30/09/2026
Just like that, our lives changed overnight😭😭😭😭
There are some moments in life that divide your story into before and after. For me, one of those moments was when my father lost his job.
Before that, we lived in Riverside in Kitwe. Life was not perfect, but there was structure. There was dignity. There was a sense that tomorrow would look somewhat like today. Then my father lost his job. And slowly, everything began to change.
We moved from Riverside to Chimwemwe. The standard of living changed. The conversations at home changed. The things we could afford changed. And as a child, I began learning a lesson I did not yet have the language to explain:
ONE PERSON’S INCOME CAN SOMETIMES BE HOLDING AN ENTIRE FAMILY TOGETHER.
When that income disappears, it is not only the salary that disappears. Sometimes dignity goes with it. Choices disappear. Certain friends disappear. The neighbourhood changes. Schools may change. Food changes. The way people look at you can change. And sometimes even the way you look at yourself changes.
Years later, after my father was long gone 😭😭😭life became even harder. There were seasons of eviction because I couldn’t afford rent…there was no one to pay my college fees . There were seasons when I washed people’s clothes for money. I pushed a wheelbarrow. I did piecework. I slept at the market. And somewhere along that journey, I understood something I wish every employed person could understand while things are still going well:
YOUR SALARY IS A BLESSING. BUT YOUR SALARY SHOULD NOT BE YOUR ENTIRE FINANCIAL PLAN.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I am not telling you to quit your job. In fact, if you have a good job, protect it. Work hard. Become valuable. Grow professionally. But while the salary is still coming, build something behind it.
Build savings. Build an emergency fund. Build skills somebody can pay you for outside your job. Build investments. Build a small business if your circumstances permit. Reduce unnecessary debt. Because sometimes life does not send a warning letter. One month everything is normal. The next month, the income that was carrying the entire family is gone. And when that happens, you discover very quickly whether you had an income…or whether you had built a financial life. Yes, THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.
I watched what happened when my father’s income disappeared. That experience stayed with me. It is one of the reasons financial independence means so much to me today. Not because I worship money. But because I know what lack of money can do to a family’s options. Money cannot solve every problem. But when life becomes difficult, having financial reserves gives you time, choices and dignity.
So if you received your salary this month, please don’t only ask:
“What can I buy?”
Ask:
“What can I build while this income is still coming?”
Because the best time to prepare for a financial storm is not when the rain starts.
IT IS WHILE THE SUN IS STILL SHINING.
My father losing his job changed our family. I cannot change that chapter. But perhaps somebody reading my story today can write theirs differently.
Enjoy your salary. Appreciate your job. But quietly build a life that can survive without it.
Here is something I want you to go with: If you are thinking about quitting your job or doing something stupid at work please understand that the consequences of that single decision could change the trajectory of your family and potentially the future of your children…So please umusamwe ku nchito iyo..behave yourself and do the math before quitting.
If you don’t know where to start from I have left a link to my business book in the comments section..it will teach you a step by step process of how to start and grow a business.
Kindly share this and follow me for more.
Much love ❤️
START. GROW. MULTIPLY
