Real Meaning of Success

At the beginning of the year I was faced with two choices. I had an opportunity to either study for my PhD or go to the School of Ministry. I chose the later, and I have no doubt I have made one of the best decisions in my life. As I reflected on this I realised that success is not necessarily what we all see. I discovered a new definition of success. A PhD would present great opportunities for me right? I would be considered a success by society right? Wrong! Why? Firstly, you do not succeed for the world to see you. Secondly, success is not just about getting opportunities for yourself.

The conversation of this week’s article is to take a closer look at success. Make no mistake, I believe in a great education and will soon pursue the PhD after graduating from school of ministry. The lesson is that you need to prioritise the things which are in line with your purpose first – that is success. But let me share with you what success is not, to determine what success is.

Success Isn’t About Being Somebody Else

It’s not about having:

· Bill Gates’ wealth

· David Beckham’s popularity

· Albert Einstein’s brains

· Walt Disney’s imagination

· Mandela’s grace and charm

· Bishop TD Jakes’ dynamism

Many of us see success as being the same as someone else but we can’t be someone else. If you’re trying to be someone else the best you can be is an imitation of them and you would be missing out on reaching YOUR potential.

Success Isn’t Wealth

John D Rockefeller, a man so rich that he gave away $350 million, was asked how much money it would take to satisfy him, he replied: Just a little bit more! King Solomon of ancient Israel, who is said to be the richest and wisest man who ever lived said: ‘Whoever loves money never has money enough, whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income’. Greek millionaire Aristotle Onassis said ‘After you reach a certain point, money becomes unimportant. What matters is success.’ The pursuit of wealth might be a wild goose chase if success is not the goal.

Success isn’t Happiness

Billionaire Donald Trump said ‘The real measure of success is how happy you are. I have a lot of friends who don’t have a lot of money, but they are a lot happier than I am, so therefore I say that they are probably more successful.’ Yet many of his happy friends think he is the successful one. If you make happiness your goal, you will never be successful because life is uncertain and emotions aren’t stable. Happiness is a temporary feeling that comes from your “happenings”.

Success Isn’t Possessions

Success doesn’t come when you possess something you’ve always wanted such as a 5 bed roomed house on a golf estate or driving a Hummer. Possessions may give you a temporary feeling of having made it, but the feeling soon wears off. I remember the first car that I drove was a Mazda 323. Coming from driving a “Footron”, I thought I had arrived. Alas I was wrong. Within a few months I wanted to drive the Mazda 626. But soon after I drove the 626, I thought I was driving the lousiest car in town. The point is possessions are not the mark of success.

Success Isn’t Power or Achievement

Power is not success. It is a tool that can be used to build up or destroy. Powerful people are not necessarily successful. One ex president once said that “Power is sweet”. In his selfish pursuit to get drunk with power, the country was famishing with poverty! Achieving goals doesn’t guarantee success or contentment. You may have achieved all the goals on your list, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be successful. The question is are those goals worthwhile and are they for the good of many?

So, WHAT IS SUCCESS?

According to John C Maxwell, success is:

1. Knowing your purpose in life

2. Growing to reach your maximum potential

3. Sowing seeds that benefit others

So you can all be successful. How? It is a journey which starts when you discover your purpose! What are you cut out for? What are you wired for? Pursue that purpose while serving others in the process. Tell me if in doing so you will not meet with success! I have a ‘money back guarantee’ on this one. The secret of success is that there is no secret. This is it!

May the blessing of God overwhelm you on your success journey.

Spirit of Entreprise

Wired For Entreprise

The capacity to create something out of nothing is what makes everyone of us very special. Every human has the instinct for entreprise. We are all wired with an inherent ability to develop, build, craft, generate, produce, or spawn something. This could be an invention, a book, poem or a business. We just need to activate the spirit which makes us create – the spirit of enterprise. Entrepreneurship is the opposite of being a victim. Your political, economic, social situation might have made you a victim, but a spirit of enterprise is the visa to victory. Extreme adversity is a breeding ground for entrepreneurs. Whatever the situation you might be in, create possibilities. This spirit is not just about seeing possibilities and opportunities but about creating them.

