Start Now - What It Takes!

On Friday the 16th of March. I had a good time speaking with S.6 Vacationers about personal finance. They asked me to go share with them a few insights about this thing. I am humbled that young people are starting to think about this thing and I wish parents and schools were given such talks at the dinner table, in the cars or even in school parades, we can develop many young people who have good financial I.Q and the rewards could be enormous in the long run.

Never Thought About Learning Personal Finance

I remember while in my S.6 vacation, I never ever thought about learning anything to do with money and I was so humbled that this group of young people wanted to understand some principles that they can apply in their lives now. I asked them what they wanted to learn, and the thoughts ranged from learning how to save, invest, use their skills to make money etc.

Time: Start Early, Start Now

There is no better time to start learning something than "EARLY". Many of us at the time were either watching movies the whole day or just moving around going from one hang out to another (I understand it is a phase of life but if you are grounded with truth, you can understand your purpose early and start living it out). On a personal note I did some crazy things to make money but eventually it got wasted on drinking out, hanging out etc. You can learn more of what I did in this article. Now I pray I can help some of these young people avoid what costed me, they would rather make new mistakes but not the ones I made.

I told these young people to start now! I talked about how they needed to check their lifestyles. I told them that their lifestyles would dictate a lot about how money would play out in their lives. I reminded them that personal finance is 80% behavior and 20% head knowledge. When I asked them what they would do with money when they get it the first time, I wasn't shocked at their answers, everything showed the consumer mentality and there was nothing to show how they could earn, save or even invest. I asked if some had saved money before and they said that they did and I asked them what they did with it, the reply was a hearty laughter, some couldn't even tell in simple terms it was all consumed and nothing was invested. In my article deal with consumerism, I highlight how the culture is draining us more than ever.

I asked them a few pertinent questions like "Do you feel like schools are not really preparing you for the real world? " This was a question asked by Robert Kiyosaki. I told them to think deeply about these questions and many more. I reminded them that they should not just subscribe to the thought that, " I went to school to get good grades and get a job'' jobs are so few that we need entrepreneurs to create them, I said that as they study, they should think of how they will use that knowledge to solve problems, In solving problems they add value to humanity and in many ways they will get rewarded.

Get Practical

I encouraged them to get practical by writing down their expenses so that they can get to know where their money goes. I also told them to start having short, medium and long term goals irrespective of whether they are earning much or not or even still getting financial support from their parents or guardians or even well wishers.

I told them that they should have a budget and that their budgets should not only have airtime, data, hanging out, transport, smartphones, new shoes, new clothes (to keep up with the joneses) etc but that it should have an element that shows that they are working towards their goals, it could be things like tithe, a book, support to the needy etc.

Stop Wasting Time

I encouraged them to stop wasting their time and start converting it into tangible results. I gave them a challenge to read the book Make Sense Of Your Money and I will be meeting them soon to continue the chat.

Are you mature and haven't started thinking about this area of personal finance. It has been said over time that our mindsets play a big role. People are poor not because they were born poor but because they haven't made some hard choices. Others don't want to risk, others don't want to learn, others say ,"My parents are already rich, why do I have to work or even think about learning these things".

Lastly I told them thinking about changing the status quo takes work, I told them deciding to start being a good steward of money takes a mindset shift and that is work itself. I left them with this quote

“Hard work is always profitable in some way, it builds your character, your bank account, and your reputation. But when you’re one of those people who always make plans but never actually do anything about them, you will never succeed” – Jason Cabler

Don’t Blame Others - Think of What You Can Do To Fix It

Are you fixing it or you are complaining?

Philippians 2:14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.

There are many ways we can help this world; I believe it starts with us seeing ourselves as problem solvers. Are you seeing yourself as light to the darkness, arrogance, hopelessness etc.

We live in a world where everyone is pointing a finger at the other. They say you should have done this or you should have been doing this. Often the complainants have no solution to the underlying problems. Instead of being problem propagators, why not think? As problem solvers.

Often people will blame their money problems on the government, on high taxes, on how the rich are unfair and don’t want to share their piece of the pie, on how they did not get the best education. All this holds some bit of truth but I believe that when people come to their senses, then nothing can stop them.

