TAKE THE FIRST STEP

 Recently I met a young graduate who asked me what he could do to get his dream job.  My advice was that he needed to take the first step. There is no successful person who succeeded in a day. Most of them took the long route to the top. Dr. John Maxwell started his preaching or speaking at a small church. Today he is an international public speaker and author. The late Dr. Myles Munroe was born in a poor family in Bahamas. By the time of his death he was one of the most celebrated authors and an advisor to so many governments. The Wright Brothers just used their imagination to invent the plane. They faced many critics during their era. What would have happened if they had decided to listen to their critics?

Each and every person has a lot of potential. Unfortunately many of us  wait for big breaks to launch  companies and other ideas. The youths of today are wired to dream big and that is noble .However many of them take it to the extreme by waiting until they get a lot of capital to start a business.. In his book Think And Grow Rich: A Black Choice, Dr. Dennis Kimbro cites many examples of black Americans who were born in poor families but due to a big vision for their lives they made a fortune for themselves. Some of them were born handicapped or suffered from accidents but they refused to give up on their dreams. These include George Washington Carver who was born to a slave but due to determination studied in the hardest of circumstances. He was able to invent many items out of potato. 

Our population today needs this inspiration. We are living in a generation that is giving up on life. Why would a youth with both arms and legs plot to kill a prominent businessman as was the case with a certain youth? Why would a youth divert tuition money to gambling instead of studying hard? Very many youths are invited for trainings and they give excuses yet the same youths are multiple borrowers in a bid to survive.

Many financial institutions such as Equity Bank and government have set up programmes such as skilling and financial literacy trainings. Unfortunately a large section of the youths prefer handouts instead of capacity building. To change the trajectory of Uganda the youths who form the majority of the population should be encouraged to start with what they have .


WAYS TO START WITH WHAT ONE HAS 

1.Believe in your vision. There is no perfect start for starting

2.Power of networking. Look for like minded people who can encourage you to start.

3.Become action oriented. 

4.Set clear goals

5.Have a positive attitude

6.Power of humility

7.Seekfeedback.


Taking the first step is the secret of many successful people. No one succeeds the first time. Dr. John Maxwell wrote a book called Failing Forward. In this book he cites different examples of leaders who failed but never gave up. They used their failures to do better next time.


Phillip Kiryowa 

Finance and Leadership Coach

+256752615916

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THRIVING AMIDST UNEMPLOYMENT

 Ask any graduate what their worst night mare is and they will inform you that lack of access to a dignified employment opportunity is a big hurdle. Over 70% of Ugandans are below the age of 30 years of age. There are very many reasons why the unemployment rate needs to be addressed. Uganda has over 30 universities and all universities graduate over 300,000 graduates per year yet the formal sector produces on average 70,000 jobs. This mismatch is an indicator of the frustrations that the young people face. It was on media last year when I saw a group of able bodied youths who wanted to beat up staff of a sports betting company for failing to pay for their "Return on Investment" in Bugiri District. Iam not saying that all youths are involved in crime .What am trying to point out is that the probability of a youth without a job being involved in crime is high( after all there is a saying that an idle mind is a devil's workshop). Just this year there was youth who was killed
Read more

A SAVINGS PLAN CAN AID IN FINANCIAL ADVANCEMENT

 I remember during the Trainer of Trainers training conducted by Bank of Uganda we were encouraged to develop a savings plan. This was a key development because without a plan we may live in financial darkness. In my years of providing financial literacy across the country especially youths I have observed that the intangible practices that may be undermined play a big role in the big picture. I have been asked a question, "how can one save yet their needs exceed their income?. It is a tough question but the best practice remains that even in the hardest of circumstances we should prioritize saving .This is because we do not know what the future holds. As humans we forget so fast. Who remembers during the lock down of Covid-19 when people were not working. Life was extremely tough. It was an opportunity to reflect about the importance of savings during good times. A savings plan enables a person to determine why they are saving. It could be for school fees, buying a plot, a car an
Read more

CELEBRATE YOUR VALUE ON THIS LABOR DAY

As we celebrate International Labor Day,70% of Uganda's population is below the age of 30 years. One of the biggest challenges of youths is access to dignified employment opportunities. So many youths have lost in their ability to find work and we have seen cases where they commit crime in order to survive. A case in point is a clip I saw on social media where a man who had panga cut innocent children after asking for a ransom from the parents . Such tragic incidents show us that lack of access to dignified employment opportunities makes people lose their sense of value. The starting point in raising hope among the youths is to inform them that with or without a formal job they have value. It is only people who know their value that can make a meaningful contribution to the world. The late Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years but he had hope for another day. The late Dr. Myles Munroe was born in a poor family in Bahamas but by the time of his death, he was an international pr
Read more