THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE NOT FREE

I have often heard the saying "The best things in life are free". A few days ago after some personal experience, I sat down to really think about it. If the best things in life are really free, then why aren't we all over the moon? Why do some people live a more pleasant life than the others when it actually costs nothing to be happy? This is because nothing in life is ever free. The truth is that some things may appear to be free but then there is always a price to pay.

Free doesn't always mean the absence of money. When something is free in my opinion, it means that little or no effort was put into its possession. If that is the case, then there will always be a cost to the best things in life.

Just being alive costs people so much money. It's simply known as the cost of living. Life has a fee and hard work is the price. You pay for life with your blood, sweat and tears. As a living being, you have to feed, clothe and be sheltered. And all of these things come at a price.

On the other hand, the air we breathe is not absolutely free. Some people in this world need to buy oxygen to stay alive. And the last time I checked oxygen is not cheap at all. Also, some of us actually breathe in polluted air which will likely give us away depending on how our metabolism reacts to the air we breathe. So the air you breathe in can prove costly on the long run.

NIGERIAN STUDENT BUILDS A SOLAR-POWERED CAR

Segun Oyeyiola, a final year student of Electronic and Electrical engineering at the Obafemi Awolowo University, has converted a Volkswagen Beetle to run on solar and wind energy at the same time.

According to Segun, "I wanted to reduce carbon dioxide emissions going to our atmosphere that lead to climate change or global warming which has become a new reality, with deleterious effect: seasonal cycles are disrupted, as are ecosystems; and agriculture, water needs and supply, and food production are all adversely affected.” “Therefore, I came up of building a car that will use both winds and solar energy for its movement,” he continued. “This was my personal project because of the problem I’m planning to solve.”


His remarkable effort is still a prototype and not suitable for everyday use yet (The battery requires about 4-5 hours to charge and is so heavy that he had to modify the suspensions to bear the weight of the battery) but it has already brought a new, possible solution to the major problem with electric cars–charging the battery. Solar powered electric cars aren’t new, but adding a wind-turbine to augment the solar charger when the car is in motion is something I personally haven’t come across as an idea before. It in theory, would make it possible to drive and charge at night when there is no sunlight.

Segun is however not deterred by the challenges he is faced with at the moment and is bent on improving on his innovation.

FIGHT YOUR FEARS. IT'S A BATTLE YOU MUST WIN

Do you ever at any time have a feeling that something bad might happen to you or around you? Do you refrain from doing something credible because you are afraid that you might fail? Ever had a wonderful idea that might turn out to be a success but faded away because you couldn't push it through? 

Daily, we are confronted with these questions every now and then. Some of us take up the challenge to make it up but others still give up. One day you will look back at all the opportunities life has presented you with and begin to wonder why you did not take them. The answer will be simple. You were too afraid at the time to see the possibility of turning those opportunities into success. 

Fear is what always stands before you and success. The faster you learn how to overcome fear the closer you are to attaining success. Some of the fears you are faced with are the fear of the unknown, fear of failure and fear of not living up to standard the world has set for us. These fears will always be there and the only thing you can do is to learn how to overcome it. Whatever fears you are facing, always consider asking God for guidance on how to overcome them. 

You have to always think positively when trying to overcome fear. Instead of thinking of the negative things that may happen, think of the positive things that will come out of the situation if you go ahead. 

Overcoming fear is an art anyone can master but the real challenge is when fear has become part of your personality. To overcome this kind of fear, you must be ready to commit to giving it your very best. The chances are if you are not fully committed, you might not succeed and it will further trap you the more.

Only those who know how to overcome their fears make it to the top in life. Overcoming your fears will see you charting a new course and navigating towards success. True freedom only comes when you overcome your fear. I wish you all the best as you take that important step to overcoming fear.