The first solution to our everyday problems is to firstly accept that there is a problem and you are part of it. You find the person with a poor mindset talking about how he or she wants to drive the latest car, they are talking about how they want the biggest house and how they want to be just like that rich person in the village. They don’t talk about how they can get wisdom, understand the value and ethics of work that those whom they are admiring are adhering too. You find such people even plotting on how they can go rob such a person, they want to get rewarded where they haven’t worked. 

When it comes to money, someone will tell you, "I can't budget" that stuff is for stone age. They will tell you, I will start planning for my future when I get that big break through. Some will say, ah! For me parents are already rich, why do I have to work, others will say I can't afford, my money is too little. When they fall into deep trouble, they remember and start regretting. Choose to be wise and walk like wise people

Two stories of women who are solving problems in this world

Ephesians 2: 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Esther Kalenzi’s story

“I realized that the children’s needs became my needs and I was always on the move trying to get funding for my new family” – Esther Kalenzi

When I think of problem solvers in Uganda, I can gladly mention people like Esther Kalenzi. Esther Kalenzi is the founder of Forty Days over Forty Smiles Foundation, a local NGO that helps the needy; especially children and youth. From her story, helping the needy is a passion that was first shown when she was a student in Agha Khan High School. She raised funds to pay school fees for fellow students. She says that she looked at the spending pattern of students and realized that they had more than enough pocket money. She was reported by fellow students for what she was doing, she was summoned and it turned out that the school administration offered the student a scholarship.

If we all had an eye to see that we can solve an issue, then we can make the world we live in a better place. Today people are longing for inspired action, not just mere talk that is full of emptiness, no vision and no purpose.

Recently Esther was recognized, her works moved the queen Elizabeth II, Click this link for more.

Malala’s Story

“I told myself, Malala, you have already faced death. This is your second life. Don’t be afraid — if you are afraid, you can’t move forward” - Malala Yousafzai

Another person with a great story is MALALA Yousafzai I believe we have all heard of her. She is the girl who stood up for EDUCATION and was shot by the Taliban. These were her words, “I don’t want to be thought of as the “girl who was shot by the Taliban” but the “girl who fought for education.” This is the cause to which I want to devote my life”. She demanded that girls be allowed to receive education. How many of us can put our lives on the line to see a dream come through? I guess it takes more than just surviving a bullet, weathering a storm, I believe it takes purpose.

There is so much to write about the life of Malala, All I can say is that her, Esther Kalenzi and many people out there who are solving problems are in the bracket of those who are Fixing issues and not the ones throwing blame. The question I would ask is, "What Problem Are You Solving?"

We read about levels of poverty rising every day, we see reports that the poor are getting poorer, probably you and I fall in that bracket, but on my side and the side of my friend Edward Yosia Hire, we want to teach financial literacy, we want people to win, we want to hear a new song that will be sang by the media of how people are changing their lifestyles, becoming more purposeful with money. A story of hopelessness turning into one of hope. A story of people who are seeing opportunities in problems and doing something about it. 

We want to liberate and change mindsets, we want people to believe that God has given us wisdom to create wealth and do it the right way. We want to see ventures that are created by people to serve people, better schools, better health services, better education, better systems of justice, better leaders of integrity etc.

Please read Never Broke Again to be inspired more.

#Impact #Empower #Transform

Never Broke Again – Could That Be Your Story!

Image is from Google

“Don’t be committed to the physical environment,” Nichols said. “Be committed to what’s in your mind. I fed my son possibility even when we didn’t see a lot.”

Philippians 3:13 NLT "No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,"

Ever been in a place where you are at the edge. There are people who have lost everything and been written off, there are people who have been to the darkest pit and had no one to help them but themselves. Has that been your story or have you seen someone who has gone through it and still see them come out? Indeed, the light at the end of the tunnel is there for everyone to receive but some people choose to allow the worst of circumstances get to them, some give up and say, “I will never amount to anything”.

My dear reader, I want to share with you the story of Lisa Nichols. This story sent chills through my spine. I know I have seen some situations that are similar but can anyone come to their senses and declare, “I will never be broke again” some say these things and do nothing about them, others say these things and have it on their wishful list but still keep hoping and never get out to act.

