Thoughts on Retirement Planning for Men.

 

Men,

No one is coming to save us.

The day you turned 18 and left the comfort of your Mother’s house or whatever you left behind-it doesn’t matter, you signed up for life. From that point onwards you became responsible for yourself, your family and everything in between.

If your life follows a normal trajectory, you will spend the years between 25-60 working and taking care of your wife and children plus your extended family in some instances. What this means is you spend your most productive years fending for the people you care about.

If you are not careful or fail to plan for it, your woes are likely to start after 60.

While you toiled tirelessly in your good years, it is possible you lost something important which is creating a bond with your children. That is a dangerous place to be in.

Many men find themselves in that place where they are distant from their children and worse still with zero money to take care of themselves. That’s a potent combination. It partly explains why so many men die within 5-10 years after retirement.

If you left their mother as the present parent, she will have cemented her position in their hearts. If she is not a wise woman, she will use this to her advantage and sideline you. A wise woman will see to it that the children understand the significant role you play/played in their upbringing whether you were present or not.

Here is some advice on what you should do.

Strike a balance between your presents and presence. Your presents come in the form of your provisions and the goodies you send home while you are toiling far away from your kids. Your presence cannot be delegated or substituted. I know we live in tough times where every shilling counts. The bills are out of this world and you need to make enough to take care of your family but for your own sake, ensure you are intentional about creating time to be with the people who call you dad. If it takes a small drop in quality of life to ensure you are more present at home, go ahead and make it happen. Those formative years of your child’s life mean a lot to them and you in the long run. Be there for them.

Build your nest egg. Don’t play games with your retirement years. The needs then are many and you no longer have an active income to depend on. What you do in your active years has a bearing on how you live in the years of retirement. Invest enough in income generating assets to cover yourself financially. I help people in planning for retirement by discussing options available. I invite you to book a session with me here to discuss this all important matter while there is still time.

Be good to your wife and children. Especially if you are the predominant bread winner. In your active years, you are all powerful, after your active years, power shifts significantly. How you treated your wife and children when power was in your hands, determines how they will treat you when it shifts towards them. Keep a good record and they will defend you with their lives. They won’t let you suffer in the village while they chop life in the city.

Think about taking care of your family as a responsibility. Because it is. It is not an investment. You should not look at your children as an investment. Let their support for you in your old age be voluntary. This is why for every 5 shillings you spend on them, you need to spend 1 or 2 on yourself in the form of investing in your future. That way you secure the future even as you are taking care of the present.

Think from a posterity perspective. While we are debating how to take care of ourselves in retirement, the bible recommends that we plan even for the next generation. It should never be lost on you that you need to give the next generation a better platform to start from. It is a responsibility we carry and we must embrace it wholeheartedly. Prepare a financial and knowledge/experience package to pass on to your progeny. In case you do not know where to start, let’s explore options of getting this done together. Book a slot here.

Men, Love and Money-A Valentine's Day Special Issue

 

Men

Valentines is coming up in a few days. Let’s talk about money, love and Valentines

Are you excited about it as an opportunity to display your love or are you feeling the pressure because you know the finances are just not in place to create a memorable experience?

As a fellow man, I have known those moments where you want the day to be over and done with simply because you have nothing to offer-at least from a financial perspective. I have also known days when I was looking forward to the day because I was all set. I don’t know many things but this one thing I know-I am better off with scenario two than one anytime.

Before I go any further, I must put a disclaimer. Money is not the only way/tool you can use to display love to your significant other.  Supporting them, being present for them, taking a genuine interest in them and their passions will go a long way in winning them over. Different people have different love languages according to Gary Chapman author of ‘The five love languages’. Your job is to find out what the love language of your significant other is and express it to her like she wants it. 

Having said that, it is important to understand that money plays a significant role in the sustenance of any relationship. Love needs to be expressed. No one is interested in secret love. If you doubt it, check John 3:16. Because God loved, He gave. Money is not just a medium of exchange, it also doubles up as a medium of expression of love. Even those who do not necessarily find much value in gifts will appreciate being spoilt occasionally. My wife is like that. Such people are at risk of being neglected because they don’t speak up often about these things. The onus is on you to be intentional about showing love in this dimension. While money is not an end in itself, it facilitates you to express love to the people who matter in your life.

What makes things more interesting is that true love is expressed moment by moment not just on some special occasions. Those special occasions like Valentines are good because they remind us of the need to appreciate our loved ones away from our busy schedules. We must cherish and make the most of them. In addition though, we must put ourselves in positions where we can express love to our own randomly, without any special occasion on the horizon. I am of the opinion that doing this takes away the pressure of having to put up a performance every 14^th of February as a show of allegiance.

I know you have some deep love for your bae. What you need is to have a plan in place for displaying that love as and when the need arises.

The big question becomes. What should you do given your current realities?

We live and operate in different realities. Here are a few suggestions from yours truly.

Be honest about your current reality. Be clear about where your finances are at the moment. A lack of clarity here will lead you to make irrational decisions which you are likely to regret later. A good assessment of your situation will determine how much you can handle without overstretching yourself. I have a great tool you can use to assess your current financial state of affairs in case you are not sure what to look at. Talk to me if you are interested in making use of it. If the numbers make good reading, spare no expense in spoiling her. She deserves it. If the numbers don’t look good, cut your coat according to your cloth.

Manage Expectations. When you know where you stand, it also becomes important to manage your partner’s expectations well in advance. Have a sit down to talk about where things stand and what is possible. It is better to state the way things are early on than disappoint her on D-day.

Go out of your way. For the one you love, it shouldn’t be too much for you to make a small sacrifice here and there. While I advocate above that you do not overspend, part of expressing love is the sacrifice you make for the one you love. Let it be known that you are ready to inconvenience yourself a little to show love to your beloved.

Commit to improving your lot. There is nothing wrong with being in a tight spot financially at the moment. A lot of things could have led you to this point. The tragedy is if you resign to this reality and believe that you will never be and do better. 12 months is a long time if you are committed to turning things around. You can make up your mind to be at a different spot this time next year. Look at the present as motivation to turn things around fast.

Don’t go into debt. Going out of your way doesn’t mean you should go into unmanageable debt just to get things done. In these days of Fuliza, Tala, Branch and similar micro lenders you might be easily tempted to take on unsustainable debt for 1 day of fun. My advice… don’t.

Budget for it. Part of being intentional in expressing love to your personal person is to decide that from today onwards, you will have it as an item on your budget. This puts you in a position to give her mini treats without breaking the bank and also splashing on her during those special occasions like Valentines.

