Do you know someone who is graduating from high school or college?
Do you think a few life lessons can inspire him or her as they prepare for the next chapter of their life?
Here is an opportunity that has never been available before.
For the next FIVE days (this free gift will not be available after June 5th), you are free to download up to 3 copies of the
Top 45 Must Know Life Lessons for Top Achievers. (click image to download)
Have you ever received an unexpected gift? Has an unfamiliar person ever sent you a congratulatory note for a recognition you received or an award you won? Has a stranger ever treated you with unanticipated respect and honor?
If your response to any or all of the above is yes, then you know what it feels like to receive special treatment. If the experience is eye opening to you, you will surely want to create opportunities for other people to experience the same feeling.
In early 1996, the Idaho Statesman wrote a story about me and the folktales my mother taught me that I had written about in my first book East African Folktales for All Ages. A few weeks later, Larry Crowley, then a vice president at the Idaho Power Company, came to a toastmaster’s club where I was a member and surprised me with a gift that still means a lot to me.
He had called the newspaper and ordered a 24x18 inch photo of the page where I was featured and had the photo professionally framed. I was speechless when the unexpected gift was handed to me. The whole experience still warms my heart when I see the photo of my story with the huge headline: "The Voice of Africa."
About ten years after I was given that special gift, I started following local news items of who is being recognized for professional achievement. An individual’s contribution to the Boise-area community is factored into the annual selection of Women of the Year, presented by the Idaho Business Review to about 50 women. The Tribute to Women and Industry (TWIN), presented by the Women’s and Children’s Alliance (WCA) honors about 30 women for similar achievements.
Winners’ names with photos and the organization they work for are printed in the recognition event’s program. We search for their addresses and mail a congratulatory letter and a gift—most often a copy of Overcoming Buffaloes at Work & in Life and the "Top 45 Must Know Lessons for Top Achievers" poster. Sometimes I include a carved wooden letter opener from the Kamba community (my people) of Kenya.
Here is an actual email from a stranger who received the gift I mailed:
"Good Morning, I received your congratulations package related to the TWIN award program and wanted to let you know that I really appreciated it. I receive unrequested mail daily and as I opened the package I thought this might be the same. I was moved immediately as I read a portion of the "9 Must Know Lessons…" booklet. I loaded the CD and listened all the way through as I looked up your website online. Obviously I was very affected and wanted to let you know right away…"
My goal for the congratulatory letter and small gifts is purely to recognize and encourage recipients to continue doing good things for our community. I have been moved by the responses from some of them.
One recipient wrote, "In an effort to help others feel similarly impressed, I wonder what your options for keynote or short motivational seminars might be. I am the manager of a training unit and would like to see if a program you offer could fit into our plans for this year. We are located in Boise, Idaho." She had no idea her office was less than five minutes from mine.
Is there someone you think might be encouraged by an unexpected gift from you? Your gift can be as simple as a phone call or something of value given with no strings attached. Each time you do something for other people without expecting anything in return, you experience unusual comfort and renewed sense of purpose.
1. Online HERE
2. Toll free 1-888-685-1621 or (208) 376-8724 to
register with a credit card 
3. Mail a check or money order to:
KITUKU & ASSOCIATES
P.O. Box 7152
Boise, Idaho 83707
4. Print, Fill Out and Fax THIS FORM to (208) 323-7612
5. Email vincent@kituku.com or kasiva@kituku.com
Words From Past Participants
"Vincent…So interesting to read about the Kenyan "three things" tradition that parallels the Yiddish story. It must be a reflection of the universal desire to be useful and leave something that endures. Also the fact that "story" has such an important place in your culture. I think we're only now realizing the power of story here in the West. I do wish preachers would understand that concept and employ story and imagination more readily in their preaching. Most preaching is too pedantic and touches only the head. Stories touch the heart."
Stories inspire people to improve their lives. They inspire people to give to humanitarian causes. Stories provide reason for hope and expectation of a better tomorrow in tough times. Stories inspire people to believe in themselves, go the extra mile and work with team members to achieve an expected outcome. Stories don’t have to be long to make people think and act.
I received another email with the following message:
"Vincent...I wanted to thank you for speaking to our son Preston and three friends. They mentioned you spoke to them about the BSU Oklahoma game. They discussed your story several times; and whenever an 11 year old repeats something, you know the story had an impact on them."
Preston's team did play for the Optimist Junior Championship Saturday night and they won 36-30 in triple overtime.
The losing team had never lost a game in three consecutive years.
The strange thing is that I was walking to my car when a mother of one of the boys told me they would be playing for the championship game in the morning and asked if I had words of wisdom to share. I carry a small prop in my wallet that I use to illustrate the power of focus. I removed it and told them the story about it and how I used it to help the BSU Broncos focus on the game against Oklahoma. I closed with "stay focused and you will win."
In December, 2006, before leaving for their 2007 game against Oklahoma, several BSU football players had teary eyes when they heard the story and five others that I customized for that moment.
"…Just want to let you know we received a $1,000 online gift yesterday in response to your article in the Idaho Press Tribune."
"…Your story of the man walking in the desert and other thoughts that you shared really put things into perspective and gave me a strong desire to find more balance and joy in my life. I gained a renewed excitement to finish my education in psychology so that I can one day help others, as I feel that is the path I am supposed to travel…"
Diana Ridgeway
"…His humor and storytelling were second to none. But what really impressed us was his ability to capture in our hearts and minds the relevance, morality, virtues and applications of his African Folktales into our own lives and situations of today."
Denton Evans, Counselor, West Jefferson School
"…When you talked of how monkeys were caught and how that related to drug use, I was amazed…but those two or three sentences you said were more impacting than any hour long speech I had heard before…"
Jennifer, Student, Caldwell High School
"…what sets you apart is the unique way that you weave your stories from Africa into the material, forcing the audience to visualize the points in a different way than any other speaker they have ever heard."
Dirk Koetter, former BSU football head coach
The story used must be relevant to the point being made and how it is told matters. Here are a few things to bear in mind:
- Don’t be obvious. Let your audience think.
- Your story needs to have an emotional appeal.
- Life has ups and downs and so should be your story.
- Explain how it relate with your main point(s).
- Give the audience the opportunity to reflect and make decisions.
Mark Twain, speaking of pausing when telling a story said, "The pause is an exceedingly important feature in any kind of story, and a frequently recurring feature, too. It is a dainty thing, and delicate, and also uncertain and treacherous; for it must be exactly the right length--no more and no less--or it fails of its purpose and makes trouble. If the pause is too short the impressive point is passed, and [if too long] the audience have had time to divine that a surprise is intended--and then you can't surprise them, of course."
In short, learn how to tell stories.