Every problem is a gift — without problems, we would not grow - Anthony Robbins

“Most people want the convenience of transformation without the inconvenience required for transformation” – Lisa Nichols

Lisa Nichols Story – Never Broke Again

“Your story is not meant to be your fortress but your fuel” – Lisa Nichols

In a nutshell, while growing up she relatively had a good upbringing but she was a slow learner in school and her teacher told her that she should never speak in public because she wasn’t good. She got pregnant while young and the father of her child went to jail while her child was 8 months old and she was left to fend for herself and her son, she was on welfare and as time went on, she realized that she was unable to provide pampers for her son as she had $11 42 cents and she had to wrap him in clothes for two days, this was her turning point and she told her child, “Don’t worry baby, Mummy will never be this broke or broken again”. She continues to say in this interview, that that day what shifted from me, “I was willing to completely die to any form of me that I had been so that I could birth the woman I was becoming, the reason why a lot of people won’t become who they want is because they have been attached to who they’ve been”

This story reminds me, You Are Not Less Than What You Ought To Be.

“When I go study something, I learn it and own it” – Lisa Nichols

She was willing to become a student, she was willing to let friends go, she was willing to come out of what wasn’t working, come out of the company of people who weren’t pushing her forward. The problem with many of us is that we stick to the same company of failures and expect different results. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing the same way and expecting different results. Remember to study, it is a good way to invest in yourself.

In her book No Matter What, she shares a lot about some of the things she went through. Lisa got a wake-up call when she wasn’t able to provide one of the most basic needs of her child. In her story, while ravaging through life, she had a dream, even if she was a good writer, she kept writing, she kept volunteering and speaking to youth, there is a time she wasn’t able to pay for a conference that she knew would greatly help her, she decided to offer to do some work by cleaning and that would pay for her dues. But she chose to be a lifelong learner until the day she got a call to go speak on a show, she couldn’t believe such a moment had come in her life. She asked her prayer partner to pray with her and his words in prayer spoke so deeply to her that she knew that as an imperfect person, she would be helping other imperfect people.

You can rise from any pit

Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall. —Confucius

 There is no pit no one can fail to rise from, someone might want to say show me how but I would say get inspiration from the stories of those who have been to the darkest pit. The bible tells us of Joseph, Job, and many others. Never lose focus, never keep your eyes off your dream, some people will laugh at you but who knows if what you are doing won’t come to their rescue.

Let your problems be a springboard for you to rise up

"Problems are only opportunities with thorns on them" -Hugh Miller

We all face problems at various levels, some are devastating, others just suck the life out of us. I strongly believe that anything can be conquered, I believe that with God nothing is impossible, I believe God gives us the wisdom to sail through any storm. I believe problems are an opportunity to become innovative, to bring out our creative drive, and to enable us to bring long-lasting solutions to issues. I know with changing environments and new technologies; new problems will come but some of the old ones we know must be dealt with so that we can face new things.

When I resigned from one of the jobs that I had, I knew that life wouldn’t be easy. For 6 months I looked here and there and there was just no sign that I would come out of joblessness. I did not give up on doing what I was passionate about and trained to do. I kept telling myself, this is an obstacle along the way, I will get past it someday. I kept telling myself, things will change for the better. My attitude changed and this was one of the most important things that happened to me. A job opportunity came and it wasn’t paying like the previous jobs I had, from earning something fairly good, it was like as if I was just starting out as a fresh graduate. I humbled myself and sailed through. I kept saying that, one of the reasons I should work is so that I can prepare for the future better, learn so much now, invest wisely, and be free of working for people. I am still on my journey and I know that am preparing myself for many things ahead, I still need to climb one mountain, maneuver the valleys and climb more mountains – I will get there.

Lisa Nichols said this in one of her books, one of the main mistakes I see people make is forgetting to put their thoughts and desires into action. They believe that thinking about something really hard or talking about it a lot will make it happen. Sadly, those things are not enough. Desire thought, and action all have to be present for transformation to occur. Without action, it’s just a great “aha!” Action is the most pivotal step—it’s the catalyst for change and movement.

