Follow Your Heart

I had a disturbing yet interesting chat with a friend of mine whom I normally use as a sound board for any ideas I might have .I had intimated to her that I was in the process of reinventing myself and was involved in the construction industry with a view to starting my own company and creating a legacy for my grandchildren. I was taken aback by what she said ,which summed up to the effect that I was too old and I was supposed to have had these ambitions when I was 25 years old .

Follow Your Heart

Here is a young college graduate who was telling me that my life at fifty odd years is over and I have to prepare for death. If there is anything I have discover of late ,it’s the fact that one cannot stop learning new skills and strive to be better than what they are .I used to be a voracious reader of novels but have since discovered the power of motivational books. One of my nephews, who is studying for his second degree at a university in South Africa, sent me a pdf of the book; THE SLIGHT EDGE by Jeff Olson.I have since learnt that the the tiny steps which one take if one sustains  them and is consistent in implementing them then one would be surprised by the giant steps that one can achieve, so it was in this vein that I was trying to make a few changes to my own situation by not sitting on my laurels and mourning and winging about the difficult economic situation that the country faces in particular the dearth of meaningful employment.

The chance meeting which thrust me into managing a building project for some gentlemen eight months ago, opened my eyes to the endless opportunities which are abound in the construction industry. I have always believed in making my own luck, if one makes an effort and put their profile out there then people are bound to see it ,chances are one or two will take a chance. The most important thing is the fact that one should never  limit themselves.The advance of the Internet has made it very  easy to acquire skills if one just has a few dollars to buy data bundles and the elbow grease to punch the keyboard of a computer .Most of the information that we require to improve ourselves is found on the world wide web.

There are a lot of people who have been inspirational in reaffirming my thinking ;one is the South African musical icon ;Sipho ‘Hotsticks’ Mabuse ,who sat for his matriculation certificate at sixty plus years of age.If my memory serves me well ,there was and old man in Kenya who went to grade one ,when he was 76 years old because he wanted to be able to read his bible.One Zimbabwean whose business exploits I have followed for quite sometime , the world beater Strive Masiyiwa.If his story does not tell one of the need to pursuit ones convictions to their logical conclusion then I don’t know what else can motivate a person.In one of his writings on his facebook page ,he talks about the fact that he started and failed in many business venture but that never deterred him.The fact that he went on to pioneer the mobile business in Zimbabwe is now common knowledge.

Legend has it that Colonel Sanders,the American founder of the multinatioinal  KFC,started the business when after retiring  and finding that his pension payout could not meet his requirements.The business he started from his kitchen is now known in all continents of the world.

So given the many people who have pursued their dreams and have achieved phenomenal success,then why should I not dream with my eyes open and follow my heart.