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My children’s reaction bewildered me. Here I was with two
bags full of goodies and they were shocked to see me bring
them home. Is that not what a caring daddy should do?
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After
years of involvement with the successful Boise State
University football team as its motivational speaker,
I was selected as the 2003 Homecoming Grand Marshal.
When I arrived where the parade |
was starting I was given, with no instructions, two bags
with lots of candies, mugs, towels and all kinds of things
with BSU
logos. Someone handed me a small flag and told me to
wave it to the crowds lining the downtown route of the
Homecoming procession.
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The
first official duty as the Grand Marshal was to judge
floats and stands. I was then taken to a waiting
convertible car that had magnetic posters on both
sides with the inscription — Boise State: Grand
Marshal: Dr. Vincent Kituku. After I sat on an
elevated seat, the procession started. I waved the
flag but the crowds never got anything from my two
bags. I carried those bags to a later event where I
gave a brief presentation to a gathering of BSU
professors, coaches, students, parents and alumni. And
then I took my bounty home.
For years I lived with shame after my children told me
that I was supposed to throw the goodies in the bags
to the children standing along the parade route. My
comfort came from the knowledge that in Kangundo,
Kenya, we didn’t have such festivities.
The sad story is that millions of people are created
with tremendous talents, have great gifts and/or are
blessed with material resources that they keep to
themselves. Those people never experience the joy,
fulfillment and sense of self-worth that are only
experienced through sharing what we have with others.
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time you visited or called someone who needed comfort?
When was the last time you volunteered in a
humanitarian program? When was the last time you
coached someone who couldn’t compensate you for your
time or young people as they prepared for a bright
future? When was the last time you donated to help
alleviate someone else’s pain or hopelessness? |
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If you are not involved in helping other people, you
are carrying more than two bags. There is no moment in
life when there is nobody who cannot benefit from your
blessings of talents, gifts and resources. Some of the
people in need are our own parents, relatives and
neighbors. Others are in foreign lands where one meal
or $1.50 medication can be the difference between
death and life.
We are, however, the ones to make the decision whether
to share or take them to our deathbeds with us. What
you give to help others have hope and a better
tomorrow, is the only thing you have that remains.
What you keep to yourself never lasts.
There is no shame or regret when you share your
talents, gifts, expertise and material things. |
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When people know where they have come from,
who they are and where they are going, their commitment
becomes natural.
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Space is very limited.
Register TODAY! |
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Seminar Details: |
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DATE: |
November 16, 2011 |
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TIME: |
8:30 a.m. — 12:00 (noon) |
LOCATION:
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Doubletree Hotel,
Riverside, Garden City |
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Make
a business point to
get buy-in |
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Inspire, challenge and motivate employees |
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Create ownership for new objectives and projects |
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Empower people to change and move forward |
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David Roper, author and retired pastor, emailed me
stating,
 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.
(emphasis mine).
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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.
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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.
(emphasis mine)
Preston's team did play for the Optimist Junior
Championship Saturday night and they won 36-30 in
triple overtime. Steve Hanson
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.
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…
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:
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Don’t be obvious. Let your audience think.
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Your story needs to have an emotional appeal.
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Life has ups and downs and so should be your story.
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Explain how it relate with your main point(s).
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Give the audience the opportunity to reflect and make decisions.
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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.
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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. |
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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.
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