Years of Usefulness to Humanity (YOUTH)

                              

       

The human body begins to seem uncontrollably reactive to a lot of things. Sometimes you crave for things and you feel it’s your decision to take it as you’re now old enough. Other times you find yourself thinking about some ways to show your folks you’re cleverer while they’re quite behind.

Now you’re a youth!

  

You got a lot of energy at this time, and the little you know seems a lot to achieve. So you dig holes with all you might in the wrong places and end up covering them back to dig in the right places. In this article, I don’t want to tell you what to do, I don’t also wish to advice you, because at the end of the day, I would only be doing exactly what you already know and heard. I wish to give you something to read, you decide what it means to you. I promise you, as long as this article may be, you won’t stop reading till you get to the end.  

 I know you’re quite smart, but there are a few things that just bugs you sometimes, like making money, starting a family, academic life and many more. This article won’t tell you how to solve these problems, maybe as you get to the end.

Truth is, these are your problems because there is something you have never cared to do. How many times have you tried to find out who you are? I’m sure you may have tried to understand what is expected of you, but have you ever succeeded in answering that question? Still a puzzle right?

As a youth, you’re part of an engine of a very large vehicle, doing a lot of work. Now you know why you got a lot of energy right? An engine has only one responsibility, being useful! If you’re driving a vehicle and you expect your engine to serve in its optimum best, then you gotta feed it with the best maintenance to improve efficiency, and also a lot of petrol as it is the primary source of energy.

So there you go engine, are you feeding yourself with the best maintenance?  

·        First as an engine, you were produced by someone, so you have to work based on the producer’s manual. If you don’t, its two ways; either you don’t last long or you won’t work at all. You would also fail the car you’re supposed to be working for. Your maker in heaven has a manual for you; the bible. Now you have to know that manual, front and back and adhere to what it says. Those words in there keeps you going every day. As long as you’re breathing, you have to give thanks at least. Don’t think that dear reader, I am not here to preach, read on…

·        You need a cooling system! You must not overwork yourself. Sometimes you need a rest, and you deserve it. No matter how much you need to keep working, remember that the minute you breakdown, a lot of money would be spent to make you function again, if the mechanic is not good at his job, you may never come back the same, ever again.

·        You need check-ups on your health status just as an engine goes for servicing after a while. Do not wait till you’re very down till you visit a hospital. Engage in regular exercise to keep you fit, not just to lose weight. Drink a lot of water. Exercise and water have been known to cure and prevent a lot of illnesses. Eat fruits and vegetables a lot too.

·        Avoid toxic substances! If you put a bad engine oil, the engine reacts negatively to it and sometimes impedes the mobility of the car. Smokes, excessive drinking and other habitual intakes could ruin a system and reduce your usefulness.

What about your petrol?

That’s your balanced diet. Don’t joke with what you eat. Always make sure your food has quality and not just quantity. The brain of any youth is always ticking with different thoughts, both negative and positive though, but basically this requires a lot of glucose in the brain to keep up, this is why you feed very well.

        Now, I’ve mentioned that there is a car you’re supposed to be working for, that’s the world. The world is your car, and this brings me to the title of this article; Years of Usefulness to Humanity (YOUTH).

The moment you start thinking like a youth, the first thing you have to realise is that people are beginning to look at you. Those older than you are looking to see what you’d become and how you would face the challenges they have faced or are already facing. The ones your age are looking at you as a competition, some as a benchmark for their own progress. The ones you’re older than, well they’ll be looking up to you. They wish to be like you, emulate you and understand you. So now you see, as a youth a lot of eyes are on you.

The question now may be, what is expected of you? You’re an engine with only one purpose, be useful! The number of years you have as a youth is quite short and if you are as smart as I feel you should be, then I suppose you understand what you need to achieve is a lot. Everything that you call a problem now, could be solved, not by you trying to solve these problems, but by you solving the problems of others. I’m going to teach you something today, make sure before you sleep each day, you’ve solved someone’s problem, or in the verge to. I’m not saying you could leave the things that matter to you, but I’m saying, more of others. Solving problems always comes with rewards such as money, fame, respect, loyalty and many more. Build business ideas based on the problems that require immediate solutions, you would make a lot of money from there and you’ll create a big name for yourself. It hurts that the youths of today has chosen to make money in the most illegal way as possible. It seems to them, the more illegal the process is, the quicker the process, and therefore more they will prefer the process. Stay away from illegal money! There is no pride in that, it doesn’t even make you a man in any way; or a woman as the case may be. Be useful!

As a youth, you’re a moving thinker! Be creative! Most of the youths of today has no time to think, and I crave to ask, what else do you have the time to do? Don’t spend so much time trying to “work hard”, if you’re creative, then you can “work smart”. Subscribe for data on your phone and spend 80% of the data on lucrative and informative things online. Reduce your visits to social media and more so, make them a platform where you add value, solve problems or gain knowledge from the world around you. Be useful!

Search for quality education! It must not end in first degree. Sought for more knowledge and make sure you use the knowledge you gain to impact into the world.  Don’t be too lazy to further your education, especially when you can, and also, quit subscribing to the primary belief that there is nothing you could learn from the Nigerian university, you just never paid attention. Be useful!

Stop spending a lot of time searching for relationships, they find you anyways; maybe when you solve that girl’s problem smartly. Be useful!

There’s a lot people lack knowledge about, for instance the high rate of smoking in Nigeria is alarming, start an awareness program and make yours passionate about minimizing this problem. Be useful!

The world needs you! The world needs the youths! You’re the engine of this large vehicle, and that little problem you could solve would go a long way in helping to move this vehicle. Remember, you gotta take care of yourself first and then you can serve better.  

I’m sure lazy reader, you already jumped to this end to find the solution to your problems, but like I said, “…as you get to the end”.