Joseph I

If you work from home, please don’t forget to take care of yourself too. I went for my own checkup recently and did a bunch of tests. Thankfully, everything came back fine. But it reminded me how easy it is to spend days sitting at home, working, eating, and barely stepping outside. Do your checkups. Go outside. Take walks. Get some sunlight. Move your body. Working from home shouldn’t mean living your whole life from one room.

Disclaimer: If you're already doing well financially, just keep scrolling. This isn't for you. But if you're just starting your journey, especially if you've been in a place where you were really broke, like I used to be, then you need to understand these simple steps. Two years ago, I used to have less than ₦700. Then I made my first million naira and my earnings started becoming consistent. One of the best things I did for myself at that point was to go back to stay with my parents. I had no babe, no major responsibilities, and I wasn't trying to impress anyone. I was eating my normal trendy cheese food. I could spend ₦1,000 to ₦1,500 on food and basically be fine for the day. A lot of people, once they start making ₦1M a month, will quickly leave their parents' house, rent an apartment, buy a car, start having ladies, start stepping out more, and start competing with people. I wasn't willing to compete with anyone. I just wanted to compete with my previous self. My previous self was broke. My friends told me I should leave because I had started making money, but I told them I wasn't leaving. I wanted to stay, build and save better. People told me to buy a car, rent a place and do a lot of interesting things, but I said no because I had a plan. And that decision helped me save a lot of money. I knew house rent would take a huge chunk of my earnings if I wanted to live in a nice, conducive environment in Lagos. Food is also expensive, and once you move out, you're not just paying rent. You're paying for electricity, internet, transportation, furnishing, maintenance and a lot of other things. Instead, I wanted to use that period to build capital, invest and diversify my income. Today, I can make close to ₦200K from investments without touching the capital. That's around ₦2M in a year while I still chase other jobs and build other things. The capital is still there, and the money keeps compounding. That is the mindset I'm trying to build. I don't want to depend on one source of income. I'm working with agencies, experimenting, building a startup, and soon I'll be starting a clothing brand, building an app and growing a beautiful community. Living with my parents gives me the comfort to do all of this without constantly worrying about house rent or expensive food. It gives me room to think, reset, experiment and reshape what I'm doing. So when I eventually leave, I don't need to move into a fancy apartment. I'll get a simple place and let it be a stepping stone. I'm currently diversifying my income so I don't have to touch my salary just to pay rent. I still eat my ₦1,000 to ₦1,500 food. I still use a simple ₦130K phone. I still live a very simple lifestyle. Not because I can't spend more, but because I know I've been in poverty and I don't want to go back there. If you're just starting out, you don't need to prove that you've made it because you started making money. Build first. Save. Invest. Diversify. Then upgrade your lifestyle when your money can comfortably carry it. Don't let your lifestyle grow faster than your income. I'm not trying to look rich. I'm trying to build enough wealth that I don't have to struggle again.