Victor Ikeji: Why I am different from you (30 Days, 30 Voices)

by Victor Ikeji, C.

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“The message is simple: UNDERSTAND YOUR MOTIVES AND REASSESS YOUR AIMS.”

So, you really want to know why I am different from you. My reasons actually are not far-fetched but they are things you could relate with and I hope you learn a lesson or two from this. We are different because:

You spent 5000 Naira to get a VIP treatment at a faculty dinner night and then go home struggling with a plate of garri without milk; I spent the same amount on transporting some of my wares to another state. I sat at the corner for regulars in that same dinner night.

You buy and wear animal prints, same colour belts and shoes to match and you are concerned about the kinds and number of designer shirts and shoes in your closet. I buy stocks and shares, wear a single pair of shoes, who have become lonely because they sit alone on my shoe rack. I am concerned about investments and returns.

You live in a 120k apartment, equipped with state of the art appliances just so ladies are entertained when they come around and then you are perceived as a ‘big boy’. Your school apartment probably looks more sophisticated than your father’s parlour. I lead an almost solitary life, manage a little room which most people jokingly refer to as a cubicle, have a book shelf with books that some of my friends see as too much and which I see as too little.

You spend time thinking about which club rocks the most, which neighboring school to go ‘chick hunting’, arguments about who you have dated, and how many of the hottest chics in school, we have “laid”. I spend time worrying about what new line of business to venture into, which neighboring schools would need my wares and how and why some students remain broke.

I browse the internet for resource materials and useful tips – such as ‘virgin’ businesses to tap into. I see social networks as the ultimate marketing tool which is why I want to be on every one of them. You browse the internet just for the fun of it, sometimes stumbling on some of my pages and getting me paid. You log into social networks just to find the girl with the single status, then spend time on long unimportant chats that add nothing to your life.

I am a student, but most of the time you find me in a bank, I am making deposits with little withdrawals at intervals. I am what some refer to as a ‘silent achiever’, nobody knows my worth because I don’t talk much. You on the other hand makes withdrawals on 92% of your visits to the banks and hardly ever makes a deposit even as a student. You look flashy and sophisticated, people think you’ve got plenty money but you and I know you’ve got nothing.

Now what makes me different from you? I see opportunities lying everywhere, believes in doubling every cash that comes into my hand though some see me as stingy but if that would mean not living a lavish life, I am Ok with it. At the end of the day, I’ve accumulated enough wealth as a young man and would keep showing my ’32’ as I grow older.
You on the other hand have replaced saving with spending in your dictionary. You waste lots of money  just to impress friends who would run away when your pocket dries. At the end of the day, you remain broke because the only savings you’d have is the deposits which you made in the accounts of girls who doesn’t even care if you exist any longer.

The message is simple: UNDERSTAND YOUR MOTIVES AND REASSESS YOUR AIMS.

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Victor Ikeji is a freelance writer and blogger. A student of Biochemistry and a lover of ‘sofia’. He Tweets from @Victorikej

30 Days, 30 Voices series is an opportunity for young Nigerians from across the world to share their stories and experiences – creating a meeting point where our common humanity is explored.

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

 

 

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