YOU ARE A SANDWICH!!

Yes you! You are a sandwich. It does not matter where you come from, your color, religion, creed, nation or background. It does not matter your financial, social, or physical status. You my friend, are a sandwich! Now hold on just a minute before you crucify my 'allegation'...am not reducing you to my favorite food item or my worst food item for that matter. Follow me carefully.

So, ardent readers would have noticed that I have talked so much about 'My Jog To Success Project' in very many of my blog posts. Today's thoughts are coming directly from that project and they are hot and sizzling.

As usual, I went out there jogging. I met two types of people, and both of them were jogging. The first guy I met was going my opposite direction. Concerning him, I was able to reach my turning point, come back and basically overtake him! *insert smiles here!*

With the second guy, we have met before and I have already lamented about him in this blog. The last time we did not meet...no, he actually zoomed past me like some professional athlete (by the way...maybe he is), or as if someone had paid him handsomely to specifically achieve that fete.  On this latest occasion however, we actually met, as he was jogging my opposite direction. I shouted at him 'Mister, we are gonna have to talk one of these fine days!' He shouted back, "Alright man". It will be interesting to see what will come out of that conversation, I honestly cant wait!

Here is the thing. The first guy we talked about earlier was and still is so slow to such an extend that I can beat him any day any time. The second guy is so very first that he can literally make nests on my head as he jogs, and still beat me hands down. Right there is the whole recipe for a Sandwich! You see, there is always going to be someone BETTER than you in anything you are doing. There will also be someone a lot WORSE than yourself in what your pursuits. You are a Sandwich, get it now?

But get this straight. My success is not measured in how easily I build rings around the slowest in my niche...my success is actually measured by how able and how fast I am to catch up with the niche pace setter!. In other words, to really measure the strides I am making, the yardstick is a sandwich with the focus on the leader and not the follower. I have realized that if I am a Speaker, there are better speakers than myself. If I am a footballer, there are better footballers than myself...the same applies with writing, cooking, or virtually any area of passion. I believe it is TD Jakes who said that if I only surround myself with people who ONLY want to learn from me....then I am not growing.

Here is the thing though....you are only a sandwich If you are in motion. Outside of motion, you are not even in the game.Two things happen in motion. Either, we are fleeing...or we are pursuing! From what I have learnt of late, I'd rather be in hot pursuit than in terrified flight! (I read a quote the other day that there are two things that can determine a jogger's speed: A weird guy tailing you, or a beautiful woman ahead of you...forget I said that)

So here is what I have decided to do...that just like I have sought audience with the Second guy, I will always want to be in the presence of my superiors. I have no problem accepting the fact that there is someone better than me. I have also noticed that these gurus or market leaders are so enlightened that they are only happy to share their 'secrets' of being on top of their game. So, I wanna find out these: Why does the second guy run that fast? Why does he jog daily in the first place? Who is he? What does he do? What does he want in life? Who pays him to overtake me that ruthlessly? Hahaha. Listen, there is more than 90% chance that the second guy is making changes in his area of influence. There is also absolute certainty that the First Guy is on top of his peers especially if they do not have a personal challenge like he does against himself. You know why? Both these guys are in motion!

Most importantly, the Sandwich himself, after realizing that PURSUIT is far much stronger than FLIGHT, he will certainly improve day by day. To be honest, we need both parties. We need the first guy so that we are not demoralized or discouraged with what we are doing. We however need the second guy to keep us in check and to help us not get into our own heads with conceit. Those are the things that I have learnt.

Take some time today and find out...who is your 'first guy'? Who is your 'second guy'? Make a list of your second guys and endeavor to get smack in the middle of their circles of influence.

Have a fooodious day, wont you? Hehehehe

Quote:
“Deep within man dwell those slumbering powers; powers that would astonish him, that he never dreamed of possessing; forces that would revolutionize his life if aroused and put into action. ”-—Orison Swett Marden

'GOD DOESN'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE!'

