Hello Hives, Sometimes I sit back and think about how money can completely change the way people behave. Someone can struggle with you when things are difficult, share the little they have with you, and treat you like family. But the moment things become better financially, their attitude can change unexpectedly.
It makes me wonder: Did money really change them, or did the money simply reveal the person they had always been?
I have learned from my own experiences that life is not always about having plenty. There have been times when money was tight, and I had to find different ways to keep things moving. Between my plumbing work and my farming hustle, I have experienced what it means to work hard for something without knowing exactly when the reward will come.
When you are in that kind of situation, you learn to appreciate people who stand by you. You also learn that having little does not make someone less valuable after all.
This is why I believe money should never be the measure of a person's character.
Imagine two people who suddenly become wealthy. One starts looking down on everyone around him. He forgets the people who supported him when he had nothing. His old friends become "too small" for him, and even his family members have to struggle before getting his attention. I have witnessed this kind of scenario even though it doesn't happen directly to me.
The other person becomes successful but remains humble. He remembers where he started. He helps his family, creates opportunities for others and treats people with respect regardless of their financial situation.
The money is the same, but the characters are different.
That is why I don't think wealth automatically makes people bad. Sometimes, wealth simply gives people the freedom to show what was already inside them.
In Nigeria, where many people hustle every day just to survive, this lesson is important. Today you might be struggling with a small business, farming, an artisan job or another hustle. Tomorrow things might change completely.
When that day comes, I hope I will still remember the person I was when I had little.
For me, success should not only be about having a bigger house, a better car or more money in the bank. It should also be about becoming a better person and about humanity too.
Because money can buy comfort, but it cannot buy genuine respect. Because people can show you respect in your presence and start to badmouth you immediately you left.
And when everything is gone, people may not remember how much money you had. They will only remember how you treated them when you had it.
So maybe money does not change everyone.
Sometimes, it simply turns up the volume on the character that was already there.
Thanks for Reading
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