Entreprise Spirit vs Spirit of Enterprise

Entreprise comes down to two things: who you are and how you think. You need to see yourself as born entrepreneur, and then have the mindset of entreprise. An entreprise spirit is what every human being gets when they are born. We all can perform an entreprise – work. With just the entreprise spirit, you are like a car with no petrol. What good is a car if it cannot be driven? The spirit of entreprise is the X factor you need to accomplish extra ordinary exploits. In other words you need to add attitude to the aptitude to tap into the wellsprings of entreprise. The entreprise spirit is the hardware and the spirit of entreprise is the software.

What you need to capture and cultivate is a spirit of entreprise. It is a consciousness of knowing that you are a creative being, and showing an attitude that goes with that awareness. In a way you have allowed failure, discouragement, the usual “lack of resources” to hamper your natural entrepreneurial instincts. The spirit of entreprise is the mindset or attitudes that allow the dormant entrepreneurial potential you have to be fully manifested.

Possessed By Spirit of Entreprise

When you cast out the demons of poverty, lethargy, apathy, procrastination, surrender you need to be filled with the spirit of entreprise. When this possesses you, it manifests as an overwhelming need for achievement and strong urge to build. Ask an entrepreneur like Patrice Motsepe (personal worth of R13 billion in 2007), Strive Masiyiwa (Econet founder), Phutuma Nhleko (MTN) or Nigel Chanakira (CEO of conglomerate KMAL). They will all tell you, that the spirit of entreprise is like fire shut in their bones. Do you have a dream that is threatening to tear you apart? Pursue it! This spirit makes one a tough, pragmatic individual driven by need of independence and achievement. The need to achieve drives you to a point of being a rebel with a cause. The spirit of entreprise gives birth to a vision. The vision is executed with such an enthusiastic passion and through persistence it becomes a reality. It translates you from the kingdom of doom and gloom to a kingdom of possibilities. Your vocabulary changes from “it cant” to “it can”, “problems” to “challenges”, “nothing” to “something”.

Hedge Your Interests

The spirit of entreprise means your eggs are not just in one basket and you are busy watching the basket. It is great wisdom to hedge your interests, whether you are a nation, businessperson, politician, student, employee or pastor. You need to have multiple streams of revenue or income. Create products and services which give you new revenue streams or additional income. You cannot wait for the future, create it today. Apart from your 5-8 job, you need to have additional income streams. Have a business on the side, as long as there is no conflict of interest. Write a book, blog, bake cakes, become a domain expert, piggyback (Virgin Mobile are doing it and they are in the mega money) be a commodity or service broker (somebody somewhere needs something that is a phone call away). Create something new, package it, patent it and make money from the intellectual property through passive and annuity income. Businesses also need to encourage a “spirit of intraprise”. This is achieved through creating a corporate social architecture that generates intellectual capital. For example allow your employees to dream, break down the suffocating bureaucracies, encourage and reward a spirit of entreprise. This will unleash the best of your employees.

Do it for yourself, do it for the world. With all thy getting get the spirit of entreprise.

God bless you and everyone else!

A Call To Leadership

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A Call To Leadership

The recent events in Kenya are very sad. One African death is one too many… over 600 is just too much. The drawn out Zimbabwean crisis is yet another one which cannot be allowed to go on. How can a teacher who earns ZWD14 million per month be expected to survive when a bottle of cooking oil costs ZWD10 million? In Kenya it is the same story of personal, partisan and tribal interests. These two are just a few examples. We could talk about DRC, South Africa, Sudan. At what point are we going to produce a leadership cadre that puts national interests before their personal and party interests? Is it possible for us to pass on the baton without battering, killing and maiming each other? Leadership at the national level is a macrocosm of the microcosm. It is a reflection of the kind of leadership we have at every level in the society. I want to be challenged on this one. We NEED leaders at every level if we are to move forward.

What is Leadership?

Oswald Sanders defined leadership as influence. Period. You do not need to bash people’s heads in order to be a leader. You influence people to follow you because you have a compelling vision. Those who follow, enthusiastically buy into what you stand for by aligning their self interest to the common vision. The word lead at its root means ‘to go, travel or guide’. There is a sense of movement. Therefore leadership is about taking people form one level to another, a new dimension, a better place. This is what our countries, institutions, businesses, churches, families are crying for – leadership. David led the children of Israel out of the integrity of his heart and with skillful hands. That is the kind of leadership we should demand of ourselves and of others.

