1. Past – Many fail to make strides into the future because they have literally given license and rights to the past issues to jump into the present. Face your failures and learn from them, look at your successes and aim higher. Don’t rest on them. Your past remains your past. You have no control over it. Today you have a chance to rewrite the “new past” that will be talked of in your future. Confront your issues so that you don’t keep blaming it on what happened before. Take responsibility with both hands now.

2. Purpose – There is no one who can stand with others and claim not to have purpose. It is there. You may not know it yet. Your job is to confront this issue genuinely seeking to find where your passions lay. You cannot roam around resting on the purposes of others. You have your own mandate why you occupy space. Discover it and run with it. The longer you take to confront the matter the shorter you may live a fulfilled life. You only get fulfilled when you do what you love best even without being paid for it.

3. Personality – no one can ever deal with your personality better than you. People usually shy away from who they really are when no one else is watching. A good personality is usually the one that stands heads and shoulders above others receiving so much favor with man. If you fail to confront your own personality you will always think people are hard on you. Be realistic about this issue. Your life depends on your person-hood or personality.

4. Perception of self – How you see yourself matters. Confront the mirror every so often. It is not madness. See your own perception. Hear yourself speak, see yourself smile. If you do not know what you are good at, people will take you for granted and ride on your low self esteem. Square your shoulders always and realize you are somebody.

5. Present circumstances – Where you are presently has a bearing on how far you will go in life and how fast that will take. Where you are now should be scrutinized in view of the vision you set for yourself. If you cannot interrogate your present circumstances then time will fly past and you are bound to be in the same place in the future. You can change your present circumstance for the better.

6. Plan for the future – You should not just stumble on your future. One should plan for it and ensure they walk into a defined and well envisioned future. If you cannot see yourself in the future then you will not be able to walk towards it.

7. Potential – You are as good as the potential in you that is realized. It is not good enough to say “I think I am capable of this” when in actual fact you are not prepared to confront what you are good at. Unrealized potential remains exactly that. It remains a pie in the sky, a wish never realized. Everyone is somebody even when no tag is put on your forehead. You have potential only if you exploit it to the maximum. Expose yourself to environments and situations that enhance your growth and development. Who says you are not the next best story.

1. Determine you major and minor goals for the day – The main issue is knowing which issues are important and which ones are secondary to the main purpose. If you fail to plan your day, anything that comes will destroy your attention and focus. You will be tired and everywhere and yet not have the desired result. Work with the desired result in mind. That is being organized.

2. Stick to your plan – It is one thing to have a meetings schedule, it is another ball game to stick to what you purposed in 1 above. It calls for a high level of discipline to do so. Avoid over stretching meetings unnecessarily. Stick to the point. Stick to the budget. Whatever was not planned for at the start of the day may not suddenly be the main focus for the day. There are exceptions to this but in general terms, what was planned should be accomplished. Prioritize issues based on importance and urgency.

3. Watch out for disruptions – While you are planning your day, other people are planning their appointments with you but the feel that there is no need to inform you. Watch out for such time wasters. People must get used to booking to see you. This is not for senior professionals. Anyone should have a diary that they can stick to make things happen. Watch out for unplanned visitors and calls with no real value.

4. Occupy the idle moments – There is a lot stuff you can cover in between meetings or while driving from one place to the next. You can use that time to listen to an audio book. You can use waiting time to catch up on the news and so on. There are things you would rather not do during prime time, when you mind is fresh. I made a point not to read the newspaper at the start of the day. Newspapers tend to carry depressing issues which can scuttle your effectiveness and focus.

5. Put reminders on the computer and PDA – alarms will ensure you don’t forget what you have set to do. I carry my phones with me as they help me stay organized. I set the reminders, synchronize my PDA, phone and other gadgets with my email collaboration system. It works like magic for me.

6. Avoid over-promising your stakeholders – Productivity is usually scuttled because you would have promised far too many people big things that are not attainable in the given space of time. Be realistic with your promises.

7. Measure, correct and journal your experiences - You can never improve on something you are not deliberately recording and revisiting. You should be able to measure or score against all given tasks how productive each day was. When you journal you are able to come up with lessons on how to make it better the next time

 1. Read Books – You maybe the next greatest carpenter the community has ever seen. You cannot rely on what you see in vision alone, you need to read books that have been written on the subject of your passion. Read widely in order to increase your relevancy level.

 2. Increase your exposure level – Exposure can be achieved through travel, research and meeting people. Your potential relies heavily on what you have been exposed to since birth. Endeavour to increase what your awareness of the environment, the market trends and possibilities even beyond the confines of your country.

