I FOCUSED ON FINANCIAL SUCCESS AND LOST THE ONE WHO TRULY LOVED ME — TIMINI EGBUSON SHARES HIS STORY

I used to think that love could wait. That if someone truly loved you, they would understand the sacrifices, the long hours, the constant chase for financial stability. At that point in my life, my focus was clear: build success, secure money, and establish myself. Everything else felt secondary even love.

She was there when the journey was still uncertain. She saw the hunger in me, the drive, the sleepless nights, and she supported it. She believed in my dreams, encouraged me, and stood by me when the rewards hadn’t yet come. But what I failed to realize was that while I was building my future, I was slowly neglecting my present.

I was always busy. Always tired. Always promising that things would be better “soon.” I didn’t cheat. I didn’t abuse the relationship. I simply wasn’t present. Emotionally, mentally, I was elsewhere—chasing goals, chasing money, chasing success. I assumed love would be patient enough to endure it all.

But love doesn’t survive on understanding alone.

One day, she told me the truth calmly, honestly. She said she felt alone even when she was with me. That she needed more than promises of a better tomorrow; she needed me now. By the time I truly heard her, it was already too late. The connection had worn thin, and the love that once felt unbreakable had quietly slipped away.

What hurts the most is that I didn’t lose her because I failed in life. I lost her because I succeeded without balance.

Years later, I found out she had moved on and was married. Hearing that hit me in a way I didn’t expect. Not out of jealousy, but regret. Someone else was now giving her the time, attention, and emotional presence I couldn’t offer when it mattered most. That was when it truly sank in—I had lost someone who genuinely loved me, and no amount of money or career success could change that.

I’ve learned that financial success is important, but it’s not everything. Money can buy comfort, but it cannot replace connection. You can be winning in the world’s eyes and still be losing where it matters most.

I don’t share this story to dwell on regret, but to speak the truth. Love needs presence. It needs effort. It needs time. If I could go back, I would still chase my dreams but I wouldn’t abandon my heart along the way.

Because success feels empty when the person who believed in you the most is no longer there to share it with.