Leadership in The Marketplace

The first generation African entrepreneurs used to have businesses that were on strong ground. The essence of their businesses was primarily to serve and make a bit of money. That is why they were corner grocers, hawkers and bus operators. They made modest wealth. Sadly today, although many of us are now participants in the main stream economy, however the levels of corruption are sickening. There is now a sycophantic relationship between “business” and the bureaucrats in government. The levels of profiteering are criminal. Service and quality are sacrificed on the altar of profit. We need to pass on the right business values to our children. You can still be a successful business person without having to pay any bribes, evade taxes, exploit your staff, offering sub standard goods or services. It is good to be in business, but it is better to be a leader in business. Next time you want to criticise politicians, think about how you are running your own business. As employees, be good stewards of the employer’s time and resources. The way you handle another’s business is the way yours will be handled. Think about it!

Leadership in Politics

I admire American politics. Can you imagine a white man standing for presidency in an African country? Unimaginable? Barack Obama is from Kenya, and has an opportunity to go to the White House and succeed George Bush. This is in stark contrast to our kind of politics where I cannot vote for you because you are from the east of the country. We need to also develop from the “down with so and so” kind of politics. It is barbaric. It is this type that makes us have tragic events as we have in Kenya. Politics was never meant to be a job, but a sacrifice. The sense of entitlement that most of African politicians have is very sad, especially the liberators of yesterday who say “we died (sic) for this country”. In Nigeria, there is brazen looting of state coffers where political office is synonymous with self enrichment. Does Africa not deserve better? There is also a monarchial tendency in our political leadership…once in power, wants to die in power. True and secure leadership passes on the baton. Let us also not abdicate our responsibility to participate in politics. Politics affects our lives and we all have a political responsibility to be political.

Leadership In The Home

Africa is crying for leadership in the home. Our homes need to be havens of protection, security and provision. We need to always be our children’s most important example. What our children see us do, they will also do. As parents our greatest responsibility is to lead our families to a better place. In order for us to break certain generational family dysfunctions we need strong leadership in the home. Spouse beating and endless bickering is a sign of weak leadership in the home. Strong homes build strong communities and strong nations. What generational impact have you had on your family? Some things must stop with you! Your parents were poor, and you want to bequeath poverty to your children? God forbid-O! Your parents in the village are still living in that hut where you were born many decades ago. Be the champion of your family – lead for a change! Change your generation.

God bless Africa and everywhere else.

A Call To Action

The Action Habit

The setting of goals is not an option if you want to make a difference. I trust we all now have set goals at this time of the year when big things pop and small things drop. However setting goals without action is the same as playing a friendly match. Successful people share one characteristic — they get things done. This ability supercedes brainpower or talent in determining the degree of your success. The action habit — the habit of putting ideas into action now — is essential to getting things done. Action is not a game. Its hard work. I am writing this to you at 1130pm after such a busy day. I could be in bed, but I have a goal to accomplish today!

1. Don’t Wait For The Perfect Time

If you’re waiting to start until conditions are perfect, you probably never will. The elections will soon come and go, interest rates will rise and fall, laws can change et.c. Something will always come up to give you an excuse. Who thought there would be violence in Kenya after 27 December? Start now with what you have, where you are with the conditions as they are. Create your own perfect time. We are already 10 days into 2008. Ideas get clearer as they are implemented. Every big thing started small…so be prepared to start small. If you wait to be big you will never start.

2. Action For Today

Let sleeping dogs lie. The past regrets, disappointments and failures belong to the past. Focus on what you can do in the present moment. Don’t worry about what you should have done last year. The only time you can affect is the present and the future. If you speculate too much about the past you won’t get anything done. You cannot drive a car while looking in the rear view mirror.

3. Action Starves Your Fear

90% of the things that you fear actually never come to pass. A young man gets a kick out of proposing to the most beautiful girl in the hood. All the young man’s previous fears turn out to be unnecessary. Action is the best cure for fear. The most difficult time to take action is the very first time. After the ball is rolling, you’ll build confidence and things will keep getting easier. Kill fear by taking action and build on that confidence. A baby eagle will never know the joys of flying until it spreads its wings.

