DADIARY
Redefining Success, Opportunities are everywhere
How badly do you want that thing you say you want? Commitment is when you say, No excuse is good enough. That was the last statement of James Mworia, CEO of Centum Investment as he concluded his presentation on Redefining Success, but somehow that is the statement that did it for me. Not to say that all other information was hogwash but commitment was the icing on the cake.
Tuesday 2nd August was not like any other evening for me, well none of my 1st Tuesdays of the month are anymore since I discovered Udada. When was the last time you just took a few minutes to enjoy the beautiful rays of sun set on a weekday evening? I bet you can’t remember, what with the traffic, rowdy Matatus and their conductors, and the crazy jam of hurried people leaving work. Personally I am usually in hurry because I cannot imagine my bed spending another hour alone!
Not this Tuesday though, my bed can wait, Udada is my way of giving back to myself. With my girls in tow we check in to Udada, stop at the Maiyan table (main sponsor for this Udada gathering), my friend Koffian pretends to ask some questions but if she cared to be honest all she wants are the sweets that we have spotted on the table. The room is not as full yet as expected; you tell someone 5:30 they come at 6 except for us that is, of course we have to check in early, take some Selfies and sit in a strategic place for the camera.
We enjoy Hellen Mtawali’s rich music for a while before a lady, Emma (remember the lady in a pink short dress and a tribal jacket the first time I came to Udada?) yeah I even know her name now, comes in to welcome us and go through the Dadazine as she introduce the Founder of Sisterhood Global, Laimani Bidali, these ladies and heels! You got to give it to them. She then introduces James Mworia, the man of the evening.
True to her word, when James Mworia walks on stage I can’t help notice that the man is indeed one of the youngest CEOs I have seen and as he shares on his journey, how he rose from an intern to the CEO of Centum Investment, I begin to grasp why Centum is performing so well. Internship was like a gold mine for him, an opportunity that exposed him to almost every area of the company and it was through his position of filing documents. He embraced that opportunity to learn more and grow as a person; he would quickly finish his work and offer to help out on other departments.
Who asks for more work? I am guilty of feeling relieved anytime my deadlines get pushed to a later date. James’ word were more like a challenge to me, to stop seeing more work as a burden but rather as an opportunity to develop my skills in a certain area, as my boss likes to remind me, a wider base is a stable base.
No position is too small or beneath you, many times we complain of lack of opportunities but miss these same opportunities because we are busy performing according to what we earn. “If you don’t know where you are going, you do not know where you are getting lost” James Mworia. Be effective in your role, work with what you have in that position you are in today, opportunity is created by purpose and the vision, see it for what it is and also what it can be.
Be effective in your role, work with what you have in that position you are in today, opportunity is created by purpose and the vision, see it for what it is and also what it can be.
- (James Mworia)
Is this too much info to take in? Why don’t we take a break, well not like the one Sisterhood pulled on us, don’t they just know how to keep you glued to your seat? As this time as I am about to rush for my bathroom break, I see ladies strutting it, literally! Did I mention Laimani’s heels; those apparently were just a teaser because these ladies walking on the stage had HEELS! And it is for a cause, Stepping Up for Our Girls.
Where we are today is not where we started, had we not moved, we would have been at exactly the same place. I hope by now you have Stepped up for our Girls and you are ready to recline your sit, take a sip from your porridge and read on, because when they said save the best for last it was like they were speaking of this story. Well The best is here, this is what I learned about actualizing my vision and you can always share on your thoughts whether you agree or not.
Have faith in the measurable talents that God has given you. What you profess you manifest and this I found is absolutely true in work, if you profess you cannot complete your work and your actions are of one that is unable, it will be so. Be late working hard on something than never starting at all but it starts in believing in yourself, only then can others believe in you.
“There are two great days in a person’s life, the day you are born and the day you discover why” John Maxwell. Of course to some of us, there are many great days in our lives, like wedding day, birthdays and paycheck day and so on but the point here is to go out and confront life on our own terms, to get out of that comfort zone. We all go to bed equally tired whether doing great or small things but we are not doing everything if we are not fulfilling our purpose.
We all go to bed equally tired whether doing great or small things but we are not doing everything if we are not fulfilling our purpose.
Life is not an exam do not fear failure, it is not over until you give up take time to discover the incredible greatness in you and live it.
“There are three classes of people: those who see, those who see when they are shown and those who do not see.” - Leonardo da Vinci. What type of a person are you, I am one of those who see only when I am shown. When you look at life do you see challenges or opportunities because you see depending on the shades you have put on
“Enthusiasm without knowledge is not good” -Proverbs 19: 2. How many hours do you spend on reading or acquiring knowledge, the gap between a knowledgeable person and the unknowledgeable widens daily. It is essential that you Know your subject, passion or purpose well, be an expert in it, make it your business to know your business.
Enthusiasm without knowledge is not good” -Proverbs 19: 2.
I am sure you are familiar with the saying “You are the average of the 5 people you spend time with”. Hence, it is only wise if you deliberately choose the people you spend time with and ensure that you surround yourself with people that are better than you. If you spend time with negative people it successfully rubs off on you too much negativity might end up becoming your reality.
This is especially applicable to the entrepreneurs, many struggle on how much they should pay themselves but it made sense when James Mworia simplified it to you pay yourself based on the value you create. What you should get is a fraction of the value you have created, create value in everything you do it represents you and with time you create a brand. Consistent adding of value creates a brand.
I am feeling a little wiser so I will leave you with this quote by George Bernard Shaw “This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
- (George Bernard Shaw)
A little self audit will help, In the past seven days analyze how much time you have spent in the pursuit of your goal, also look at what you have spent time doing and you will see where you are going if you stay on the same path. Remember In everything you do, do it with Integrity, trust is irreplaceable; it’s a way of life, a very rare commodity. I look forward to seeing you on September 6th, Sisterhood is turning one!
