Challenges facing Youths and the Solutions

Young people in one way or the other have some challenges they battle with. Many in the course of these challenges have lost focus in life. Some have found themselves at the point of indecision because of the demanding tasks involved in this stage of life.

Youths dream to build good houses, ride the best cars, marry the best wives, enjoy the best of relaxations, have establishments that will echo all over the globe, be famous like the world known footballers and musicians, and so many other good things.

But the truth is that some of these dreams of the people in this class do not come through even before they leave the planet earth. The young face so many challenges. Some in their places of work are not paid and those who are paid are not paid on time. Some due to the challenge of this kind quit from the jobs they long waited for.

The attitude of this kind which the youths receive from the management of their places of work keep them thinking. Some are sometimes tempted to leave their places of work because of such ugly treatment. Many have the second thought that they may not find another place to work if they leave. What a critical situation?

I had this kind of experience when I started working with FBNInsurance newly. FBNInsurance is one of the principal subsidiary of First Bank of Nigeria Holding which takes care of investment of the customers of the bank and risk management. The company covers both life and none life insurance.

In those days, I nearly thought out my brain. When a month ended and hoped to receive my pay in the beginning of next, at times the payment did not come and sometimes delayed. I had this experience just for few months.

But what am trying to point was that in that condition, I was totally confused financially. When I and my fellow complained to the manager, he convinced us that the payment would come. We kept hoping. As a youth, I was not all that comfortable with that condition.

Sometimes I asked myself: “how does it sound to ask my people for money when they know that I am a fulltime worker under one of the best commercial banks in the country, First Bank of Nigeria?”

But at the end I asked and they sent the money to keep me going. There were times I was not having up to $0.1 (one cent) in my pocket. Feeding was a problem in such situation.

In fact, youths pass a lot of pains. The antidote I applied during those disappointing times was endurance. I endured and today everything is balancing.

The financial challenge which I was experiencing at the start has become a history. Had it been I quitted with others who left, I would not have been where I am today in the company.

Among the major challenges facing the world youths are:

• Finance;
• Emotion;
• Prosperity;
• Fear of the unknown; and
• Impatience.

Everyone needs money because it has many benefits. Money makes things easy. When there is money in some cases, you have less to worry. It is an important tool every youth needs but sometimes it is difficult to get.

According to the Bible of the Christian religion, money answers all things. A youth without money is limited in his or her operations. When he is hungry, there is no money for him to buy something to eat. When in need of transportation to a particular place, the fuel to go there which is money is not there. What a pity?

He sees good clothes in markets and pretends as if he sees nothing because the pocket is empty. He sees where corns are roasted and throws his face to the other side because the password he does not have.

Financial challenge has made youths do things they cannot ordinarily do in their right senses. They stain their hands in blood and indulge in dirty activities because they want to break the barrier of financial bondage.

Has someone broken your heart before? How did you feel when that happened? You may feel depressed and as if the world has ended when in such situation. In fact, you sometimes cannot explain how you feel when you have such experience.

Youths are full of emotions. The emotions of the youths burn like fire. Some have made indelible mistakes because of this challenge. When emotions come, some youths try to satisfy it through any means close to them.

Young ladies have destroyed their fallopian tubes because of this kind of challenge. They take in from the opposite sex when they are high in their desires and in the course of trying to correct this cause more problems for themselves.

This is defined as a successful, flourishing, or thriving condition, especially in the financial respects. Youths want to have large area of lands, houses and other good things that make life enjoyable. They want to be praised anywhere they go because they made it young.

Quest for these things have landed many into mess which has not been corrected for years. Lack of prosperity is among the cardinal challenges being faced by the world youths today. They want everything at all costs.

What will I do after my graduation from the university? Will this school that I want to establish be patronized by the people of the community? How am I sure that this skill am acquiring will sell when I finish the learning? Will I survive in the labor market with this small money that my boss settled me with.

These are some of the questions that the youths ask themselves when they want to start-up something in their lives. They are usually faced with the fear of the unknown which is a challenge for the young. They are thrown off balance in the midst of their thoughts.

