Four Codes I Live By…

Many times I have wondered why I was created to be myself. I don't know why and how I get to have my habits, and character and do things my way. I often think deeply about life and see people with different attitudes and characters. I just sit back and see myself in their shoes.

What if I was created to have this kind of attitude this person is portraying? Would I have been with the people I am worth today? Would I have maintained my normal life the way it is now? Would I have known even more people and become someone so famous? Many of these thoughts keep ringing in my head.

Yet the funniest part of it is that those thoughts never have an impact on the real me. It never changed me from who I was and who I am. It just keeps me in check instead.

Some people are just so jovial and can relate to anyone. They have the freedom to carry people along. But I never found myself as such. Many times, I have tried doing that, but I just realize it's not my way. Only if I force myself to do these things.

The code I live by.

If there is a code everyone has to live by then I might say my codes are “understanding, humor, honesty and respect”.

All of these four attributes are something I have inculcated over time and I realized it had made me scale through a lot of relationships with neither toxic, friendly, or lovely people. The first code which is “understanding” was to understand people since I realized that people are much more different. There is a Yoruba saying that “When you know the behaviour of someone that's when you can have a lasting relationship with them”.

I take my time to study people’s behavior and understand them well. Understanding their differences is something that has made me unique in my own way. It might take me months before I can relate well with someone. But once I fully understand such a person, we are good to go. I know when to plead and apologize, I know when to play and when not to. Understanding matters.

The second code is the humorous kind of person. I find this somehow natural. There are times when I even say something serious that makes people laugh their heads out. But with understanding people I know how to navigate myself when I have fun around people. Some can tolerate a lot of jokes and some don't even want it at all. I find the energy to reciprocate whatever everyone deserves.

The third of it is honesty. I find being honest as an attitude and I have kept to it over time. I know some people don’t deserve to be honest with them. But still, I will keep my stand and remain someone honest no matter the situation.

Respect is the last of it all. I cherish respect a lot, and this is something that makes it easy for me to give it out because I know its value. When getting to know someone for the first time, my first approach no matter the age, stature or status is to give maximum respect. They said respect is reciprocal. Maybe not for me. If they tend not to reciprocate, I will continue my ways.

This is my response to the HIVE LEARNERS weekly prompt in hive learners community for the Week 137 Edition 2 and the topic to be discussed is A CODE TO LIVE BY