When I finished NYSC, my first thought was to stay back in the state where I served, rent an apartment, and finally start living that official adult lifestyle. But my mum wouldn’t have it. She convinced me to come back home, and well, here I am.
Since then, I’ve noticed both the advantages and disadvantages of staying at home after school, and I want to share some of them here.
You know that phrase, “there’s love at home”? It’s true. But sometimes, that love stings a little.
As a lady, there isn’t so much immediate pressure on me to “find my footing” right after school, at least not compared to guys. So, coming back home didn’t feel awkward at all. It felt natural, and honestly, it gave me a soft landing.
Love at home means there’s always food waiting no matter what I’m going through, there’s free accommodation so I don’t have to panic about rent, there are people around when loneliness creeps in… and so much more.
But then, I stumbled on a post online about how people can get too comfortable when there’s no external pressure. That word, comfortable, stuck with me.
Because when I think about it, I’m not really maximizing my hustle spirit right now. I don’t have deadlines chasing me, no bills screaming at me, no major financial responsibility pulling me out of bed at 5 a.m. to grind.
And so I asked myself: does enjoying the love at home mean I’m delaying my financial breakthrough? Does it slow down my growth? Or… could it actually push me to do more, knowing I have a safety net to catch me if I fall?
After reflecting, I realized it was the first option for me, I was just too comfortable. Without the external push, I wasn’t stretching myself enough. But here’s the thing: now that I see it clearly, I know I can flip this situation.
Not everyone gets the privilege of having love at home and the freedom to chase their dreams without fear of crashing. So, instead of letting comfort hold me back, I’ve decided to use it as fuel. This is my chance to hustle harder, knowing that if I stumble, I won’t be falling on concrete, I’ll be falling on love.