Baggage Claim

In this festive season many of us are traveling to be with our family or for holiday, for those of us flying, we are accustomed to the baggage claim area of the airport. According to Wikipedia; a baggage claim is an area where arriving passengers claim checked-in baggage after disembarking from an airline flight. For international arrivals, the baggage claim area is typically located in a restricted zone, after immigration control and before clearing customs so that all baggage can be inspected by custom agent's.
As we head into the new year, we need to establish our own baggage claim and customs mechanism. We need to sit down and analyze the things in our lives that can't come into the new year with us.The baggage you may have may be a toxic relationship, it may be a mistake made in the past that condemns you to this day, it may be a disappointment we encountered in the year that really hurt us. We need to check all these at our customs agent and not take it into 2016. Forgive yourself, pick yourself up from the disappointment and start again,  end that toxic association that keeps hurting you. Take into 2016 the luggage you need to prosper, recognize the people who add value to your life and appreciate them,  carry a lesson from the past mistake made rather than guilt, take a new mindset into the new year; a trust that God has the best planned for us. Claim all these at your baggage claim and ensure you don't leave any behind. Throughout the year maintain this practice  and keep checking for what needs to go through customs and what we should add to our lives. Before you set your new year's resolutions, first pass by your baggage claim. Have a prosperous year ahead.

HELP: the four letter word.

Recently I had some work to do around the house, I usually do this by myself and I have even developed a system that enables me to effectively carryout this task. So I woke up early to start my work and as I progressed, my mother came to help me without my asking of her. At first I was reluctant to accept her help, I thought; I have been doing this work regularly, I know how to do it well, she may slow me down. However, I decided to work with her, which proved to be a wise decision. With her assistance, not only did I finish the work within half the time it usually takes me to complete the task, but also upon completion, the quality of work was superior to the one I do alone. If I had worked alone, I would have taken more time and used more energy. In life, we often think it's best to work alone and solely depend on ourselves, even though this may be necessary because of the nature of some projects, many instances give us an opportunity to coordinate with others but we choose not to. As a result we find our schedules hectic and cramped with  an endless list of tasks we are unable to complete. In many instances, we even turn down help thinking we are the only one's who can handle the particular task. Ironically, the final component needed to complete that daunting task may be that friend or colleague you have never considered asking for help. The individual you may think is not qualified to be of assistance may end up surprising you if given the chance. You may also know of someone who was like me, ignorant to the fact that they needed help, and you were unwilling to offer help due to fear of rejection. Next time take the plunge and offer to help, you may be surprised to find that all this while, they were looking for help and like you they also were afraid of asking for fear of rejection. In fact, helping someone else achieve a certain goal may end up enriching your life and in the midst of your activity you may get clarity to a situation that was puzzling you.  Lastly, if your among the people who understand the power of partnership, kudos! Today take some time to appreciate that person(s), who has had a helping hand in your life and guided you to your success. I leave you with an African proverb that says "if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far go with someone" (paraphrased)

I've been thinking about you!

