I asked the above question to a group of people on my mentorship program, many of whom already successful financially. The responses were varied:

I worked hard in search of money, but by the time I found it, I had already lost my family and old friends.

 A high performer who was a darling of all, but lost God along the way.

 I got to learn about God when I was admitted to intensive care, and my money could no longer save me.

 A rich man who is a stranger to his home and relatives.

 A career of doing what I hate, but I did it anyway.

 The above is a selection from over 45 responses I got when I asked the question, how would you summarize your last ten years of your life?

Indeed, many people go through life without taking notice of what is around them.

In 2016, I visited China and toured the Great Wall of China. Later in the evening at the hotel, I asked one of the lady servers about great tourist attractions in China, to which she mentioned the Great Wall of China. Since I had been there during the day, I asked specific questions about the Great Wall, and she instantly admitted that she had never visited.

There are many Ugandans who have never visited the Kasubi Tombs, for example, or even the National Museum or other great attractions like the Nile. You would be surprised to find that some of these are ‘Tourism Ambassadors”. Anyway, when you lack focus, it is possible to work in the city but live a whole decade without noticing the changes around because you are never present but instead of running through life.

You need to live your life, not live through life.

As they say, ‘it is not the years of your life that matter. But the life in your years that makes the difference’.

Thanks to Coronavirus, many of you people reading this article have had the chance to catch up with your families – know your children names and also understand their worries, aspirations and needs. Great.

Many others do not know.

Many others think that money is God, and everything can be explained by science oblivious of the fact that up to now, new planets continue to be discovered. This is because science builds on prior knowledge. The current knowledge in the world is not yet mature to understand everything that exists and the possibilities of the universe around us.

It is until one is unable to buy an additional hour to their life, that they admit the limitations of science. You might say the whole objective of science is not about prolonging life or even preventing death, but you know that is wrong.

So, how would you summarize your last ten years?

Copyright Mustapha B Mugisa, 2020. All rights reserved.