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Life Lessons from Abuja
Just the other day, I was driving through the neighborhood I used to live in, and I recalled all the memorable moments I had in my apartment there. For several years, I lived in a rented 2-bedroom apartment in the heart of Abuja city. The apartment was in a convenient location, very central to everywhere I wanted to go. As I reminisced, I suddenly remembered why I moved out of the apartment.
On one memorable day I received a letter from the agent informing me of an upward review of the rent by about 50%. This was a huge additional cost, and given the economic reality of the country at that time, as well as the fact that no maintenance or additional utility were being provided by the landlord, I felt this to be highly unreasonable. I wrote back to the agent and shared my views, and requested that they reconsider their proposed increase.
A few months passed without any further discussion or acknowledgement of my previous response and then I received another letter demanding the new rent at the upward reviewed rate. I enclosed a cheque for the amount of the previous rent, and attached a copy of the letter I wrote previously. The agent cashed my cheque and began harassing me with numerous correspondence for the balance of my rent based on the upward review.
Although this sounds like a completely negative experience, I was able to learn some positive life lessons from it, which I will pass on to you.
Channel your frustration into positive energy
When the agents for my apartment began to harass me regularly, despite having cashed my cheque, I grew frustrated. Rather than allow this frustration to bring me down, however, I took a decision to redirect that energy in a positive way. I was determined to avoid being harassed by a landlord again! Each time I received a new correspondence about my apartment, I became more determined and motivated to get out of the situation.
Thanks to this recurring reminder of how frustrated I was as a renter, I was motivated to channel all my savings and energy into purchasing my own home. Nobody can raise my rent if I am my own landlord! This situation expedited my desire to buy my own home, and within less than a year, I had moved into my own place.
