Friday 28 July 2017

How To Kill The Poverty Of The Mind


Our minds need constant renewal, the less you learn, the more ignorant you become

Our brains are created in a way that, they can learn so much, in other words, they are elastic, that's why you can read as many books and watch as many videos. Do you know how we often talk about movies of old, those movies have been stored somewhere in our memories that we can relay some scenes word for word. That's how powerful our minds are.
The question then that comes to mind now is, what are we doing with our minds? are they lying idle and wondering or are you the type that is giving it mental exercise by learning constantly so that you can rightly divide the word of truth. I once heard a wise man say that "The first ground you must till is that of the mind"
I have heard before that Ignorance is expensive especially when it comes to things to do with the law, if you don't know then, you will pay dearly.
Dr. Sunday Adelaja said, "The worst kind of poverty is the poverty of the mind"
Dr. Myles Munroe said, "Ignorance is dangerous because it permits the possibility that we will live all our lives and never know why we lived."
Finally, it has been said that people perish because of the lack of knowledge, you may have all the opportunities but if you lack the knowledge to apply at a given time, then you will have lost everything.
Do whatever it is within your means to read about your areas of interest but also diversify and know about other spheres as you improve on your area of gifting.

Tuesday 11 July 2017

Deal With Consumerism


Proverbs 21:20 (NLT) – The WISE have WEALTH and LUXURY, but FOOLS spend whatever they get.
Are you the type who spends whatever you get, you might have to just check through your life and examine the things that actually make all your money go away and puts you in a place to keep borrowing, are a consumer or an investor, is your appetite for spending great or are you a person who surrounds him or herself with those who are spend thrifts? You could be eating your future a way by the decisions you are making right now - every decision has a consequence. Indeed our lifestyles really dictate our personal finance.
One of the things that we all need to agree on is that we have a large appetite for many things. You find someone having 10 fleets of cars, yet you can only drive one at a time, having 5 smart phones, yet you can only use one a time, having 100 pairs of shoes yet you can only put on one at time, in fact we have a lot of things that we have spent on that are not being used. Everything you acquire should have a purpose, because without a purpose, abuse is inevitable.
We live in a world where a phone manufacturer will release a new version of the same phone but with only one or two enhancements. The first thing that comes to mind then is that we should have the latest (keeping up with the Joneses), so we keep saying I need to upgrade and the upgrading comes with an expense that is not even planned for.

Until we deal with our urge or desire for things, then we shall remain enslaved or controlled by what's coming out there. TV adverts, music videos or even movies have been the place where many adverts are pushed forth and the more we feed our minds on such things the more it becomes normal to acquire things you don't need to impress people you don't know. It is better for adverts to come and find you prepared, because when you are prepared, your spending will be purposeful. You can't be caught off guard and it will also build self control and kill the urge to want what you don't need.
We have to delay gratification if we are to win with money. What we hunger for simply becomes a god in our lives, it becomes our master because we have failed to master money by telling it what to do.
Our lives have also been programmed. You find on such and such a day there is this big event, it isn't bad to go out but it is good to plan your going out to avoid being caught up by the crowd and having to borrow to keep spending to keep a lifestyle that is superficial and isn't adding value but only destroying your destiny.
When you make money, the first thing to do with it, is not to spend but to save. Think like a farmer, farmers always have to keep seed after every harvest for the next planting season. If you have no seed then you might as well have no food. Remember your ego can cost you, selling that car and using a taxi might look like you have dropped but it is just part of the game plan. 

I know of someone who left a very expensive house they were renting and went to a cheaper but still good place. They put off all thoughts like, "What will people think!, My standard has dropped etc", now they live a life of freedom and even have more money to support others, they have stopped living for themselves and have the others in mind.

Here are a few things to note:-
1.Don’t spend money you have not made (This makes many borrow with the hope that money will come, what if it doesn't?)
2.Don’t be under the slavery of your desire or the good life
3.Don’t try and live by other people
4.Don’t eat tomorrow’s food today (Always save)
5.Don't buy out of impulse
6.Plan
7.Work on a budget - A budget tells you where your money should go.
8. Save to Invest (Saving is not for addition, it is for multiplication (be fruitful))
9.Think long term (Be Visionary)
10.Cut down on your expenses.

Read more Is Impulse Spending Ruining Your Financial Goals?