 A young boy was painting in class and had the following conversation with his teacher:

Teacher: Ethan, what are you painting?

Ethan: God's picture.

Teacher: But Sweety, no one knows how God looks like!!

Ethan: They will when I get through!!

I know, I know. Last time I spoke about God and miracles...and I know that can be a very thorny subject. I like 'keeping the conversation going', even within myself. That is why ever since I wrote about God being more of a Goal Setter than a Miracle Worker...I have kept going back and asking myself questions. Was I correct to say that? Honestly? The more I church these questions in my head over and over again, the more I cement my arguments. However, someone else somewhere might have a totally different view on this subject. Especially someone who as experienced miracles over and over. They will not necessarily buy into that stuff that God sets Goals more than He churns out miracles.

Needless to say, the 'line of best fit' is always and always will be that God loves processes, seasons, seeds and has placed all these things in a gel called 'Potential'. I was not going to talk about Potential today, but since it has surfaced, I will most definitely go with it to the very end...follow me carefully, you are about to be inspired.

A friend of mine gave me a DVD by a guy called Brian Houston...most people know him as the Pastor of Hillsong Church. (Another friend of mine in trying to be negative told people that they will sing valley songs instead of hill songs....hehehe). So anyway, as I was driving to Entebbe to give a talk to a group of young guys, I started listening to Brian Houston talking about 'Platforms!' What a powerful message. Mid-way into the DVD, he gave in the following story:

There is a guy in the Hillsong London church who was being inducted into Leadership. Part of the process involved him leading an 'altar call'...that is an invitation for those who have been TRANSFORMED by the church service to get saved. You see, the church recognized the POTENTIAL that this young and upcoming leader had. That is definitely laudable. Leaders, parents, teachers and all people in authority have that MANDATE to sniff out and recognize POTENTIAL and nurture it to greatness.

Truth of the matter is that each and every individual comes laden with thorough potential. Talk of gifting, talents and the 'environment' we grow in. They are all filled with seeds of greatness for us to do, have and be whatever thing that we are passionate and desirous about. Potential can never be dead....it always lies dormant when unused.

Do you know the greatest reason as to why people do not tap into their Potential? One of the reasons is an attitude of 'Perfectionism'. You want everything to be perfect BEFORE you can get started. I have learnt that the best to do with potential is to get started, obtain the general direction you would like to take, and adjust your focus as you go. The more I sit down waiting for the perfect SPOUSE, perfect JOB, perfect ENVIRONMENT, perfect, INSPIRATION or MOTIVATION, perfect MOTHER IN-LAW, perfect FRIEND, perfect CAR, perfect WARDROBE, perfect LAPTOP...and the list goes on...and on...the more I sit on my potential and make it dormant.

The antidote is to get started, like Bog Burg says in his book, "Ready, Fire, Aim". As you go, things start becoming clearer. As you follow the trail, you have no clue where it would lead you. The point is to be in motion. Just like the Hillsong Leader...by the way his name is George (and am told as we speak, there are T-Shirts that have been printed in honor of the following stunt that he performed).

So, when George knew that he would be leading the altar call...the most immediate thing to do (and I totally applaud him for that) was to PREPARE. That is the same thing I do every time I am to appear on a TV Program...I go through my script thoroughly...if I don’t feel inspired by it...I just know that my viewers would have a bad day...so I adjust. Now, George's preparation was in the following lines: "George Doesn't Know Who You are, But Jesus Does and God Loves you". So George repeated those lines again and again and again. And I applaud him here again. Repetition in 'purposed action' is the mother of Mastery! George literally became a Master in his trade.

HOWEVER, hehehe that is the Magic Word that can literally change the scale to swing from one extreme to another. So...However, on the very day that George was to give an altar call...there he was. All eyes were fixed on George. He was ready...and prepared. He stepped on the podium, took a microphone and blurted out the following words: GOD DOESN'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE, But Jesus Does...AND GEORGE LOVES YOU!!! The church has never been in stitches at such a crucial moment where people's lives were hanging in the balance between heaven and hell....but not to worry...it never messed up their decisions. They answered the altar call in droves.