3. Have mentors around you – Mentors help get the best out of an individual. I have a mentor who coaches me in the arena of book writing. I would not have achieved what I have done had it not been for him. I have mentors who expand my potential in other areas of life such as business, family and so on. If you have no one to stretch you, you will never know what you are capable of. You will settle for what you know of yourself.

 4. Attempt difficult tasks – One way to really maximize possibilities in your own life is when you attempt things that are seemingly hard by normal standards. If you always settle for the easy tasks, you could scratch on the surface in terms of what you can do. When I was with Anglo American, I attempted projects that were seemingly beyond my education and experience. Only after I decided to embark on them did I realize how easy it was.

 5. Enter into competitions and challenges – Competitions are important in life. I always attempt challenging competitions that test my resilience and determination. I have participated in the 4th marathon challenge to write 100 Articles in 100 Days by ezine in May 2010. I completed 201 articles in the 100 days to become among 68 people in the world to do so. I also took part in the 5th challenge. Challenging times bring out the best in me.

 6. Do something new – When did you last do something for the very first time? Your potential could be in the things that have not been discovered yet. Who says you are not the one to invent the next biggest thing. It only comes when you cultivate an unwavering desire to do new things and create new ideas.

 7. Follow through on your passion to limit – Once you discover what your passion is you need a determination to follow through. You need to increase the activities that are lined up with that passion in your life. Attend seminars, go to college, find a common interest group, build others in your area, engage the existing systems and so on

1. Give of your time – spend time with family and friends catching up on times spent apart. Spend time with those who are mourning and those who are rejoicing. They say time is money hence when you spend time with someone, you would definitely have given them money.

2. Give your love (care) – They say it is never Love until you learn to give it away. You give love, you get love back. Call someone and wish them well. It is in this time that some will be feeling lonely after their own friends would have traveled on holidays. Share you love with someone.

3. Give you ear (attention) – In this busy world, sometimes people hardly have time to listen to others speaking. This is a time when there is no rush. Listen to the deep cries and anxieties of those needing attention. There are many who have been misunderstood all their lives, take time to listen to them too. Take time to answer any burning questions.

4. Give hope – Many feel hopeless, dejected and rejected. Take time to affirm someone that their circumstances are not unto death. The fact that they are living to enter this season means there is a purpose for their lives. Tell them never to give up hope but keep it alive. Visit those in prison and those in orphanages.

5. Give your wisdom – After listening to all the cries, the complaints and anxieties, take a moment to offer your wisdom. The fact that someone is pouring their lives out means you may have a word in you that will unlock their potential and position them for the new year. Offer wisdom and it will never run dry in you.

6. Give life – Take time to donate blood to save lives that continue to perish on the roads due to accidents. When you see others in trouble please stop and rescue them from perishing. Share the word of God with someone. It could be the only gift that they need to turnaround their own circumstances. Tell people of the importance of being alive.

7. Give others memories – Let others feel that this has been the best Christmas ever. You may never give them cash but give them memories they will live with for life. Take pictures to remember the moments you spend with family and friends. Make this a memorable season for generations to come.

I would like to personally thank you all who have been a source of encouragement for me in my quest to impact lives around the world. The nations that have hosted me in the recent past, I applaud you. Thank you to USA, Kenya, Uganda, Swaziland, South Africa to name just a few of those. I will be traveling more in the coming year to make sure you too are not left out from traveling on first class in the inspiration train.

Merry Christmas and a blissful 2013.

Rabison Shumba
Author | Speaker | Coach

******************

My importance is unparalleled
My role in this world cannot be repealed
I care, I nurture I am involved
In the multiplication equation
That has seen new life come to being
I am woman, a strong pillar that keeps society standing

I have seen it all I have faced the worst
I have walked on rough roads but I am never deterred
I have endured the bruises from the thickets but kept hope alive
I carry a vision which I am not about to abort
I always carry to full term just so it lives
I am woman, a lover of life

My hands are toughened by the tasks I have handled
Nothing beats the warmth of my embrace
I may have been tampered and toughened on the outside
Yet inside me flows streams that refresh
Refreshing waters oozing from a tender heart
I am woman, when I love I go all the way

I do all that I do not for any applause
I know why I am here, I am certain of my contribution
I am here to make this world look better
As I decorate it with the warmth of my smile
And the tenderness of my character
I am woman, focused as ever

I stand tall though sometimes misunderstood
I press-in towards the goals even when adversity beckons
I step forward regardless of the thorns that wait to punch my foot
No amount of risk can stop me
No amount of ridicule can stand me
I am woman, resolute and determined

