Happiness

This article tries to portray how our dreams get lost as we advance in age and our confidence in those big dreams begin to diminish to a point where it fades. “Oh! I want to be a doctor, an engineer, a lawyer, or a teacher…” These and many more big ones were our answers as kids whenever we were asked, “What do you want to be? We all had big dreams. Our little minds imagined us doing great things, inspired by role models, fueled by innocence and hope. It all felt possible that we were cut out for greatness. But then, we grew. Life happened. Reality shifted. Our dreams shifted with it. Now, the question “What do you want to be?” feels heavy, like a chore you don’t want to deal with. You hesitate. Doubt creeps in. The big picture, the dreams you once envisioned as a child fades–still there, but distant. Yet, you summon courage and still say, “I’ll be a doctor, an engineer, a lawyer…” But deep down, something shifts. You’re unsure. Then comes the moment when you must make a decision. A decision that would define your entire path, and breathe life, turning into a living portrait, your childhood copy of you, your future. But then, The childhood vision has become blurry, tucked away in a corner of your mind. You try to retrieve  it, your dream, to focus your lens, to sharpen that big portrait, but your mind is an opponent, and the tools aren’t within your reach. And when the question comes again “What do you want to be?”. Your silence is loud. Maybe it’s due to lack of resources. Maybe it’s self-doubt. Or maybe… It’s Nigeria, oh! Nigeria! the thief of dreams, the breaker of ambitions. Now, you are scared. Scared of the future. It grows dimmer, and bleaker with each passing day. So different from the vibrant, colorful dream you once had. That question, once your favorite, now brings a sigh and a frown. Why is it so? Could it be… you’ve lost it? Could it be… you’ve lost you? ALSO READ A LETTER OF HOPE TO TOMORROW