So here we are. You got serious potential inside of you. Doesn’t matter where you come from...President Obama's dad came from one of the poorest districts in Kenya. It doesn’t matter the color of your skin....or even how many years you have seen go by. The proprietor of WALMART opened his FIRST ever shop when he was 45!! Do not let your age, color, creed, background, fear or perfectionism sear your potential to dormancy. Rise up right away...and get started, one single and simple step at a time....over time, Your World, and probably eventually THE WORLD will know who you are.

Have a God-recognizable week, wont you? Hehehe. God knows who you are!!

MY GREATEST LESSON FROM GOD HIMSELF!

Over the past few months, I have been asking my coaching clients one question, and I will ask it here again. "When is the last time you experienced a miracle in your life?" I do not know about you, but for the most part, IF at all they did experience a miracle, it is in the distant past. Now, I know that this can be a thoroughly controversial topic..however, I will say what I have to say about miracles.

First off, God is more of a Goal-Setter than a Miracle worker. To my knowledge, a miracle is a supernatural intervention in exceptional natural circumstances that literally freezes or shortens TIME as well as SIDE EFFECTS. Picture this: If God wanted the whole earth to be filled up when He said "Be fruitful and multiply"...don't you think He would have had the POWER to make that IMMEDIATE? Don't you think he would have made us all at once? The fact is, He had the POWER. He had the Authority..and the last time I checked, He still does. However, in His infinite wisdom (crazy, I am trying to explain God here hehehe), he CHOSE to do it the way He did. Let me ask you another question. Given the opportunity (and looking back in retrospect), would you rather that mankind developed in phases all through the ages, or that we all appeared on the planet at the same time, waving iPads, and experiencing the greatest advancement in technology today? Your answer to this question will most definitely locate you. Today we are talking about GREED.

Nature has a way of teaching us stuff. We know through science that for a beautiful butterfly to come out of the pupa stage, it has to struggle. If you 'help' it out, you basically are killing the process. God is such a Mighty Miracle worker that he set all systems in place and never has He ever gone back to fix the systems! This speaks of seeds and seasons. It talks of process. Yes, He did create everything at once, but has allowed seasons and systems to churn out the results. And so should it be in our lives. Most people would rather that a miracle happens in their life...and that includes me. However, I have come to learn that there are no miracles that happen arbitrarily. I have also come to realize that miracles are and can be a daily occurrence...if we intend them to be.

There are two great NEMESIS of success. What we are focusing on today is that great ugly and green one called GREED. When someone seeks to amass all at the shortest time possible...they have been bit by the bug of greed. When someone hoards all he knows is valuable, he is being controlled with this feeling that the more people know, the less successful he becomes. When I am afraid that 'it will disappear before I taste it', that is greed.

Sometimes this is so subtle that we do not recognize it. We want instant success. We seek for 'miracles' when we have not understood our mandate. To paraphrase one of the fathers of Personal Development, Success is not necessarily what we pursue, but is much more of the person we BECOME. That is what greed robs people of. You see, I subscribe very highly to God's format. Systems. Processes. If I short-circuit these with greed, yes, I might get rich quickly...however I will greatly miss installing systems that will guarantee my continuous churning of the riches. A friend of mine Robert Bake has stated categorically that he intends to retire at 45. Woe to him if by then he has no systems in place.

We want to get rich quick. We are afraid that the tide will pass us by. Let me say this: Anytime you catch yourself thinking that 'I must do this or I miss out'....and you are in a state in which you are not yet ready to get into the fray...watch out that you do not succumb to greed. I have learnt to take things in stride. Yes, personal development gurus will tell you, "Opportunity never knocks twice", but I will tell you this: You only take on an opportunity when you are ready for it. If taking an opportunity has side effects of stress, high blood pressure, getting in debt, losing friends or any other moral wrong...it is absolutely not worth it.The correct way always seems long, hard, tedious and too demanding on us. The easiest way always seems short, quick and extremely comfortable on us.

