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“You can’t be a monk.” He wanted to know why. Monks
not only rescued him but also raised him. He wanted to
do what they were doing, have the same kindness toward
other people and live a simple life dedicated to
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When Earnest, my friend, the most traveled man I have
ever known, tells this story, you feel the sadness. It
is about his museum guide in Cambodia who, at the age
of five was walking with his family when a landmine
killed everyone in his family save him. How he
survived was a miracle that also left him without one
hand. Starving from hunger and in pain, he was rescued
by monks, who took him and raised him.
When he turned 18, he wanted to become a monk but was
told, “You have to have two hands to pray. You can’t
be a monk.” Earnest’s story takes you to Cambodia,
detaches one of your hands and weights your heart when
you hear you can’t pray because you don’t have two
hands.
Millions of people have been so discouraged that they
left what they felt called to do. Countless women have
told stories of how they were discouraged from
pursuing their dreams because of their gender. Race,
tribe and religion have been used to discourage people
from living their purpose.
Ignorance plays a major role in discouraging others to
follow their dreams. When I was writing my first book,
East African Folktales for all Ages, a
colleague asked me how I could even think of writing
such a book in Idaho where there were (and still are)
few African-Americans. I sold five thousand books in
less than six months.
Time and space limit what I can write about the
discouragements I received because of my “Wyoming
accent,” when I decided to follow my heart and help
people and organizations as a professional speaker and
trainer. I still appreciate my colleagues and others
who saw my accent as a limitation. It wasn’t for me. I
couldn’t think of any other way to live my purpose.
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Have a clear sense of your purpose.
No one can doubt Mandela’s sense of purpose as he was being arrested,
tortured and imprisoned for his country, or the driving force that led
Mother Teresa to serve destitute children with empty futures.
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Never let what others see as your obstacles
become obstacles to you, too.
After he was told by his 7th grade teacher that he couldn’t
play basketball, AlejAdro Anastasio (http://www.lifewithonehand.com),
my friend and fellow speaker, born without one hand, earned three black
belts in martial arts. He also rode his bicycle from Seattle to Chicago. He
has trained young boys and girls in martial arts for more than ten years.
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Don’t harbor bitterness toward your
discouragers.
Lesson #44 of the Top 45 Lessons for Top Achievers states that, “The
best revenge is to do what your critics said you couldn’t.”
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Seek and associate with those who believe in you
and your purpose.
For every discourager you face, there are many encouragers. There is someone
who sees your potential and believes in you even in areas of strength that
you might not be aware of.
I recall how members of Toastmasters used to tell me that I could be a
motivational speaker way before I knew that people get paid to speak.
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It is your calling. How you would fold your
hands to pray, if that is necessary, is seen by your creator.
He knows your heart’s desire. Follow your heart, not your
discouragers.
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Become a self (and other) encourager and you will minimize
your chances of being discouraged. |
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It is not a small task to harbor thoughts of the
emptiness thrust into your life when you know of human
pain, feel helpless and then realize doing nothing is
worse than that feeling of emptiness. It is only God’s
grace that strengthens people, exposed to human
suffering unknown in industrialized parts of the
world, to wake up and look forward to another day. |
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Vickie’s story is not unfamiliar. It is why we established
Caring Hearts and Hands of Hope. Our Kenyan contact’s
message was, “The girl is a total orphan. She scored very
well in the KCPE, getting 323 out of 500 marks. She misses
school regularly due to being sent home for money to pay
for the accumulated fees arrears. As a result, her
performance in school has continued to decline…”
What caught our attention is Vickie’s declining
performance, especially given her performance in Kenya
Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams. “It is a
real bad situation. The girl lives with her aunt who is a
prostitute. She never knows what each night will be like
and whether there will be food or not,” I was told when I
asked why her grades were declining.
She was attending a day school, five miles from where she
and her aunt lived, if that kind of existence qualifies as
living. With no lights to study at night, coupled with
fear for her safety and often with little or nothing to
eat, a brilliant girl’s future was marred. She was a child
with an empty future.
The culture of poverty has many faces. When we established
Caring Hearts and Hands of Hope, we wanted to help
orphans, children of widows and those from abject poverty
with high school tuition and fees. On average, tuition and
fees per year are $250. Vickie’s situation called for us
to search for a boarding school and transfer her
immediately.