Create an income generating asset for her. Imagine having an asset that generates income to treat her. This could be an MMF account where you decide that the interest generated goes towards treating her. I can almost guarantee you that you will make more money from it than you need to treat her. This is what I call a win-win situation. If you need help setting up an MMF or a discussion on other available options, do not hesitate to contact me.

Remember there is life before and after Valentines. Valentines is not the end of the world. As a man. The responsibilities on your shoulders go beyond Valentines. You must think about your overall financial well being beyond the special occasions you have to contend with. The provision for your family is your responsibility. Their education is dependent on you. After you are done taking care of them, you are also expected to take care of yourself in your old age. How do you ensure that you remain focused and maintain your frame as all these things unfold?  At Optimize Institute we help you get a firm grip on your finances through our training, coaching and consulting programs. 

Do not sweat out the details all by yourself when help is available for you. Let us know if you need a hand navigating the web of the Financial intricacies we occasionally find ourselves in. It is possible to come out stronger and better when we hold hands and push in the same direction. You can reach out on +254725832477 or asenasam@gmail.com to initiate a conversation. 

I pray that wherever you find yourself this Valentines you will enjoy the moment as you make the most of it. Happy Valentines. 

A little on Money, Savings, Investment

                                                    

Savings are the beginning of the journey to Financial Freedom. How much of your income are you saving currently? Where are you saving? What is the Rate of return? How secure is your money?

Before you save

First things first. You cannot save what you do not have. How are you making your money? Utilize your skills and abilities to generate as much income as possible right where you are.

Considerations

When you are looking for a place to save, it is important that you find a place with a mix of benefits to you.

Returns

Put your money where it will labor hard for you. Do not keep it where the rate of inflation will wipe away its value. Worse still, do not put it where there is close to zero in terms of return. Enlighten yourself with the knowledge you need about the alternatives you have.

Security

It is good to pursue high returns but you must also be careful not to sink your hard earned cash in a Ponzi scheme. The security of your money is and remains a key consideration.

Access

How easy/hard is it for you to access your money when you need it? It is important that you decide from the onset what your goals are with regard to your savings. Knowing the why behind your savings will dictate a lot of things. If these are emergency savings you will definitely want a place where you can access the money on short notice. If you are thinking long term you want to be in places where there are restrictions on access. Let your goal dictate the vehicle you choose.

Reputation

What is the track record of the institution you want to put your money in? Can you vouch for them unashamedly? Do you have social proof that they deliver on their promises? While some institutions rely on their good name with nothing to offer presently, skin in the game is an important consideration when you are choosing an institution. If possible seek to understand the top leadership of the institution and their track record. If they have questionable reputations, it is m=important to tread carefully because leopards rarely change their spots.

Financial strengths and fundamentals.

Are you able to tell the financial strength of the institution? Do your due diligence before you hand over your money to anyone. Make sure the institution is fundamentally sound. Look at its financial statements, line of business, associates and affiliates among many other things. They will give you a clue as to the safety of your money.

Fees involved

Seek clarity on any fees, taxes and other charges the plan attracts. Without this info, you might find yourself eating into your gains without noticing. The charges need to be as low as possible to maximize on your potential return.

The options of a saver

Money gives the possessor options. This is where the elements of financial freedom start to kick in.

With money I can set up a business responsive to my strengths and a good fit for me. When I go into a business I am well suited for, then I am no longer working but living my dream.

I could also choose to continue working where I am currently but from a position of strength knowing that should I be let go, I have a soft landing.

I have the option to buy into a portfolio of stocks, bonds, REITS and many other investments that will earn me interests and dividends. Depending on the size of my savings, I could easily replace my income with the interests I gain from my investments.

Wealth creation is a marathon. The problem with today’s generation is we want to make a sprint out of it. It is important to know that wealth that comes easy flies easy too. Wealth that respects process will outlast any shakeups.

Are you ready to start running the Marathon of Wealth Creation? Talk to me today and I will be your guide along the way. Reach out on +254725832477 or Samuel.asena@advisor.jubileekenya.com

Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

What it takes: Sacrifice

“If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery--isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. And, you'll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you're going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It's the only good fight there is.”
― Charles Bukowski, Factotum

Anything worth having is worth sacrificing for. If your dream doesn’t cost you anything then I guess it is not all that important to you. The reality of life is that you can’t have it all. Whenever you talk to people adept at climbing mountains, they will tell you that you cannot carry everything with you to the top. The secret to getting to the top is in traveling light.

Think about space shuttles. The further they go out of the earth’s atmosphere, the more they have to drop off some parts. The challenge we have today is that people want to get to the top but carry everything else with them. Looking back at the Bible, we see Jesus saying that the way that leads to life is long, narrow and winding.  

These few examples serve to show us that sacrifice is a huge part of the journey towards our goals and dreams. While others are having ‘fun’ you need to be grinding so that you secure your desired future. Those who reach their dreams have learnt to pay now so they can play later. They have embraced delayed gratification.

My question is, how have you sacrificed today for your future? What have you deliberately given up to ensure that tomorrow is better? Your dream needs to matter so much that you don’t mind spending and being spent for its realization.

For your dream you will allocate time, money, expertise, experience and anything else it asks of you. Are you ready to go all the way? Is your dream important enough to make you put everything on the line? Sacrifice is the fuel that enables dreams. The thought of your dream should make you do whatever it takes to get things done.

If it was so easy to reach your goals, everyone would be where they want to be. Many wish for it but few will get to realize it. Since we have established that wishes are not horses, we are left with just one option. We must go get our horses if we want to ride. Are you ready to pay the price for the horse that will take you to your destiny?

Character-Resilience, tenacity, discipline

 

Goals and dreams are beautiful. The hard part is staying on course until they are accomplished. At the beginning of the journey, everyone is excited and the energy levels are very high. There is momentum and it doesn’t feel like work to get the ball rolling. As the journey progresses, fatigue begins to set in, distractions arise and your peers begin to drop off. It is at this time that you have the choice to make. Will you keep going or quit like the rest.

This is the time that reveals what you are made of. Many of us talk big in the moments of euphoria, few have the character to back it up. When challenge begin to arise; because they will, are you able to stand up for what you believe in and discipline yourself to stay on course? When you meet shiny new objects, are you able to tell what they are and cast them aside? It is easy to wake up early for a few days, the struggle comes when you need to do it for an extended duration. Do you have staying power.   

