OUR DREAMS ARE VALID

 I once read a statement from a great Ugandan Coach which stated that our dreams are valid. I want to give some insights to this statement. As a Coach, mentor and financial literacy trainer I have spent the last 5 years in the field of training youths across Uganda . I am always grateful for the lessons and experiences that I have picked up along the way. I should say that Uganda's youths possess a lot of untapped potential. I should also emphasized that this potential requires mentorship to be mined.

In mentoring various university students my attention has always been the kind of statements that they make about the dreams for the future. Where as there are some youths who believe in the beauty of their dreams, I can say confidently that I have met countless youths who are either not dreaming enough or fear to dream. There is this particular youth who asserted that he did not require financial literacy training because he was still studying. In trying to analyze his point of view I realized that it was incorrect. This is because financial literacy is not limited by age. I once saw an Indian parent with their child in the bank. The parent handed over the funds to the child to bank. This means that by the time the Indian child grows he will not fear money. On the contrary I have witnessed university students in Uganda who assert they do not need to open an account . So the question is if we see adults struggling to handle their personal finances, where does it stem from? It stems from the experiences we have about money at home.

Many parents are shy to talk about money to their children and this leads to a problem because by the time the children grow up they lack financial discipline. Others end up opting out of school to take shortcuts to success simply because they cannot attach value of education to financial success. Other children end up succumbing to financial conmen simply because they were not exposed to financial lessons at an early age. Education institutions have also not emphasized the importance of financial goal setting and this has led to a generation of youths who are hardwired to look for jobs instead of creating jobs.

As a mentor of so many youths sometimes I wonder whether a great majority of the youths are aware of the so many opportunities that are in commercial banks. Today institutions such as Equity Bank provide free financial literacy training to youths who belong to groups. This can help youths to learn how to work together and pool resources for economic growth. I know of a group of university students who organized themselves and formed an investment club. Today this club is a company that worth billions of Uganda shillings and has invested in real estate. This is an indicator that so many other youths can do the same if well guided.

All hope is not lost among the youths . This is because just this week I trained a group of 20 youths who committed that they would change the world through the skills that they got. The voice of confidence gave me hope that if we continue mentoring the youths they can change the world.

Our dreams are valid.

3 WAYS TO DEVELOP STRONG DREAMS 

1.Think long term

2.Develop a positive attitude

3.Read great books.

There is no dream that is too small to be neglected. The late Dr. Myles Munroe noted that the wealthiest place are not the gold mines but the cemetery. This is where incomplete projects such as great books, companies are residing. Let us not rob the world of our impact.

For individual and corporate financial literacy training contact:

Coach Phillip Kiryowa 

Personal Finance Coach(CMA)

Certified Master Trainer ,Bank of Uganda 

Founder , Advanced Empowerment Link

0752615916

For Financial Freedom and Sustainable Enterprises 

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