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Self-condemnation can drown out God's voice, Constant self-criticism often keeps us focused on ourselves instead of on what the Holy Spirit is saying. The Holy Spirit convicts to bring repentance and restoration, while relentless self-condemnation keeps us trapped in shame.
22 years.
That's how long my husband, brothers and sons have supported Arsenal.
Through the mocking, the "selling club" jokes, the near-misses, and the heartbreak of watching other teams lift what should have been theirs.
And through all of it, my late father, a proud Chelsea fan, never missed an opportunity to remind my brothers exactly where Arsenal stood.
He would taunt them with such joy, such commitment and such consistency.
I watched all of this from the side; a fan by association and thinking sometimes, if the loyalty was worth it.
This week, Arsenal won the Premier League. Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years. And they're in the Champions League final.
And I couldn't stop thinking, that this is exactly what building wealth looks like.
People will shade your career path, relocation moves and quiet investments. Your family will question your patience. The market will dip and everyone will say the plan isn't working.
The ones who stay anyway are the ones who eventually celebrate.
Here are 5 things Arsenal just taught me about money, business and life:
1. Don't panic - Arteta didn't. Three seasons as runner-up, he could have changed everything. He held the line. If your investment hasn't moved in 6 months, that's not a sign to exit. It's a sign to understand what you own.
2. Buy great. Hold tight. They found Saka young and never sold him despite every big club circling. Find great assets early, buy them, and let the world try to talk you out of it. I bought Okomu stock at N67 in 2019. Ask me how that went at N1,750 a few years after.
3. Be yourself - not City. Arsenal didn't win by copying Manchester City. Same league, different system. Arteta built something original. Stop investing based on someone else's highlight reel. Your income, your timeline, your risk appetite are not theirs.
4. Show up every season. The Emirates stayed full through every empty season. No titles. Full house.
Invest in the quiet months, when nobody is talking about it, when the market is boring. The people buying quietly are the ones celebrating loudly. Seasons will always change. Two years of waiting feels long, twelve feels longer and twenty-two felt impossible. But compound interest, like a football season, doesn't announce itself. It just arrives.
5. The double is compound interest.
Premier League AND Champions League final in the same season. That is not luck, it is years of right decisions stacking quietly on top of each other. N10,000 a month for 22 years at 15% return will come to about N27 million. That's the Arsenal system, in naira.
Loyalty is a strategy, not a feeling. The fans who stayed through every bad season were still there for this one. The investors who held through every dip are the ones sitting on returns today.
To the Arsenal fans, your loyalty was never foolish, it was long-term thinking.
To the investors sitting on portfolios that haven't moved yet, same energy. Keep playing and investing the right way.
The trophy finds those who stay. 🔴
(Dad, if you're watching, they finally did it. Rest well. 🕊️)
1. David Raya - Thank you
2. William Saliba - Thank you
3. Cristhian Mosquera - Thank you
4. Ben White - Thank you
5. Piero Hincapié - Thank you
6. Gabriel Magalhães - Thank you
7. Bukayo Saka - Thank you
8. Martin Ødegaard - Thank you
9. Gabriel Jesus - Thank you
10. Eberechi Eze - Thank you
11. Gabriel Martinelli - Thank you
12. Jurrien Timber - Thank you
13. Kepa Arrizabalaga - Thank you
14. Viktor Gyökeres - Thank you
16. Christian Nørgaard - Thank you
19. Leandro Trossard - Thank you
20. Noni Madueke - Thank you
23. Mikel Merino - Thank you
29. Kai Havertz - Thank you
33. Riccardo Calafiori - Thank you
35. Tommy Setford - Thank you
36. Martín Zubimendi - Thank you
41. Declan Rice - Thank you
49. Myles Lewis-Skelly - Thank you
51. Alexei Rojas - Thank you
78. Jack Porter - Thank you
THANK YOU MIKEL ARTETA
THANK ARSENAL
THANK YOU EVERYONE
The sweetest part about this is the fact that Arteta won it on Guardiola's head.
Pep Guardiola the GOAT, bought Semenyo and Guehi mid season, and it wasn't enough to topple Mikel Arteta and his mighty reds.
Off you pop now, chequebook manager. Mikel Arteta's reign has begun.