Likwenza njani guys? I’d really like to know…

Somewhere between “secure the bag” and “protect your peace,” our generation decided that what we really want is the ‘soft life.’ Nginje lami ngiya’yfuna.

From my understanding, soft life is not suffering. It’s not grinding ourselves into emotional dust. Not replying to emails at 10:47pm while pretending we’re passionate about the hustle.

It’s just… softness. Kumnandi. Sipholile. Sidla butebhu.

The internet has painted a very convincing picture of what this looks like. Brunch in the middle of the week. Airport selfies with captions about “catching flights and not feelings.” A matcha run ( I’m still yet to try that sh*t out) on a random Tuesday morning.

It looks peaceful. Aspirational. Slightly suspicious.

Suspicious because who is paying for all this softness?

Soft life, as it turns out, as I’ve learnt is not just a vibe. It’s a financial strategy.

And in this our tea pot shaped country, where the economy can change personalities faster than a reality TV contestant, that detail matters.

Living here already requires a certain level of financial athleticism. On any given day you are calculating exchange rates in your head (thank God that’s been somewhat stable), comparing prices across three shops, and checking your mobile wallet balance like a detective looking for clues. Somewhere in between that, you’re also trying to remember whether the money in your account is for fuel, groceries, or that “small small” contribution that’s being asked for in the family WhatsApp group. Adulting, neh?

So what I hear when y’all say ‘soft life’ is: choose the soft life… but also remember rent, fuel, school fees, groceries, and the general unpredictability of existence. Just existing is an expense, but we thank God for life.

Suddenly softness requires spreadsheets.

And one thing I’m appreciative of though is that something interesting has started happening online. The mystery around the soft life is slowly disappearing. For the longest time, the internet loved showing the lifestyle but hiding the mechanics. You would see the trips, the outfits, the aesthetics, but nobody was explaining how the money was actually being made.

Now? The girlies are talking.

Instead of vague captions about “multiple streams of income,” people are now explaining the streams. Content creators are sharing brand deal rates. Small business owners are showing the behind-the-scenes of how they built their shops from scratch. People are openly discussing investment options, side hustles, consulting work, remote jobs, digital products, the works.

The soft life hasn’t become cheaper. If anything, we are just getting a clearer view of the work behind it.

It turns out the soft life often has a surprisingly structured backbone. Someone might look relaxed on Instagram on a Wednesday afternoon, but earlier that morning they were managing clients in three time zones, chasing invoices, updating a website, answering DMs, and negotiating a contract.

The softness is real. But so is the work.

And perhaps that’s the most interesting shift in this whole conversation. The modern soft life is not about pretending money magically appears. It’s about showing that a comfortable life usually comes from a mix of strategy, ambition, and a healthy amount of trial and error.

The aesthetic and the effort are now living in the same timeline.

For me, this honesty feels particularly refreshing. Because here, most people already understand that money rarely moves in a straight line. People are juggling jobs, side hustles, small businesses, consulting gigs, online work, and the occasional “let me try this and see if it works.”

What used to be called hustling is now being reframed as building. Which means the soft life conversation is becoming less about fantasy and more about design. Less about pretending things are easy and more about showing how people are piecing together lives that actually work for them.

The difference now is that fewer people are pretending otherwise.

So damn right, the soft life is expensive and kuyangibhowa cause why must I suffer to eat the money 😅 but at least we being real about it. And honestly, that might be even more inspiring than the brunch photos. Because it turns out the soft life was never about escaping work entirely.

It was about learning how to make your work fund a life that actually feels good to live.

Sharp magenge,

Love and light 🧡