Iam happy to be back home and can’t wait to put all the tips I collected to good use.
I never understood why they call it the ‘third world’ until I saw the other two worlds. But I’ve come to learn that success can be found anywhere, no matter your background.
I was born and raised in the ghettos of Nairobi, and had every opportunity to join gangs and get into crime like many of my childhood friends have done, or indulge in drugs.
But I chose a different path. The life I’m living now is self-motivating, and it not only gives hope to the future me, but also to the many young people growing through the same challenges I did, whether in music, business or life.
One of the questions I get asked a lot is what made me choose my path. Or what values do I live by to make sure I get it right? First, let me say that no one gets it right all the time, but we can make decisions that ensure that we are at least moving in the right direction. Here’s what worked for me.
1. The mindset
You have to be positive and be able to filter ‘outside’ noises. Let me give you a practical example. Ask five of your friends what they would want to do, be it in business or life in general. Then ask them why they haven’t done it. Half or three-quarters of them will give you their many excuses. But it all boils down to mindset.
The mind is a powerful tool in achieving your goals. Everything starts in the mind.
2. Competition
One young man asked me a while back who my competition was, and I thought hard about that question. My final answer was: “I am my competition”.
I once wrote an article about competition, and the conclusion was that the world works with categories. So the moment you say you want to bake, you’re automatically measured against all other bakers; the same with music, technology and so on.
The problem with this is that it will give you pressure you weren’t expecting, so you end up having low self-esteem, which kills your growth.
I am my own competition because I know my growth rate, and I challenge myself every time I make a new move by looking at my past moves. Don’t get me wrong; it is good to know how your industry is doing, but more importantly, focus on you.
3. Your worth
I was recently offered an endorsement deal by a certain company, but I ended up not signing it. After we left the office , one of my managers asked me why. It’s because I know my worth. How do I quantify that?
A painter will go and buy a canvas for Sh2,000 and paints worth Sh3,500 and after finishing the painting, he’ll take a step back and come up with the price of the painting, whether that will be Sh500,000 or Sh1 million.
The moment he prices it, he’s added in the years when he put in the energy to learn and the numerous times he failed while developing his brush stroke. It’s not based on the end result, but on the years and time spent in developing his secret recipe.
4. Love
Its very, very, very important to love the dream you’re chasing. What that means in terms of productivity is that the results won’t be squeezed out of you, but will be passionately delivered.
You’ve seen HRs having to sack workers, and the most common reason is underperformance. If you dig deeper, you’ll find most of these workers were only there for the salary, not because they loved their jobs. And that automatically affects the product.
5. The dream
We’re all dreamers, but are we realists? Ask anyone their dreams, and they’ll give you a detailed one, but if you observe them closely, you will notice very few are willing to follow through on what they want.
Their main reason is they’re afraid to fail, so they retreat to their comfort zones.
Be serious about your dreams; that’s the only way you’ll achieve greatness.
6. Be the best
‘Don’t deliver if it’s not your best’. That’s what one of my college teachers used to tell me, and that statement has stuck with me. Every time I have to perform a song, pitch a concept or present an opportunity, I’d rather delay it than serve a half-baked cake.
These are the lessons I’ve learnt along the way, and they’ve helped me grow both personally and in business. All the best.
The writer is an award-winning artiste and entrepreneur.
The Standard Group Plc is a multi-media organization with investments in media
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