IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO BE ENTITLED

“I've seen unproven upstarts riding in style, While experienced veterans are put out to pasture.” Solomon

A most recent theme that I have been writing about is that the world has changed so much from the day it began. That is a given, it goes without saying.

There are those days where some people deserved privileges. There are those days where others still were entitled to privileges. Look at the royals…all they needed to do to be entitled was to be born.

Now, there is a difference between being entitled and really possessing that which you are entitled to. It is kind of like respect. I used to have a boss that I had little respect for. Respect works in a way that by virtue of her being a boss, she was automatically entitled to my respect. She was in authority, I was answering to her, and she was responsible for guiding and giving me direction.

However, after that, respect is never automatic. It is earned. Ever heard someone say, “I lost respect for them?”

Everyone born of a woman is entitled to success. We are all entitled to live, matter and leave legacies. There is no exemption.

Indeed, there are some people who go a step higher than being born and actually do prepare so that they can become more entitled than others. Some create networks, some have what we call technical know who, still some earn degrees and ascend to higher levels of learning. It is all in a bid to increase the level of entitlement.

Yet there has always been a gap between entitlement and possession. That is why Solomon of old, that wise man from the East said that he has seen princes walk on foot and servants riding horses…

I have seen people that think am an absolute genius heading powerful corporate departments while I struggle to be relevant in society. I know of people who have heavy responsibilities in the corporate world come to me for help in a thing or two. They are earning serious dough at the end of the month, and I can only admire from afar.

The very boss who lost my respect some years back, I knew I could do far much better than she was. I was entitled…she was in possession. That is why you will always here this thing that life is never fair. It is true.

It is that great revolutionary Jesus Christ who said, “…The Kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent take it by force…” That statement is so on point and I know it applies to every person from each tribe, race, creed, gender and religious persuasion.

It is a violent world. You never possess it by being entitled…you have got to do something more than being entitled.

The doctrine of being entitled has people showing up with accolades and expecting doors to be opened for them on that basis alone. It has someone showing up with a Degree and look down on others without one, telling them that they are more entitled than them.

The results are always astounding. Solomon was right. The princes who show up thinking they are entitled are always trumped by the peasants who show up hungry, and violent. We spoke recently of having a thick skin and not giving a monkey what people think. That means you can be as gross as you want to be because you so badly want the chance.

So this is the way to go: As long as you are providing a solution to people...it makes no difference whether you are entitled to their audience, their acceptance, their hand in business by virtue of one thing or another. Solutions will trump any facade of the entitlement gospel. People do not care who you are, until they know that you can supply them what they want....

Have a solution providing week, won't you?

WHY 'I DONT CARE' HELPS A GREAT DEAL!

It has been said that people don’t care what you think until they know how much you care. Caring is supposed to be a good thing. It is supposed to be a virtue…some people use it as a value. Yet I could say that in the world of man eat man society, that ‘care’ could be a thorough impediment to success.

There is something called a ‘thick skin’. That means that you do not give a monkey what people think, let alone what they say! In other words, you are not moved by people’s opinions. Now, again you need to give a monkey about what they say and do…because sometimes ‘feedback’ is the breakfast of champions.

Geoffrey Semaganda, CEO Action Wealth

To be honest, the world has become more ruthless. Gone are the days were ‘it took a village to raise a child’. These days, less and less people take no notice when a child whom they do not know messes up.

Frankly, I care so much. I care not to mess around with people’s spaces. I care not to disturb the peace. I care so much. I care not to step on people’s toes. I care not to waste their precious time. I care so much. Some years ago, I would slaughter a chicken while in the village without batting an eyelid. These days, I just can’t bring myself to do that ‘heinous’ act.

This attitude of being so ‘careful’ especially about what they will say and do can cost a visionary so much. I attended a seminar few hours back dubbed ‘Action Wealth’ by one Geoffrey Semaganda. He moved from Uganda during the days of unrest and found himself in London…and years later, he is a successful business consultant, trainer, speaker, and author and has travelled over 20 nations. I loved what he told us. He said that if what opinions he holds are stepping on our toes, we should just call him an idiot and move on.

You see, Geoffrey has learnt to grow a thick hide that doesn’t give a hoot what you say or think about him.

Now developing that think skin does not come automatically. It doesn’t come while lying down somewhere waiting for the dream to materialize. It comes with intentionally going out there and literally ‘knocking on people’s doors’. The first several might show you the door, but who cares? At least you are in the process of activating your dream.

Curiosly, there is an underlying factor behind that caring attitude that robes us of success is fear. Fear of what they might say and how you might be depicted. For the record, people will always say things. That is why we have news and newspapers every day. There is no day you will wake up and find no news and newspapers…people always say things.

For a visionary to go places there is this simple process that ought to take place. We need at any one point in time find ourselves iterating somewhere in between the process:

• ·         Identifying the Dream: Clarifying what we want, refining it and sticking to it.

• ·         Strategizing on How to achieve it: That is what gives a backbone to the dream.

• ·         Taking action and growing a thick skin: Implementing the dream gives it life…and grows it further than our expectations. Without action there are no results.

So, if you are an individual who ‘cares’ so much, you risk sitting on your dream. The key thing to do would be on a daily basis, find ourselves doing something…anything that activates the dream we hold in our hearts.

Look, I have done embarrassing stuff in the past in the name of seeking help for my dreams. I have written proposals and thought people will be excited about my dreams and instantly fund them. I have asked for money from a dozen people. Frankly at times, I started caring when I was rebuffed systematically by the results. Yet great value is placed upon learning from our past mistakes.

However off the actions are, at least they are better than nothing. In growing a ‘thick skin’, we are talking about not giving up. We are also talking about looking at the embarrassment straight in the face and ask ourselves what we would have done better and go for it again…and again.

Let me say this: When it comes to caring, let us care for other people’s welfares…but let us not care so much what they will say or do to us when pursuing our dreams!

Have a caring day, wont you?