Character is about staying power. When you are able to bounce back and keep going after every setback, then we can say you have developed character. Nothing develops your character faster than the pursuit of a heartfelt dream. Think for a moment about a salesperson with a sales quota to hit. I am privileged to work in a sales environment and I can tell you, sales and targets will make you work miracles. When there is a reward attached to whatever it is you are pursuing, you will move mountains to get it done. You will not only think outside the ox but throw the box away. As a sales person, I have encountered obstacle after obstacle in the course of my work. The need to deliver has seen me go above and beyond what I thought possible and every time I have challenged myself in that way, I have received the results I was looking for. You need a certain enthusiasm to succeed in such an environment. Prospects will dismiss you, disappoint you, stand you up, take you round in circles, tell you no but you have to keep moving until you get what you are looking for. To put it plainly, there are more nos than yeses in the sales career. The trick is to move on to the next prospect with the same energy and enthusiasm you started your day with. That is what resilience is all about.

Discipline is another aspect of character. There are many forces that seek to pull you away from your pursuits in life. You should never let that happen if you are committed to the realization of your dream. Once your mind is set on the path you want to follow, don’t allow anything to stand in between you and your destination. You must become ruthless with yourself. The human mind and body prefer the path of least resistance. If you allow it, it will take you to places you never imagined you would end up in. Discipline is about being ready to pay the price. It is about walking out of your comfort zone consciously and pushing yourself towards your desired future. It will have you waking up at a specific time every morning and carrying out certain tasks religiously until you see your dreams take on life. It is that willingness to do uncomfortable, unpleasant things because they will lead you to where you want to end up. It is showing up even on those days when sleeping in would be a better option. Apostle Paul speaks about disciplining his body because he realizes that it is very easy to go off track. 1 Corinthians 9:27. You cannot permit everything and still reach your dream. Something has to give somewhere.

You also need an adaptable spirit. Some mountains need you to go through, others need you to go around while others will call for you to go over. A person with the resolve to get to the other side, will do whatever it takes no matter how difficult. When you are persuaded of the significance of your pursuit, nothing can stop you from going for it.

Character is about honoring your commitments to yourself and others irrespective of the price you have to pay. Many of us have no problem disappointing ourselves and others. It needs to pain you every time you fail to honor your word. You must become bound by every word that proceeds out of your mouth and be willing to stretch yourself to get it done.

Without a strong will, you will never be able to actualize your dreams. The amount of resistance you need to push through to come out victorious at the end is immense and only a few have what it takes to persevere. Character is about being long suffering and willing to hold out through the storm. Every dream will have to navigate through a storm of some kind before it is realized. The one thing that will keep you sane through it all is the strength of your character. More than anything else, you need to develop that grit to come out victorious when all is said and done. Dreams belong to those who will remain steady throughout the storm.

What are you adding to your character to ensure you achieve your dreams? 

What it takes: Resources

 

Resources

Every dream requires resources. Resources are the inputs you need to get the desired outcome. They could take different forms. Key resources include time, money, skills and talent. If you have these four, you are well on your way to reaching your dreams.

Let’s break it down a little bit.

Time

An investment in time will be necessary to move you from your current station to your desired end. You must be willing to give your time to the task at hand to turn the dream into reality. Businesses hire people to help them work on their desired goals. You are paid as an employee in exchange for your time. If the business owner had a way of carrying out their tasks without the need of your time, you would not have a job. Billions of people around the world are employed to give their time towards the pursuit of certain dreams. If you want to be a great musician, you will spend hours upon hours in practice to achieve it. According to those who study mastery, it is said that you need at least 10000 hours of deliberate practice to become a master at something. No goal worth pursuing will be done without a significant investment in time. In some instances, you will need to buy other people’s time to successfully actualize your dreams. If you do not have what it takes to invest some time for your dream, you can as well forget it. You must be deliberate in creating time for your dream because there are many competing interests pulling you in different directions. Since you do not have time for everything on your mind, you must decide to spend the time you have on your highest dreams to the exclusion of others.

Money

Dreams also have a money component. Different dreams have different requirements when it comes to money. While money is not everything, a lot of our dreams get derailed because we failed to plan for them financially. Jesus shares a story about a person who wants to build a tower and in it he says that it would be foolish of him not to count the cost prior to starting. This is because without a clear understanding of the amounts involved, you are likely to stare at a stalled project. In relating money and time, it is good to note that money is what the wealthy use to buy the time of others who work for them. You need enough to compensate others for their skills and time. You will also need money to buy all the other inputs towards the realization of your dream. Think about a farmer who dreams of a bumper harvest. He must think about leasing land if he doesn’t own his own land. There will be the cost of tilling and preparing the land for sowing. At the point of sowing he will need either men or machines or both. Depending on what he is planting, he will determine the kind of fertilizers he will need. Apart from that there is weeding, top dressing and many other necessary activities before the harvest is ready. All those are inputs towards that expected bumper harvest. Question is, what inputs does your dream need. How many of them include a monetary component? It must be factored in as you do your planning to ensure you succeed.

Skills and talent.

What skills do you need to realize your dream? Beyond having people available, there is the matter of the skills they bring to the table. If you don’t have people with the right skills, it is going to be difficult to achieve your goals. The loftier your goals, the more you need to bring on board specialized skills and talents. If you dream of putting together a world class medical facility for example, you will need to hire the best brains in the medical field. This doesn’t come cheap. You must think of skilled laborers as part of your inputs. Have you audited your dream to see what kind of skills you need on board? Have you acquired those skills? If not, you need to get them on board as a matter of urgency because without that, your dream will struggle to come to life. It doesn’t matter the size of your dream, there will be need for some skill if you will bring it to life.

What other resources do you think you need to actualize your dreams?

What it Takes: Bias for Action

 

Bias for action

Have you ever heard of the paralysis of analysis? Too much of anything can be detrimental in the long run. I respect thought processes and encourage people to think about what they want. I also respect the need to sharpen your tools before you set out to work. A sharp tool is vital to efficient work. However there reaches a point where action is the only thing that will move you forward.

It is necessary to prepare but it is also possible to overstay in the preparation phase. I don’t know whether there is a psychological term for it but sometimes people hide behind preparation while doing nothing constructive. All the theory you gather means nothing until you start applying it in real life situations. Dreams remain just that until you choose to step out and actualize.

Those who see their dreams become a reality have learnt to shorten the time between dreaming and action. In short, they have a bias for action. The more time you spend weighing the pros and cons of your dream the more likely you are not to get started on it. Consult as much as you want but the bottom line is that no amount of consultation will make up for your lack of action.

It is better to take that first step than to keep thinking about taking it. I agree that sometimes are better than others to get started on a certain pursuit but if you don’t have the luxury of time, it is wise to start where you are with what you have right away. Things have a way of coming together to enable the ball roll on once you take the first kick. Concerning your dream, what is the first thing you can do about it today. Forget about 100 steps ahead. What is that baby step you can take. Taking it will separate you from the club of dreamers to that of doers. Nobody will celebrate you if all you do is dream. Dreams alone don’t change the world. Action, concerted, consistent action is what gets it done.

