Tuesday 17 October 2017

You Don’t Have a Disadvantaged Brain



Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash

You might have a had a disadvantaged background but you don’t have a disadvantaged brain” – Vusi Thembekwayo


I happened to watch a video and the man Vusi was talking and he made the above statement, that statement triggered something in my mind. I looked back at the times I have blamed my background or some of the hard circumstances my family went through for not pushing myself in life. I have many times said that if I had parents like this or that then maybe I would not be where I am, I could be in a better place or have a better job or just have better connections.

They gave us an Education

When I look back, I now appreciate that we all have to value work, we need to work hard and use what God has blessed us with. Many times I tell people that my dad did not leave us with acres of land or property except the house that he and mum built which we are really grateful for. He passed away in 2001 while we were still young in our education and if it wasn’t for the grace of God and resilience of my mother and the prayers and support of friends and relatives, I don’t think we would be where we are. She did whatever she could to educate us.

Our parents give their all to educate us and sometimes the sacrifices are so painful. I have seen with my own eyes what my parents had to do. I no longer dwell on what my background was, whether I wasn’t given all the other things I wanted. Indeed I agree with Vusi, that no one has a disadvantaged brain. I now realize, the greatest gift my parents gave me was an EDUCATION. My task is to put what I have been educated with to work.

Excuses

I shouldn’t have an excuse as much as there are many things to hang excuses on like the economic times, the high rate of unemployment, failure to be connected, jobs aren’t paying well especially for different levels of education. Some people sit back waiting to be told what to do, education comes in both the formal and informal way but many people suspend their brains and hold on to the confession that the government will do everything for them

We have to put our brains to work, we need to build intellectual capital and use it in every field and every opportunity. Some people have shunned work, they have refused to get their hands dirty because they say that their degree can’t allow them to get into the trenches, that it can’t allow them to roll up their sleeves and do things that can bring food to their table, that it can’t allow them to open up shops for wholesale and retail trading, that there is no market for this and that, that the piece of land is too far, that there is no development here, that my innovation can’t do much etc.

My Few Experiences

After university, I happened to intern with a big organization for 6 months and I really am grateful for the experience I had. I expected to be taken on and that did not happen as expected. I was given a stipend (allowance) but that stopped the moment my contract wasn’t renewed.
I worked in a store (warehouse) sorting books every day for about a month, I was paid $ 1.4 or 5000 ugx per day, this experience humbled me, instead of sitting home watching series after series, I then decided I needed to get myself busy. Doing that job was a temporary vehicle for me but I learned vital character traits and the value of working hard. Money isn’t just given, it is earned. My father used to tell me that money is not plucked from trees. When I used to ask them for money, I used to think that money was ever there until I started making my own.

I ended up volunteering with an organization that taught me vital skills that I use today until I got another opportunity to intern again for one year and a half. My boss at the time told me these words, “Arthur you can’t keep interning, If you want to grow, you need to leave this place.” I started applying for other jobs and indeed doors opened. When my boss spoke, that is when my brain opened because I was getting comfortable with the weekly allowance and travel allowances. I remember saving up most of the monies and up to now, I regret my first mistake of using my hard-earned savings to buy a car, there could have been a better investment to do, however, today – the lessons learned are a vital part of my everyday life.

Don’t Shun Work, Study and Read 

I just want to encourage anyone reading this article, not to shun work but to use their brains to learn as much and apply the knowledge to do things that can lift them and others up, studying is not only done in the university, the greatest investment anyone can give themselves is to invest in their minds, read about what you are passionate about, search knowledge of different topics. I love this statement said by one of my friends Benjamin Tumukunde, “I want to be well studied and well-read”.

We need to learn and stop blaming our background as much as it has played a part. Use what God has given you, Jacob worked for Laban for 14 years, I know that he went to his place with nothing but he left a loaded man. God has given us brains and our minds need constant renewing through learning and exposure.

When Ben Carson talked about his story, this is what he said, “I would like people to recognize in looking at my story that the person who has the most to do with what happens to you is you. It’s not the environment, it’s not the other people who were there trying to help you or trying to stop you. It’s what you decide to do and how much effort you put behind it.”

#Transform #Impact #Empower

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