Friday 7 July 2017

Debt Doesn't Have To Be Your Portion

According to Merriam Webster Dictionary DEBT is  "a state of being under obligation to pay or repay someone or something in return for something received : a state of owing"


No one on this earth wants to be under the spell of debt, the scourge of being taunted all the time that you owe this or that. One of the greatest forms of slavery in this modern day and era is financial slavery which comes through borrowing. This is coming about because people have a big appetite for luxuries, they want to own 5 fleets of cars, yet they can only drive one at a time, they want to build many homes to stay in yet they can stay in one instead of building for rentals so that they can make income out of it. The good debt would be the one you get to put in an income generating asset but normally we get debt to consume, buy luxuries etc.

We live in a fast paced world where people want things in an instant, talk about quick money (Proverbs 13:11), students have ended up betting their tuition fees with the hope that they will make more money and pay later, it hasn't always been the case that money will be made, in fact it has gone the other way round. A lot of lack is needed to do gambling (betting), it is a real fight against the odds, you make it one time and win and you start feeling like you can do this over and over forgetting that in life, a point comes where things won't work the way you want. This even kills the desire and value for work. Check out my blog on how Work Is Profitable https://arthurkmo.blogspot.ug/2017/06/work-is-profitable.html

We have reached a point where Financial Services Companies like Banks, Mobile Money have learnt that people love to consume, and consumers are easy targets for all kinds of things. These banks or service industries work with great advertising firms to do eye catching adverts that leave you wanting, If you look at adverts around from Banks, you will be told, you can get a loan for a car (instead of saying save for a car), you will be told you can get a loan for a wedding (instead of being told save for a wedding), This is a way of killing your patience and building on your drive and desire to want things on an instant. Some people have been saved a lot of trouble by exercising patience but it's a virtue build over time after failing and being hit many times. 

You will be told by telecom companies that you can borrow airtime or money when your charge is running out, as much as money is being made by these companies or organizations, we the consumers are turning out to be slaves to these schemes. Many times when your airtime is low, you will get a message telling you that you can borrow so that you can keep chatting, they already have power over us but we can choose to have power over our lives by planning and making the right decisions. The messages are becoming normal and we are becoming victims. But we can control our own space, money and time by managing ourselves.


Fight DEBT and bury it, give yourself the ability to to be a LENDER and not a BORROWER. We all know the consequences of racking up debt especially if it has not been put into something that generates income. Debt is something that takes a way your peace until it is dealt with, you can not do much since it consumes the whole of you. Buy your freedom back by fighting Debt.
If you are to get a loan, it has been said, only get it to improve what you are already doing. However if you can avoid it, please do and work on your personal finance journey, make sacrifices, be obedient with your budget, create avenues to give back to the world otherwise Debt is a trap used by the world system.
Proverbs 22:7– “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender”
"Most of us have heard this verse a million times, but most of us still use debt to fund our lives. 2/3 of all people, and 1/3 of high income earners are living paycheck to paycheck because of debt." - Jason Cabler
"Debt limits your freedom to live life the way you want to live it. As long as you have debt you are obligated to put much of your time and energy toward paying it off. Just think how your life would be different if you had the freedom and choices that come with having no debt."
- Jason Cabler
The bible says we should owe no one anything except the debt of love. If you want true financial freedom in your life, then commit yourself to getting out of debt. You will be amazed at the difference it makes in every aspect of your life.

Having debt undermines your ability to build wealth and puts your financial plan at risk. It’s simple. Steer clear of debt - Dave Ramsey Read more from this link on how to achieve financial freedom

Friday 30 June 2017

Work Is Profitable


Work is Profitable

Proverbs 14:23– “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.”
When we read the story of creation, it gives us a picture of how valuable man is to the things that God has created. He gave man dominion over all his creation.

***Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted***

There were two things that could not allow plants or shrubs to grow. 
1. No rain 
2. No Man to attend to (cultivate) it.
This is the account of Genesis 2:5

It is written in Genesis 2:15 " Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it."

We are created to work, there should be no place for laziness. When we diligently work, we reap the rewards as well. It is also written in Proverbs 12:11– “Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.”
Dave Ramsey says that the only way to beat being broke is by going to WORK, work isn't necessarily only a JOB, we have been blessed with so much potential and we only need to come out and do something. It is also written in Ecclesiastes 9:10 "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."

 
So lets not ignore work, we are God's workmanship created to do good works. You reap what you sow, if it is laziness, then there will be no fruit.

Wednesday 28 June 2017

Confronting Evil and Challenges In Life



The bible tells us that we don't wrestle against FLESH & BLOOD but against PRINCIPALITIES & POWER. Are you in a place where it's tough, where evil is the order of the day, you see things happening and it looks normal. Are you afraid of speaking against injustice because you think that your FAVOR will go away or you won't be considered for this or that opportunity.