Every human being desiring to succeed would rather install systems than spend time praying and fasting for miracles....that is my take. If there was a Degree in Prayer...I have ranked up there with the greatest, I believe. When prayer, fasting and dedication is mingled with installed systems in my life...you better watch out, a Legacy is just about to explode!

So, When is the last time you experienced a miracle? Please be kind enough to share with us here your thoughts.

DEATH STINKS!

If you keep a company of 9 fools, soon enough you will be the tenth-Quote.

 

There is this time not long ago that I was just about to be Interviewed at a Live TV program. Ahead of me were these two guys who were DJs of some kind. They are of Kenyan Origin, and were talking about their style of music and the response they are getting from the Ugandan Market. One thing that they said actually got me thinking. On being asked why they opted to do their stuff in Uganda, one of them quipped: "You know in Kenya there is lots of stiff competition, we find it better in Uganda since we have the freedom to do what we want to do without hassling around". I got to think that the FACTS as they presented them could be very well correct. Then again I got to think that that was basically their own opinion. 

The truth of the matter actually is that if they have to up their game, they would very well thrive with much needed competition than without some. Competition keeps us all in check...and makes us stretch ourselves to become the very best that we are capable of becoming. It helps us maintain our market share. It helps us give quality service to our clients without compromising the pricing. 

As much as this is not such a popular message, I will say this: Competition is needed for success much like bees are needed for pollination of flowers. As you might already know, I have been competing against myself in the project, "My Jog To Success". This morning I thought about writing on a topic called 'Recovery'....which will be coming up soon enough. What happened is that I came across a certain place where there was a thorough stench of a dead animal...could be a dog or a rat. That stench was abominable...more so due to the fact that I needed as much air as possible as I jogged along.

Oh death! The finality of it...pretty much pronounced by the stench! But does anyone out there know what causes death? Really? I dare say that death is caused by non other than DIS-CONNECTION. Honestly, come to think of it. You die because your body is dis-connected from your spirit. Medically correct? I dunno...but I am right with my death definition...that I am sure! Yesterday on air, I gave the definition of 'Apoptosis', which means that when the brain knows that you are no longer useful, it sends a signal to the rest of the body that it is no longer required..and at that moment, self destruction begins...in other words, death sets in. It is dis-connection with life that causes death. And this is where I would really recommend competition. Those living in East Africa will obviously be familiar with two leading Kenyan Hypermarkets-Uchumi and Nakukatt.  If you look at those two stores carefully, especially in Kenya you will find out that anytime Uchumi sets up a Hypermarket somewhere...Nakumatt comes few seasons after and sets up their own shop smack across the face of Uchumi! Ouch! Some would complain...but a smart manager would welcome them and cheer them along...since they know that they will be kept on their toes...and will not be DIS-CONNECTED from their mission, vision and values as they set out initially.

Sounds simple but it is not. In the context of Life, Success, Significance, Wealth, and Greatness, the biggest cause of death is when you get disconnected.

Here is the thing. When you get disconnected from the current TECHNOLOGY...by adamantly refusing to embrace it...you will soon enough start stinking. When you get disconnected from the current demands and needs of your clients...you are dead and buried! When you get disconnected from the needs of your employees (and this is a biggy believe me) you are soon enough dead and buried. The stench of death! Can you smell it? Your employee expects to be paid for waking up daily and working towards the fulfilment of your vision....and you do not pay them on time...YOU STINK! You pitch of a business and you tell your clients that you will pay for Performance Related Pay, Medical Cover as well as training of your staff members...only to divert the already allocated funds to your own pocket...Shame on you...YOU STINK.

