The question sometimes crops into our minds that “What is the purpose of Self-Improvement?” Well here is an amazing story that displays the importance and purpose of improving oneself in whichever way possible.

Henry lost his father in a ghastly motor accident.

He was 16, and preparing for University Entrance exam in Nigeria when it happened. His widowed mother has never worked a job in her life, and suddenly she had to take care of 3 young children, including Henry…

One night, she gathered her children to say…

“Ever since your dad died, it’s been a struggle to provide food, shelter, clothing, and education for the three of you…”

“Every day, it gets tougher for my small business. Some of your father’s friends no longer take my calls when I reach out to them for help…”

“…My children, you all need to stop schooling for now while I try to sort out feeding, shelter and clothing.”

“I know not going to school will break your hearts. I have cried every day about this myself.”

“If there were a better choice, I’d have chosen that. We need to stay alive first. Education can always happen later.”

All of them went silent. As the eldest, Henry spoke first…

“Mom, none of us will stop schooling. I have a plan. I’ll work menial jobs to train myself and my siblings. We’ll pull through this.”

The next day, Henry became a wheel barrow pusher in the major market in the city, making over 2,000 naira per day.

Pushing wheel barrow in the market proved to be a tough, sweat-filled job. But “he who has a why to live can bear with almost any how”

Obsessed with having a better life for himself and his family, Henry poured all his spare hours into growing himself into a capable person, mentally and financially.

He read books, built a network of mentors, took courses online and stuck his neck out to get leadership positions in church.

With the money he made pushing wheel barrows, he paid for his younger siblings’ education, enrolled himself in a part-time degree program, and helped his mom with rent payments.

Five years later, he will go on to earn a diploma in Electrical & Electronic Engineering. Leveraging his network, he got an entry-level automation role at Bosch …

Sometimes, it takes only one person to change the story of a family.

Self-improvement makes you that person. Take action today and start working on YOU!