There are times we are in a horrible PIT in our lives and it's only God that can take us out of it. Do you feel like you have been in a PIT for too long, have you waited and there is no rescue. May be you have been calling on man for help, may be you have been calling on your ancestors, may be you have been looking at your own strength. Remember the pit is not your FINAL destination.
In Psalm 40 verse 1 David said, "I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings."
We can only learn patience through tough times, we can also learn that only God is the one we can DEPEND on, it is written in Romans that the hope that God has given us doesn't DISAPPOINT because God has shed his love abroad our hearts. Our fights are not to be faced with fear because Christ has made us more than conquerors, he has caused us to triumph. It is written that we shouldn't cast away our confidence that has GREAT REWARD, and I am also reminded of what God told Abraham in Genesis 15 verse 1 ....“Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.”
I encourage someone out there with these words from Isaiah 41:10 
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
May God set your feet upon the ROCK and may he establish your goings. 
Be blessed.

Tuesday 6 June 2017

Making Sense Of Saving


Discipline yourself through the PAIN (Hebrew 12:11)

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening - it's painful! But afterward, there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

When a seed is buried in the grown, it first has to die before it can germinate, then it has to grow, for it to grow, it has to be cared for, fertilized, pruned and given the best care, so that after so many weeks, days, months or years, its purpose for planting is eventually realized, is it electricity poles, furniture, etc that you want, it will take patience and courage to wait, while you take care of it. Your faith and desire to cut will be tested, but if you wait a little longer, you end up appreciating because you are looking more at the END result (Future) than at the satisfaction of the moment.

I have had time to listen to people especially when we start talking about money, money touches everyone's heart. Personally, I have had to go through and continue to learn about money, I wish I learned somethings earlier but you can never have it all. The conversation normally stems from how money is not enough, how the economy is biting and prices of things are high, people keep talking about how they are paid little and that they aren't able to save since most of it is expended - we all are victims in one way or the other but there is a way around these things, they say it's not possible to budget with small money, even those who have a lot don't budget because they believe they have an endless flow, yet such money can be put to develop and transform the society, economy, people, etc. 

You know our actual wealth isn't in money only, there is much more to that, we know very well money can't make us rich, we know that we have to provide goods and services to attain wealth and I also know from what the bible teaches me, its God who makes me rich and he has given me the tools that pertain to life and godliness. Other conversations I listen to as well stem from those who talk about investing money, and in such stories you hear about their failures, bad investment decisions and how careful people are, you also hear of how people have won with money and are making the right decisions in different ventures. It is important to humble yourself to learn, indeed those who are humble are exonerated.

I want to focus on SAVING, I believe many times when people hear of this, they just give up before they even start or try, you know what, I was like that before I started appreciating what this simple tool can do, its hardtakes a lot of disciplinesacrificedelaying gratification and the willingness to come out of debt and be financially free and have peace at that. People have created a notion around them that this can't be done but the amazing thing is that there are people doing it and there is a lot of success in this area.

Benjamin Franklin once said, "If you will be wealthy, think of saving as well as getting it". This basically tells me that we have to work at it. You know you can choose to ignore such a message but if you put your mind to the truth and power behind such a topic, then liberation has already started in your mind. Remember as a man thinks so is he, if we think of saving then we shall save, if we don't think of saving then we shall not save. Dave Ramsey, Americas trusted voice on Financial matters said this, 
"Successful folks don’t win at life because they have a magic pill or top-secret information. They win at life because they work at it for years."

Let us look at some of these reasons why people don't save. In light of some of the reasons, I want you to have this scripture in mind
Proverbs 21:20 (NLT) The WISE have WEALTH and LUXURY but FOOLS spend whatever they get (Each time I have read this, it puts me back to the drawing board)
let's see the reasons
  1. I can't afford to Save
  2. I can always save later
  3. It's too complicated
  4. I just need to get 'this' out of the way
  5. I am waiting for less market volatility 
  6. It's impossible to get ahead
  7. I'm afraid to face my financial fears
  8. I'm too busy
  9. It's too late
  10. I'm too OLD
  11. I just can't do it and many more excuses
There are many more reasons, but if you see all this, it really gets down to attitude, we need to change our attitude towards this concept of saving, I have come to realize it is very biblical
See what is written in Proverbs 6:6 (NLT) Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise. And let's see further what Ants do Proverbs 6:7 Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work8 they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter 9 But you, lazybones how long will you sleep? When will you wake up?