My question to all of us today is this. What is the value of your Connections? How VALUABLE (Not just big) is your NETWORK? How often do we get time to 'oil the engine' of our networks? When a prophet was asked by God if the valley of dry borns would see life...at the end of the day...life did come back to those bones forming a large mighty army. Do you know how that happend? A miracle? Of course! The miracle however started with bones connecting to their respective bones.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to re-connect. The first re-connection we need to do is with our own selves. Re-connect with our values. Re-connect with our Life Purpose. Re-connect with our Vision and Mission...and the things that really are important and matter to us. Then and only then will we be able to ward off that lurking stench of disillusionment, heartache, and consequently death.

Have a stench-less day, wont you?

DADDY IS BACK!!

A few years back, towards the end of a particular year, I told one of my closest friends that that was the best year I had ever experienced. The reason as to why I said that is that I had successfully maintained an upward trend on my 'graphs'. Bingo! I was not talking about dollars in my account then, or a nice car in my parking lot, or a hot wife and cute kids. I was talking about having fought against myself and successfully prevailed.

Today, my thoughts on this subject are in-congruent, yet I will discuss them since they are important. I believe that every doctor should be a patient. That way they will feel how patients normally feel...when nurses come visit and stick needles in your back-side then ask you how you are feeling. Every motivating speaker and coach should endeavor to take a seat more often in an audience. That way, they will get to hear how sometimes we bore our audiences with in-authentic stuff on stage, due to lack of preparation. Every teacher should be a student, and every Author should be a reader. In other words, we should be bold enough to take a taste of the same medicine we are prescribing to our 'patients'.

So, being a man of action, I took my medicine the other day. I had been talking about the 'Arrrgh Moment'. That message was born out of my project called 'My Jog To Success'. The moral of that  message is that we need to stay in the game even when we hit a plateau, rather than wait for the 'normal' to come back. By the time that happens, we have been overtaken by events.

So, in My Jog To Success, I had hit an all-time plateau. Whereas my 'Personal Best' stands at 31 minutes in my circuit, I had been consecutively hitting 36 minutes...which is regarded as disaster in athletics. Of course the reason as to why this was happening is because there was a great 'persistence interval' in my project. I was allowing a lot of time to elapse in-between my inspired actions. That is one way of welcoming the plateau.

We have already seen that the only way to get rid of the plateau is to 'stay in the game'. This is how to do it. First, accept the fact that you are not in the best shape. This goes with the message that you will  not post your 'Personal Best' this time round. Therefore, as you go out there, you already know that it is not the usual...you know that it is different. Here is the thing though...that as you do this, you are still very and pretty much in the game. That is the only way to stem out the plateau.

The reason as to why I had to write about the 'Arrrgh moment' again is because my own medicine works! I tasted it out on Monday 10th October 2011. I was not at my best. I was in a plateau. However, I had worked so hard to reduce the interval of time between my inspired actions. You will be shocked what I found out. As I went out as usual, with the same mentality that ' I am in a plateau', it turned out that I came back and guess what? I EQUALED my personal best! Thirty one minutes baby! Picture this: What If I had bid my own time and waited on the 'normal' to come by? What If I had taken some time off from the game? Most definitely I would not be 'back in circulation'. In fact that is exactly what I said to myself, "Daddy is BACK".

I welcome you to go back to this message called the 'Arrrgh! Moment' and read it once again. Chances are that you are sitting by waiting for the next 'normal' to happen for you to take action. Chances are that you are not writing that book because your 'normal' is that you need a laptop...You could still write the book despite the fact that you have no laptop. Chances are that you are waiting to have some dine in your Dollar account before you ask her out...You will find out that it would be the best thing you ever did to ask her out DESPITE the fact that you do not even have the dollar Account. Get the point?


Have a Dollar-Filled day, wont you?

