29/05/2026
Many people do not realize that about 60% of what determines who they may become in life is not directly decided by them.
You did not choose your family.
You did not choose your father or mother.
You did not choose the country, state, town, or village where you were born.
Even the name given to you was not your decision, yet names can influence perception, identity, and sometimes opportunities in life.
You did not choose whether to be born male or female.
You did not choose the religion you were introduced to as a child. Most people practice a religion today because it was the belief system their parents exposed them to from birth.
Yes, some people later change their religion, mindset, or even their names as they grow older and gain understanding. But many still remain where they are simply because that was all they were taught to believe from childhood.
If you understand these realities early in life, especially at a young age, you will begin to separate the things you can control from the things you cannot control.
Some people are born into environments that already place them at an advantage. Others are born into situations that place them at a disadvantage from the beginning.
Some people start life at plus ten.
Some start at minus ten.
For someone starting at minus ten, reaching even zero may require years of struggle, discipline, sacrifice, and effort before moving toward plus ten.
That is why people's journeys are not the same.
If situations were reversed, some people who are struggling today may have performed far better if they had been born into different conditions, opportunities, or support systems.
But understanding disadvantage is not an excuse for failure.
What it means is this:
While others can afford to sleep comfortably for eight hours, you may need to sacrifice more time, work harder, learn faster, and stay more disciplined because of the disadvantages around you.
Think deeply about these things.
Make adjustments early.
Not everybody in life started from the same point.
Back in school, we all knew some students who already had jobs waiting for them after graduation because of family connections, influence, or opportunities available to them.
Some only needed to collect their certificate and resume work immediately.
But for some of us who had nobody to rely on, we knew we had to study harder, get better grades, develop competence, and prepare ourselves properly because we needed those qualifications to create opportunities for ourselves.
We knew we had to convince employers before they would even invite us for an interview. Then after getting the opportunity, we still had to prove that we truly knew what we were doing.
So wherever you find yourself in life, understand this:
Maybe 60% of your starting condition was not your choice.
But what you do with the remaining 40% may eventually determine what becomes of your life.
Think about it carefully.
Apply wisdom where necessary.
Use common sense where necessary.
But most importantly, start making the right adjustments early in life.