They told me it cannot be done by women but I did it
They made assumptions which I have since corrected
Yet in the midst of all I have done I still come into contact with whispers
Whispers that doubt my abilities and capabilities
Hesitant voices that express reservations on my mental faculties
Yet I am not about to give them a chance
I am woman, content with who I am

Give me the impossible and I will transform it
Give me the imperfect things and I will correct them
Throw it my way and it shall be renewed
Because nothing beats the power of the woman I am
Nothing, absolutely nothing has capacity to bring me down
I am woman, I create possibilities
—————-

When polls are announced, casting your vote becomes the goal
Set the tone; don’t sit back like a doll
Talk to your friends; give you colleagues a call
Shift the leadership tide, make them play ball
With your vote, let them know the writing is on the wall
Vote with confidence and walk up-straight and tall
You have the power to install one letting the others fall

Only those who vote have the right to speak after all
Those who shy away; must shut up and not murmur at all
They would have delegated to others, they rather stall
Complaining and murmuring will never change their world at all
Doing the honourable thing can stop the endless brawls
It can quash and freeze the needless growls
Building a new world free from thuggish leadership and prowls
That one vote maybe all that is needed to define the polls

——-
Rabison Shumba – 25 July 2012 – A call for people to be actively involved in voter registration and voting. You elect the leader you want and not let others do it for you. Once you have done it, then live with the decision you made.

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My tears run down my face creating a web of fissures deep and long
I only thank heavens for the shower I take in due season
If only I could drink of my tears like you do
I would derive benefit from my sorrows
Yet in all this pain and suffering your joy is made complete
Show me some respect!!!

You dug my body making holes with total disregard for my pain
You proceeded to throw organisms that grew and sucked all my energy
How I felt the pressure from the veins which ran through me
And the weight of what I had to carry for your benefit
Yet through your familiarity I carry no preciousness in your eyes
Show me some respect!!!

My tears wash me away and you are not bothered
The heavy winds blow me away in all directions and you have no compassion
Yet I account for the lavish houses you occupy
And all the fruit you pluck from the tentacles of my hair
When will I ever be thanked for my sacrifices? I wonder
Show me some respect!!!

I am tired of being trampled upon mercilessly
Everything in the air finds peace and stability when it steps and rests on my head
Through it all I look and wonder why you have turned into this villain
And lack gratitude in your attitude
Hear my cry and attend to my wishes
Show me some respect!!!

Without me you would be floating endlessly
Without my permission a lot of what you possess would not be with you
Surely I am not asking for too much
All I want is protection and preservation
So that you and I can have a long lasting existence
Show me some respect that I deserve!!!

Your lost relatives so dear to you at some point
The family decided to give them a decent burial
No one else was there to provide the much needed cover
As one that gives you respect, I was available
They lie still in my bosom, much to my unconditional love
Please, show me some respect!!!

What would you do without soil in your lives?
Would the planet be called earth without its many shades?
Would this world have the happiness and stability in its absence?
And yet mankind has not given away the one wish in its voice
“Show me respect for my existence. Soil is my name.”

Rabison Shumba (c) 2012

Some see challenges but I see opportunities
While they murmur and complain I am growing my business
They all don’t seem to realize one thing which is clear
That every problem is a chance to make money
I now know that I am an entrepreneur

Give me a problem and I will give you a solution
Spell out your needs and I am here to meet them
I will bring the answers to your greatest quests
I will deliver solutions even those you never asked for
I will also bring my invoice
So that you confirm that I am truly an entrepreneur

I am done being exploited by those who seemed to want to help me
I have learnt my lessons from those who exploited me
I am thankful for the apprenticeship in this new found passion
To grow the money I have for generations after me
I am out to create new wealth and new business
Just so that the world will realize that I am an entrepreneur

I am good at talking and I make money from it
I use my gifts and talents to create the future I desire
Wealth creation is my mission
Solution provision is my passion
I will turn every inconvenience to positive energy
I will turn every desolate place into a living paradise
I will make through it you won’t even doubt it
All you will do is proclaim what I know
That I am an entrepreneur

I am done with procrastination, my chance has come
I will turn every idea into reality
No longer will I harbour good intentions that take me nowhere
I will turn every intention, thought and ambition into tangibles
I will convert my losses into gains
Just then you will all realize that I am an entrepreneur

I will be innovative and creative
I will strive to do what was never done before
If anyone has ever created what I am thinking of they will be the copycat
I will no longer sit on my dreams and aspirations
I will make this world a better place for me and others
The world will come to know
That I am an entrepreneur