THE ARRRRGH! MOMENT

As an artist, there are those moments that you find yourself in the zone-an easy flow of inspiration which when tapped, leads to stuff that are basically out of this world. The same applies to writers, managers, students, employees, moms and dads and people of all walks of niches (if there is such an expression that is). Then of course there are those moments when you hit an all-time low like Mariah Carey who forgot the lyrics of her own songs at some point in time while performing...or Fernando Torres, a thorough athlete and goal poacher who tormented many soccer teams with his skill and speed. He's now suffering the Arrrgh! Moment.

Whoever you are, I guarantee you that you have not perfect, and that your progress up until now has not been one beautiful straight line. "I hate graphs!!!", Intimated one long lost friend of mine named Kaim some years back. Her main goal was to totally and effectively eliminate the arrrgh! moments in regard to her relationship with God.

I have come to realize that the greatest fear of human beings are those arrrgh! moments-a moment when you are not at your best, with its uncanny way of showing up when 'seemingly' everyone is watching. Those moments vary from one individual to another. For example, it is an arrrgh! moment when you have not paid your rent as you ought to and you can't help it. It is an arrrgh! moment when your once sizzling hot relationship is as stale as overnight manna.

Here is the thing though. Right about then, when the arrrgh! moment swaggers into your life,  the most important thing to do is to be involved in the 'game' of life anyway. By nature, we all seek the normal. I have learnt that if I take a back seat and wait for the plateau to swagger past me and usher in the 'normal', I will inevitably be left behind. Sample this...the inflation rate is higher this year than it was last year...

The truth of the matter is that we will all and continuously go through a plateau in our lives, businesses, relationships and all. It is prudent to be forewarned and know this fact beforehand. It is more prudent actually to go out there anyway and 'just do it', even in the uncomfortable and uninspiring conditions. I have also crucially learnt that as we go on despite the arrrgh! moment, sometimes that plateau becomes our 'new normal'.

The plan is to stay in the game. Fernando Torres cannot score when he is on the bench. Unfortunately that is what professional sports does. Anyone who is no longer in the zone...he is left on the bench and cant play. In this day and age of fast paced technological advances, you cannot afford to sit on the bench...even if it is your own bench for that matter. You gotta be in the game, like Billy Cox likes saying.

Listen! You are the sum total of all the 'new normals' that you ever experienced in life. You are better off if you have learnt to anticipate, acknowledge and deal with the arrrgh! moments by staying in the game. As for my friend Kaim, I am not sure it is that possible to totally eliminate graphs. Yet, the most interesting thing about eliminating graphs is doing something daily about them. There we go. You only get a straight line by either maintaining a foothold...or going one better.

Here is the thing. The greatest determinant of success is that thing called momentum. It is fueled by intervals of activity...whether in plateau or normal mode. Like we said earlier, the greater the interval of activity, the longer it takes to succeed. Therefore, it doesn't really matter whether you are in the flow or in the plateau, I had better be out there in the game building or maintaining momentum. It is widely known in the Personal Development Circles that the best thing that could ever happen to an individual (in retrospect that is) is the arrrgh! moment.

So, are you in a plateau...welcome to the real world, and be in the game.

Have a graphy day...won't you?

AM A FOOL...MOMENTARILY

Maybe, someone somewhere is wondering how I get my inspiration in writing on this blog every week. To be honest with you, when I started, I wondered where I would get the information to be sharing with people. I came to realize very quickly that there is always something in play that I will from now hence forth call 'the Divine Factor'. As we write, that is a topic of a post that I have purposed to do in the near future. Basically (it is said that most Kenyans like saying that word at the beginning of every sentence), when we get started with something, we will never know the full extent of its permutation. That is where the divine factor lies.

I set out today to talk about something totally different. Swahilis have a proverb that goes 'Kikulacho Ki nguoni mwako!'. A simple translation is in this quote, "What keeps us from conquering the mountain is not the steepness of the mountain, but the pebble in our shoe". The meaning of this is obvious, that our greatest enemy is always within. So, today, I am going to share with you one of my greatest Nemesis. This by the way, is not what I really want to share with you. The crux of this post is about a three lettered sentence, coming up shortly.

