One thing I've learned in life is that not everyone will be happy with you making it in life.
I had a childhood friend who suddenly started giving me attitude. I kept wondering what I had done wrong. Then one day, she had a misunderstanding with her cousin who was living with them.
Out of anger, the cousin came and told me a secret.
She said, "You've been wondering why my sister changed towards you, right? I heard her telling her mum that you're always the one going around and doing all the things both of you planned because you have money."
Imagine my shock! ๐
The funny thing is, I wasn't rich o. I had simply heard a radio programme about how investing in stocks could help people build wealth.
During the programme, they mentioned that shares could appreciate over time, so I became interested. I even discussed it with this same friend. She told me her elder brother once bought shares for โฆ7,000 and in less than a year, they were worth over โฆ70,000.
That encouraged me.
I wrote down the address and phone number from the radio programme, visited the stock exchange office, made enquiries, and started buying shares little by little.
I was so excited that I told my friend I had started investing. I had no idea she wasn't happy about it.
After her cousin revealed the reason for her attitude, I told my mum. My mum simply advised me to be careful and give her some space. And that's exactly what I did.
As for the shares that were supposed to make me rich... my people, none of them turned me into a millionaire. ๐
Na so they will send me โฆ100 dividend today, โฆ1,000 tomorrow, and plenty invitations for annual meetings as if I'm one major shareholder somewhere. ๐๐
Life sha teaches us that not everyone who smiles with you is genuinely happy about your growth.
The person who taught me the hardest lesson about friendship wasn't an enemy.
It was someone I genuinely wanted to see win.
A friend once told me about a job opening at his company.
I was excited for him.
I helped him rewrite his CV.
Spent days helping him prepare for the interview.
We practiced questions until he knew exactly what to say.
When he got the job, I celebrated like it was my own victory.
Then two months later, I learned something that completely changed how I see some friendships.
There hadn't been one opening. There had been two.
My friend knew. From the very beginning.
But he never mentioned the second position to me.
At first, I thought maybe he forgot.
Maybe it wasn't his information to share.
Maybe there was a good reason.
There wasn't.
When I eventually asked him about it, he told me the truth. He was afraid I might get the job instead of him.
That answer hit harder than I expected. Not because I missed the opportunity, but because someone I was helping succeed had secretly been trying to limit mine.
That's when I learned something uncomfortable:
Some people don't mind seeing you win. They just don't want you winning at their level, or above it.
The loudest support isn't always genuine support. Sometimes it's competition hiding behind a smile.
Question for the timeline:
Have you ever discovered that a friend was secretly competing with you? If yes, what happened?