Don't be too hard on yourself

Dear son,I heard you complaining to your mum yesterday that you feel like a failure because, at 22, you have not achieved so much in your life. While I do not want to discredit your age, I would like to tell you to calm down. It is okay if you have not figured many things out at 22. You are doing just fine as long as you are not lazy and keep your dream and drive alive.Last week when I spoke with your friend Tayo, he also complained of not making any impact in life yet at 21, and I asked him what does impact mean to him; I was surprised when he said, " proving to his parents and the society that he is young and getting it". I knew immediately that his definition of impact is a thousand miles from correct. What does it even mean to be young and getting it?. Is that your generation's new definition of impact and success?.Like you told me last year, being young and getting it means owning a car at 20, making a lot of money at 21 and buying a mansion at 25. Those are grand ambitions, my boy, but life is not about these strict timelines. As your father, I was unsure what I wanted to do career-wise until I was 30—most of the impacts you have seen me make in society result from doing it afraid and consistent. Most of the fantastic opportunities I have had, I stumbled on them while being hardworking and staying disciplined. This house that we live in, I bought it after my 50th birthday. Did some of my friends build a house at 30?. Yes. Did I buy my own?. Yes. We are all house owners either at 30 or at 50.Don't be too hard on yourself, my boy. Stay hungry, stay disciplined and stay consistent. Success takes time.He gives understanding to the simpleYour fatherOluwaseun David ADEPOJU