Let me tell you a story.
Around the time I entered my 30s, I took stock of our family finances. While there wasn’t enough to live off the investments for life, there was a cushion providing a sense of security. It was also the time I had to make professional choices, my sports management business gone bust because of foul play by IMG, then the world’s largest company in the sector.
There were ample opportunities to find my way back into the corporate sector, maybe even picking a specialisation in business studies before I did so. But I opted for a masters in journalism in the UK. To do my bit towards social change and nation building as a journalist, and also to embark on a path of creativity.
The rest as they say is something I would not exchange for anything. I worked as a junior reporter (even though my card read Senior Correspondent) in the Express group, the experience adding significantly to the education in the classroom. I dabbled with publishing a youth newspaper (in print), and was amongst the earliest professional bloggers and social influencers (back then the term did not exist in the context we now refer to it as) in the world.
And then I took to full time travel writing and photography, and also got down to penning my books. And set up brand Kunzum along the way (pun intended!).
Why am I sharing this here? So those in a position to make choices read this. And opt to enrich their lives and those of others through creativity and culture, and by dedicating themselves to addressing problems facing our world. There are so many things you can do other than make more money you will not spend in your lifetime, and seeking power and fame that does little more than feed the ego and give us a heightened sense of self-importance.
You have spent years in a cubbyhole, accumulating enough for your needs, security and pleasure. Now step out – because you can – and find a different high in life.