Opinion
By Ndudirim Sylvia Iloka
“I have my life planned out, and I go for what I want.” That used to be my slogan.
Some days, I wake up wishing I had no siblings or family, while on other days, I am grateful for having a family.
I am struggling to find my balance and my place in life. But then, I do not conform, nor do I wish to conform. All I have ever wanted is a place where I can simply be and exist.
I have tried introspecting and doing things that seem to represent what I want, but then again, I get tired. I become exhausted after a while and end up losing my motivation.
I do not want to be known as someone who starts something but rarely finishes. Yet, I want something that could last me an eternity.
Somehow, it seems difficult to get to that point I am constantly praying for. The closer I get to it, the blurrier the line becomes.
Am I chasing a shadow? Am I casting a net on land? Is it really this difficult, or is it happening because I have not really found what I love?
When someone asks, “What do you want?” what comes to your mind immediately? Most of the time, we have a response at hand. But have you ever gotten what you wanted, only to become tired of it after some time?
Elon Musk might prioritise making money, and perhaps that drive has contributed to how hard he has worked to get where he is today. Yet, he once tweeted that money cannot really give you happiness.
He wanted money, and he got it, but perhaps he also realised that money has its limits.
Over time, I have learned that man is insatiable. No matter what we have in life, we may never feel completely satisfied.
The real question is not, “What do I really want?” because perhaps we have been asking the wrong question all along. The question should rather be, “What makes me happy?”
Wherever you find your happiness may help you discover what you really want. Sometimes, our happiness comes from the little things we overlook.
And so, when someone asks, “What do you want?” remember that perhaps the simplest answer is that all you want is to be happy.
Happiness, indeed, can make everything around you seem to fall into place.