Now to me, sleep means a state of inactivity, a state of no awareness or to be spiritually dead or suspended from something. If you haven't woken up, maybe this is the time, God told Joseph about the famine that would last 7 years and also about the 7 years of abundance, what he did in the year of abundance enabled him to serve not only Egypt but other nations and his own family. There is a serious lesson in this story, what do we do when we are making money? we all need to take advantage and do the right thing in such periods because its true seasons come and go, they do change but if someone is prepared they can be able to manage the changing seasons. Read Genesis 47:13-27 and look at the action he took in verse 

26 Joseph then issued a decree still in effect in the land of Egypt, that Pharaoh should receive one-fifth of all the crops grown on his land. Only the land belonging to the priests was not given to Pharaoh.

Here are a few things you can do to get you going and started on the saving journey.

From a personal point of view, I believe if you can learn the art of saving, then learning the art of investments becomes interesting because you get to appreciate that hard-earned money that has been saved for a goal should not just be squandered, you make calculated steps, even Jesus said that before you build a house, you must calculate the cost, so it is wise to know how to put money aside.

As a Christian, you know very well that everything we own is for God, even the money in our hands, so give to God first (10% or more), then pay yourself, then invest and budget for other things.
I have learned that the first thing to do with money is to save it first and not spend then save later, after saving it makes you appreciate the importance of budgeting (telling your money where to go, this is how Dave Ramsey puts it, "You have got to tell your money what to do or it will leave you").

  • First of all, start by changing your mindset and this means feeding yourself with literature about saving, the bible has wonderful scriptures and we all know the bible talks a lot about money, 
  • Buy books of renowned men and women who have talked about money extensively, the total money makeover by Dave Ramsey, Thou shall prosper by Rabbi Daniel Lapin, Money won't make you rich by Pr Sunday Adelaja, Make sense of money by James Abola to mention but a few.
  • Research online there people who are blogging a lot about how to win with money and read those articles. listen to success stories like this one see video below 

  • There are many stories out there and in Uganda as well. I encourage you to buy the book Make Sense Of Your Money by James Abola, it's simple, precise, and clear on what to do.
  • This story  could get you going or started as well, see link http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2013/05/09/how-my-mom-inspired-me-during-a-savings-slump/ 
  • While still young and energetic, I encourage you to start early, have a goal in mind, be visionary and take advantage of one the best words in financial literacy that is called COMPOUND INTEREST (Interest upon interest). On a personal note, I have seen that work and having started not so early, my wife and I are already seeing the benefits, you can't believe it until you start seeing your dividends.


However know what to do with the money, make it work for you, make more of it by investing in what you know, is clear and you understand. You can also invest in UNIT TRUST FUNDS like UAP Financial ServicesICEAStanLib, you can start with as low as 100,000 UGX see this link for more information about UNIT TRUST FUNDS http://www.monitor.co.ug/Business/Prosper/Grow-your-savings-using-unit-trust-funds/688616-3929192-57g2qyz/index.html take advantage.
If you feel like you can't take that money to your savings account, then talk with your bank so that a standing order of a particular amount is created, and on a particular date that money is deducted into your savings account. Don't have excuses that you can't save, because you need the savings to enable you to invest that is if you going to build your own capital base.
If you manage to start self governing yourself, it pushes you to start planning for your children whether you have or don't have and Insurance has come in with good packages to help many people out there. This also puts you in a place to be able to give back to the work of God, family, community, church etc

To find out more about COMPOUND INTEREST check out this article on the Dave Ramsey blog https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/how-teens-can-become-millionaires.

We shall continue talking about this, I believe in financial freedom, financial peace, financial independence, God who owns everything. He given has the wisdom to create wealth, the question is Can we put that wisdom to Task, all the answers are found in the bible and I am on a journey of discovery as I read from it and see stories of day to day successful people.