At the beginning the quality of your action is not so important. It is better to start by putting in the work then refine it as you go along. Those who wait until they can do it perfectly seldom get started. If you can put in large quantities of action, it is easy to iterate and get better as the days go by. In the tech world the mantra is ‘done is better than perfect.’ Many people are stuck pursuing perfection and they end up with ideals in their heads but nothing on the ground. Your highest thoughts amount to nothing for as long as they are not actioned.

Many times, it is never about the quality of the dream. It boils down to the quality of the execution. There is a story about Kenya and how we have some of the best policy papers anyone can come up with out there. The sad bit is that we never implement them and others come, pick them up and run with them. Results come from action not wishes. It takes massive action to change the status quo. If your dream will see the light of day, that bias for action is indispensable.  

Let me invite you to take some action right now? If you are not subscribed to this blog, then pause right now and subscribe to ensure you never miss out on anything we share. Join other dreamers on my weekly newsletter here

https://samuelmwinamo.ck.page/4434955e4a

 I also want to challenge you to write down the next step you can take today towards your goal. Take it then share with me what that action is. 

Till next week. 

Sam. 

What It takes: A Strong Why

 

What is your why?

If someone asked you why you are chasing your dream, what would you say? You need a compelling reason to keep grinding especially when the going gets tough. A strong why ensures that you continue plowing until you see the results you are looking for.

What is going to happen when you have done what you are chasing? What results keep you motivated to go again tomorrow. It is good to be clear on why you are pursuing a certain cause to the exclusion of others. Your why is the fuel that keeps you going when quitting feels like the better option. Your why goes beyond the surface and looks at the core of your being.

A good question to ask is the 5 whys. It is important to seek the reason behind the reasons because only then can you keep going regardless of the opposition.

A strong why is an important component of whatever dream you are chasing. It is the ultimate benefit of al your efforts. It looks at the desired end. Without a clear desired end, you won’t be sure when and where to stop. With a defined destiny, you are clear on when to call it a day with whatever it is you are pursuing. A strong why will keep you focused and make it difficult to get distracted.

One of the things you have to fight on the path to your dreams is the Shiny Object Syndrome. There will always be exciting things along your path. Many of them are meant to take your eyes off the prize. Unless you know where and why you are going, it is easy to follow the next ‘big thing’. SOS will not be able to get a hold of you if you are passionate about your pursuit. Predators like lions have learnt to focus their attention on the prey they have chosen to the exclusion of anything else. Sometimes that kind of tunnel vision is what will work for you in taking you closer to your dreams. The tunnel might be uncomfortable, stressful and taxing on you but when you remember why you are doing it, you will be driven to persevere.

A strong why builds a persistent resilient spirit. The pursuit of dreams is often met with significant resistance. If your dream is worth pursuing, it will wear you out.  You will contend with untold opposition to test your resolve. The only thing that will keep you sane is the reason for the pursuit. If your why is weak, then you won’t last a day pursuing. If you have a mind fortified by the desire to make it, then your job is mostly done.

It pushes you out of your comfort zone. All of us have a comfort zone where we apply minimal effort and see things happening. That is a dangerous place to be because it leaves you exposed should there be a change of circumstances and life begins to demand for more from you. When the reason for action is huge, you will be willing to go into uncomfortable places and do a number of unpleasant tasks to get the difficulty out of the way. We have seen people come up with ransom money simply because a loved one was about to lose their life. How come this money is always available yet under normal circumstances it is hard to come by? It all boils down to a strong why.

It unlocks your innovation and creativity. With a strong reason, you will iterate until you get what you are looking for. It is said that necessity is the mother of innovation. The reason why your innovation game is down is that you have not been put into a corner. The moment you find yourself in that place where you have to think of a way out, you will surely find it. When the consequence of not getting something done threatens what is valuable to you, you will find a way around it. The reason why you would quit on your dream is that there is no compelling reason for achieving it. If there was, you would think about it until you have a solution. 

A strong why could either be something you are trying to get away from or get towards. The question you must answer is why am I on the path I have chosen? Why should I push beyond the current resistance? Only if I know that when all is said and done, I will rejoice. Before anything else, find your why.

Approaches to Investment: 5 Strategies to Use

 

While savings are a great step on your wealth creation journey, there’s more to it. Savings should be looked at as a boarding stage for the crucial part of the journey. Investment is the point at which things get exciting. Get it right and you will be in a position to smile at the future. Miss the bus and you will live to rue the opportunity. Investment happens when you use the savings you have collected to generate more money. It is releasing your money into certain trusted instruments with the aim of multiplying it. At the level of an investor, you are no longer working for money but finding ways of making your money work for you. What are some of the investment strategies you can deploy to get your money working for you?

Preparation

Before we delve into that, what are the signs that you are ready for investment?

You are ready for investment if,

-You can afford to put money away

-There are no debt obligations bogging you down

-You have enough to cover your bills after investment

-You have a good risk tolerance

This is determined by a number of factors including Age, goals, lifestyle, financial situation, expected returns, income and retirement window. The young can take more risks, the old have no such luxury.

What is an investment strategy?

A set of principles designed to help an investor achieve their financial and investment goals. Some are conservative, others are highly aggressive. They are not static and can be reviewed periodically so that you adjust depending on your circumstances. The best strategies should help you meet your financial goals and grow your wealth while maintaining a level of risk that lets you sleep at night.

There are numerous strategies you can apply towards investment. They include

1)      Value investing. This is the strategy that Warren Buffet has employed to grow his wealth through 6 plus decades. With this strategy you seek out undervalued stocks of companies whose intrinsic value is greater than what the stock price is saying about it. It works from the standpoint of how the market can be irrational in assigning value to different stocks. This irrationality gives investors unique opportunities to buy highly valued stocks at discounted prices. This is a strategy for those who are keen on playing the long game. With value investing you buy a business not just the hottest stock on the market. It requires significant research, effort and patience to hack.

2)      Growth Investing. Look for investments that offer strong upside potential when it comes to future earnings of stocks. It involves evaluating the current health of the stock as well as the growth potential. It is about looking at the prospects of a stock before you buy it. You look at recent records to see evidence of growth and whether what it deals in is something the public wants and uses. It involves fundamentally analyzing financial statements and factors about the company behind the stock.

You must be ready to analyze the management prowess of the executive team of the company you are investing in. How does it achieve its growth? Through business activity or borrowing? You must also look at competitors to determine whether it is a dominant player with a competitive advantage.