Focus on your goals, not on your worries

When you focus on your goals instead of your worries, you can begin to live more in possibility and peace and less in fear of deprivation, scarcity, and lack. Bad things may happen, but they won’t determine the outcome and the quality of your life.

Poverty can be dealt with, sometimes we need those who have been hit hard to wake up, dust themselves and do what they have been called to do by accepting where they are, accepting to learn and accepting to grow through every hard bit in life. Don't blame everything on witchcraft, some people run so fast to say, so and so was bewitched, yet they are just lazy.

My dear friends, financial education is one thing I am pushing for, Lisa kept saying that she was going to FUND HER DREAM, are you doing anything in regards to that, are you consuming instead of investing. I am tired of seeing debt take over the lives of people, I am tired of seeing people go to school, get good grades, and have no jobs. I am tired of money not being talked about by parents at the dinner table, in the cars, in the market. This discussion has to come to every sphere, the church, the media, etc. There is a lot of truth that can help many. Our television sets are full of soap operas, these things try and push an idea of a life of laziness, rage, unforgiveness, lust, etc. We need to emulate the nations that are pushing the agenda of growth, entrepreneurship, love for the nation.

See this video for more of Lisa's story

#Impact #Empower #Transform

Invest In Your Mind

Proverbs 24:5-6 "The wise are mightier than the strong and those who have knowledge grow stronger and stronger. So don't go to war without wise advice, victory depends on having many advisers"

While studying and analyzing a few things about life. I have strongly come to the conclusion that is is disastrous to be arrogant and ignorant.

In my analysis, I looked at when homes are broken into, the things that get stolen are TVs, Laptops, fridges etc but never things like books, magazines or news papers. I believe people are driven by what they see that can give them temporary happiness but they aren't driven by what can give them eternal value.

A lot of truth lies in written pages, a lot of wisdom is shared by the minds we interact with when we read or listen to their messages. How about you take time to financially educate yourself in the areas that are really perturbing you.

Let me quote what Robert Kiyosaki said in his book, Rich Dad Poor Dad, he said, "If you want to fly a plane, I advise taking lessons first. I am always shocked at people who buy stocks or real estate but never invest in their greatest asset, their mind".

In his story he said he said, "I take a long view on my wealth. I do not subscribe to the Get Rich Quick Mentality most lottery players or casino gamblers have. I may go in and out of stocks but i am long on EDUCATION'.

Do whatever it takes to self educate or even learn from others, read, visit blogs, visit websites, buy books, listen to audios, it will help you a great deal and you will see the rewards, it will also be rubbed on others. Use the Kindle app on your phone or pc, it will help you access samples of some great books.

Till today I am grateful to Edward Hire Yosia for inspiring me to read and study. Many times i failed, many times i gave up, many times the money got wasted but with life long learning, you keep picking yourself up and getting better, you get to realize that principles are universal and they can't be the problem but you yourself.

Check out this article Is Reading Part Of Your Culture and Kill The Poverty Of The Mind

#Impact #Empower #Transform

You Are Not Less Than What You Ought To Be – Part 3

“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision” – Helen Keller

In his book, “Vision less life, Meaning less life” Dr Sunday Adelaja talks about a lady who broke the barriers of adversity. Her name is Hellen Keller.

Helen Adams Keller was born on June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Keller was born with her senses of sight and hearing, and started speaking when she was just 6 months old. In 1882, however, Keller contracted an illness - called “brain fever” that produced a high body temperature. Within a few days after the fever broke, Keller’s mother noticed that her daughter didn’t show any reaction when the dinner bell was rung, or when a hand was waved in front of her face. In simple terms she became deaf and blind.

In 1887, Keller’s teacher, Anne Sullivan, helped her make tremendous progress with her ability to communicate, and Keller went on to college, graduating in 1904.

This is a unique story. It is unique in many ways because her parents and teachers did whatever it takes to enable this young lady sail through life. She was so determined to learn and she became a worldwide sensation moving from one nation to another inspiring people with her story.