Thursday 18 May 2017

God Makes All Things New

GOD MAKES ALL THINGS NEW

I don't know what is holding you down or holding you back. I have come to remind someone today that God IS AT WORK. As a young man, a few years ago, my mum would drop me at Nakawa, there after I would have to head to Kyambogo College School, But that wouldn't be the case, I would wait for her to drive off and then go meet up with my peeps in Luzira and just hang out the whole day playing pool, drinking a few sachets with the pocket money and puffing some cigars. 
The thorns of PEER Pressure had pricked so deep that it took sometime to pull them out. I wanted to STOP but just did not have the STRENGTH to. But the prayers of my mum and other saints went up before the Lord and at his OPPORTUNE TIME, he brought me back under the fold of Grace and Truth.
Sometimes we give up on people or even or our selves but I know that God always MAKES A WAY and does a NEW THING, Indeed he says we shall know of it as it springs forth. Have you prayed for too long and it seems like its taking forever, hang in there, GOD HEARS PRAYER, he will make a way, you don't have to know how but he will do a new thing. I have been a enjoying life in the Kingdom of Light since my S.6 Vacation and there is no way I can be convinced that life in the kingdom of God is boring, my life is more meaningful than those times I wasted [it was my learning ground]. I have a life of Purpose, Impact & Transformation.
GOD WAITED FOR ME, JUST FOR ME
Be blessed by this song, it ministers to me.

Wednesday 17 May 2017

About Friendships & Their Impact

LOOK BACK, EXAMINE THOSE FRIENDSHIPS & SEE WHETHER YOU HAVE GONE FAR OR ARE STILL STAGNANT


Relationships can take you far or destroy you, bad company indeed corrupts, Good company adds value, examine your friendships by seeing how far you have come with those friends. 
If you have friends who have no vision, you will have no vision as well, if you have friends who keep complaining and doing nothing, you won't be any different, if you have friends who are pessimistic instead of optimistic, that's the same image you will carry.
I attribute many of the great things I have learned and continue to grow through just because of the people who are in my life, my wife is my friend, I have good friends from the church and their contribution continues to be immense.
Are you the kind of person people would love to hang out with because you will add value to them, take it as a plus, are you the type people will keep saying keep a distance from such a person because their influence isn't good, yeah relationships are great things but we need to know which type of relationships are the best.
For us to make it in this life, we need to know that people matter and that they are important in every journey, know who should be in your life and in what season, know when to leave certain groups because your time could be up, don't get dragged by those who don't want to see you move, those who don't want to impact society, those who don't want to be role models. It is really in your heart to decide who can come in and who can go out. Make meaningful relationships that are God-honoring.

Wednesday 19 April 2017

Don't Stop In Your Journey, Take A Rest But Keep Moving


When I started out my life after CAMPUS, I happened to get an opportunity to do Internship at one of the Good Working places in Uganda.
First of all, I wasn't supposed to be given internship since I had already finished University but I told the people I had gone to ask an opportunity, "All I Want To Do Is LEARN". After one week, I was called to go and start my internship.
As I started growing and learning so many things, I became eligible to get a mini contract to be able to work full time. While such an opportunity kept presenting itself, I got involved in lunch hour prayers at work and this would be done promptly within the stipulated time of lunch which was indeed an hour.
Then some day I was told by a few people within the HR department, that the Director HR did not like me because of MY FAITH in Christ Jesus [I hope its not true till today], However I was already getting even more popular because God had opened the door for me to share about the Kingdom at the work place.
So the mini-contract I was meant to get did not materialize because someone thought otherwise. It hurt me a lot but I had to keep trusting God for other opportunities, Nothing came easy after I left that place of work.
When I left, I searched and searched for other places to intern or train but nothing came, I dropped CVs in the places as I walked within town with the hope that one day they would call me but still that did not happen. It so happened that things did not come as fast as expected, I also learnt that having good results doesn't automatically guarantee you a place, skills are very important for a market place as those were some of the questions they kept on asking me, do you know this or that, it made me realize that I had to add on to my degree knowledge certain practical skills to be relevant in the market place.
I decided I would do anything even if it wasn't in line with my career because I just wanted to learn and understand the Market place. I worked in store where we sorted imported books with my friend Isiagi Moses Ish, I also eventually worked in a fumigation company with Isiagi and Fabian. Those were growth points for me because I happened to volunteer as a Bible study teacher there after in FOCUS Uganda for almost 5 months until I got another opportunity to do something in line with my career. 
You will be denied in some places not because you don't qualify but just because you don't have the required skills, keep improving, keep learning because so much keeps changing day by day.
Currently I work in a very Challenging Place [Makerere University] and it seems like everyday is a new chapter, as long as we are still alive there so much to do that God has deposited within us. Let God be glorified in your work, be excellent even if you have to do the least thing, just be excellent.
Be BLESSED.