4. Make A Difference

I once had the bad habit of checking emails as soon as I got into the office. This is serious distraction which can derail your goals for the day. The majority of people do that. It is important to break away from the pack in order to make a difference. Some of the things that you need to consider are the following:

· Less social browsing (includes Facebook, chats, news, music downloads)

· Little or no television (Yes, do it and see the difference it can make!).

· Lord it over your time and be master of your schedule

· Always seek excellence

· Identify a need and come up with a solution

· Be innovative and create something unique

· Pursue your dreams and goals with a passion

· Add value to what you do and other people’s lives

· Build and nurture relationships (between you and your next level is a person!)

· Have a quiet time to reflect and focus

Get down to business and stop fooling around. A little sleep, a little slumber, poverty will come to you like a bandit (Proverbs). Be the difference you want to see.

God bless you!

 

Starting Strong

The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand – Sun-Tzu

Sobering Statistics

The year has just started. A lot of people desire to be better, achieve more and make a difference. A research done shows that only 3% of people write down their goals and work towards them. This group achieves great success. The next 10% just imagine or think their goals, but never get to write them down. 60% set short term goals such as the where to go on holiday, what shoes to buy, et.c. This group which has the majority only has people who are getting by without making a difference. They are slaves to life. The last group of 27% has no idea about what they want out of life. They are just coasting through life going nowhere. These statistics are sobering. In which group are you? The difference between those who will celebrate success at the end of the year is in planning and goal setting. I would like to challenge you to plan and set goals for your life this year. There are 4 pillars of success which I would like to share with you as we begin 2008:

1. Vision

The wise King Solomon said, “Where the there is no vision, the people perish”. This was true then and even more today. Without a vision your career, marriage, finances, business, ministry, politics, anything and everything is doomed. Vision is the friend of every leader, helping you to keep perspective and stay the course. Without hope in the future, we lack power in the present. A vision is an overall conception of what you are striving to become. It clarifies intentions and aspirations. It is an aspiration that is massively inspiring, with an overarching sense of purpose. A vision is important in that it provides a rallying point to motivate you and galvanise your actions. You need a vision for your life, so that you can stand against the winds and the waves that fight your destiny. Have a vision that goes beyond meeting your daily needs. If you have a vision to buy a house or a car, then it is too small. A great vision should be an aspiration that touches many and outlives you.

2. Goals

A vision should be supported by worthwhile predetermined goals. The goals are specific milestones or targets which you want to achieve e.g US50 000 in savings, degree, revenue, profit. Once you are clear about your goals, set out to attain them with unshakable singleness of purpose and forceful zeal of a crusader. The goals should be specific, measurable and time bound. Add a burning desire and consuming passion to the goals for a good measure. With controlled attention, sustained effort and concentrated energy we will soon read good things about you. Set clear goals which you want to achieve in every area of your life – FAMILY/HOME, FINANCIAL/CAREER, MENTAL/EDUCATIONAL, SPIRITUALLY, SOCIAL and HEALTH.

3. Values

Values are the vision and goal anchoring behaviours. Strong businesses and communities have strong value systems. Values shapes actions, and mould behaviour. Collectively they form a value system. They are standards, principles, ideals and morals which help in regulating systems whether social, commercial or spiritual. It is not enough to have a great vision and goals, you need supporting behaviours to anchor it. Values are what will make your vision tick, and thrive in the present and the future. Values run deep. They are the DNA of success.

Values can also be viewed as a philosophy of living. If you have weak values, your vision and goals are greatly exposed. The values which I personally cherish include staying power, power of execution, discipline, positive attitude. These inform my actions as I execute my goals.

4. Priorities

Success without harmony is a disaster. True and lasting success should follow the law of priorities. It is important to establish a clear order when it comes to pursuit of success. If the order is not established, the success can become a pain (you don’t enjoy it) at best or a disaster (you completely lose it) at worst. For that reason, my priorities are as follows in that order – God, Wife, Family and Business. If at any point any one of these priorities threatens the other, alarm bells ring. We all might have different priorities for different reasons but the most important thing is to ensure we get them right.

I believe that if at this time of the year you put these four pillars in place, you will set yourself up for great success.

To a great year!