If I had to go back over 10 years ago, when I started my business with less than $15 and basic skill, I’ll probably find it a lot harder making the hard decisions and sacrifices I made then. Working round the clock; writing a book with a non-QWERTY phone; staying away from all the fun activities. It will definitely be a lot harder to do all that now.

You see, most of us don’t like rules. We want to be free to live life the way and how we want, without the rules. We want the options without the consequences. But unfortunately, life is no respecter of wants. It dishes out what’s on its menu without apologies. What better way to make the most of life than to understand some basic rules that will help us better prepare for the different dishes it cooks up from time to time? In that spirit, let’s continue with the 3 rules that will entirely change the way you approach your life. If you are still in your 20s, following these rules will save you a lot of deferred regrets and agony. While you are here, remember to subscribe to this channel to continue exploring opportunities.

RULE #1: Do the hard things in life early.

Continuing with the first rule, think about trying to learn a new language now vs. when you are 5 to 10 years old; Or trying to start exercising at 50 vs. 25. Who wants to do that? Exactly! I don’t know about you, but I plan to be CHILLING someday. I don’t plan to have to keep grinding when I’m 50 years. At that age I want to go at my pace; not the pace my job depicts. That is why putting in the hard work now makes life much easier later on. We all nod and agree — but what was one thing you did today that will make your future self’s life multiple times better? The blunt truth is, you and I are both getting older. It’s just a question of what our life is going to look like 10 years from now. Are we doing things that will ever pay off? Or are you just doing what’s easy and convenient?

RULE #2: Life is not a Nollywood movie. Nobody’s coming to rescue you.

I watch a few Nollywood movies once in a while. And I have noticed a similarity with how the movies portray rag to riches stories. It often begins like this; you have a young man or family suffering and going through a difficult financial crisis. The young man’s girlfriend dumps him for a rich guy. Then one day, he meets his former school mate driving an exotic car. This long lost friend hooks him up. He becomes rich. Or in some cases, he accidentally finds a bag filled with money in an uncompleted building. In other cases, he hits a jackpot from betting. These movies portray success as something that happens out of one incident, luck or the presence of a messiah-figure. But these sorts of things rarely happen in reality. The truth is that no one is coming to rescue you. Not your government; those ones are often beclouded with personal interests and ambition. Not your parents; they’ve done the most they could do by raising you up. Not your pastor; your pastor is also human and could need some help too. It’s mostly up to you. And your God.

When I finally understood that nobody was going to magically appear from nowhere to hand me the secret code to become that company CEO I dreamed of, and travel to those fascinating islands in Seychelles and Mauritius, I realized that: It’s all up to me. At first, this realization will be scary. Then it becomes comforting and empowering, because, with each small win, you get more confident, knowing that you can do even more for yourself.

RULE #3: Get help. Don’t try to do it alone.

I’ve spent so many hours of my life trying to do things on my own out of some stupid pride. “Oh, I shouldn’t ask for help … I should do it on my own … I don’t want to bother anyone…” Or this one, “no one can do it better than I can”. This is a very limiting approach to life.

As a business owner, when it was time to move from a sole proprietor to build a company many years ago, I was hesitant. What if I’m not able to meet up with monthly salaries? What if the business revenue doesn’t grow and I still have to pay salaries? Won’t I end up losing? Eventually, I took the step and the business has grown to a team of up to 30 people. Between being a solo entrepreneur and working with a team, I wish I had taken the step to work with a team a lot earlier.

The truth is, YES — you should do your basic homework on your own. But when it comes to getting through life, if you had just bought a book, or asked someone for help, you could save years of time and mistakes. Today, you can do that by taking classes or even just taking people out to launch for advice. People want to help you if you are willing to ask. And there’s no reason to reinvent the wheel when you can learn and get help from others.

Here is an honest question to ask yourself: When was the last time you asked for help? Think about all the things you’re trying to do on your own. Wouldn’t you do better if you asked for help?

In summary,

Rule number 1: “do the hard things in life early”,

Rule number 2: “life is not a Nollywood movie. Nobody is coming to rescue you” and

Rule number 3: “get help. Don’t try to do it alone”

What are your thoughts? Do you live by these rules? What other rules do you find most rewarding? Please share with the community in the comment section below.

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