There Is Value In "RUBBISH"

If someone looks at you and says you are rubbish, look at yourself and say this rubbish has value and make something good come out of it.
It was some years ago when I was training at a certain government office. It was a good place with great opportunity for growth and exposure. My fellow trainees and I faced the wrath of an HR everyday as he called us names and no-bodys. Too bad I did not know Luganda very well but some of the things they would translate to me were just too much to comprehend that it would bring tears down our eyes. One day he said, "You will never amount to anything, you guys are a bunch of useless people, you don't even deserve to be here".
Such words pained us so bad that we did not ever want to cross his path as if we had denied him something and probably that was the only way he could get back to us by threatening that he will send us away (FIRE) or refusing us to get a little stipend. We indeed reported such an issue to our Manager that eventually reached the top guns who settled the DUST and said these young men and women shouldn't be disturbed and that we should receive our allowances.
We resolved not to fear but to do our work and keep learning. One of my favorite songs at that point in life was HE's ABLE by Dettrick Haddon. I kept playing that song and singing it out aloud to my colleagues and as three months passed, it became a year and and 6 months. We started getting our little pay per week and continued learning more everyday. We chose not to look down on ourselves but to look at those who encouraged us and believed in us.
To cut the long story short, eventually a time came for me to move, as I was encouraged by the manager then, these were his words to me. Arthur, "If you want to grow more in your career, you have to leave this place". It was a hard pill to swallow because I had gotten quite comfortable but I hearkened to his words and took the challenge of applying for a job where i would have a properly recognized appointment letter and God indeed opened doors.
I learnt that I should not let the opinions of of others about me stop me from growing and rising in my life. I also learnt that such obstacles come in life but the way you maneuver them can determine how you can get through them, but be sure you will feel low and be bumped here and there. I also learnt that you don't need many people to believe in you, just one person is enough.
Fast forward, I meet this HR person somewhere in our walks of life and the person couldn't believe that the young man he once yelled at is a some body today. There were shades of guilt because he really humbled himself while talking to me... My response towards him was gracious and as we kept meeting, I kept doing good. He even encouraged me to do my MASTERS, what a mighty God we serve, this time instead of getting a point blank attitude, it was one of encouragement.
Life is hustle, the people you ignore on your way up, could be the same people you find on your way down, treat people right and value them as your own, do good to them and push them to achieve their dreams just like you were pushed to achieve yours. That's a chapter in life we have to go through to enable us grow.
Psalm 139:14 NLT Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

Tuesday 17 January 2017

Some Jobs Are Not Attractive But They Are Gold Mines

While coming to work. This track was a head of me and I saw a young man sit in there. I know his job is to collect cabbage and he is paid for it by KCCA.


Every two weeks at home where my family and I stay. There is a young man with a family that used to come with a bicycle to pick rubbish. He did this for 3 families in our 6 rental units. However he would come when he has already picked rubbish from other places as well.
One day my wife and I were shocked to see a bike (boda boda) packed at our gate and we asked him whose bike it was and he said, "It is mine". This young man had upgraded from a bicycle to a motor bike and I was impressed.
From having more engagements with him. We also found out that the rubbish he collects he takes it to a place where he sells it in Butabika especially to those people who are in the business of making bricks because they use the rubbish to fill the areas that have been dug. So you can imagine. He comes picks rubbish and he is paid 2000 ugx for everyone he has picked from and then he sells what looks like rubbish to us yet to him it is a gold mine and he is paid for it. This is quite impressive.
We still found out that he rares pigs and from this story, I seem to understand that attitude towards work is key and that you and I can turn what seems to look bad into something good and we also have to be determined to grow.
I leave us with the scripture about DOING "WORKING". We need to think of GOOD even from some of these opportunities that don't present themselves with the white collar element.
Scripture Reference. Galatians 6:9 NLT "So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up"

Do You Have Plans - It Is Important To Commit To God, Think Through And Implement Them

Hello good people, been thinking about the different plans my family had and also some of the achievements my wife and I realized in 2016. I realized that in planning, it takes just a step of faith to begin or start whatever God has put in your heart. But until you step out you will not know that it can be done.
When we look back at some of the goals we had set out, we realized at least 50% was done. And resolution for 2017 is to keep going, keep building on the progress we had already made and to keep committing the Plans in progress and the new plans set so that God can establish them.
I have come to realize that God has given us so much potential, dominion and power and we can use these for success or failure. We are a choice away from making it or just being stagnant or failing. We forget there are lessons to learn from the mistakes made, we forget that failure is not our last name because we aren't less than what we ought to be. We have the power to choose what can come out of our lives. When the University was closed for 2 months, In that time I used the opportunity to explore UBER and I started driving clients around and I can tell you, if you have a bad attitude towards work then you will keep complaining about everything and everyone saying they don't care yet it really starts with you. That money paid our bills, that money did so much that I can't name none the less God used that opportunity to give us confidence, to open our minds to know that we can depend on him and that he can guide and give us wisdom and tell us what to do - He created us to do good works and to also work and not sit back thinking manna will fall from heaven yet actually. We continued to sell yellow york eggs made on order to our clients and these have kept us going up until now.
Some of the grit I have comes from the volunteering experience I had with FOCUS Uganda, instead of sitting home, My friend Omunyoro Damon K Wamara encouraged me to go volunteer and such experiences are humbling and they give you the right attitude in life, Am forever grateful to him.
Our plans couldn't stop because of a delay or because of a change in circumstance we had to keep looking up and only re-strategize and keep believing in God to see us through. God indeed has the final say but he works with what you have in your hand. Set Goals but don't leave them on paper.
Scripture Reference: Proverbs 16:3 NLT Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed.
NB. Will be sharing some of the testimonies of God's faithfulness in due time.