3)      Momentum Investing. With this strategy buy stocks on an upward trend. The slogan is buy high and sell higher. You are strictly driven by data and look for patterns in stock prices to guide your purchasing decisions. According to Rob Arnott the fees and expenses related to momentum investing negate the gains you would expect to get from the stocks. This requires you to be constantly on, making decisions about what to buy and what to sell. It can be labor intensive.

4)      Dollar cost averaging. This strategy focuses on Making regular investments in the market overtime. You choose a regular amount to invest every month. It is a disciplined approach and you can use automated features that invest for you. It saves you from the stress of market timing. When investments happen in regular increments, the investor captures prices at all levels.

Keeps you committed to saving while reducing the level of risk and effects of volatility. Not good for those with a lump sum to invest. Ideal for those with little amounts to invest overtime. It prevents spontaneous illogical behavior.

5)      Other Worthy Mentions

Buy and Hold

Time in the market is better than timing the market. Assumption is that short term volatility will be corrected by long term returns. This is considered lazy because of its passivity.

Core and satellite

Buy a large index fund as the core element of the portfolio and other little funds as satellites. This reduces risk through diversification, achieves above average returns with below average risk.

Tactical Asset Allocation

A style where the three main asset classes(stocks, bonds and cash ) are actively balanced to maximize returns and minimize risk.

Best strategy?

I wish it was easy to point at one strategy that beats all others. Unfortunately the answer to the question: what is the best strategy is it depends. It depends on the amount of time you want to use in the process of investing, what your end goal is, how much you have at hand to invest alongside many other considerations. As such, you should choose a method that resonates with you and keep adjusting through the different seasons of your journey. What strategy do you think you are going to use on your investment journey and why?

Financial Literacy Open Day coming up on 26/03/2022 at Hotel Green Court Latema Rd. purpose to be there and invite many to come alongside you.

 

 

 

 

The Beginner’s guide to savings: 6 avenues to explore

 

So you made your first dollar from a job, gig or business deal? What next for you? More often than not, it is not what we make that matters but what we keep out of what we make. Earning six figures is no guarantee of financial security. While there is a lot of good that comes with earning highly, if you don’t put systems in place, you are likely to fall into the famous rat race of trying to catch up with the bills. Clason in his timeless book, ‘The richest man in Babylon’ advocates strongly for the need to tame your needs and appetites. The way we are wired pushes us to adjust our lifestyle relative to our income and because of that it takes deliberate effort to stay on course if you are pursuing financial freedom. This is where savings vehicles come in handy. The need to tame the leakage of your hard earned money requires that you take steps to store some of it in places where it can grow to a level that will help you achieve your big goals. Here are six jars you can use to hold your monies for future use.

The Bank

Every bank I know has savings accounts that you can use to hold your money for as long as you need. I know the interest rates are abysmal to say the least but when that money is locked up in there, your chances of misusing it reduce significantly. It definitely is an upgrade from ‘mattress banking.’ I also know that many of us have savings accounts that have no savings to write home about. What you need to do is identify a bank that has accounts capable of locking in your savings by restricting withdrawals and giving you incentives to save with regularity. The KCB Goal account is a worthy mention in this regard. What other banks do you know of that offer this kind of savings accounts? When are you opening that savings account or funding the one you already have?

MMFs

Money market funds are a good place to hold your monies if your need to hold them for a relatively short duration-anything below three years. What they do is put together units comprised of shares and government papers. In buying a unit you are spreading the risk across several asset classes in a way that almost guarantees the safety of your money. The institutions which offer them will gauge your risk profile and advise you accordingly on what to buy. On average their interest rates are slightly better than savings accounts. It is also easy to liquidate them if the need arises. The CIC Money market Fund is one of the best performing ones in this category.

SACCOS

Just like the name suggests, these are outfits that help people save and borrow for both emergency and development purposes. When you get into a SACCO you buy share capital and also save through your membership. There are people who prefer to have their salaries processed through their SACCO rather than the bank. This makes it easy for you to transfer the portion you have set aside for savings seamlessly into your account. The shares earn you a dividend at the end of every financial year. This is a place you go into if you have chosen to stay long term because the share capital is non-refundable. You can only transfer it to another member if you want to exit the SACCO. Before you get into one, be sure that you want to stay long term. It is also better to be in a SACCO where you know people especially if you are thinking of borrowing for development. This is because of the need for guarantors. I belong to Stima SACCO and have enjoyed the experience so far. What is your experience if any with SACCOS? Is this a vehicle you would consider exploring?    

Insurance

Many people have had nasty experiences with Insurance companies especially in the General and medical business areas that they hardly have any time for an agent who comes seeking to enlighten them on Insurance and how they can save through policies. When your understanding of Insurance is limited to risk, you will have a difficult time understanding how a product will help you save for the future. Insurance companies have products tailored to help you in your long term savings journey including education plans and endowments. These pay a bonus every year in most cases accumulated and paid to the policyholder upon the maturity of the plan. There are added advantages including tax relief, life insurance, disability and loss of income covers. In my opinion this is one of the most underrated and misunderstood savings vehicles out there. As an insider in this industry, I can help clear the air on some of the questions you might have regarding how to use insurance as a viable vehicle for the planning of your future. Feel free to DM or ask questions in the comments for your benefit.

T bills and bonds

The government borrows from the public through treasury bills and bonds. The beauty of these papers is that they are as secure as any vehicle can be. It is very rare for the government to be incapable of honoring its obligations in paying lenders. The interest rate is also attractive. This papers fall in the category of both savings and investments because of the rate of return offered. Bills are short term while bonds are long term. Before you put in the money, be sure about when you need it out so that you don’t get stuck yet you have money trapped in places where you can’t get it out easily.

M-banking

This would have been the first option I brought up but since it is linked to a bank and I spoke about banks first, I kept it last. If you feel like you don’t have the time to go into the bank and get started, then your mobile phone is the easiest place to start. You can set up on M-shwari for example and lock your savings up until the time when you need to use them. Different banks also have apps and other platforms where you can initiate the process. There’s truly no valid reason why you cannot get started on this journey if you have the will to do it.

To do list

What other options can you add to the list? Of the six listed here, how many have you taken advantage of? Having learnt or familiarized with these six avenues, what is the next step you are going to take to boost your savings stating today? Share in the comments.

Next week we tackle  investment vehicles.

Profligacy: The Unintended Consequence of A Mindset of Abundance.

 

Whatever you take to the extremes always comes with some disadvantages. A mindset of Abundance is one of the best things you can possess as an individual. It creates endless possibilities for the possessor. However, when it is taken to extremes, it could result in profligacy. Profligacy is just a big word that means wastefulness. It is a word that is used mostly with regard to strikers in football matches. When a striker keeps squandering chance after chance, we say he is profligate.