So, yesterday, the 5th October 2011, I was privileged to be part of the Audience at the Author's Forum in Kampala. The keynote speaker was none other than the Internationally acclaimed speaker and motivator Peter Kimbowa...popularly known as PK. Among other things, PK talked about how he 'stays way ahead of competition' in regards to his wife. He goes an extra mile and carries her into the house from the car, since she is 'Portable'. That was a moment of reflection for me (I hope Wifey is not reading this). However, when he was tackling the aspect of 'Why Smart People Fail', he said some words that instantly exorcised my Nemesis from where he/she/it was hiding. 

Why do I say that? It is because on 22nd of August 2011, I had intended to write specifically about those three words. I went a step better and saved the topic of that blog post...and then my Nemesis kicked in. This nemesis is none other than the spirit of perfectionism. I have realized that that spirit is an off-shoot of the three words that I will drop shortly. I have also noticed that the spirit of perfectionism easily creates strife. It makes me look down on other people...and by the way makes me such a rude human being. In my spirit of perfectionism, I did nothing about that blog post...why? I was looking for more juice to spice up the topic. I wanted it to come out flowery and more inspiring. And so...the proverbial self help found itself on my 'shelf help', gathering dust...right until PK spoke those words verbatim.

The words: "I DON'T KNOW"! I dont Know!! Such humbling three words. I will tell you this: that whoever loves those words and does not feel humiliated to let them out of his mouth is the greatest candidate of success. I have found that it is perfectly OK to be a fool in a minute and be enlightened for a lifetime than to be a fool forever to save face in a minute. So I am a Life and Success Coach. Do I know everything about success? About Life? Of course not. And that is the moment that many clients and fans can easily log out (of course this is always in my imagination in my mind, not a real event). We feel that our pedigree will suffer when we admit ignorance. Wrong move. I have come to understand that most people love humble people. Show offs don't just cut it.

The greatest roots of 'I know it all' attitude lie in fear. Fear of failure and fear of rejection. We fear what others will think about us. And that same spirit can be easily identified by people being afraid to ASK QUESTIONS. (By the way, I was a little shocked at the Author's Form Yesterday. Here stands a creative, learned, widely traveled motivating speaker, a role model, loving husband and trainer. After his key note, there was no one buy yours truly bold enough to ASK a question from any angle. I mean...how often do you meet and talk to PK face to face?) Honestly! Anyway...I read somewhere that at 20, most people are worried about what others will think about them. At 40, they do not give a hoot what others think about them...only to realize at 60 that everyone was so focused on themselves and they had no time to think about others anyway!

When I easily admit that I do not know, guess what? The stage has been set for me to learn and to be enlightened. When I falsely proclaim knowledge to 'save face' I eternally remain a fool. So, an eternal fool is one who will not let out those three words "I don't know". A momentary fool is the next authority in the area of professed ignorance. Do you want to be an Authority in any field? Start by proclaiming those words, "I DON'T KNOW".

HEY YOU!!!

Hey You! Yes you...what are you looking for? Are you just passing by? No not here, not on this blog.

In life. What are you looking for? Where are you going? I am talking to YOU...and am talking today about the 'ME FACTOR'.

I have some accusations against YOU...and one of them is that you are the most conceited individual there ever was...at least in your niche. All around you today, you will see many things (Otherwise called Shinny objects), seeking YOUR attention.

 It is easy to know them. They include that S-Word. No it is not the three lettered S word you might be thinking about. It is in fact the Six Lettered S Word. Can you guess what it is? Listen up and let me tell you the secret...

It is in form of a story. Of course a personal story that has been taking shape for quite some time now. Most people will understand when I talk about 'My Jog To Success'...a personal documentary on my journey to Success, Greatness, Significance and wealth.