Thursday 1 December 2016

But Divide Your Investments Among Many Places

BUT DIVIDE YOUR INVESTMENTS AMONG MANY PLACES,for you don't know what risks may lie ahead.


Life is full of so many ups and downs, highs and lows. Imagine yourself having no salaried job in the next days or months, some people live life fully guaranteed with job security yet tragedy can happen any time.
I don't wake up late or sleep whole day - that is total disaster to my life and to the legacy I want my children to have. I wake up and do work - work is a gift and it isn't necessarily a job (even within a job you work just that it is defined for you). I use the skills I have at hand to earn from them and God is being faithful. 
Do you know that your driving permit can take you places, Do you know that the way you teach from the different things God has taught you or done can open doors for you and you are gifted with monies you don't even expect. Do you know that your integrity can grant you favor before people and today or tomorrow your getting a call and someone says they felt like getting you this and that, but you also can't just live from miracle to miracle, remember a little sleep, a little slumber, a litter folding of the arms - poverty knocks at your door. Do you know that you get called because of recommendations from friends and family because of the wonderful example you have set and how you have lived out your life - it is all a testimony. Do you know that those many cars you have parked and aren't being used, can earn you money instead of them being wasted away to luxury or that computer that seems old but just put way in the hip at the garage or that space behind your house that can enable you plant home grown foods. Instead of worrying, get up and put to task what you have been learning everyday.
Here are few key principles from the bible that can prepare you for hard times and in such hard times you can be prosperous just like ISAAC in the bible when they were struck by famine see Genesis 26:1-22
I like vs 22 .. this is what it says
Genesis 1:22 Abandoning that one, Isaac moved on and dug another well. This time there was no dispute over it, so Isaac named the place Rehoboth (which means “open space”), for he said, “At last the Lord has created enough space for us to prosper in this land.”
In hard times, when you don't give up, you will often find that open space, but the question is what do you do?, don't sit down waiting for someone to come and dig a well for you, someone to come and wake you up to think or start something to generate income or even volunteer. God has given us many open spaces or opportunities, we just don't want to use what is in our hands. In hard times purpose is born and passion is fueled, you basically have no limits and no time to cry and say this or that.

Take these lessons from Ecclesiastes 11
1 Send your grain across the seas,
and in time, profits will flow back to you.[a]

ENGAGE IN TRADE - You can always EARN through selling and buying (it could be a service, product, skill etc)
2 But divide your investments among many places,[b]
for you do not know what risks might lie ahead.

MAKE INVESTMENTS - investing itself is a risk but there is nothing that is so clear in life, you have to have faith, even starting a business is a risk but you have to spread your investment not just in one place but in many. The parable of the TALENTS explains this as well.
3 When clouds are heavy, the rains come down.
Whether a tree falls north or south, it stays where it falls.

IT CAN RAIN any moment - how prepared are you.
4 Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant.
If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.

NEVER WAIT FOR PERFECT CONDITIONS, JUST IMPROVE YOURSELF IN THE HARD MOMENTS
5 Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb,[c] so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.
EVENTUALLY GOD DOES ALL THINGS - remember commit your plans (Whatever they are ) to the Lord he has the final say at-least give him what to work with not just an empty hand and mind.
6 Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.
PLANT, KEEP BUSY, PROFIT CAN COME FROM ANY ACTIVITY OR ALL.

Tuesday 1 November 2016

You Don't Have To Be Old To Own A House

There is no greater story I have encountered today like the story of this young man called Nicholas Luwuge from Kalangala. The daily monitor of today has published a story of how he has built a two-roomed house see this link for more http://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/HomesandProperty/13-year-old-constructs-house-from-savings/689858-3437056-item-00-wl8vhe/index.html. If there is any story of great inspiration today, it is from this young man. There is so much we can learn. 

