Posted on Saturday, December 19, 2015

What Is Life?

Finding perspective in slow motion

It is 7:20 AM. I have just cleared a climb and shifted my gears. As I gather speed, my bike chain hums. The 50 km ride ahead of me has my heart singing. Then… “Ka-thump!”

I lie across a bonnet [hood] staring at a windshield. My feet still entangled in the pedal straps, I instinctively make an inventory of my body parts.

There is no pain and in an instant, I am back on my feet. I am angry! “Why did you have to join the road so carelessly?” I ask the driver when she finally rolls down her window.

“I am so sorry,” she says. “Are you hurt?” She keeps on asking me.

Posted on Wednesday, September 23, 2015

How One Frontier Is Inspiring A Revolution

Bringing digital learning into any classroom

It all started with a seemingly innocuous statement, “It can’t be done, not in Africa.” That has inspired an innovation that will change access to online content and education across Africa and the world.

How One Frontier Is Inspiring A Revolution

I was at the launch of the visionary BRCK Education. It provides a holistic education technology solution that turns every classroom into a digital classroom.

And wait for the kicker… BRCK Education is designed and engineered in Nairobi Kenya for African infrastructure and internet needs.

BRCK Education evolved off a solution to provide rugged internet. BRCK is a mobile WiFi device that can go anywhere, do anything and is self-powered. All you have to do is insert a 3G data enabled SIM card in over 140 countries and broadcast a WiFi signal that you can share. Just like that!

Posted on Thursday, August 20, 2015

So, Why Are You Alive Today?

Why we need to take a deep-dive to our soul

It was 5 AM. I stretched my body to wakefulness. It was going to be just another day. In a flash, my mind was invaded by a troubling question, “So, why are you alive today?”

Like a shot out of a canon, I was out of bed like a cat on fire. By the time I got downstairs, heart pounding as if to eject itself out of my rib-cage! I had a thin, cold bead of sweat on my brow.

Grief has a way of gripping at the core of a human being. The loss of a family member can have far-reaching consequences. For me, the loss of my dad has increased my sensitivity towards being alive and life in general.

When I finally planted my body on the couch, I began to critically process the question again, “So, why are you alive today?” The answer seemed simple as it was another question… “What will you do with your life today?”

Posted on Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Learn Or Crash? Lessons In Grief

When your world suddenly caves in...

This post is a special tribute to my dear Dad. He fought through pain and remained strong to the end. His courage will not be in vain.

You are cruising along a beautiful, tree-lined boulevard. Without warning, you suddenly fall off a precipice that has appeared from thin air!

This is how I felt on the morning of August 2nd, 2015. It was sudden. The finality of the experience tore at every fiber of my being. My Dad was no more… he had made his final bow. The cancer that had afflicted his tongue finally took its toll on his life.

We were just glowing in the joy of reconnection. I had struggled for decades to get to this point. Yet it was only to be for a short six weeks. But what treasured memories that brief window provided.

We had our fair share of ups and downs. However, if I were to forget everything else Dad left with me, these three lessons will forever remain inscribed on my heart.

Posted on Wednesday, July 15, 2015

I Am The Problem

When life boomerangs back at you

This guest post is by Chris Pineda, the Athletic Practice Director at the Arbinger Institute, the organization-author of the bestsellers, Leadership and Self-Deception and The Anatomy of Peace. Learn more about the new expanded second edition of The Anatomy of Peace

After lacing up my soccer boots I took my headphones off to get focused for the match. We were playing our rivals and one thing was on my mind: Winning!

It was time to step onto the pitch. It was a big day. I needed to get the best warm up possible and my teammates had better be as focused as me.

I made sure I stretched properly and warmed up with the ball, all the while thinking about what I was going to do in the game. Picturing the saves I was going to make, the plays I was going to be highlighted in, and how the fans would roar afterwards.

Posted on Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Worry No More!

4 Steps to Stop Worrying and Start Living

At the end of this post, you can watch my interview with Bruce Van Horn, bestselling author of “Worry No More! 4 Steps to Stop Worrying and Start Living”. There is an audio version for you too!

It felt like the longest drive I have taken in my life. Yet it was only 160 kilometers long.

Anxiety plagued my mind. I was going home for the first time in a decade! That is how long it had been since I had last seen my dad.

The fact that my children had never set foot in the where house I grew up compounded my worry. They too had never met their grand-father. How would the meeting unfold?

When I informed my wife of my decision to reconnect with my dad, even she was astounded. She understood the pain that this separation had caused. Her response just compounded my worry of this whole experience going south on me.

But on Fathers Day, my family and I hit the road. I had to confront my fear and worry. It was time to wrestle with my fate. A time of renewal.

Posted on Thursday, June 11, 2015

The Undisciplined Pursuit Of More

When you forget your Why, your brand reputation suffers...

Consider this. You are a dominant market leader worth millions of dollars. There are opportunities to grow – and diversify – your market.

However, there is one major blot on your otherwise dominance in the market. Customers desperately cry out to you to deliver your promise.

I have been a customer of a leading telecom for over a decade. The last 3 years have been the worst in terms of quality; from their products to customer service.

Don’t get me started on dropped and static-laden calls that are the order of the day. I have to go upstairs to get a decent signal. On countless occasions, I have had to tell my callers, “Please let me text you!”

With the call quality worse than a two-way radio, I could only hear half of what they were trying to communicate to me.

A quick common-sense check: it is time to move from the ice-age.

Posted on Thursday, May 14, 2015

Leadership Growth Isn’t Rocket Science

3 Perspectives From Leadership With Kids

One question is currently reverberating in our household. “Daddy, can I help you?” This question is repeated by one of our three kids at least once a day.

At first, it would irritate me. The timing isn’t always convenient. Like yesterday. I was in the middle of a small construction project. At hand, I had both power and hand tools. Not the best combination especially with kids around.

Darkness was approaching and the skies were grey with heavy clouds. Time was running out, the last thing I wanted was an interruption.

When you run your own business, each minute you can invest in it is valuable. It is easy to take on a return-on-investment approach. Any deviation can determine whether you get paid or not.

Posted on Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Is Limited Time Liberating?

There I was, a strong-headed young man. I was just 24-year-old and on my first job. My earning, before taxes, was a measly $200! And there was a problem.

Our office was about ten kilometers from town. My commute involved taking two buses to and from work. It also meant that I spent about 20% of my meager earnings on the road.

There was a possibility to cut my spending by half. And that was a big motivator too! But our boss at the time would not hear of us clocking out 30 minutes early. This would give us the opportunity to use the courtesy bus into town.

His argument was that our workday was eight hours long with one-hour lunch break. However, we were willing to forgo 30 minutes of our lunch break. But he would hear none of it!

Posted on Friday, March 13, 2015

The Art Of Work

It is the reality for every man, woman and child…work! We desire that our work is an adventure. However, at some point, the majority of us become too engrossed in the noise around us. We are overwhelmed and controlled by what is thrown our way. And we give up.

At the dawn of 2014, I quit my job that had left me feeling hollow on the inside. It was the culmination of serious soul-searching and healing of my soul. It was catalyzed the publishing my first book. That was my preparation into a future where work transformed into art.

I had never taken the time to chronicle my progression from work as a duty to the art of work. This is where my friend Jeff Goins nails it!