The last sentence of the introduction was, "Please, join me in welcoming our speaker, Dr. Vincent Muli Wa Kituku." It was a sentence in a moment that was forever inscribed in my memory. I was invited to speak to graduates and their families on the eve of the traditional graduation ceremony, an annual tradition at Willamette University.
Lucille, our second child, was one of the graduates and she had given my name to the organizers of the event as a potential speaker. One of the planners called me to check for my availability and then asked me, "What would be your message for the group? There will be students, adults and young children." My response was brief. "I will make them laugh, think and go change their world."
My overwhelming inability to focus on what to say was due to Lucille's story. Let me take care of the basics first. Lucille does not only have her mother’s looks, they are both hard workers, pragmatic and unbelievably well organized. After Lucille left home for college at the beginning of each semester, I would go to her bedroom in the evening. The room was neatly organized with the bed made as if it would be used that night.
I believe Lucille’s turning point was fifth grade. Her teacher, Mrs. Bonnie Drick, expected her students to live up to their potential. That was the year we noticed that the burden of having Lucille get ready for school before the bus came had disappeared. It was the year she took charge of any aspect of her life that others had authority over. She had dressed herself since she was about two years old.
We paid for one month's lunch meals on the registration day as she began 6th grade in middle school. That would be the last check we would write for Lucille’s school lunches. She figured out that she could work at the cafeteria, eat free meals and get paid. Her first pay check was $.50.
Her dream was to play professional basketball, and that was before she attained her current height of 5 feet, 2 inches. She hit the courts with a purpose and in the process developed an unrestrained desire to become a sports medicine doctor. Her 17th birthday gift was a human skeleton. At Willamette, her team won intramural basketball three times.
What threw me off balance emotionally before my speech was an award she received. The award is "presented to the most outstanding members of the senior class who have contributed meritorious Service to the Associated Students. Recipients are selected based on their time and effort spent in the name of Willamette University, the diversity of their activities, and their impact on other students." The award is called Senior Key.
Reading the details of what she accomplished to receive the award one would think she had been a full time employee. Here is highlight — She created and sustained an inclusive staff environment allowing diverse members on staff to feel welcome and included; supervised, supported and evaluated resident assistants as member of the central staff; provided training and student development by leading and facilitating sessions regarding self assessment and time management; recruited, trained and supervised incoming staff members by facilitating workshops and leading group sessions regarding time management and self-sustainability and collaborated with community organizations to provide learning opportunities for high school and middle school students from schools in Willamette.
The last activity would lead to Lucille’s first job after college, coordinating a program called P16 (pre-school through the first degree), the purpose of which is to prepare students from challenging backgrounds to succeed in life. The program is made possible through collaborative efforts of the Treasure Valley YMCA, The United Way and the Caldwell school district. I cried the day I and other people entered Lucille’s classroom. A fourth grade girl was our tour guide. She knew the year she will graduate from college.
Did I say the skeleton was used for financial benefit? Lucille was a Human Anatomy Laboratory Assistant in college for three years.
Ever since her first pay check, a portion of her earnings is always dedicated to the less fortunate. In Kenya, there is a high school orphan student who is in school today and has hope for a better tomorrow because Lucille cares.
I made the speech, although its memory has been eclipsed by my pride in my daughter. And yes, the skeleton, whose name is Ferguson, is still in her closet!
Writer's Note: When Lucille read this article, she emailed, "Wow! That was very touching and although I lack the words to truly tell you how it made me feel, I do want you to know that I am proud to have you for a Father.
Thank you for writing this wonderful article, it has come at a perfect time in my life… where I am beginning to This article helps put things in perspective and reminds me that we are an accumulation of what we learn over time, and must continue to keep learning in order to keep growing whether in our personal, professional or spiritual lives. I Love you, Dad!" Lucille M. Muli - Kituku
*Please sure you read "The Empty Pages", the poem Dr. Kituku wrote when his children were young on page 98 of the new book.*
In January, I wrote, "Things are not as easy or as hard as they seem in the beginning. Prepare to be surprised!"
You can imagine my surprise when the sales representative working on the delivery of my book, Run: Whether You Are a Lion or a Gazelle, emailed me the following… "Vincent, Ron finally heard back this AM. The books went to Indiana. He demanded that we get them today and no extra expense. We are waiting to hear confirmation on when they will arrive. I apologize for this mess. I have not experienced a mess like this before. That is all I know right now but hope to have some more information today…"
I believed her. They have published my books, including the most sought after, Overcoming Buffaloes at Work & in Our Lives, since 1996.
