we can go to when we feel like nothing in the present is working.

Anytime you find yourself in a situation where your present doesn’t look appealing and want to run to future stop. Stop and appreciate that present because it is building you and help you gain the needed wisdom and experience to live your future.