HAPPINESS IS THE ULTIMATE R.O.I (RETURN ON INVESTMENT)

I go by Joel Flash not my government names but what the heck, first off screw the government, plus they kinda roll off nice, so that’s what i use now. I didn’t grow up a renegade or deviant of any sorts,the short leash with which my parents raised me with did not allow much room for experiments.

As a kid i was always dreamy, never really felt like i belonged,if you’ve met any of my siblings and the fact that i am the last born, you will understand why. Now, don’t misconstrue this to mean that i felt, i was better than my upbringing, nothing like that,i always felt like there has to be more to this world than Bukolwe village. A place i called home till i was 13. My very first experience with peers with different backgrounds was when i joined high school at Chavakali. Not so far from home, but far nonetheless.

In high school i was part of “The other guys” (a Mark Wahlberg and Will ferrel movie reference) with nothing really special about me, anonymity was my code. I was not a smart ass, a bit of sports but not enough to gain me any kind of recognition,tried some bit of rugby, however given how much my folks emphasized being book smart my Random access memory wouldn’t let me juggle both. Basketball would have been a sport i would have enjoyed very much, it was however the reserve of the Nairobians, folks from Butere – Bukolwe village wouldn’t stand a chance.

Fast forward to today, in a world where everyone is clout chasing and seeking instant gratification, all this fueled by the clutter of social media sites, it becomes increasingly hard to make real connections. From a faceless youth to someone with standing in my community, my journey has been quite the uneventful one. Just a regular joe catching up with  stuff most folks regard basic or normal. Forget about my Instagram or face book, someone once said whatever people show on the gram is nothing but their highlight reel. Someone will flaunt their spanking new Subaru (read Subru) and not disclose the fact that they are late on the payments.

At this point am sure you are wondering what i am rumbling on about. Look, there has been the unending debate on which way or rather which direction one should take to succeed in life. Education/school has been touted for the longest time as the key to a good life, however ever since the nerds took over during the dot com bubble,sometime in the mid nineties to early 2000 and most of whom didn’t have college degrees that narrative has slowly but surely come to shift. The modern parent is soon realizing that they do not have to pressure their kids to be book smart like ours did. With social sites like Tik tok formerly Musical.ly, originally designed for kids but currently experiencing massive adoption among the young adults, kids are fast learning their strengths early and leaning more into them.

In a series of vlogs that i run on my Youtube channel ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXz4kovLY7XTrzz0OdAFcGQ?view_as=subscriber ) i keep on over emphasizing knowing thyself. Once you conduct a thorough introspection of who you are as a person, your strengths, weaknesses and most importantly what truly makes you happy, you are likely not going to bow to the pressures of peers, the community and parents. My wife loves following this lady who just rants random stuff on her IGTV, okay okay she’s mostly serving the hottest tea about our local celebrities. Imagine the dismay on her parents face if asked what she wanted to do as an adult, and her answer “Kueneza udaku” translated (serving to my friends the latest celebrity gossip). Ile kichapo ange pata!( The beating she would have received!)

Things are no longer black and white, i swear. Folks are making a living off the random-est of things. This dude rants on his Facebook (Ujinga za Victor Naman) in a heavy Luhya accent and has thus amassed quite the following over it. For some of you who are quite old school and are wondering how that helps him, posting what might seem as silly videos. Yooo! did i mention he has a following? Advertising changed too and brands are now only trusting people with a following to help them spread their gospel, the perks unimaginable and life changing!

All these means nothing if you are just doing it for the fame or the money, one thing remains true and will help you build a brand around anything you truly love, HAPPINESS. The moment the joy runs out, or whatever you do does not bring you any joy on the deep and low, move on, find something else to do. HAPPINESS IS THE ONLY TRUE R.O.I it does not matter how rich you are, if you are not happy all that sh*t becomes meaningless.