We often look for INSPIRATION from very far, yet we have some of it just around us, The story of this young man should challenge all of us, A 13 Year OLD building a 2 roomed house, it might not be to the standard many of us want but the mere fact he did it through Hard Work, Desire to Change his mother situation and Saving money to make sure that he meets his goal of a house, this should be great inspiration for one to take in and sit back and think about all the resources they have and what it can do, you could be having more and you don't know what to do with it, let this young man's story push you to BELIEVE. To add on, this man pays his own school fees and feeds his family.

Recently while listening to Richard Senkwale, he made a very strong statement and he said that, “A good Saver must save 25% and above”. He also mentioned and said that a PLAN compels us to work harder and that if we aren’t disciplined, there is no way we can save. I want to believe that this young man embodied these principles and applied them and put them to work.




The things that seem so hard in life were done by men and women who sat back and told themselves that I will do this and that. I will achieve my dream no matter what. Often such people turn a deaf ear to impossibilities and believe without a doubt that it is possible to rise above the challenge. There is nothing that can’t be done, you just have to put your mind to it and keep trying without giving up.

Scripture reference:
Luke 14:28 "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?
Proverbs 21:5 Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.
Proverbs 10:5 
Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, But the hand of the diligent makes rich

Wednesday 26 October 2016

Why It Is Important To Gain Skills Or Skill Yourself


Studying For A Job Vs Studying To Create Jobs

There are many opportunities but very few people with Skills to take them on. I have read in the papers through the years how the point of skilling University students is very important. Many have even been encouraged to go to Technical and Vocational Schools but somehow we have been trained to go to school, get a degree and then get a job but times have changed and the job or economic Market is not just after people with degrees but after people who can use their skills to improve their lives and those of others, create more jobs and be Entrepreneurs etc.

When You Realize You Are Skilled - Stand Out


I have seen and been convinced that when you are skillful and you choose to standout, there are great rewards that come with it. We can tell of people like Michael Jordan who was looked down by his coaches earlier but that did not stop him from believing himself and his abilities. What he did in the NBA is very historical, every child born even in this time knows the name Michael Jordan. Many other great athletes like Lebron James, Kobe Bryant say, that they wanted to be like Mike because he set a standard and inspired them.

See The Gap, Don't Talk Too Much, Just Work At It

When I was at work last year, I saw a gap that needed to be addressed and I knew that to address that gap, I need to gain some skills in using PHOTOSHOP, you know the process of learning is never easy. 


When you start out something, have a plan, be determined and don't let your focus down.

I started on the journey by looking at YouTube videos for beginners, checking out how to do simple designs and hence input my ART skills and see what comes out. Like a baby I took it one crawl and step at a time.
I have improved a bit as am still learning and the skills are really coming in handy.






It is important for us to gain skills especially if we  want to venture into something that can help us in the long run. Sometimes you might not have the money to take you to a training but you have an Internet resource at your disposal, why not use it and enhance your skills. One day you could be talking and saying you can do this and that and it will be a great door opening for you. Learn a new skill and try and master it so that you can become good at it.

Your Surroundings, Friends etc can be a source of Inspiration

If you also have the money to take you for training, please invest in yourself, the best investment any one can do is to themselves is to self educate. My good friends Andrew Odoch Umahtete, Edward Hire Yosia, Luwum Daniel have been great examples of acquiring knowledge of the different ventures they have gotten into. 

 "Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune" - Jim Rohn

I have learnt a number of things from them and what stands out is their drive to educate themselves on a subject they are interested in or passionate about. If you want to be a leadership coach or Gym Trainer, do whatever it takes to learn about that trade. There should be no room for excuses, knowledge is out there, it is only laziness that is costing us. 

The bible says this in 1 Peter 2:5 (NIV) For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge.

We need knowledge, this has been said a thousand times, knowledge is important as it gives you the keys of what seemed unknown but is now known.

Proverbs 18:16 (KJV) says A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.
Your skill can become your gift. 

So gain SKILLS and lets skill Uganda and many other people.

Then when you have gained a skill don't be afraid to share and teach others, in teaching you are causing a ripple effect and your are taking yourself higher as people will begin to refer many to you and it can become a great source of income and networks as well.

Today, I post a video that I tried out using Photoshop premier CS6 to develop, It is not the best, but I thought I could learn a few things with video editing, I took this video from my laptop and used the Photoshop at my disposal
#Enjoy 
#Impact #Empower #Transform

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