The Silent Pressure to Be More.

Have you ever felt like your achievements have an expiry date?  Have you ever noticed how quickly the feeling of achievement fades? You finally hit a milestone you’ve prayed and worked so hard for, but before you can even celebrate, your mind whispers: “What next?”

 You graduate from school, and before the ink on your certificate dries, the question comes: “So, what next?” You land a new job, and almost immediately, there’s the expectation: “When are you moving to a better role?” You start a small business, and not long after, the comparison begins: “This other person already has a bigger brand, why don’t you?” It’s a cycle many of us know too well. The degree isn’t enough; there’s another certification to chase. The job isn’t enough; you need a promotion. The recognition isn’t enough; you have to prove yourself again. Even in personal life, the same script plays out in relationships, finances, and lifestyle; there’s always an invisible bar rising just when you thought you had reached it.

 For many African women, this quiet, unspoken pressure is a constant shadow. It rarely announces itself, but it shows up in conversations with family, in the endless scroll of social media, and even in the way we measure ourselves against invisible standards. We live in a world that applauds speed and rewards visibility. Everyone seems to be achieving something spectacular, and the temptation is to believe that you’re running late, late in your career, late in love, late in finances, late in life.

The danger? We begin to see our current best as inadequate. Instead of celebrating progress, we minimize it. Instead of honoring our pace, we punish ourselves for not moving faster.

But here’s the truth many of us forget: thriving is not always about being more; sometimes it’s about being enough.

Being enough looks like:

• Finishing your undergraduate degree and taking time to breathe before jumping into the next big thing. 
• Running a small business faithfully, even if it hasn’t yet scaled into a multinational brand.
• Choosing rest over constant hustle because you know burnout won’t get you closer to your dreams.
• Valuing your quiet growth seasons, even when nobody is applauding.

This doesn’t mean we abandon ambition. It means we recognize that contentment is not the enemy of growth; it is the soil where true growth happens. When we are content, we can dream bigger without fear. We can take steps forward without being crippled by comparison. We can embrace our journey without hating the pace. Contentment does not cancel ambition. Instead, it grounds it. It allows us to dream, grow, and achieve without losing ourselves to the endless race of comparison. This month, our encouragement is simple: be present with your progress. Let contentment and ambition walk side by side, and remind yourself daily that your pace is enough, and so are you.

Here’s an invitation to pause, breathe, and reflect on where you are, and to honor it. Yes, there’s still more ahead, but your present is just as valuable as the future you’re working toward.

In this month’s episode of the IHA Podcast. Our host, Marvelous, sits with the inspiring Similoluwa Awe, lawyer, author, activist, and founder of TeensxTeenties. Together, they unpack the quiet weight young women often carry the pressure to constantly measure up, to do more, to be more. Similoluwa shares honest insights about finding balance, protecting your peace, and thriving without letting pressure define you.

🎧 Listen to the full episode here:

💬We’d love to hear from you: How do you deal with the pressure to always be more? Share your thoughts in the comments; your words might be the encouragement another young woman needs today.

From,

Marvelous for the IHA Team