Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. That evidence part is what my logical mind struggles with every single day.
I receive a call from a new client. We have been working on part of his company’s profile. When I see his caller ID, my mind goes like: “Oh shoot! Did I overlook something?” Immediately, I go into crisis mode. My heart races and I am reduced to shallow breaths.
Continue Reading »
There they were… 220 expectant eyes. Like laser beams, they locked on us. “Who I’m I?” This was the topic my wife and I were to speak on. And we had less than two hours.
It was a meeting with young adults. Their anticipation was palpable. They all seemed keen to unveil their identity. After the talk, some held us back for one-on-one conversation with us. Yet, others sent us detailed email messages about their struggle with identity. All this transported me back to a treasured memory…
Continue Reading »
Frustrated and unmotivated, I knew there was something greater my life had to offer.
But I felt stuck, like trying to walk in a sea of thick mud. My life was like a square peg being hammered into round hole. I wanted to thrive but this animal-in-a-cage mentality held in a vice-grip. I ran fast, but to nowhere.
These three thoughts plagued my mind in the dead of the night. Waking up in a cold sweat, they resounded above the chirping crickets and barking dogs:
I had heard this many times, “When life gives you a lemon, make lemonade!” Well, I got fed up with the lemonade business. I felt an urgency to see a break in the ominous grey clouds that hang over my head.
Continue Reading »
When Steve Harvey starts to speak, laughter is around the corner. However, this versatile TV host has spent a few weeks as a laughing-stock.
His sin? Steve had announced the wrong winner of the 2015 Miss Universe. But that is not the gist of today’s post. This event reminded me of Steve’s video from 2014: “You gotta jump to be successful”.
As Steve says, your gift is like a parachute. But parachutes don’t work unless you jump. How far you soar depends on your willingness to risk that first jump.
His message provided for deep reflection for me. I thought and agonized about the year ahead. “What do I need to do different?” I asked myself. It isn’t just about setting goals. I need to make sure I get them done too. Otherwise, I’m toast!
Continue Reading »
To know goodness needs just a taste. Greatness, on the other hand, requires a mastery and a willing soul.
Consider the katana, a Samurai’s sword. It is a confluence of strength, finesse, and deadly artistry. In the right hands, the katana will cut through bone as easily as a razor blade on paper. But what keeps this millennium-old weapon so treasured?
The answer lies in the purest of steel in the hands of highly skilled smelters, smiths, sword blade polishers, and carpenters. To create one katana takes 15 men nearly six months. It is a tedious, patient and meticulous process.
Continue Reading »
I sit and ponder on this we call life. What does it mean to live? Why are we alive?
Over the years, I have never tired of watching and reading of great men and women in sports. I scour the internet for clips of their art. Those moments inspire and stir me up to think of what is possible.
One characteristic endures in my heroes. It isn’t just their talent but something they exude from deep inside them. That is humility. Despite their fame and fortune, they remain humble and firmly grounded. They live from the inside and influence their environment.
It was early in the morning. I silently read and re-read the passing on of Jonah Lomu. His life’s clock stopped at 40. I am 40. He was once described as rugby’s version of Muhammad Ali, a heavyweight with global reach.
Continue Reading »
I have experienced both personal losses and professional failures in my life. As a leader, some of these losses and failures have been publicly visible.
Last year, I grieved through a failed adoption. Two weeks after we had taken a newborn home as her new parents, her birth family asked to have her returned. They wanted to raise her. Not only were we left empty-handed but it also crushed our hearts!
And that wasn’t the end of it. I was to facilitate our monthly leadership luncheon. My dean had announced I wasn’t available for the event as I was away taking care of the newborn. The girl’s picture was even shown to all present!
Over the next several months, I fielded many questions about our newborn. Each time, I had to explain that the adoption had failed all over again. To say this was a painful experience is to grossly understate the case.
Continue Reading »
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.
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!
Continue Reading »
You wake up and think, “Oh my, here’s another day! What am I going to do?” As your brain begins to fire up, the magnanimity of the tasks ahead slam your head back on the pillow.
This was my exact daily morning ritual a couple of years back. I hated my work environment. I would drag myself out of bed, take a long shower and fix a strong coffee.
Routine filled my life. Rather influence my environment, it felt like the routine was sucking the life out of me. For years, what I did drove a major part of my identity, rather than who I am. I was frustrated, angry, tired and confused.
After I quit my job, I did a deep-dive into why I felt and acted the way I did. My discovery was amazing as it was simple. Never at any time had I written down my personal goals. As much as I knew what my vision was, I sabotaged my life by not articulating my goals.
Continue Reading »
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?”
Continue Reading »