Profligate strikers cost their teams matches, crucial points and at the end of the day trophies. How would you feel like a coach when the striker you depend on misses chance after chance and shows little to no remorse or effort to get better at taking their chances? Before long, you will be tempted to find a more clinical striker.

I am a strong proponent of people not crying over spilt water but at the same time I want them working on ensuring that I future the water spills less often. Optimal utilization of chances and opportunities happens as you take steps to get better at making the best use of them. If you are responsible for taking freekicks in your football team for example, you want to perfect and vary your technique in such a way that you are getting better at it and also reducing the possibi9lity that your opponents will figure you out. You want to maintain a degree of uncertainty in their minds concerning where and how you will place the ball. As professional footballers will tell you, this doesn’t come by chance. It takes hours upon hours of practice to become good at it. Cristiano Ronaldo who is one of the most prolific goal scorers of the modern era was known to spend a lot of time perfecting his freekick technique at Manchester United. As a result he became very good at scoring them overtime. By the time he was leaving for Real Madrid, he was the undisputed Freekick taker of the team.

No one is 100% efficient

It is true that no one can get it right all the time. You only need to listen to Michael Jordan talking about how many shots he missed. We are talking about The G.O..A.T of basketball. Here is what he had to say. ‘I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.’ We clearly see that he missed some pretty big chances in his career. Efficiency doesn’t mean that you won’t miss some. What it means is that every time you do, you check your performance with a view to doing better next time. That Thomas Edison got it wrong more than 10000 times with the light bulb doesn’t mean that he was mindlessly doing the same thing. Each failure took him closer to what he was working towards. Can you say the same about the chances you have squandered in the past?

All is not lost.

What makes a mindset of abundance a recipe for profligacy? I would like to emphasize that this mindset is a beautiful thing to have in spades. You do not want to be those who stare too long at a closed door while there are many other open doors ahead of you. Once you miss a freekick, penalty or big chance in life, a mindset of abundance comes in very handy in reminding you that there will be other opportunities to get it right. Those who get it wrong make one huge error. They do nothing to get better at taking their chances in the intervening period between one chance and the other. They fall for what Albert Einstein calls insanity-doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Profligacy happens when you fail to grow from your failures of yesterday. It happens when you don’t take the time to reflect on what happened the last time you squandered your chance, opportunity or moment. The best thing you can do for yourself to be cushioned against profligacy, is to get used to the idea of looking back over what happened with a view to picking the lessons you need in order to move forward. When you do that, then future opportunities are less likely to go to waste.

How to guard against profligacy

Be mindful of your performance. If you want to improve your performance, it begins with opening your eyes and paying attention to how you have done in the past and in the last time you attempted something. Whether it is a product you are developing or a goal you are pursuing, mindfulness will go a long way. A mindful attitude will help you take note of details that would escape you otherwise. It will give you what to work on in order to improve your technique.

Once you are clear on what is ailing you and your ability to take your chances, it is time to employ what is known as deliberate practice. James Clear defines deliberate practice as a special type of practice that is purposeful, systematic and requires focused attention with the specific goal of improving performance. This is one of the greatest things you can do to get rid of or reduce profligacy. When you are clear on what is missing, you are better placed to work on getting it to work so that you are functioning optimally overtime.

Be open to mistakes but seek to grow from them. It is important to note that you will not move from wasteful to efficiency in one fell swoop. It will take many little adjustments to get there. The best thing you can do is to be comfortable making mistakes and learning from them every single time. You should be ruthless enough with yourself to not allow repetition of mistakes but open to making new mistakes at a higher level.

Leverage on the failures of others. More often than not, what you are doing or trying to do has been done by others in the past. There is nothing much that comes from constantly trying to reinvent the wheel. Just because experience is a good teacher, doesn’t mean that you have to learn from your own experience. The target should be to learn as much as you can from those who have gone ahead of you so that you are starting on higher ground.

Pay attention to feedback. It is said we tend to play better when we are keeping score. Evaluation of performance is critical whether by self or others. A coach will go a long way ion helping you get better if you allow them to. Who do you listen to concerning the area where you are trying to be more efficient? It will help you to improve your performance if you are listening to someone and acting on their feedback even if that someone is yourself.

In Hot Pursuit!!!

Qualitative and quantitative adjustments for goals.

The pursuit of significant goals constantly meets obstacles along the way. The temptation is strong to quit on your goals when this happens. However, those who quit will never get to see what life is like on the other side of their goals. There is need for people to find a way to forge ahead in the face of opposition. In this article we will have a look at some of the adjustments you can make to your pursuit to increase your chances of success.

When it becomes difficult to reach your goals, don’t fall quickly to the temptation to revise them. The more prudent approach is to revise your strategy. The wisdom of Einstein reminds us that insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. Since we are clear that you are not insane, what are some of the adjustments you can make to your pursuit of your goals to help you get there faster.

I am making certain assumptions here. They are as follows. You have some goals you are pursuing. You have a strategy you are applying to help you get there.

Categories

I am looking at two broad categories of adjustments you can take and I will try to give examples in each case. Consider the case of James who is a salesperson in the financial services sector. When he started the year, he set himself an income target of Kes. 3 Million by the end of December 2021. So far he has only managed to raise 1 Million. Seeing as this is the second half of the year, he has a lot of work to do to catch up. In his strategy, he needed to see 5 people a day Monday to Friday to stand a chance of getting to his goal. James has been faithful in meeting five people for over ¾ of the time in which he has been pursuing this. His problem clearly is not in the numbers he was supposed to be racking up.

Grant Cardone in his book the 10X Rule proposes a relook at the effort we put into pursuing our goals. He opines that we often underestimate the effort needed to get us to our goals. If James was to follow Cardone’s advice, then his adjustment would need to be quantitative. He would want to try raising the number of daily appointments from 5 to 7. Whether that is practical depends on how long his meetings last and whether he has the numbers to increase the engagement. Looking at his closing ratio, it is possible that this forty percent increase in the number of people he is seeing would result in him getting as close as possible to his target by the end of the year.

Sometimes all you need is a quantitative adjustment. If increasing the quantity of your activity will get you closer to your goals, then by all means jump on board and engage more people, increase the number of hours you are at it or whatever numerical increase is represented by your activity.

James could also be having a qualitative challenge. The calibre of people he is meeting, how closely do they align with his ideal clients? For as long as they don’t qualify on a number of criteria, the battle is going to be tougher for James. His remedy will be to take a fresh look at the list of people he has been meeting to ensure that they meet the strict criteria of his ideal clients. Qualitative increase in his case means he sees more of the people who fit in with his profile and less of those who are off the mark. By applying these strict criteria, he might end up seeing fewer people but this will be the right people. Chances are high that he will close more lucrative business.

