Entrepreneural Prayer.

Make spirit within yourself, and as a man cleans his lamp to have good light, so keep clean your spirit-By Prayer. And by prayer: not shouting and mumbling and wallowing like a hog in religious sentiment-Prayer is only another name for good, clean and direct thinking. When you pray, think. Think well what you are saying, make your thoughts into things that are solid, and that way, your prayer will have strength and that strength will become a part of you: body, mind and spirit! Is that not good for business?

uNDERSTANDING ETHNICITY in Kenya; a Kikuyu Perspective

Most African countries have their version of the Kikuyu: hardworking, economically aggressive ethnic groups whose success in business, skill at interacting with the globalized economy and bumptious faith in their own prowess so intimidate the rest that the fear shapes a nation's destiny, reducing politics to a none too subtle expression of resentment by the less successful.

In the DRC it is the Luba, in Nigeria the Ibos, in Rwanda the Tutsi, in Cameroon the Bamileke and in Ethiopia it was once the Eritreans.
The 'Jews of Africa', these groups often dub themselves, and the things once said in Europe about the Jews are muttered about them: "All they care about is money, money, money.'

(Adopted from 'Its Our Turn to Eat' a book by Michela Wrong on the story of a Kenyan whistleblower, Chapter 7-The call of the tribe)

Lucifer's fall from heaven was because of pride.

Who ought not to be happy and proud about their successes and achievements? I bet no one. We should all enjoy our cloud nine moments of joyous achievement after all the hard work, toiling and sweating and pushing hard to close that life changing deal. BUT THERE IS A DISCLAIMER HERE: HUBRIS! Hubris is the excessive pride or arrogance that so many achievers develop-and which prefaces their eventual downfall. People should not allow achievements to carry them away for they might fall; pride comes before a fall. The ailment of hubris is to get carried away with a little success and start to dream that we are demigods who think and live at a different level from ordinary people. That is the first stage of our downfall. The other stages will follow as surely as night follows day. Every person in the universe is no better than "a speck on a speck." Wisdom lies in recognizing both your own insignificance and potentially imminent demise and living with it!

The 5 Essential Characteristics Of Highly Successful Entrepreneurs.

As you already know, we all have to face our fair share of challenges, obstacles and set backs in business. Very rarely do things go to plan. And to succeed we need more than a good idea and business plan.

Here are 5 essential characteristics needed for entrepreneurial success:

1: Persistence -- Persistence is the steel of human character. It’s your ability to carry on regardless how many times you may experience temporary defeat. It’s the quality that every highly successful entrepreneur has developed over time and now possesses in abundance.In fact...without it success is almost impossible.Highly successful entrepreneurs and business owners don't succeed because they are better educated, more talented or luckier than everyone else. They succeed because they refuse to give up.Persistence is the key to entrepreneurial success. Because with persistence, anything and everything is possible.

"Adhere to your purpose and you will soon feel as well as you ever did. On the contrary, if you falter, and give up, you will lose the power of keeping any resolution, and will regret it all your life." - Abraham Lincoln

2. Vision -- Every major achievement in history has been achieved by visionaries; people who lived in a world that was, but saw a world that could be.This ability to "visualise possibilities" is essential to entrepreneurial success. It is the characteristic that helps highly successful entrepreneurs come up with innovative solutions to existing problems.To bring your entrepreneurial dreams into reality, you must first see it in your minds eye. Develop a strong vision and it will fuel your persistence.

"You will encounter many distractions and many temptations to put your goal aside: The security of a job, a wife who wants kids, whatever. But if you hang in there, always following your vision, I have no doubt you will succeed."- Larry Flynt

3. Belief -- The Oxford dictionary defines ‘belief’ as: "A feeling that something exists or is true, especially one without proof."Highly successful entrepreneurs know that belief gives you the strength and motivation to overcome the many obstacles and challenges you're sure to encounter along the way. They believe in their dreams. But more importantly, they believe in themselves and their ability to make those dreams come true.It is the belief in your vision that will give you the persistence to continue on beyond temporary defeat.

"In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can." - Michael Korda

4. Focus -- We entrepreneurs are blessed with a strength that can easily become a curse and major weakness. This blessing and strength is our ability to see opportunities everywhere and in everything.However, when this causes us to lose focus and try to juggle too many balls at once, our blessing becomes a curse, and our strength turns into a weakness.When you learn how to focus on one thing at a time, you'll find that your vision becomes clearer, your belief becomes stronger and persistence will become second nature.

"My success, part of it certainly, is that I have focused in on a few things." - Bill Gates

5. Discipline -- becoming a highly successful entrepreneur is not easy. And to succeed in business you must develop the discipline of doing what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, whether you feel like it or not.Discipline gives you a structured approach to success and greatly increases your chances of turning your dreams into reality.Because Discipline leads to Focus; Focus creates clear Vision; Clear Vision strengthens your Belief; and Belief results in Persistence.Get this right and your success is virtually guaranteed.

"With self-discipline almost anything is possible." - Theodore Roosevelt

What other characteristics/traits do you believe are also essential to entrepreneurial success?

http://www.youngentrepreneursociety.com/group/imanentrepreneur/forum

Mattie Stepaneck

We need to stop.Just stop.Stop for a moment.Before anybodySays or does anythingThat may hurt anyone else.We need to be silent.Just silent.Silent for a moment.Before we forever loseThe blessing of songsThat grow in our hearts.We need to notice.Just notice.Notice for a moment.Before the future slips awayInto ashes and dust of humility.Stop, be silent, and notice.In so many ways, we are the same.Our differences are unique treasures.We have, we are, a mosaic of giftsTo nurture, to offer, to accept.We need to be.Just be.Be for a moment.Kind and gentle, innocent and trusting,Like children and lambs,Never judging or vengefulLike the judging and vengeful.And now, let us pray,Differently, yet together,Before there is no earth, no life,No chance for peace.



