One of my friends has been trying to join the gym for almost two years now. Not because he doesn’t want to. And certainly not because there aren’t enough gyms around. He’s done almost everything except actually sign up. He has downloaded workout apps, followed fitness creators, and compared membership fees. At some point, he even bought a new pair of trainers because, according to him, “you need to look the part”.
The only thing he hasn’t done is actually join the gym, and trust me, there is always a reason. Work has been hectic, he will start after his professional exams, the month is already too busy, he has pending deliverables. If I put him on a call now, he will probably still tell you he is planning to start.
Funny thing is, I believe him. Because every time he says it, he means it. He’s just waiting for the version of life where starting feels easier.
Watching him made me realise how often we do this as human beings. We spend so much time preparing to begin that we never actually begin. We wait until the weather is better before we start jogging. We wait until life feels a little less chaotic before we finally read the book that’s been sitting on the shelf for months.
It doesn’t feel like we’re standing in our own way. It feels like we’re being practical and realistic. Maybe that’s why it’s so difficult to recognise when we’ve become our own biggest opposition. You might just be your own Opp!
The habit is so subtle that it quietly follows us into other parts of our lives, and most especially our finances.
“I will start investing when I earn more”
“I need at least ₦1 million before it makes sense”
“I need to understand investing first”
To be honest, none of these sound unreasonable. In fact, many of them are genuine concerns. The problem is that when those concerns become permanent, they quietly become barriers.
Months turn into years. Years turn into habits. And before we know it, we’ve spent more time preparing to invest than actually investing.
Here’s a question worth sitting with:
If you removed every excuse you’ve been telling yourself about investing, what would actually stop you from starting?
Because the biggest obstacle isn’t always a modest income or an unpredictable economy. Sometimes, it’s the version of ourselves that’s always finding a reason to wait.
The irony is that building wealth has never been about waiting until everything is perfect. It’s about making intentional decisions with what you have today.
For some people, that might mean starting with a mutual fund. For others, it could be exploring fixed-income investments or gradually building a diversified portfolio.
The truth is that wealth doesn’t usually come from one big move. More often, it comes from small, consistent decisions repeated over time.
Making that first move doesn’t have to be complicated, especially with platforms like InvestNow. Whether you are taking your first step with a mutual fund or exploring other investment opportunities that match your financial goals, InvestNow gives you the opportunity to begin from where you are and grow steadily over time.
Everyone has an opp. Sometimes it’s inflation. Sometimes it’s unexpected expenses. Sometimes it’s uncertainty. But every now and then, the person standing between where we are and the future we’re hoping to build is the one staring back at us in the mirror.