She was given a thunderous round of applause after speaking to an audience of many people. Everyone was eager and waiting to hear every word she was going to say. The room was dead silent; you could hear the drop of a pin. After her speech, it was time for questions. Her translator shared the questions with her and she was able to answer. The question was, “What would you prefer, being deaf or blind?” her answer was that, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision”. Her response was like a knockout blow that came from nowhere.

A woman who lost her sight and hearing at childhood overcame this enormous challenge and achieved much more than those who had their two eyes and ears.

Dr Sunday Adelaja writes and says that, “Hers was an incredible life. Beyond words, she had truly proven to her audience and to the world that ‘the only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision” and that she has shown that vision is the greatest possession of a man, not eyesight.

See this video of her story

Don’t Despise or Look Down On Yourself

My dear reader, I hope by now after reading about Hellen Keller, you will sit back look at how blessed you are and get rid of all the excuses. We have so many excuses about why we can’t do this or that. There are many stereotypes we have labelled on ourselves. Some of us have even said that, “These things are for a chosen few”. I want to believe that in the uniqueness that God has created you with, he has a purpose for you. Everybody has a significance, all they have to do is find their significance, that is what Noeline Kirabo would tell anyone she is inspiring.

"You can live for more if you dare to dream beyond your wildest expectations. Dreaming is free but success comes at a cost. Dare to dream and live for more" - Noeline Kirabo

I still want to remind someone out there, that no disability, no lack, no hindrance can stop them from fulfilling their purpose in this life. Be like Hellen Keller, go out and study, go out and inspire, go out and do what seems impossible. Nelson Mandela said, “It always seems impossible until it is done”.

Stir Up the Gift Within You

In the Bible, Paul told Timothy to stir up the gift that was in him. Sometimes you need to be reminded that you have value within you, that you are a world changer, that you have the solution to the underlying problems. We only get better when we convert our time into tangible results and use it wisely. Have you been dreaming about sorting out the mess of corruption in this world, helping street children find homes, feeding the hungry in this nation (Probably doing farming at another level). Are you tired of our education system, what are you doing about all these things? When you start getting disturbed about some of these things, those are signs that you need to deal with them.

On a personal note, I have seen how the issue of personal finance is a big issue to individuals, families, churches etc I have seen how people are indebted and it bothers me, I believe there is a solution, that pushed me to self-educate and apply the principles I learnt in my life, and this is because I wanted to first see change in my life. Now I can fully share and help people where I have failed before. I am a long life student, learning doesn’t stop after one success story. I have and continue to invest time in learning, I have found truth is God’s word and books have read, it is so revealing how truth sets one free. 

Proverbs 24:5 NLT The wise are mightier than the strong and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger. You want to get stronger and stronger, don't sit back, seek knowledge, seek truth and be transformed by it

This is what Michael Althsuler had to say about Time, “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot”. King Solomon said it best, “Yet another thing I observed under the sun is that races aren’t won by the swift or battles by the strong, and that food doesn’t go to the wise or wealth to the intelligent or favor to the experts; rather time and chance rule them all” Eccl. 9:11 (CJB). 

I believe Hellen Keller is a product of using her time well, instead of complaining about her state, she embraced who she was and God used her to inspire and empower others. 

Let me end by saying this, “You aren’t less than what you ought to be, you have been made for more.” Be visionary like Hellen Keller, you don’t need to see with your physical eyes, all you need is insight from God on what he has purposed for you to do on this earth.

There are many other examples of those who never chose the status quo, who never chose to become victims of circumstance, they believed that all things work out for good, they let their lessons of hardship fuel them to achieve their dreams, and they have become a blessing to many. The story of Lisa Nichols on Never Being Broke Again is one that will propel you to wake up.

#Impact #Empower #Transform

You Are Not Less Than What You Ought To Be - Part 2

“The greatest discovery in life is self-discovery. Until you find yourself you will always be someone else. Become yourself.” - Dr Myles Munroe

Identity Crisis

As I continue from where I stopped in part one of this subject “You Are Not Less Than What You Ought To Be”. I want to delve into the importance of "knowing our Identity". 