September 11, 2001© Matthew Joseph Thaddeus Stepanek



http://www.mattieonline.com/

LIFT ME UP

It has been long since my last post. Unfortunately I had to take the slow lane in putting up a new blog post because the work load has just been enormous; juggling business hustles and school work (I have had one too many assessments and assignment in a weeks period + three term papers that need researching and are all due within three weeks, and apparently we are also required to write up a business plan for the entrepreneurship class)... I wonder how I will hack my third year at "Stressmore" University with my sworn commitment to the blog and my business duties (now that "proprietor of Coinvest enterprises" is part of my C.V I have to live up to my duty).

Blog 101 states that any new blog should keep active by posting one sentence daily (the reason why Twitter platform exists) or at least one blog post each week. You should also have a regular time for blogging - which for me had been Thursday. But it is proving difficult with multi tasking seemingly becoming impossible especially because blog posts need to be well researched and informed. I am yet to attract a niche readership especially without supporting built up content - in blogger's lingo; 'Pillar Posts'.

Now, I have discovered another acclaimed way of successful blogging - posting comments in other blogs. This has made my time surfing the internet more worthwhile and opened up the larger world of blogosphere to me ( Previously I was only ardently reading Ben Casnocha and Start-ups in Kenya, and I acknowledge them for inspiring me to start a business and also blogging, SHUKRANI!) I will pursue this alternative of posting comments(Lio Mungai) and see where the path leads me as I seek to gain exposure.

I have stated before my love of reading and may I add that I also have this habit of writing down notes sometimes while I'm reading. I have this small jotter book where I have written down notes on my reading history and key points (Until recently I have been thinking this to be a "scrap book"). I presume blogging on these notes will enable me build up 'Pillar Posts'!

What has been your strategy to successful blogging?

Motoring and great customer service. Mercedes GLK.

About the new Mercedes GLK Hybrid apparently the most fuel efficient SUV in the global market.

The response given by a Mr. Dieter Hubner about why they came up with this new model from Daimler, is just very clever and proves a very great lesson about the customer being King. This is what innovation for an entrepreneur is about; creating customer driven products.

The GLK is targeted at young, independent-minded individuals. They constitute high-earning employees and the self -employed of either gender, aged in the early mid 40's, or young couples with one or two children.
They are success driven and have clearly defined career goals, are strongly lifestyle oriented, predominantly extrovert and active in sports.

...for a moment I thought I was writing my Bio-data.
GLK is a statement of individuality, independence and social status.

...is this not what entrepreneurship is about to some extent?

DEFINATELY A CAR I WOULD WANT!

An 18-Minute Plan for Managing Your Day - Peter Bregman - HarvardBusiness.org

An 18-Minute Plan for Managing Your Day - Peter Bregman - HarvardBusiness.org

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The Emancipation Proclamation…

The Emancipation Proclamation…

My Entrepreneural Creed into Kenyan perspective.

1. I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon-if I can.

I was not born into a rich family, but I shall create my own rich family. My seed, My blood, My life - My Legacy.

Even if it means creating a successful blog from a public library, I choose to be uncommon!

2. I seek opportunity-not security.

I will satisfy my customer, I will solve social problems, for opportunity lies in common good.

I will pursue opportunity beyond the resources I currently control.

3. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me.

I am capitalist, not socialist. I am not for welfarism and Mr. Politician; I do not need neither your political connections nor your government contract.

I will make it on my own, and contribute to the welfare of my society and actively participate in Nation building. I will pay my Taxes!

4. I want to take the calculated risk, to build and to dream, to fail and to succeed.

Coinvest Enterprises - My Brainchild!

From a start-up micro business to a mega business empire with vast operations. Creating employment, rewarding shareholders, fun to work in, and social responsibility.

5. I refuse to barter incentive for a shilling; I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence, the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia.

I will toil hard to nurture my brainchild, to see the seedling grow into a small tree, till it matures to the end and how sweet are the fruits of your hard labour.

Perfection becomes reality.

6. I will not trade my freedom for beneficence, nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any master, not bend to any threat.

I am independent and may my freewill lead me to success. I will build upon and maintain a great personality, a tower of excellence and inspiration, a force to reckon with.

7. It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid; to think and to act for myself, to enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say:

This, with my God, family and friends, I have done. The outcome of bringing together my competence and character is a great name to be reknowned and a significant accomplishment.

...baby step 2.

GETTING STARTED.

It is said that if you carefully study the lives of legendary human beings and many of the successful entrepreneurs - their journey to prosperity and great wealth started from inspiration in a book or they stumbled upon a piece of information. This new wisdom of the ages is what triggered their hunger for self discovery and a drive to achieve full potential.

Most vehicles have potential to reach top speeds of upto 220 km/hr, but the driver doesn't have the gut to step hard on the peddle and achieve full potential! They are comfortable at minimal speeds of mere range 80-120 km/hr. That is why we do not have super highways in Kenya...lest you forget this is a kenyan story!

So is the human being whose capacity for achievement is high but they are not motivated enough to attain peak heights and to dream big!

It is throuh books that you can learn from the people who have lived before you. And it is thence you might ignite that sparkle which will cause a fire within you such as to make you a force to reckon with in society.

The great book that I stumbled upon, that which set me on my path to self actualization was: 'The Richest Man In Babylon' by Richard S. Clason
Why can't I be the richest man in Kenya? What is it that this Rich man had that I possibly can't have? And this got me reading.

I was a young man then, at the threshold of adulthood from teenage, and the year was 2007. And many books I have read since then.

...and that is for a start!