They are so worried that they can seat at a point for about 30 minutes pondering on what life have for them. It is a time for critical thinking and brainstorming by the young people. They always ask some rhetorical questions to themselves at this stage.

Many youths are not patient with life. They want to eat today and die tomorrow. This kind of lifestyle has taken the lives of many. They do not look before they harvest.

Impatience has landed many youths into mess. We get report from news on youths who died in the course of their sneaking into another country through illegal means. Some when they succeeded in crossing over die in prisons as a result of the offenses committed.

Drug trafficking by the young in the society is no longer new. Some before they carried out such dirty business have already vowed that it is either they made it or die in the process because they believed the life they were living was no longer useful to them. That kind of thought came in because they were not able to wait again. After counting the number of achievements their mates have made, they got into it.

One of the principal solutions to youth challenges is Perseverance. You must learn how to endure to envelope good fortune. The Bible states that he who endures till the end shall be saved. And if you want to be saved financial, you need to persevere.

As a young man, do not be so bothered on the unknown. I know you may be worried in the initial time because that is why you are flesh and blood, but do not allow the fear to get into your bloodstream. Make sure you get yourself prepared on time. Ask questions on the things you do not know and make proper research. Summon courage and invest into anything you want to specialize. No cross no crown. No risk no success. Take the risk after proper precautions as there is no successful man that did not take risk before he made it.

What can you do? Working under an establishment is good but you become more financially free when you know how to do certain things that will add some money into your pockets. Youths should learn how to do other things that can add money to their pockets apart from their main work. That is what I call diversification. This will help you to avoid the challenge of being financially bankrupt.

Sometimes you wake up in the morning and find out there is no soap to even take your bath. You searched your wallet and the pockets of your trousers and see nothing to buy soap. At this point, you become troubled.

Do not get worried so much. You can go out and ask your neighbor to loan few money to you. When you are paid, just pay back. Bob Marley in one of his songs titled “Three little Birds” said that everything gonna be alright. Just have that massage at the back of your mind. The hardship will not last forever. I recommend that you get a copy of that Bob Marley’s song. It is a motivational song.

One night, the sleep you were enjoying cut. You could no longer sleep again. You began to count some of your mates who have acquired enough properties and good things of life. Emmanuel is riding the latest car, Frank is happily married with kids, Godwin just finish building his new house, Michael just bought land in one of the happening places in the country and so on.

You make all these comparison and at a point you began to ask yourself: “what kind of life am I living?” Am I cursed or is it the path made for me to pass? That may be the path you are made to follow to make it in life.

I want you to know this, the more you compare yourself with your so call successful mates, the more confused and worried you become. You can’t be any of them. You are unique. You are just yourself. Because of that, you have to work on yourself and persevere to acquire your own resources.

Do you know how many years those your friends you are comparing yourself with are to last on this planet? Your way is quite different from theirs. Work and hope for better.

Many youths have suffered a lot of emotional trauma from different friends. I was once a victim of such bad cake. I thought I would die when it started. But where am I today? I am still living today.

When you test such bad cake, take it as part of life and move on. Do not see it as the end of life. Let go and move ahead. The partner who will take care of you properly will still come. Make out time to mingle with friends and do not stay lonely when you experience heart break from your boyfriend or girlfriend.

He broke my heart, I know. He stole a lot of things from me when I was into relationship with him, I know. He even promised to marry me and at the end ran away with almost all the money I spent on her, I know. Just try and hold yourself. That your head will not burst because of the pains you are experiencing due to the betrayal. Life must go on my dear.

In conclusion, no matter what you are passing through as a youth, do not die yet. I want you to know that there is always a great light at the end of the tunnel. You got work yet the management is not paying you when due, just take the pain now because the challenge will not last forever. Time will come when you will remember those days of starting when challenges were much and you will laugh. The starting of life as a youth is not always easy. Rough.

But remember, success in any establishment is more of spiritual affair than physical. That is why you need to involve God in all your efforts for excellence. You can get a copy of the book “Tips for becoming a successful Youth” by this author for more motivation and advice. Peace and persevere and you will win.