My dear reader I strongly believe that when you know who you are, no one can manipulate you and it puts you in a position to rise above every challenge. Joseph was thrown into the pit and sold into slavery but that did not deter what he would become. He remained a faithful servant even when he was jailed. He had already had dreams and conceived the revelation who was and what he would become, this is an amazing story that is told over and over and it reminds us that there is so much at stake but we need not fear but rise to the occasion.

There is an Identity crisis and this is something we shouldn’t shy away from. There are young or old people who still haven’t discovered who they are. They have modeled their lives on someone else’s life (the way they walk, talk, dress, act etc). The peril of comparison is fueling this more than ever, because people have refused to be content with how they were created and aren’t appreciating their uniqueness. They are copy cats and that's a bad thing.

When you search the internet, you get to find that people are spending billions of money to look a certain way, women are doing plastic surgery to change the way they look, I happened to stumble on a video of a person who spent millions of dollars to look like Angelina Jolie and another to look like Brad Pitt, these so called stars have made their own names and done whatever it takes to take their craft to greater heights that's why they are celebrated, others are trying to emulate them but they are doing it the wrong way by photocopying.

In part one of thearticle, I said this, “Sometimes we need to show people their worth and tell them, what others do, they too can do and only do it better". In telling them so, we are igniting a fire and a passion for them to rise up from the pit of despair to the top of the mountain of possibilities.

Story of Arthur G. Gaston, Black Titan (Making of A Black American Millionaire)

In this book, the authors Carol Jenkins and Elizabeth Gardner Hines wrote; -

Some of the men you see and cannot see are convicts, leased out by the state to bring in revenues; some are war veterans, newly returned to face few opportunities and ample disdain. Nevertheless, one of these men, bruised like all the others by the demands of his working life, is on the verge of taking his first step in the direction of becoming a bona fide millionaire—one hundred times over.

Before this man is through, he will serve as an adviser to President John Kennedy. He will play a pivotal movement. One day he will even be likened to the great giants of American industry—Rockefeller, Morgan, and Carnegie among them. Like just about every other black man in Alabama in the early part of the twentieth century,

Arthur G. Gaston started with next to nothing: His mother was a cook in the kitchen of a prominent white family; he never had more than a tenth-grade education. After the war he had taken his position in the mines as a means of survival—only to emerge utterly determined that his life was worth more than what the mines were offering. In Summary, he broke the status quo, he undid stereo types in a time of high slavery, he traded the path that many did not walk, he was involved in (banking, insurance, motel, restaurant, real estate, construction, funeral homes and cemeteries, radio stations, senior housing, and a business college). He was involved and supported the civil rights movement lead by Martin Luther King jr, he supported financially and in many other ways.

“What I did any man can do, if he has willpower, determination and a plan” - Arthur G. Gatson,

 From the story of this man, we get to understan

1. He was a product of the slave parents and being a slave means so many things, less opportunities, oppression etc.
2. He never had a tenth grade education.
3. He worked in the mines as a means of survival.

 To read more about Arthur G. Gaston, you can get this book from Amazon.

Knowing who you are pushes you to discover your purpose

His story doesn’t stop there, while working in the mines for survival, he gets a revelation that his life was worth more than what the mines were offering. Such revelations come to this who view themselves differently, those who get to really know who they are. I am stretching the point of IDENTITY, what can stop you if you get to know who you are, I believe nothing. When you get to know who you are, it pushes you to discover more of yourself and in doing so, you eventually get to know your purpose.

Believe in who you are, focus on who you are, don’t live somebody else’s life – you are unique, embrace it

Have you looked down on yourself, have you believed that you were just created a biomass and for nothing, have you believed that you have no purpose, all those thoughts are lies, you were made for more and the dreams you have had are valid, the ideas you have thought about to solve problems of this world are valid. As much as you haven’t started to work your dream out, it doesn’t mean you can’t start now. My dear reader, you are valuable, you have so much worth, so much potential, choose to empty yourself and let your god given talents and abilities begin to flow. You are not less than what you ought to be. I read this somewhere, “If you are a fish then don't spend your life trying to climb trees, you will never be great at it. Just keep swimming”.

Check out part 3

#Impact #Empower #Transform

Be A Generational Thinker

Generations come and go. Some people set the pace for hundreds of years while others destroy the future for many. Our actions are a direct proportion of what we sow for our immediate, near, and long term future. Blessings flow through generations because of acts of obedience and curses flow because of acts of disobedience.

