We are currently in a society that measures life’s successes by the outward ‘humble’ show of results. House tours for content creation, YOLO vacations on a budget, the latest fashion and gadget items, latest vehicles to acquire and how nice the outward appearance of their relationships are.

Social media has made this worse where entertainment and lifestyle vloggers perpetuate unattainable lifestyles that majority of their subscribers and fans cannot attain- leaving them feeling ‘left behind’ because they do not own the luxuriously decorated homes, don’t have opportunities for the solo spa and dinner dates, don’t have the liquidity to go shopping on a whim and don’t have the love life to match these lifestyles.

But then, there is more to life than living according to someone else’s template. You can chart your own path, determine your own lifestyle to be what you want it to be- what you deserve. You must never be ashamed of where you are in life, especially if you know you have great room for improvement to achieve what you want in life. That said, Nairobi News brings you the four things you must never be ashamed of in this one live you live- nothing like YOLO (you only live once) here…

1. Simple living- We are not all cut out for the masionette home with white picket fences and the garden to boot. Some of us are cut out for apartment and bungalow living, for rural living and for simple living within our means. Do not let social media influencers make you feel like you are not living the life you deserve just because they have diversified sources of income (some questionable) and can live the purported posh lives they share on social media. You have a small kadudu car? That’s fine. It takes you from point A to B. Don’t have an iPhone? The latest Samsung? The latest shoe and clothes style? That’s very fine. Dress for your comfort, not for fashion that may end up leaving you publicly uncomfortable and in debt to keep up.
2. Traditional parents- Today, society likes portraying hip and up to date parents who wouldn’t mind doing things often preserved for younger generations. They boast of parents who hug them, pay off their debts, tell them they love them, pay for their way through life and actually want to spend every waking minute with their children. But your parents are not like that. You grew up with traditional parents who don’t necessarily need these new age lifestyles and its okay. At the end of the day, you have your parents. And even though they do not verbalize their affection for you, deep down in your heart, you know you mean the world to them and vice versa. They instilled values in you that you will treasure and hopefully, pass down to your kids. So, its okay that they don’t have personas you can brag about to people on and offline. Its okay that your family bonds transcends public bragging because it is the heart that matters.
3. ‘Poor’ friends- Some people were born with silver spoons in their mouth. Their family and social circle since then has been made of silver spoon relations. These are the people they know and talk about. It’s not their fault. That is what they know. But for you who watches them on their social media pages, you must know that it is also okay for you to be proud of the friends you’ve collected. You must not be ashamed of them just because they are not financially well off like other people you see. In fact, at advanced ages, you must count yourself lucky that you do have friends you can consider closer than siblings. It’s not a must you go on the vacations and road trips you see the well-off constantly do. You don’t have to live up to their expectations…instead, you can mold friendships to serve you what you need from them. Don’t hide you ‘poor’ friends in favor of the popular and well off, because in the end, kitakuramba.