Steph Curry, point guard for Golden States Warriors, making a 3-point against Denver Nuggets photo credit https://www.dailydemocrat.com/

He discovered his passion for basketball in eighth grade, of course it helped that his dad was an NBA player.
But…
You are too short and skinny to play in the NBA- he was told when he passed over after high school for selection to the best basketball colleges.

He was not dejected by the rejections . He used the rejections as fuel to work his way to the NBA.

Today he holds the record for the most three pointers scored in a season.

He has won three NBA championships and twice voted MVP ( Most Valuable Player).

Apart from his insane work ethic he credits his success to Jesus Christ his Lord and Saviour.

Here are his top 10 rules for success

Wardell Stephen “Steph” Curry II is an American professional basketball player who play as a point guard for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He holds the record for the most number of consecutive 3 pointer shots made in the NBA history and the record for 402 3-pointers made in a season ( 2015-16) .

Analysts and players consider him as the greatest 3-pointer shooter in NBA history, better that Klay Thompson, Reggie Miller and Larry Bird among others.  

Here are his top ten rules for his success

1.   Visualise your goals

2.   Be the hardest worker

3.   Stay Confident

4.   Be creative

5.   Be the best version of yourself

6.   Stay in the moment

7.   Better yourself daily

8.   Have an Upbeat personality

9.   Do it your way

10.Have faith in God

“ It doesn’t matter where you come from, what you have or do not have, what you lack or have too much of.

All you need to have is faith in God and an undying passion for what you want to do.

What you chose to do in life and a relentless drive and the will to do whatever it takes to be successful in whatever you put your mind to.

Make sure that you live in the moment and work your butt off every single day.

Hope to inspire people all over the world to be themselves, be humble, be grateful for the best things in life”

References

Stephen Curry – Wikipedia

Health is the state of being free from disease or injury and fitness is the state of being healthy and in a physically good condition.

Health has two main components; Physical, Emotional /Mental.

Physical health is determined by six aspects; nutrition and diet, exercise, adequate water intake, sunshine, rest and relaxation, and fresh air, commonly known as the six doctors.

Emotional health is defined as positive state of wellbeing which enables somebody to be in a position where he can fully participate in a society and also be able to meet the day to day demands of modern life. An emotionally sound person is resilient and can bounce back from setbacks and thrive in spite of the challenges or problems he faces.

 Mental health involves the aspect of cognitive thinking and somebody being able to be attentive and focused on a task and being present in the moment. This involves ability to process information, store it in memory, interpret and understand the new information, retrieve it and respond in a reasonable manner. This is similar to a phone having network. Overall, mental health consists of our emotional, psychological, and social disposition.

Health and Wealth are inseparable like Siamese twins . Taking care of your health is of paramount importance. A recent medical check up done in Nyeri town revealed that 60% of those who went through the check up had NCD( non communicable disease). These are Hypertension, Diabetes, Cancer, Kidneys infections, Cardiovascular etc.

 These are diseases which are caused by our poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, tobacco, alcohol, obesity, pollution in the air, water etc.

 According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) research, NCDs account for 27% of deaths in Kenya of adults between the age of 30-70 years. Scary isn’t it?

 Solutions are within our grasp. We can live to be 100 yrs and over, and be healthy too.

 There are six “doctors” that can cure and Prevent NCD.

1. Fresh air.

Most of us live in congested houses and work in congested offices with inadequate ventilations where circulation of oxygen is limited. We inhale more than our fair share carbon dioxide which is harmful to our health. Purpose to inhale fresh air whenever you can, visit open grounds with trees and gulp fresh rejuvenating air.

• Exercise.

 The human body was created for movement not to for sedentary lifestyle. Early morning exercise is recommended even for 30 minutes, to start your blood flowing and oxygenating your brain. Feel good hormone endorphins are released into your blood stream. Exercises boost your immune system and helps fight diseases. It also assists in removing toxins from your body a major cause of diseases. You can start your exercise routine where you are with what you have, you do not need a gym membership. 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise is recommended per week.

• Diet.

You are what your eat, 80 % of health is determined by what you eat. Due to nature of our fast paced lifestyle we hardly have time to sit, and enjoy a well-cooked healthy meal. Fast food is the way to go. We eat for Taste and not for nutrition. Obesity is on the rise in Kenya, which is due to our poor eating habits. Carbonated drinks-sodas, Refined sugars, Artificial foods, Processed foods should be avoided at all costs. Organic foods are the way to go, like our forefathers who ate traditional healthy and nutritious foods. Let’s watch what we eat, we owe it to ourselves and to our future generations.

