For this week prompt on @ladiesofhive, loh 288 I'll be answering the first prompt question of "What popular worldview, quote, or social belief do you think has negatively influenced our society today? How do you protect younger people around you from adopting that mindset, and how do you personally resist the pressure to conform to it"?
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An image of me
There's this one popular social belief that is negatively affecting the society, which is the idea that success must happen quickly.
Many people now believe that if results do not come fast, then they are failing in life. This mindset has become very common in Nigeria, especially among young people who constantly see overnight success stories on social media without understanding the hidden years of struggle behind them.
Today, society celebrates quick achievements more than steady growth, people getting praised for sudden wealth, fast fame, and immediate results, while patience and gradual progress are often ignored.
What many people do not know is that this belief is creating frustration, anxiety, and unhealthy desperation among individuals trying to “catch up” with others.
In Nigeria, many young people feel pressured to become successful at a very early age because society constantly compares people based on money, lifestyle, and public achievements. A person in their twenties is already expected to own expensive things, live a luxurious life, and appear completely successful. Because of this pressure, some people lose confidence in themselves when life moves slowly. Others become tempted to take dishonest shortcuts simply because society has made patience look like failure.
The truth society rarely talk about is that, real success usually takes time. Most meaningful achievements are built through consistency, mistakes, discipline, and growth. Many of the people admired today also experienced years of uncertainty before becoming successful, but society often only shows the final result without the behind the scene. Years of waiting, the struggles etc
To protect younger people around me from this mindset, I constantly remind them that life is not a competition thereby encouraging them to focus on learning, improving themselves, and building something genuine rather than rushing to impress others. I also teach them that small progress is still progress, even when it is not celebrated publicly.
Personally, I resist the pressure to conform, by refusing to compare my journey with other people’s timelines. I have learnt that, rushing life often leads to poor decisions and unnecessary stress.
Society may glorify instant success, but lasting fulfillment comes from growing patiently, staying honest, and understanding that some of the best things in life take time to build.
