You must have a VISION of the future you plan to live—be it professional, personal or business endeavor. You MUST BELIEVE in your vision—both mentally and in your action. You must ACT on that vision.

My background for the above stated conviction is supported by an incident that happened in 1978 and there is a physical evidence for it—a photo with four of my high school classmates that is not only worth a thousand words but also speaks volumes. My heart has been disturbed for years whenever I see that photo. I just talked about that photo in public for the first time years since it was taken in my last days of life at Tala High School in Kenya.
 

It isn’t easy to write this piece. My inspiration to do so comes from the knowledge that untold story can be a constant source of agony. When we don’t tell a story we deny our fellow travelers an opportunity to acquire an aspect of life that might be all they need to reach their stars.

We were in Form IV (high school seniors) students of Tala High School in Kenya—the place I consider my utmost steppingstone for not only academic endeavors but also where personal awareness and application of life lessons were lived. We learned the meaning of hard work, nourished relationships and humanity actions that ensure what materialism has never provided. We learned the spirit of kwiminia a stronger word for unrelenting determination.

Not every student in Form IV was guaranteed admission to the next level. Over 80% of the students never made it. The struggles to achieve the required grades for admission in what was called Advanced Level, a two year school before another exterminating exam that only a few (less than 5%) managed to pass and get admitted at the University, were phenomenal.

Our academic challenges at Tala High were confounded with the fact that we had to perform adult responsibilities. We lived in rented apartments. Sometime up to six students shared a one room apartment. We advised ourselves on when to study. We fetched water, shopped for our food, hand-washed our clothes, cooked our meals and managed the meager budget from what little our parents gave us for survival.

We had been studying as a group of five buddies when another student with a camera stopped by. We seized the moment and wanted memorial photos taken. One of us said we should point at the direction of Nairobi University. That was our vision. That is why we were hitting books.

We kneeled down, each on one knee. We all faced the direction of Nairobi University with the exception of one student who did not point at the direction of Nairobi. The rest of us did.

That hurts me to this day. He was the only one, out of the five, not to achieve the required grades for the next level. Three of us eventually lived our vision. The fourth friend who pointed with us passed the exams with flying colors but decided to get employed and help his family.

The student who didn’t point was a close friend of mine. We had been together in Primary School. After I noticed that he had not pointed at our ultimate goal, I asked him, “why?” He said something that indicated he didn’t believe he could make it. That left me with the burden of figuring what had gone wrong. He had been an academic giant. I had struggled my entire elementary school years, spending SIX years in three grades. His performance in the high school entrance exam was superior. But four years later, he had lost the fire that comes with self belief.

What’s your vision? Do you believe in your capability? If you don’t, then know you don’t have a vision. And it is written, “Without a vision, people perish.” A vision cushioned by self-self inspires creativity that is never limited by available resources and fuels determination that knows no boundaries.


Special note: What made this story hard to tell is that my friend, who did not point at the direction of Nairobi University died shortly after I left Kenya. Another friend (the one next to me in the above photo) who had been the closed to me—we went to the same A-Level school and attended the Nairobi University together and graduated the same day, died in 1987.

Space is limited. Don’t wait. This is one of our most popular seminars and we are happy to partner with the Boise Metro Chamber of commerce.

What if you have the best products or services, but no one knows about them? What if you have limited or no capital for advertising your business? What if you want your business to remain profitable in any economy? Lack of marketing is the most effective way to go out of business. Creative marketing is the key to growing your business. This workshop will provide participants with practical steps on marketing with zero or a minimal budget.
 

To succeed in today's workplace and in your personal life, you need more than goals, smarts or top technological tools. You must be passionate, highly motivated, and focused in every aspect of your organization. The competitive nature of the business world dictates that people must produce results in a fast changing marketplace for them and/or their organization to remain relevant. Individuals and their organization must be proactive in order to focus on measurable performance and eradicate frustration, stress and crisis. Dr. Kituku's work-life strategies help people bring balance back to their lives. They learn how to develop and leverage a personal vision that not only takes their work performance to new heights but also discover important strategies of creating an extraordinary quality of life.

Here is a sample of some of the key tools that you will learn in this seminar and use immediately in major aspects of your work and life:
 

The first 119 attendees to register for only $69 per participant—
SAVING $90!

Born to succeed is the thought that couldn’t leave my mind as my wife and I were discussing about growing up in Kangundo, Kenya. We were brainstorming on what name would fit my wife’s new Child Care and Education Center. We realized that the backbone of the professional and personal growth we have enjoyed were rooted in what our parents, teachers and elders instilled in our young minds during our childhood—that we were born to succeed.

Like all children growing up in our community, we never had industrial toys. We got clay from riverbanks and created our toys—cars, doles, houses and whatever else we could conceive. With dry corn stalk I created mock spectacles. Our soccer balls were made of savaged newspapers or torn clothes materials—the balls never bounced but we played with them. We played with mud. I made my first watch with a piece of paper and a bottle-top. Our world of fun and exploration was not limited by what we didn’t have.

I remembered part of my early schooling when our classroom was primarily under a tree. We learned to write our ABCs and 123s on the ground. If the wind blew, our homework was gone. I still recall the rainy days that led to unexpected no-school days—natural holidays.

There were no text books for each pupil. Teachers wrote what we were to learn on the blackboard and erased it at the end of a period. Songs were also written on the board for a short period of time and we memorized them for life. However, even with the myriad of challenges, we were taught life parameters that transcend beyond classroom walls.
 

Learning was part of life—not isolated for five days a week. What comes to mind is the day my mother taught me multiplication tables as we were putting manure in our garden. That has never been erased from my memory for over 40 years since it happened. Years later, I used a family activity to teach one of my children multiplication tables. She has never had challenges in that line of arithmetic ever since.

Several teachers sacrificed their Saturday mornings to come to school and help us prepare for the extremely difficult high school entrance exams. They were not paid overtime. Their greatest reward was to see the young people in their community succeed. There were other adults who were not relatives or our teachers but still encouraged us to do our best, not only in school, but in life.

There was a woman we didn’t know who spanked us when she found me and my buddies hiding, sneaking out to try a cigarette a “friend” had, from class in sixth grade. A principal from a different school than mine took time to tell me that using my time to study was better investment that helping at a small restaurant my father had.

Looking back, it’s hard not to highlight key factors that were critical in our upbringing. Parents, teachers and other adults believed in us. Each contributed to the best of their ability to prepare us for the unpredictable future. They cared. We were told family stories (among others) that helped us know who we were and gave the sense of belonging each person needs. We learned stories of traditional heroes and their struggles and triumphs against stronger forces.

We learned respect is not slavery—we gave our seats to adults and listened without interrupting when someone else was talking. We shared any book available. We were responsible for bringing clay or whatever items teachers needed for our learning. Lack of material goods was never considered as poverty. Improvisation was part of life…and that’s how you succeed.

Selecting Born to Succeed Early Care & Education Center, Inc., as the name for my wife’s school became an exercise of reflecting on how we explored, learned and had fun in our childhood has become the central pillar of our adult lives. There are life attributes that make each child know and believe they were born to succeed.

If results are important to you, then
Dr Vincent Muli Kituku is the speaker/trainer for your group.
Call (208) 376-8724, or email Vincent directly at Vincent@kituku.com

Read Dr. Kituku’s newest articles online at: www.kituku.com, Idahopress.com, Casper Star Tribune Idahostatesman.com, Argus Observer, Business IQ, Post Register, Idaho Catholic Register, Idaho Press Tribune, Idaho Senior Citizen News, and Presentations Magazine.

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