• Water.

Your body requires adequate rest in order to rejuvenate itself. There has always been debate on the number of hours we should sleep for proper rest. Some say 6 hours others 8 hrs. However the body expels toxins between 1am and 3 am. This is an important time in the body cycle where we need to be at rest for this important bodily function to occur. Take time for adequate rest.

70% of our body is water. Lack of adequate water in our body system has adverse effects on the functioning of our vital body organs. Food digestion, blood purification, expelling toxins from our body, bowel movements, blood movement in our bodies require fluids. Dark coloured urine means you have inadequate water in your body. Urine should be light lime green. Clear urine also shows that you have excess water in the body, which is also not good because it dilutes the electrolytes that are also required by the body.

• Rest.

Your body requires adequate rest in order to rejuvenate itself. There has always been debate on the number of hours we should sleep for proper rest. Some say 6 hours others 8 hrs. However the body expels toxins between 1 am and 3 am. This is an important time in the body cycle where we need to be at rest for this important bodily function to occur. Take time for adequate rest.

• Sunshine

We are luck to live in the tropics, where we have sunshine throughout the year. Sunshine helps the body produce vitamin D. Vitamin D is essential for absorption of calcium and phosphorus. And also improves our immunity function. Calcium helps in development of teeth and bones.  Phosphorous like calcium also plays an important role in the health of your kidneys, bones, muscles, and blood vessels, as well as each cell in your body.

In the hot and dusty rural village in Kilifi County, two young boys completed their KCSE exams 15 years ago.

When the KCSE exams come out, both had scored a mean grade of D+. This was not surprising, both had been academically weak students.

Recently, the two meet in the village at the funeral of one of their former classmates.

One arrived in the latest Toyota Vx and the other arrived on foot after a 15 km trek. He arrived all sweaty in tattered clothes, looking 10 years older than his agemate.

As it so happened both were of similar academic ability, the difference in their social status was glaring.

What made the difference?

Have you ever asked yourself what makes a difference in people’s lives? Is it intelligence ( IQ) or hard work dedication and determination?

And is it not that one person wanted to succeed and the other did not?

The major difference is what each person knows and how he or she uses that knowhow to advance themselves.

This is the reason that I am writing to you about this amazing and transformative book.

” The Village Boy Who Dared”

This book highlights in an easy to understand language the steps that any young person can use to achieve success in life.

” The Village Boy Who Dared”

It is a story based on the life of a village boy who saw an opportunity and grabbed it with both hands.

He started his academic journey at Certificate level and graduate with a Masters degree at Wits University in Johannesburg, South Africa.

In between, he built a global consulting business.

Knowledge is potential power, it is the application of the knowledge you have that leads you to success.

To get a copy of the book that has changed the lives of many young people; inbox me your details I arrange for delivery.

For only a small investment, this could be the turning point in your life.
This is also a great gift for any form four leaver.

P.S
a complimentary 1-hour coaching session for every purchase of a copy.

The professional and academic world has different types of people. It has honest and hardworking people and the dishonest and intellectually lazy ones.  The lazy, with two strokes (copy and paste) on a keyboard, steal content. Hurrah! They exclaim and claim the work at theirs, this is plagiarism.

Plagiarism is presenting work copied from another source as yours, without crediting the source.  It’s usually done either unknowingly or deliberately, nonetheless, it’s a serious crime. Catching plagiarists has been made easier by the plagiarism detection software available today. Here are some of the consequences of plagiarism.

Financial Ruin

The aggrieved authentic author may sue you in a court of law. You will have to hire a lawyer to defend you at an expense. Upon conviction, you may pay the plaintiff a lot of money in damages. A hefty bill from your lawyer may cripple you further financially.

Loss of Reputation

Protecting your good professional reputation is paramount; however, plagiarism can destroy it instantly.  The damaged caused may have far-reaching repercussions throughout your professional life. Depending on the seriousness of the offense, your name may be ruined forever.

Loss of Job

Apart from a ruined professional reputation, you may lose your job. Finding another job in the same field would be harder. No reputable employer would be willing to offer you a job. This is a serious consequence of plagiarism, how will you survive?