I live in Idaho, not Indiana. The latest we expected the books was on the 15th, but the above email was sent on April 17. Then I remembered, "Prepare to be surprised."" I recalled another piece of wisdom from the 1990s that, "Blessed are the flexible for they shall never be bent out of shape."
The skills, experiences or material resources that got you where you are today may not necessarily be assets you need to survive and thrive tomorrow.
"Run: Whether You Are a Lion or a Gazelle" is the book to help you achieve more than expectations, become a person of value, thrive in chaos and balance work and life. You will be inspired to:
- Never let your dreams suffer due to lack of resources
- Discover and use your personal strengths
- Develop marketable skills for an unpredictable world
- Never "walk" after you learn to "fly"
- Find meaning in your life's dark moments
- Experience a life of no regrets
Here are minute highlights on what you will learn in this must-have book:
➢ How to
Manage Perpetual Workplace Changes - it has been said that, "Sometimes in the winds of change we find our true direction."
➢ Why you should
Thank God for a "Mean" Boss. E. Scott Fitzgerald said, "The true test of a first-rate mind is the ability to hold two contradictory ideas at the same time." While on it, you will learn
Why It Is Not Necessarily Bad to Fire an Employee.
➢ That, the best time you spend in your life is the one you invest in your family in the chapter on
The Morning Drive.
➢
How to Find a Meaning in Your Deepest Darkness. Recall the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, "That our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter."
➢ The power of Ralph Waldo Emerson's words when he said, "It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself" in the chapter on How to
Benefit From Your Workplace-Business Relationships.
➢
What to Focus On to Have a Positive Attitude Every Day. From the moment you assimilate the humbling message in this chapter and the 30 easy to do DAILY things, you will know what Gerald Good had in mind when said, “If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily.”
In the 110 pages of this book, you will find what you need for your professional and personal pursuits and how to achieve life balance that is so elusive.
Please note:
All pre-publication orders were mailed last week.
If you registered before February 7th for the Run: Whether a Lion or a Gazelle seminar that was help on March 1st, there is a FREE copy for you! If you live in Boise, email the name you want autographed on your copy and go pick up your book at Deli George, 220 S Broadway Ave (behind Carl's Jr). Please allow two business days before you go pick up your book.
Order at
www.kitukubooks.com or call (208) 376-8724 or 1-800-685-1621
(24/7 fax line number: (208) 323-7612)
Book specifications:
ISBN: 978-1-60585-961-3
Hardcover with glossy dust jacket, 5.5 by 8.5
128 pages
Retail price: $19.99 US, $25.99 Canada
VISIT OUR ONLINE STORE FOR DETAILS
"Without inspiration, the best powers of the mind remain dormant. There is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks." -Johann Von Herder
Ian Johnson, Cody Hawkins and Natalie Comacho Mendoza will be speaking on May 12th at the Nampa Civic Center to Idaho’s junior and high school students on strategies they need to prepare for greatness in the future. Young people today are faced with challenges of identity, a need for belonging and lack of awareness about one’s talents and strengths. They are not prepared for dealing with life’s obstacles and setbacks. The Preparing for Greatness program, organized by Dr. Vincent Muli Wa Kituku, will inspire, challenge and equip students to learn:
- How to set themselves apart in sshool and in life
- To never let lack of money destroy their dreams
- 5 choices young people make to succeed in any future career
- 7 actions that make failing a non-option
- Proven strategies to overcome setbacks
- The power of a college education in a shrinking world market
- 3 must-know things to do to get outrageous college scholarships
- How to use their talents and creativity to live their lives with purpose
DATE: May 12th, 2012
LOCATION: Nampa Civic Center (311 3rd Street S, Nampa, ID)
TIME: 8:30 am - 12:00 (noon)
Register for only $29 per student or $49 for a student accompanied by a parent/guardian
Groups of three or more participants register for only $25/student.
Parents, teachers, counselors and youth leaders register for just $39/person
Registration covers workbooks and the “Top 45 Must Know Life Lessons for Top Achievers” poster
Follow up benefits:
All attendees will have the opportunity to be assisted by Kituku and Associates with:
1. Free phone conversations on school and career related issues
2. Detailed search for colleges and careers that fit the individual student
3. FAFSA applications
4. Writing letters Admission and Financial Assistance Officers want to read and act on
➢ There are full and partial scholarships for students who need financial assistance. Please call (208) 376-8724 for more information BEFORE the 3rd of May.
Deadline to register is May 5th.
➢
Space is extremely limited. Registration stops once all space is filled.
How To Register:
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
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.
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.