Another qualitative adjustment he can make is to improve his closing ratio by improving his closing skills. He should ask himself questions like, what can I do to increase my chances of closing more clients? Such adjustments will take him closer to reaching his goals.

Blended Approach

More often than not, we need both numerical and iterative adjustments to get us to where we need to go. What would happen to your results if you added an extra hour of activity every day? How would adjusting the number of attempts affect your outcome? If you are looking for a job and making applications, ask yourself what you will achieve if you increased the number you are sending every week. That would be a quantitative adjustment. A qualitative adjustment in your case would be refining your resume and cover letters and also filtering through the companies and positions you are applying to so that you focus on those that tally with your skills and cultural disposition. A combination of quantitative and qualitative adjustments well thought through and implemented is likely to get you to the other side of your goals faster.

Let’s experiment with one of your goals for this year. What is the goal? What strategy are you pursuing for its realization? What feedback are you getting from your action? What adjustments can you make to increase your chances of hitting the mark? Be sure to review regularly and lets see where you end up in December.

PS: One of the qualitative adjustments you can make is to get a coach to help you through the process of pursuing your goals. if you are looking for someone to walk with you in the pursuit of your goals feel free to reach out to me. Together we can achieve more. Email: asenasam@gmail.com

Unleash Yourself(Part 3 of 3)

 Here is the last of our three part series on the common things that hold people back from becoming all they can be. you can check out the first two in the posts preceding this one. As you read through, take not of what you identify with so that you can find a way to deal with it and rise to the top. 

Self-Doubt

When God called Moses to go and deliver the Israelites from the captivity of Egypt, the first question Moses poses to God is who am I? Jeremiah is quick to say I am just a youth. Gideon has so much doubt in his ability that God has to prove over and over again that he is the man to get the job done. The interesting thing is that all these men went ahead and accomplished great feats the moment they believed in their ability to get it done.

Self-doubt is a huge limiting factor to the greatness of many people. Many of us don’t feel good enough or pretty enough or deserving of the honor that is being put on us. Like Moses we ask who am I? We have little confidence in our ability to accomplish anything worthwhile. We don’t see ourselves as capable of exploits. We are comfortable getting lost in the crowd.

Until we get rid of this doubt and believe God to be with us like he was with these great generals of the past, we will remain stuck in our predicaments. You need a healthy dose of self-confidence to be able to go out there and do what needs to be done. This should ideally stem from the understanding that God is by your side walking with you every step of the way. Are you a victim of self-doubt? How does it show up in your life? How are you dealing with it?

Lack of vision

When you have no definite chief aim, chances are that you will not go very far in life. Where there is no vision, people cast off restraint. Proverbs 29:18 The possibility of living aimlessly is greatly increased when there is no guiding principle for your life.  If you are keen on living a life of greatness, you must first define what that greatness looks like. There are many competing aspirations in our lives and we must choose where we will expend our energy. Without that, we will be spread thin in many different directions and have nothing concrete to show for our efforts. A failure to decide what we will pursue means we will have very little motivation for life or any of the other things that matter. When you have no vision, your efforts are haphazard at best because whatever results you get are okay with you. It does not matter how many resources you have at your disposal, if they are not channeled towards creating something worthwhile, they will amount to nothing. Resources, favor, luck and all those things we hope for follow vision and not the other way around. A vision keeps the wrong people out of your life. Those who do not align with what you are doing will not find room in your life for as long as it is clear. Part of the reason why we are surrounded by people who offer very little is that we are not yet clear about what we want and as such everyone feels comfortable around us. What is your core business here? That tells you what you should be spending 80% of your time on. You cannot call something a priority when you are struggling to create time and set aside resources for it.

A lack of vision guarantees you a lacklustre life. With scattered efforts, incongruent utilization of resources and no clear outcomes, your activity will not make sense even to you. A lack of vision is one of the greatest leashes used to hold us back from living a life of meaning and significance.

Money

I have put money as low as this because it is not such a limiting factor when you have taken care of a lot of the issues mentioned above. Like I said in my submission above, resources follow vision.

Having said that, a shortage of money can become a huge limiting factor to how much you can accomplish. Many people have great ideas that will never see the light of day because they do not have the money to execute on them. Great ideas require great men and women to carry them out. Great men and women do not come cheap. Money can limit how far you can carry out your ideas. The Super wealthy have the luxury of choosing what to do because their resources give them the liberty. One who is just starting out must make many compromises and sacrifice aspects of what they want to do until an opportune time. This keeps great ideas from being fully implemented. Anytime your ideas are caged, you are put on a leash and cannot move beyond your confinement.

There is a way around it though. You must be quick to embrace the concept of interdependence. Since you do not have all you need, instead of waiting forever to have it, you would be better served by joining forces with others who bring the strengths you don’t have. This is why Venture capitalists and angels exist. If finance is your limitation, look for someone who has it but doesn’t have a clear idea how to put it to work. Such a person will help you bring out your greatness. This brings up another leash that we probably need to talk about as well. Selfishness.

Selfishness.

Believe it or not, trying to make it all on your own is not usually the best strategy. Don’t let the need to call yourself a self-made man keep you from connecting with other people who can be of help to you. The concept of a self-made man is a fallacy. You must find a way to keep your ego in check if you will be able to connect with the missing pieces of your greatness. There were strategic people in the journey of Joseph to premiership in the Bible. Think about all the people a politician needs to surround himself with if he is to ascend to the presidency. From the funders of the campaign, to lobbyists and many other people who work in the shadows to make the campaign a success. You cannot run a one man show and expect to go very far. If you truly want to release your greatness, be willing to accept help from others who have a lot to contribute to your journey to the top. Don’t see yourself as the source of all wisdom and strength. Know what you are good at and what you suck at. That understanding will enable you select people who can come in and complement your strengths. Let’s be clear on the fact that you need a circle around you to reach certain heights and your task remains to choose the right people to be in that circle. Accept the help offered by others who see things in the same light as you. You must also be willing to accommodate divergent views within your circle. If no one questions your proposals or seeks to improve on them, you have the wrong people in the circle. Surrounding yourself with Yes-men is the biggest sign of a selfish individual. You want to have people who bring a different perspective so that the task is accomplished in a manner that encompasses the diversity and dynamism required.

Success/failure

Finally success and failure are both seeds which can either propel you forward or keep you stuck. Failure if it is misinterpreted can define you and determine your action going forward. It is possible for you to get stuck in the place where you are not attempting anything out of your comfort zone simply because you tried something and failed. Failure must be looked at as a lesson. Someone has gone as far as to say in everything I do I either win or I learn. Failure is you finding a way that doesn’t work. Thomas Edison failed 9999 times in his attempts to make the incandescent light bulb. How many times have you failed before you called it a day? You must keep trying and refining your method until you get the desired result. Failure can be a fatal blow if you let it. It can keep you from ever trying again. Failure is a terrible leash because it comes with evidence. Beware of the hold of failure on your ability to move forward.