I will tell you this before I digress...something I am so fond of doing, that YOU are the most important ingredient to the attainment of WHAT you are looking for. Not the President...not the almighty Dollar...not your wife or your mother-in-law...and of course not even your spouse.(although all the above are crucial...subject to another day's discussion)

And now to the story...As usual, I was jogging the other day. It was a different day. At, at the five Kilometer mark, I see a guy coming from the opposite direction (down hill for him), he stops, stretches a bit and takes off jogging in the direction I am taking. Naturally, that depicted a contest. I as usual, maintained my pace, and as such, got closer and closer to him. However, the closer I got to him, the more he increased his speed...and I just could not catch up with him. Needless to say, I ran out of breath, and this mysterious jogger disappeared into the mist feeling victorious no doubt. 

That left me pondering on several things, including the thoughts in this post. However, when I was on the second leg of the circuit (a seriously steep and long hill-Kampala is a hilly town), a very tall, slender and fit 'athlete' (not a guy anymore) zoomed past me and just went away. I knew instantly when he passed me that there would be no contest whatsoever...even if I dared! He was in his own league. I really thank him so much since his cruel actions that morning gave me much needed feedback in two things:

a) My Personal Race and
b) My race against others.

Here is the thing. We were both on the same track, yet running different races...and am referring both to the 'mysterious guy', as well as the 'athlete'. Now this is that is the crux of this post today. I have no idea where these guys came from...neither to date do I know where they were going. Same applies to them. They might have gone away thinking they just won a small battle...yet they have no clue what 'battle' I was fighting that day.

It was a Battle for my personal Best. Our lesson is obvious here. Build your own stage, run your own race, instead of losing steam trying to play 'catch up' with people who are making progress in their own personal lives.

When you get your own race going, I also found out this: that I am the most conceited individual there ever was as far as my personal race is concerned. Conceit comes when we are busy preparing ourselves. I race against myself and my personal best time.  

When I win, I get satisfied. The most important thing is not that I am actually racing...the most crucial thing is that I should learn to convert my personal best into a competing base that can stand the test of a championship.

To be on the cutting edge in my niche, I must get personal...and get started. Then I should strive to win the battle of conceit against myself by participating at the world stage. Only after I have won my personal best will I be relevant to others.

For example, every motivational speaker worth their salt have always had something personal from which they draw motivation. A personal conquest. May be with weight...like in the case of Tonny Robbins. May be with habitual negative behaviours. May be with a project. It is the roots principle here. The best motivator there is around the world has personally raced against themselves and prevailed. 

This reinforces my the argument that...there is no 'SECRET'....and that is the S word I was talking about. It is you. What are you looking for? Where are you going? What do you want? You are the most important ingredient in bringing those things to reality. Before I can change the world...my own private world has to be in order. For those who have already started working on their personal best, my call is for balance. It is very easy to get engrossed in your personal project that you forget that it needs to be tested and relevant to the world.

It is time to expose what you have been keenly preparing in obscurity to the world. Whether you pass or fail is not the matter. It will however give us a very crucial feedback of where we stand with ourselves. This feedback will be used to do better next time..when you actually fail, it does not mean that you will NEVER succeed in that race....it only shows that you are not YET ready. It also gives you the ACTION POINTS you need to implement back at the Personal Best Level.

The second thing that I learnt in that morning excursion is this: That the greater 'the interval of persistence', the longer it takes for you to become a master. Mastery of course is a matter of time and effort, lubricated by momentum. Good momentum is created with a small interval of time in between taking repeated and consistent action.

The Third thing I learnt that glorious morning is this: That champions are not made today. No, they were first champions in their own obscure races. In fact, championships are all about comparison of how well the competing champions have conquered themselves.

So, ladies and gentlemen. Where are you going? What do you want? What are you looking for? Is someone telling you to join them that they know the 'SECRET'? Listen up...by the time you have gone round the world to discover the SECRET, you will find that YOU have always and always will be that secret. It's time to strap on some jogging shoes and compete against thyself...only then can you stand at the world championship.

Have a jog-full-personal-best day, wont you?