Academic Career at Risk

As a student guilty of plagiarising, you can be given an “F” grade. Alternatively, you may be asked to repeat the course or put on academic probation. If you are on a scholarship, it can be withdrawn from you.  More critically, you can be suspended or expelled from the institution.

Conclusion

Escaping from the plagiarism dragnet a few times, should not fool you.  Eventually, you will be caught, why take the risk considering the consequence?  Do you see any value? Avoid it at all costs. Your reputation and financial standing are more valuable than the consequences of plagiarism.

Cash Flow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki ( American Entrepreneur, Investor)

What is leverage?

Archimedes,  he who ran into the streets buck naked shouting “Eureka! Eureka!” said… “Give me a place to stand, and a lever and I can move the world“-  

Such a profound statement isn’t it? That is how much he believed in the power of leverage.

To understand this concept further let use the cash flow quadrant above to explain.

 Ready?

If you are on the left quadrant i.e. an Employee/ Self Employed (95% majority of us fall here). Your formula for earning any income is:

                                   Income= Rate x Time

                                   E.g. if Kshs. 400 x 8 = 3200 per day

To increase your income, you either increase the hours you work or increase your rate. That means working overtime at the expense of spending time with your family or doing the things you love.

Alternatively, going back to school to increase your value to the market, look for a better paying job or start a side hustle.  

 Exchanging time for any income is a precarious way to live, you earn only when you are present. You are leaving at the mercy of the gods. An illness or getting incapacitated in some way can lead you to financial ruin. Your “haters” would have a feast upon your unfortunate predicament.

So how can you make sure you do not let the “haters” have a feast at your expense?

Leverage      

In the right quadrant (Business Owners, Investors and public figures with a brand appeal) the formula for earning any income:

                                   Income= Rates X Time X Leverage.

Here you create a system where you use other people (employees in the left quadrant), other people’s money and other resources to create multiple streams of income for yourself.

E.g. His Highness the Aga Khan owns many businesses here in Kenya and abroad, his presence is not essential. Some of his multi-million dollar companies in Kenya are;  Nation Media Group, Aga Khan hospitals, and Education Centres, Diamonds Trust Bank, Serena Hotels, etc.

How does a Bachelors of Arts ( History) graduate from Harvard, own a hospital, bank, hotel and business in other industries? You guessed it …the power of leverage.

An Investor like Warren Buffet, in the right quadrant, is another breed, they leverage their money.

You earn while you sleep or on holiday, mostly through passive income streams. This is in stocks, bonds, real estate, commodities-oil, gold, silver, etc. royalties from books, music, intellectual property rights, Image rights, etc.

President Obama and His Wife Michelle are making millions of dollars from the royalties of their books. Warren Buffet is a multibillionaire from stocks. He mastered how to leverage his money from an early age.

Super Stars with brand appeal leverage their skills and images. The likes of Messi, Ronaldo, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Beyoncé, and others, earn millions of dollars for endorsing products and services.

If you are not Michael Jordan (of course you are not) or do not have the big financial base to jump to the right quadrant then do not worry. Here is an alternative.

Alternative

Network Marketing ( MLM) is another good example where leverage works.  The barrier for entry is normally low for the members.

 Find a reputable company with products you believe in.

 Caution!  It is not a get quick rich scheme. You must work hard and smart just like any entrepreneur venture, it is not for the faint-hearted.

 Many have fallen along the wayside crying that it doesn’t work, yet some have been successful. That means it can be done.

 Nelson Mandela said… ” It always seems impossible until it is done”

Conclusion

As an employee, the only way you can leverage your income is through effort; sweat, blood and sleepless night. Sadly, it has a limit, 24 hours maximum in a day.

The reason why you may lag financial is that you have not fully embraced the power of leverage.

In my next article, I will highlight the multiple streams of income you may employ to get at your “haters”.

 “I would rather earn 1% of the effort of 100 people’s efforts than 100% of my efforts.” Jean-Paul Getty

A mentor according to Cambridge Dictionary:  is ‘a person who gives younger or less experienced person help and advice over a period of time, especially at work or school’. 

Do you have a mentor?

A mentor is an expert or specialist in a profession you are pursuing and is someone who has achieved that which you want to achieve. If you want to be a doctor, you would look for a successful doctor who has at least 10 years of experience to mentor you in the area you want to master. If you want a successful marriage, seek out a successful couple that has 10 years of experience in marriage.  A young man/woman can also seek out an older man/woman for mentorship in any area of life.