Success on the other hand can also hold you back. It does so by numbing you. Bill Gates says Success is a lousy teacher. It teaches you to think that you are smarter than everyone else. You must guard against the effects of your success as much as those of your failure. Success makes you take things for granted. As hard as it is to get to the top, it takes a lot more effort to stay there for long. You must maintain the posture of a student if you will remain at the top. Success massages your ego and leaves you feeling invincible. The moment you begin to think you are immune to failing, you have already started your descent. It is wise to manage your success lest it destroys you. The enemy of great is good so they say. You are not kept from greatness by your failings rather it is your prior success that can stand in the way of another attempt at a bigger challenge.

What other leashes can you think of that keep people from reaching their full potential? What are you going to work on as a matter of urgency to ensure that you give yourself the best chance of finishing at the top? Share your thoughts and other contributions in the comments below. I am passionate about helping people break out of their limits and living remarkable lives. If you are keen on that, reach out to me and let's see how I can be of help. 

asenasam@gmail.com, +254725832477

Unleash Yourself(2 of 3)

We continue from where we left off last week. We started a conversation on some of the things that hold us back from going forth and becoming all we can be. We looked at four of them including your environment, the culture in which you grow up, lies you have believed and ignorance. In this week's post we look at four more 

 Beliefs

What we believe greatly influences our action. Jesus says that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. What we believe finds its way to the surface whether we approve of it or not. You can paint a different picture all you want, but your unguarded moments will reveal what your heart is made of. Our beliefs play a critical role in how we live our lives. Limiting beliefs can be a great leash holding us back from all the world has to offer. Liberating beliefs will take us beyond any obstacles and stumbling blocks along the way. A mindset of scarcity will see a dearth all around, a mindset of abundance will see possibilities all around even in the midst of a crisis.

There is an old analogy about how elephants are tamed. The process is simple. When the elephant is young, it is tied on a tree which it cannot pull free from. After several attempts, it is registered in the mind of the elephant that it can never break free from the tethering. At this point, the size of the tree doesn’t. neither does the size of the rope or the elephant for that matter. Because it has been conditioned to believe it can’t break free, even a small child with a rope can lead it anywhere and it will follow obediently.

Limiting beliefs have a similar effect on us. Today is a good day to examine what you believe in about yourself, the world, God, life and pretty much anything. Are your beliefs liberating or restricting? You will never live above your belief. You are where you are because you believe that is what you deserve. If you believed that you deserve more, you would have demanded more from yourself and your surroundings.

Seek answers about what you believe if you want to change levels. What you believe in will not take you to the next level until you change it. Break free from limiting thoughts and begin to see endless possibilities. They are yours for the taking.

Complacency

A lack of ambition can hurt your chances of finishing at the top significantly. Complacency sets in when you think you already have all you need. Are you in a place where you think your life is just fine as is and there is nothing more to strive towards? You could be suffering from a complacency crisis. There is nothing wrong with posing to enjoy what you have built. The only problem is when the pose becomes the final destination. It takes significant effort just to maintain your position as those who have risen to the top can attest. You will realize that even when you don’t have any drive to go further, if you lower your guard for too long, you won’t be able to maintain even that which you have accomplished. Harder than getting to the top is the discipline to stay at the top. Complacency will keep you from becoming all you can be. It will rob you of the exploits that are ahead of you. It will limit your experience of life. As humans we love novelty. Boredom easily sets in when we are not playing at a level that challenges and stretches our minds beyond the ordinary. Contrary to what we believe, you can only bask in your accomplishments for a while. In a few days, what looked extraordinary takes on an ordinary shine and we are left looking for the next frontier. Complacency will take you away from the zone.

What are some of the signs of complacency that you see in your life at the moment? How can you snap out of it before it is too late?

Laziness

A lazy attitude is a sure cause of a mediocre existence. If you cannot rise up and take care of the things you need to, you will be greatly limited in what you can accomplish. If you rise up and give your best every day, it will just be a matter of time before you are at the top. Laziness is a leash that is self-imposed and one of the easiest to cut off. You have a lot of power when it comes to dealing with it because only you can decide how hard you work or otherwise. Laziness has held people from accomplishing great feats. It comes to us naturally to want to be at ease with the things we are working on. We naturally gravitate towards a life of ease and little effort. This is a big issue because what it ends up doing is to leave us in a situation where our choices are limited. Hard work opens up many possibilities and takes us where we never thought possible. Laziness makes us miss out on opportunities and in some cases fail to take full advantage of the opportunities available to us. Laziness will keep us from honing our skills and competencies. It will limit our exercise of our gifts and talents and as a result we will remain stuck.  

Fear

One of the greatest leashes that keeps us from taking action to move us forward is fear. Fear is paralyzing and limiting. It often arises from a false sense of danger. For sure there are many dangers out there that we need to face and sometimes avoid but a majority of the things we fear turn out to be imagined rather than real. One of the greatest fears we have is fear of the unknown. This kind of fear keeps you in your comfort zone. Whenever you hear that you need to step out of what you are familiar with, you cringe at the thought. You have gotten used to the comfort of the crib and are unwilling to step out as a result. This keeps you  caged until you choose to act differently.

There is an interesting analogy about what Mother Eagle does to the young eaglets when she realizes that they want to overstay their welcome in the crib. At first the crib is comfortable with all the cotton and other fluffy material. As they grow, the cotton is removed and what is left is the grass. When it time for them to get out, even the grass is removed and the thorns do their trick. As a result of the discomfort that arises, they are forced to go out and learn to fly. The education goes on out there because they must also learn how to fly the hard way. This could teach us a thing or two about managing the fear of the unknown. Perhaps creating a little discomfort in our nest would push us to get out. We must engineer things such that we are never too comfortable in one place for too long.

Fear is real but even those who accomplish greater feats suffer from it in the process. Many have opined that courage is not the absence of fear but the ability to move forward in spite of the fear. Your desire to succeed must be greater than the fear you exhibit. For as long as that happens, you won’t get stuck in mediocrity.

Do you identify with any of these leashes in your life? How are you going to act going forward to cut yourself loose from these leashes? Are you keen on getting a handle on any or all of them? Make a point of reaching out to us and find help for dealing with whatever leashes are holding you back. You are meant to fly unhindered, don't let anything you can control stand in your way. Talk to  us today on +254725832477/ asenasam@gmail.com.