Achieving some success

Last week, in a live feed, I talked about how we can achieve minimum success in this short life on earth. Many people think that being able to make money is the only form of success, which is totally wrong.

True, making money is very critical in life and like I have emphasised before, never listen to anyone who says money means nothing yet they wake up every morning and head out to look for it.

There are, however, many other areas in life that we need to succeed in, such as good health, our spiritual life, marriage, sports etc.

To succeed in something, we first need to dream about that something, which helps us form a vision. If your interest is to build a five-star hotel but you visualise ‘go cool’, then you are as good as go cool.
We can never achieve what we do not have a vision of. I was telling my youngest son that a motorbike goes where your eyes focus.

After a vision (which is customised to an individual) is well formed, please be very mindful of vision killers.

It is not easy zeroing down on a vision that can work for us. As individuals, we test our visions through consulting people and trying them out.

Vision killers are not necessarily bad people because many of them are never aware of their ability to kill visions and yes, some never want to see you improve.

We should all be aware that in the minds of many of our peers, we have been placed in well-measured boxes and if we go beyond where they expected we would then become targets (which can be harsh).

I’m the type who thinks aloud and will communicate my thoughts loudly. Initially my wife thought that I would want to invest in everything I thought about/talked about. I talk about a lot of things. Some things get added, while others are removed.

Next comes hard work because however good your vision is, you will achieve nothing if you do not commit to working hard.
Hard work beats talent when talent does not work hard. As a tour guide, on many occasions I was told I would make a very good tour operator, something I did not believe then because of the challenges I was facing at the time.

I was earning $1 (Shs3,700) per day. I worked and it is possible for our current circumstances to blind us about our future possibilities.

When the same message was repeatedly said by some of my friends and clients such as Annegien Seubringi, I started believing it.

Of course there were people who were sure to remind me that I came from abject poverty and that success was not an option. When it sunk in, I knew that was not enough because I had to commit to hard work. I worked about 18 hours a day even on the good days.

Working hard brings results and I saw that in my own life when results started trickling in.

I realised along the way that my vision had more of affording basics (shelter, clothing and food) and yes, that was a very small vision.
We need to think real big while remembering that small positive steps will take us to that Promised Land.

Small dreams are easily achievable and after achieving them, it is very easy to head south.

When Great Lakes Safaris Ltd started to grow and I told some guys I wanted to venture into safari lodges, many people had their reservations and reminded me about my background. Deep within I love/enjoy going for what people think I can’t manage doing.

Thinking real big will not take you anywhere without good networks because our net worth is not equivalent to our bank balance but equivalent to our networks.

Good networks are normally composed of people we call well-wishers and they expect to trust you. It is easy to create networks but extremely difficult to keep them, especially if they see a character default in you.

I tell people that we have had clients travel and spend money with us more than 15 times. That is very significant, especially with them being clients from abroad in just 17 years of our business.

If those clients had sent us money and we spent it on needs outside what they wanted, we would never see them again. Some have become like family now.

As we become successful in the areas of our desire, we need to give back not just take all the time and many times people want to make others guilty when they don’t give them money.

I have over time learnt that people we give money do not go further than those we share knowledge within areas we have succeeded.
When I take off time and write this, I’m giving back and yes, when you invite me to give a free talk, I’m giving back.

I have realised many people, (not all) do not often value the time I give them which I find sad many times. I value my friends’ time especially busy ones because they sacrifice that time just to be with me and share ideas.

The writer is the CEO at Great Lakes Safaris
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