When a school was found, what happened next left me
saying, “God have mercy.” You take a 14 year-old girl away
from the person left behind to help her and that person
does not object or even want to know where the child is
being taken? But then I realized that the aunt is relieved
of a “burden” brought to her without her consent.
I have raised three daughters and I am a weakling—I cry
when they leave home for college at 18. Knowing they are
living in a dorm is not a complete comfort for me. Some of
the girls we are assisting with tuition and fees in Kenya
have no one to cry to when a stranger takes them away.
Vickie was transferred to a boarding school in January. A
small sacrifice gives a child hope. Without hunger, fear
for her safety or worry about being sent away from school
for lack tuition and fees, Vickie soon ranked number 29 of
121 students. Before we transferred her, she was 45 among
80 students. That is the miracle your contribution is
performing.
Any contribution is
greatly appreciated.
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To assist a girl like Vickie with tuition &
fees |
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Mail a check to:
Caring Hearts and Hands of Hope Inc, Idaho United Credit Union
P.O Box 2268, Boise, ID 83701 |
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The essential qualities all successful people need to possess in
today’s
workplace
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Recognizing and maximizing what sets you apart in your industry
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How to ask for what you need when you need it
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Top tips for peak performance, overcoming “Impala Syndrome”
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How to stay motivated, focused and position yourself for success in
whatever you do
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6 must-know ways to be abnormally normal and achieve more
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Recognizing the high cost of life imbalance
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Identify top 3 relationships with everlasting rewards
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Great strategies for handling unexpected changes
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12 steps for turning setbacks into setups for new beginnings
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It will give hope for a better future to a student
who, without assistance, might have no future. 100% of
the profits will go toward tuition for an orphan or
child of a widow in high school. Learn more at
www.caringheartsandhandsofhope.org. |
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Read the articles in this announcement to know the
value of your investment.
Dr. Kituku, a native of Kenya and a resident of Idaho
since 1992 is an international speaker, author and
seminar leader. The author of over 1000 published
articles, Vincent has brought African wisdom to
corporate America and public institutions. You are
guaranteed to learn key strategies that you can apply
to your life and experience tangible and intangible
results.
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Your Investment: |
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You can contribute me for the
cause.
100% of your investment will help an
orphan or a
needy child have a high
school education. |
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When: |
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Live teleconference:
June 15th, 2011 |
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WHEN: |
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MDT:
11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. |
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EDT:
1:30p.m.- 3:00 p.m. |
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CDT:
12:30 p.m.- 2:00 p.m. |
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PDT:
10:30 a.m.-12:00 (noon) |
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Where: |
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At your office, home, car or in your workplace conference room |
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To register and for more information: |
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Once you register, you will
receive your audio access code.
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Important: If you cannot participate this time, but want
to help,
you can still give your access code to someone else.
If you would like to sponsor a student, learn more at
www.caringheartsandhandsofhope.org or call (208)
376-8724
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A Message for Meeting Planners
and Training Managers:
Dr. Kituku is discounting (50%) all keynotes, breakout
session workshops and whole day training that are booked
in June (the event DOES NOT have to be in June). All
profits will be used to support orphans and other needy
students in Kenya. Your investment is good until June 1st
2012. That is, you have 12 months you don’t have to worry
about your event’s presenter.
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As presented in
Overcoming Buffaloes at Work & in Life, the
uncertainties of today’s workplace are like a jungle
infested with mean-spirited buffaloes stampeding on
unsuspecting villagers. Turbulence in Asia hurts computer
industries in Boise, Idaho. Technological advances, less
restricted international trading rules, and regional,
national or international mergers, have precipitated
unprecedented changes including layoffs. No one is sure of
his or her source of bread for tomorrow nor are many people
willing to commit their loyalty blindly to a single company.
Already, we are trending on uncharted territory in the
global village |
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How can you motivate your people, create a workplace
that’s positive, team-oriented, and fosters growth and
increased productivity?
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Include people in your vision.
People thrive in activities in which their
aspirations, hopes and resources are incorporated from the start. Peter Senge in The Fifth Discipline says people are only motivated by personal
visions which usually include aspects that concern any social entity,
family, community, public or private organizations.
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“One finger cannot kill a lice.”
Leaders have to walk on unfamiliar
grounds with others, sooner or later. Traditional knowledge has it that it
took a team to spear a buffalo. Your team must know what the buffalo
(challenge, change or vision) is, who has what spear and how each team
member’s contribution is part of the organization’s success. Communication,
coordination, conflict and change management systems are essential for the
team to overcome the buffalo, stay focused and increase productivity.
