Colleague Talk: Keys of Life

Last week was a crazy week for us in the office. Towards the end of last year, we had a visit from the Auditors and presented all the documents they required. Come last week, we were summoned by MADAM in her office, only to be met by an ugly report from the Auditors. The guyz were crazy, we were soo cooperative when they around, we joked and laughed with them around and fed them with sausages everyday. Yet the first thing on the report is “Lack of Cooperation from the Officers” kwani? WTF did they want? We gave them all the documents and documentary evidence they wanted, they even carried some documents with them. According to the report, we have not collected Business revenue close to Kshs. 435 milliz!! You can guess we are now burning the midnight oil trying to unravel the puzzle.

Action Point: Keys of Life
One of the resolutions I had written this year was to begin a course I had always wanted to. I commenced the course two weeks ago and I’m thrilled. I’m gathering the Keys to unlock my treasures in life. What keys to life do you have? How many have you collected? I got the following story from a friend and I thought it wise to share with you… read all the way…

Quote:

I learned that we can do anything, but we can’t do everything..,,atleast not at
the some time. So think of your priorities not in terms of what activities you
do, but when you do them. Timing is everything

Dan Millman, Author

Have a productive week

The Game of the Keys to Life

A few years ago, I had to plan an activity for a youth group, followed by a talk. Little did I know that after the game, the true meaning of what happened would come to light.

Wanting to be original, I devised a game where a hamper, filled with chocolate bars and candy, sat on a table. Everybody wanted it. There was only one
problem. It was locked and required a key to open it. I told the participants that their objective was to find the key to open the lock. They had one hour. I supplied them with a sheet with clues and told them that there were twenty keys outside in the neighborhood. Other than that there were no other rules to the game. They could organize themselves in
any way they chose.

When we started, some formed groups with their friends, some chose to search alone and one person decided not to participate. The neighborhood was filled with kids scurrying around.

At the end of the hour, one group had found eight of the keys, another five and the rest were divided among the others. Of course, the person who decided not to participate had none.
The time came to see whose key opened the lock. The group with eight tried all of theirs, but none worked. Those who had five were unsuccessful too. One of the groups who had fewer had the key that opened the lock to the treasure.

The two groups who had gathered the most keys complained that the game was not fair. After all, they had gotten the most keys. I had to agree with them and muttered some cliché that life was often like this. Did they expect life to be fair?

Then I began my talk.
I explained that in life we often set our sights on treasures. They usually take keys to open. The keys may be things like a certain level of education, courses on various subjects, physical strength, an honest character, even good looks. There are many more keys to success that you can imagine.

In life, we can choose to look for keys any way we want. The more we cooperate with others and work with them, the greater our chances of getting more keys. If we work alone though, it is still possible to get keys. However, if we refuse to participate, the chances of getting the key that will open our treasure will be zero.

Although the number of keys that you get doesn't guarantee success, it will increase your chances of opening the treasure. Still, a person with only one key does have a chance of opening the treasure you want. Although it doesn't seem fair, life is like this.

Then it struck me. Right in the middle of my talk, I understood something I had never understood before. The groups that had complained that they had lots of keys, but had lost the treasure had missed the point, and so had I.
Yes, not one of their keys had opened the treasure. But, they still had lots of keys. The game was not over. They still had the keys. There must be locks out there somewhere that contained other treasures that could be unlocked by these keys.

The first part of the game was accumulating as many keys as possible, but that did not guarantee the first lock that was encountered would be opened by one of them. What is important is the second phase. If your treasure isn't opened on the first try, you must look for other locks.

Perhaps the job position you really wanted was given to somebody else. Maybe the girl of your dreams can't return the same affection. What you have to realize is that the gifts that you have been given, have worked for and found, the keys, will eventually open up your treasure as long as you keep looking. Sitting around complaining that your keys didn't open up the first treasure you sought won't do any good. You have to keep looking for the treasures that fit your keys. Otherwise you will live a life full of regret and unfulfilled potential. You will always be looking back at what might have been instead of what will be.

Yes, there is a treasure out there just for you. Just keep looking and keep collecting those keys, then look for the locks they will open.

Colleague Talk - Discovering you life's work

It was a week that begun on a low note but ended with jubilations and a sigh of relief from Kenyans. I have always admired this man called Koffi Annan ever since he was the Secretary General of the UN. He inspires confidence, diplomacy, respect and peace. He has inspired me to an extent that I have vowed to tell my son, “ My son, be like Koffi Annan” and before my son arrives, I will strive to cultivate the principles and values of this great man. Koffi Anna should be made an elder in Kenya. We should erect a monument of Koffi Annan at Uhuru Park as a symbol of peace to Kenyans. What’s your take?

Work is smooth; we are currently trying to find out why one of the products in the oil industry is taking a slumber. This has really affected our business revenues. Its an uphill task but we hope to come to an understanding after studying the market.


Action Point: Discovering your life’s work
Ever since I was in elementary school, I have always strived to be the best of the best. My mum was (still is) a teacher in the school I was attending. I strived to be the top in my class, not because it meant a lot to me then, but because I enjoyed seeing my mum beaming and being praised by other teachers every time my name was read out at the assembly. That was my motivation then and it set a very solid base for me.
Now, it’s all about me, myself and I. And I have realized that “you have to know where you are going, and plan how to get there, even before you take the step of faith.” (Squad leader)
This is the formula for happiness (Happiness = K * D * L), yes that’s the formula. Read more about it in the attached piece “Discovering your life’s work” from www.lifesignature.com

Quote:

The real tragedy is the tragedy of the man who never in his life braces himself
for his one supreme effort, he never stretches to his full capacity, never
stands up to his full stature

Arnold Bennett, British Novelist

Have an energetic and thoughtful week.

Discovering Your Life's Work
A sprout grows damp under the earth. It pokes through weak mud, following the light, gently leaning toward nourishment. The sprout unfurls. With its flesh, it creates stalks, leaves, flowers and fruits. It flourishes through a growing season and withers with the frost. With each moment, the growth of this plant unfolds, following innate design.Likewise, each of us contains a blueprint for the continual discovery of our true nature and purpose. Our innate signature talents are the tools we can use to accomplish our life purpose. Part of us already knows the secret of our life blueprint but it remains unclear for most of us. However, if we allow our blueprint to unfold in its way, carefully encouraging its movements, time and nourishment, we will foster the development of an exceptional life.

What's Important to You?
At certain times in life, people take stock of where they are and where they want to go. Deciding what is important to us in our life's journey, including where we may be stuck, is the way to begin this life planning. The gift of knowing who you are and your life's work gives you the energy to transform your life.

You Get What You Tolerate
"I'll be happy when...." is the way many people think they are living their lives. Yet, happiness is not something that happens to you. Happiness is inside you now. You are motivated from within. You only have to allow happiness to surface.

Happiness = K (knowing who you are) X D (discovering your life's work) X L (learning not to tolerate what's not important).

That's the formula for happiness--know yourself, your true calling and that you get what you tolerate.Only when you know who you are (your signature talents, your values, assumptions/beliefs, guiding principles, vision and passions) are you able to bring your true self to your professional and personal lives. Your life signature is the tracing of the talents we are given and how we express them in our lives.

In medicine you look at how "well tolerated" a drug will be related to its side effects. At work and at home, many people evaluate new opportunities related to what can be well tolerated. Yet after life, most people don't want their tombstone to read, "He tolerated stuff for other people because they paid him." Especially, when we realize that we can make more money and have more fun doing work that engages our passions. Life is too short for doing work you don't enjoy for people you don't respect.Why not decide today, to live your life to its fullest?

an extract from LifeSignature.com