The year 2017 came along with quite a number of lessons; some good, others not too good. Despite losing a few battles, the victory of being alive is absolutely one that can never be overlooked. Each day comes with its own headaches. However, the greatest battle is to keep staying alive. If you have life to read this, congratulate yourself!

One sign of growth is to learn and more particularly… to unlearn. As we grow, the experiences we are exposed to make us rearrange our philosophies. In 2017, I unlearnt some lessons and relearnt others.

I had to refix some belief systems so-called.

“All men are not cheats!”

Well, the “all men are cheats” mantra of a bitter woman is what makes her never find truly genuine love. In 2017, I read about men who deeply loved their wives. I bumped into men who have sworn an irrevocable oath to stick to their wives alone.

Truly, not all men are cheats. If you keep bumping into cheats, as a woman, you had better checked your character. It may be the magnet that keeps attracting such. Mind you, birds of a feather flock together!

“Whatever will be will not be!”

We used to sing that whatever was meant to be would definitely be. I, however, have come to realise that nothing ever happens on its own.

There must be effort to make such happen. If you want to move from the bottom to the top, it takes effort. If you want to move ahead in life, it requires more than happenstance!

Our New Year resolutions will not just happen. Our big dreams will not just be. If we are not ready to lift a finger to make our wishes a reality, we would only keep dreaming.

Nothing great happens in the autopilot mode. If we leave life to just happen, our life will never be what it is supposed to be. Whatever will be will only be if we are willing to put in some effort to let it be! “Once bitten, never shy!”

Growing up, you’ll be reminded at the least chance how badly you had to stay away from some people and opportunities because others have once been bitten? once bitten, twice shy. If a snake has bitten you before, they say, you need to run away at the sight of even a millipede!

You see, it’s great to learn lessons from our past experiences. However, those lessons should not stand in the way of our future.

Our bad experiences should not blind us to the extent of not seeing any good in the future. We may have been bitten once but it doesn’t mean everyone who comes our way is there to bite us.

Learn your lessons but do all you can to avoid such a misfortune from repeating itself. You may have failed the first time but that should not hinder you from taking future opportunities. Once bitten, never shy! “Age is not just a number!”

We brush life off with our excuse, “Age is just a number” but frankly, what you could do at 20, you can’t do at 50. The energy you could chase your dreams with at 30, trust me, you can’t do same at 60!

You see, life is not a race but it is not a joke either. Time is not waiting for us so our age matters. It counts how old or young we are.

Little wonder, every job requirement comes with an age ceiling. Age only becomes just a number when you want to be an African president!

“The youth are not our future leaders!”

The current French president, Emmanuel Macron, is only 39 years and you still think our youth belong only to some nonexistent future? The future is today. Now is the future. There’s no future anywhere so you had better taken hold of your life and treated it with all urgency.

The youth are today’s leaders. We can wait for any future when Artificial Intelligence (AI) is competing with our brains.

We can’t wait for some future in an age where technology has made life this easy.

Today is the future and it belongs to those who seized yesterday’s opportunities!

“Not everyone forgives and forgets!”

In 2017, I had to unlearn that everyone can forgive and forget. Not everyone forgives and forgets? at least, the internet doesn’t. Everyone may forget but, unfortunately, the internet will always remind you.

Before you post your nude pictures, remember that the internet cares less about whether you are immature or not. Before you hurl insults at another on social media, don’t forget that the internet will one day cough it up.

The internet knows no sorry so think thrice before you post. The only person who never moves on in life is the internet!