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Forget short-term team building programs, otherwise you will be trapped
in the passion of feeding the self-esteem of the “worried few.” Build a
strong community where confidence and productivity are largely influenced by
a sense of belonging and acceptance for the team’s overall purpose. A
community, not “self,” provides these productivity assets. In sports, teams
consist of talented specialists. To win games, these specialists perform
their best by working together with each other. It’s a community thing.
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Grow the whole person.
Don’t separate business from body and soul. As I
work with college football coaches about developing a motivation program
that helps athletes win games (I have presented motivational speeches to
Boise State University football since 1998), my suggestion is, develop them
academically, morally and athletically. Your genuine interests in people’s
growth in all areas, not just in the aspect you need today, motivates them
to excel in life. They become key contributors across the board. The
assurance that players can have life off the court is a key to success for
many winning teams. The same principle applies in all social institutions.
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Take hold of the buffalo’s horn
and let others take care of the kicks. Jomo Kenyatta, the late first president of Kenya, told his countrymen, “I
have held the buffalo’s horn, deal with the kicks,” as Kenya freed itself
from Britain’s colonial bondage. Clear, expectations and empowerment are the
“horn” you, the leader, must hold and your team will follow with all it has.
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Train and develop your people.
If the people you lead depend on your
skills and wisdom, you will have to support them perpetually. Providing them
with training and a safe work environment dissolves the uncertainty of
knowledge work. It allows individuals to do their jobs.
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Inner peace.
The importance of inner peace is un-discussed in modern
corporate world. However, great leaders know that a peace of mind and soul
gives them the stability and focus they need to undertake the difficult
decisions. At the top, you find that your decisions relegate you to
emotional isolation. An uncertain business environment amplifies isolation.
Inner peace gives you tranquility and a place to stand so you can move your
world.
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BONUS:
Resilience after an experience with “buffaloes.” Because buffaloes
(challenges) are part of life, you must learn to bounce back from the
effects of these “buffaloes” and help those around you bounce back from
their “buffaloes” as well.
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Character, integrity, and consistently high values will help you lead
your team to success on unfamiliar ground.
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In African savannas, rainfall and mosquitoes come in the
same season. Challenges and opportunities are wrapped
together. Today’s unfamiliar ground has its challenges and
opportunities. You have nine time-tested tools that
transcend generations and cultures.
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Native of Kenya, Africa, and resident of Idaho since
1992, Vincent has been a featured speaker and
trainer at numerous Real Estate conferences and
training programs. An award winning speaker and
writer, he is one of the less than 7% of all
professional speakers to earn a CSP (Certified
Speaking Professional), the highest award for
professional speakers. Dr. Kituku has worked with
championship sports teams and trained leaders on how
to inspire productivity all the time. What sets
Vincent apart is his ability to weave life
experiences in Africa with corporate America and
culture in providing solutions for personal and
professional growth.
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Dr. Vincent Muli Wa Kituku is known as a research-based
motivational speaker. He presents motivational keynotes
and training programs on leadership, employee
motivation, overcoming buffaloes at work (change),
customer service and living and working with cultural
differences. Vincent is the founder and president of
Kituku & Associates, LLC, a business that is dedicated
to developing leaders and employees in business and in
life.
What has set Dr. Kituku apart is the ability to use his
experience in research to evaluate/assess client needs
and then tailor his keynotes/training presentation to
meet their objectives. Harold G. Delamarter,
President/CEO, Prestige Care Inc. said, "Before the
Retreat, Dr. Kituku gained as much information as
possible about our company and the industry we are
involved in. He made telephone calls to management team
members to tailor his seminar very closely to the needs
of our employees and the circumstances they face each
day in the present economy. Dr. Kituku was so widely
received in July, the decision was made to ask him to
return to again present to our company in October."
Vincent's clients list includes Cisco Systems, Micron,
Hewlett Packard, Genworth Financial, US Fish and
Wildlife, US Air Force, Women Council of Realtors and
National Association of Mental Health. He has been the
motivational speaker for the successful Boise State
Football Team since 1998. Dr. Kituku works have been
featured by numerous publications including the
Presentations Magazine, SkyWest Magazine, National
Speakers Association Magazine and many newspapers which
publish his weekly columns. Vincent holds the Certified
Speaking Professional designation that is earned by
fewer than 7% of all speakers worldwide.
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