Thread by @solomonking

One of the things that inspire me about #UOT is the energy people have when supporting each other's hustles.

Especially hustles that used to be shunned, like cleaning homes, doing laundry or selling roadside food. It gives me so much joy.

Allow me to share a small anecdote.

During my high school days, my dad owned a tiny local food restaurant in Katwe, which later moved near Nakasero market. During some holidays, I worked there.

On some days I'd have to carry half a sack of millet to a grinding mill in Nsambya and then to the restaurant for kalo.

On other days, I'd have to walk from Nsambya to Katwe to take my dad home-cooked food because he couldn't afford to eat the food he was serving customers.

There's this one time I was carrying a full bucket of simsim and gnuts and it poured in the middle of the taxi park...😳😡🤬

Anyway... I hated it all because I was an angsty teenager and I was trying to be cool because I went to a rich school and all my peers were rich.

And us? It was rough. Let's just say dear old dad always told me he either pays school fees or gives me pocket money "to be cool."

I legit dreaded the day one of my school peers would find me with a sack of millet on my back, all ashy from the flour that was all over me.

But my dad didn't care about things like looking cool; the restaurant took care of us. It paid the rent, and the school fees, so I worked.

But now, I look back and have mad respect for the hustle my parents went through to pay for the school fees we needed.

And sometimes I hate myself for how much pain I put them through, but I also remember that the lessons I learnt during that time will always stay with me.

And the most basic lesson was: Wake up early, get shit done, no matter what.

The lessons from back them stayed with me, and drive the extreme-hard-work mindset that I have to this day.

But most of all, it taught me that no work is too shameful. You do what you need to do.

So for all those hustling through "unattractive, or demeaning jobs", keep going, no matter what. Do what you need to do to pay fees, to take care of your family and to build your future.

And I hope you maintain the same humility you have now, for when things are tough and stressful.

If unwatched, success can bring arrogance, along with foolishness and "arrivalism" and before you know it, you're back to square one.

But above all, keep the same energy, passion and commitment you have when you're broke for when you're thriving.

Wake up early, get shit done, no matter what.

Have a great weekend!