When I think about Abraham, his decision to live his family and follow what God had told him to do that is something of great faith. He left and went to a place the Lord would show him. Getting to the unknown by a God who knows, is a pure act of faith, He trusted in God's ability to lead him to the promise that would come after many years.

We have seen corruption eat up the wealth of many people, it has disadvantaged and ravaged the lives of many. Many of the corrupt decisions have left many hungry, poor, and with services broken down. We have seen over the years that our direct actions have a bearing not only on our lives but on the lives of those attached to us (family) and to the community and nation at large. When a road is made where there was no way, it doesn’t only benefit one person, it benefits generations. When a well is dug, it benefits generation (Case in point are the wells Abraham dug, Isaac came and had to dig them up again and found water). Reflect on every decision you make; it can shape or break the future.

While checking through my WhatsApp messages, Andrew Odoch Umahtete sent me an audio message. It was I think one of the best messages I could listen to as I ended the month of January. I am passionate about re-writing family history and doing things that will enable the future of not just my family but those I come in contact with being better. I am sold out to share my life with young people and tell them that they don’t have to repeat my mistakes but learn from the lessons of others. I am about Impacting, Empowering, and Transforming.

The message I listened to was about generational thinking. I searched the internet to find out who spoke about it and found out it was Dr Mensa Otabil, He is a man from Ghana who leads the International Gentral Gospel Church. The message was so empowering I thought I could write an article to highlight a few things that caught my attention.

A Story About Tetteh Quarshie

In his Sermon, he talked about how Ghana became the leading exporter of Cocoa.

•  In the early 1800s he went as a plantation farmer (almost a slave), left the shores of  Ghana, undertook a voyage to the Spanish colony Fernando Po (now Bioko in Equatorial Guinea). About six years later he returned to Ghana with several cocoa beans (the Amelonado) and made history.
• Dr. Mensa said that he wasn’t a mid-level or high-level worker, he was just a worker 
• With the few Cocoa seeds with him, he settled in Mampong,
• He planted his first seeds in 1879 but did not have much success very early. At that time two bags were exported. The export of Cocoa from Ghana began in 1891, and the official export in 1893 (two bags exported – source Wikipedia)
• It is written in Wikipedia that soon other farmers followed suit and that Basel Missionaries stepped into the picture by importing large quantities of the cocoa seeds into the country.
• Between 1910 and 1980 Ghana was the world's largest exporter.
• In Ghana Cocoa industry became foundation of the economy
•  More than 40% of export earnings come from cocoa

He said the reason why he was giving these statistics is because One Man Carried the Economy of the Country On His Shoulders

In regards to what is written about, Dr Mensa Otabil Points out that

A Generational Thinker (Visionary): -

•          Is able to sow seeds for the future.
•          Is not only someone who is committed to what he wants to enjoy today but someone who says if I run with this race, I must make sure the next generation doesn’t run my race but its race in a better way.
•          Doesn’t think only of his personal needs.
•         Must plan for four generations ahead of him or think of the next person on the line.
•         For everything he or she does, he must think of the person coming after them. They should find it easier and greater than the way it was.
•          Invest in the future – he talked of things like saving for your children so that they can have a starting point.
•         Buys land, not just for themselves but for their children and children’s children.
•         Carries their own burden, so that someone else doesn’t have to carry theirs.

He said, “If we are going to take charge of the future, we have to be generational thinkers”. He also mentioned that “We cannot neglect personal responsibility in building the future of our families, society and the nation at large, if we all play our part, we can prepare the future in a better way for many.” Mensah said that we wouldn’t be fighting some of the battles that we are fighting today. Fights of unemployment because of decisions based on corruption, fights like not renting for a long time but leaving a rental after 5 years and going to your own place or buying your own apartment.

You could be a generational thinker and a hero like Tetteh Quarshie. Be The Hero of Generations to come just like Martin Luther King Jr, Billy Graham, Wright Brothers, Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington Carver, Henry Sampson, Kwame Nkrumah, Arch Bishop Janan Luwum, etc. Please listen to the video over here