Mentorship is usually free, it can either be one on one or you can be mentored through reading, watching videos and listening to audios of the mentor. Most of these resources are available on the internet or through books you can purchase. Tai Lopez an American entrepreneur recommends that you get a mentor who has achieved 10 times of what you seek to achieve. Do not seek a mentor whom you won’t want to trade places with. His values, work ethic, accomplishments must be attributes you subscribe to.

Benefits of a mentoring

•    Provides impartial advice, guidance, and support without prejudice.

•    Holds you accountable for your actions and the goals you have set for yourself.

•    You don’t have to pay him as you learn from the vast experience they possess in that area of life.

•    Being successful in a certain area of life they may offer you useful connections to people who can help you hence speed up your progress.

•    Improves your self-confidence.

•    Offers to you, professional and personal development.

•    Encourages reflection on the area you are pursuing.

How do you find a Career Mentor

•     You need to be vulnerable; a good mentor will not massage your ego. He may be brutally honest with you, he may tell you things you may not want to hear. Be ready to have an open mind and the willingness to learn from him.

•    Avoid generalities and be specific in the area you want mentored in. e.g. Personal Branding, Prospecting for Clients, Business or Career growth, Improving an aspect of a particular skill.

•    Your core values have to align with those of your mentor. What are your core values?

•    He must be 10 times more successful in that career. Success leaves clues.

•    Immerse yourself in the area, read deeply to gain as much knowledge as you can.

•    The mentor has to be accessible to you either physically/ on phone or online, on mutually agreed timings on a regular basis.

•     Most successful people in your chosen career who would make good mentors are usually very busy people. Hence not easily accessible to you, however, the secret is to ASK. You may know somebody who may know somebody who knows the mentor you are targeting.

•    Do your research on your prospective mentor. Find out what his likes, dislikes and any challenges he may have. Utilise the power of the internet to connect with him. One of the best ways, when you get his attention, is to offer value upfront. What can you do to help him? Then volunteer in solving the problem.

•    When you get an audience with him, go straight to the point. Ask specifically for what you want and keep quiet. Let him do most of the talking. You may be surprised that he may accept your request because rarely do they receive such requests.

•    If he says no. No worries, do not beg. Move on and look for somebody else.

Most successful people owe their achievements to mentors who guided them on their journey. Having a mentor is a secret sauce you can sample to fast track your way to success.

So get busy…let me know your thoughts…

Do you know that 90% of what we fear never really happens?

Agreed, fear is a very important response to human emotional and physical dangers. Without it, you wouldn’t be able to protect yourself from real harmful threats. A marauding lion in the bush or boom! an explosion in the street. Have you running for cover. However, only 10% of what we fear actually happens.

 Any idea how you can conquer it? Dale Mutta (Author, Speaker and Life Coach) in his book     “ Face the Fear”  (available as an ebook for kes 259)has outlined 5 steps which you can employ achieve this.

1. Identify: the type of fear which paralyses you into inaction. Is it fear of rejection or failure? Or speaking in public or leaving an abusive relationship? Find the root cause.

• Measure: how do you react to the fear? When faced with fear you would react in four major ways. You fight, take flight, freeze or go with the flow and hope for the best. What do you lose by not confronting this fear? A raise, because you fear asking your mean looking boss for it?

• Analyse:  interrogate the root cause of the fear. What fuels that fear? Is it low self-esteem, lack of preparation, lack of enough money, or adequate qualifications etc.? Ask people in your circle of influence whom trust for an honest appraisal.

• Improve: Take deliberate action  to improve the areas which fuel the root causes. If it is lack of professional qualification, take evening classes or an online course.

• Control and Review: You have followed all the steps above. Great! You knock on your mean looking boss’s door ready to ask for that raise. “ Yes, come in” the boss answers. Then you freeze! What can you do to ensure that you follow through with the action? How would you review the outcome of this action assuming it is negative?

Have you ever heard of Sylvester Stallone famous for acting Rambo and Rocky Balboa? He was thrown out 1500 times from movie agents’ office when looking for an acting role?

Fear of rejection didn’t paralyse him, find out in “ Face the Fear”  (available as an e-book for Kshs 259) how he and other famous people  did it. You can do it too.

By reading and applying the contents in this book, you will be able to hold fear by the throat and choke it to death.

Fear Kill more dreams than failure ever will.