Who/what have you been thinking about lately? Who/what dominates majority of your thoughts, more importantly, what thoughts be they positive or negative do you allow to grow and develop in your mind. When I was a boy, my friends and I used to go hunting for birds to keep as pets. I had not caught one for a while, which bothered me, so one morning, before I joined up with my pals, I woke up determined to catch a bird. I visualized in my mind taking my slingshot and hitting a bird on my first try. In my mind I was so convinced I would succeed that I sealed it with a prayer; nothing was going to stop me. When I met with my pals I told them I was going to get a bird that day, this however was met with a response of cruel laughter as my track record was wanting. This didn't deter me however as in my mind the dominant thought was; I AM GOING TO CATCH A BIRD TODAY. I took my slingshot and aimed for a bird that was perched on top of a tree oblivious to my intentions and bullseye! I hit it with my first shot to the amazement of my friends. This incident shows us that the dominant thoughts that we allow to grow and develop in our minds, determine the outcome of our experiences. You cannot control the ideas that come into your mind, but you can control those you allow to grow and inhabit your mind. You may be on the advent of a business, project, relationship or working on developing new habits to break the bad ones that are messing your life. Be sure that thoughts of failure will arise, in fact in the midst of your excitement, you decide to tell someone close to you about your new adventure and to your surprise they respond with ridicule and laughter. This incident tends to remain etched in your subconscious, and in moments of trial, replay in your mind like a broken record. However, there is always a choice, you can choose to ignore the negative and focus on the positive outcome of your project, you can choose to shift your focus from thoughts of rejection, failure, ridicule and prevent them from growing and developing your mental scope into that which is defeat oriented. Choose to stop highlighting the weaknesses of yourself, family or friends. Instead, let thoughts of growth, success, fulfilment and value an individual adds to your life dominate your mind. In life we experience things in a ratio of 80-20, we tend to get back 80 percent from our, business, project or a person. However we sadly tend to focus on the 20 percent we don't have, this can be toxic as it leads us to forfeit the 80 percent we have and go for the 20 percent we thought we needed only to later regret this. So I ask, what have you been thinking about? How have you been perceiving an individual or an opportunity, have you allowed th 20 percent you think you need to dominate your thoughts and devalue your perception of the 80 percent you already possess. It's not wrong when a negative thought arises in your mind, it's however wrong when you ALLOW it to grow and shape your mindset. Have a thoughtful day.


You can connect with me on Facebook; andrew carlton and Twitter; @drewmboya

Storms 101

In my country, we are currently having the rainy season. This was expected as the weather man had earlier forecast el nino rains. When it rains, it usually goes dark, and heavy fog makes visibility difficult. If your at home, the electricity tends to go off. The rains have been so torrent that in their wake they leave a trail of destruction. The rains may last through an entire night or through large spells of the day, but the storm ALWAYS weathers, and the sun will appear to bring respite. In life, we also face our own storms and unlike the weather, our storms are often unexpected. Suddenly, as in a natural storm, we are covered by a dark mist and the vision we had for our family, business, health and our future becomes impaired. Every move we make at the time feels like a futile exercise of groping in the dark. Just as our home, our comfort zone is usually rocked by the storm we encounter, the person or item we have come to depend on goes off like the electricity and leave us desolate. The storm we face, however, usually has a purpose  behind it. As a house starts leaking during a storm, the storm we face may expose a leak in our relationship, that business venture we thought was foolproof, may crumble. The foundation on which we have built our lives becomes tested. The storm we encounter also reveals to us the positives in our lives, it may just prove to you how strong and United your family is, it may reveal to you that hidden tenacity and persistence you never thought you had or it may bring forth an idea that propels you to greatness (necessity is the mother of invention). The good news is that the storm will ALWAYS come to pass. The sun will shine again, I believe that the light that dawns in the aftermath of a storm is the brightest. So, if your going through a storm, take heart, it will come to pass, don't be overwhelmed by the worsening situation as it's always darkest before the dawn.


You can connect with me on Facebook; andrew carlton and Twitter; @drewmboya

RESPONSE vs REACTION

Recently I had a terrible experience at the barbershop, I had gone for my usual haircut but my regular barber wasn't around. So I told the person who was filling in for him what I wanted, and after my best efforts at micromanaging the process, things were going well; in fact he was surpassing my expectations. However in a cruel twist of events, he made an error and shaved off a huge portion off one side of my head; to make things worse it was at the top of my head.I wanted to react; at the moment, all the colorful words I knew came to mind, I was entitled to tell him off, wasn't I ? However I chose to respond to the situation, as reacting to it would not make my hair grow back. I asked him; what can we do to fix the situation? Which was the best decision to make at the time. He did try to fix it and mind you if you met me you wouldn't recognize me as my hair has never been this short. Let's look at the big picture, many times we face circumstances or events we never want to tackle or worse, those that throw our lives into chaos. Usually we tend to react to these, instead of responding to the situation. Reaction is mainly emotionally driven, and though at the time our reaction may seem appropriate and justified, it seldom helps to solve the problem. So next time you face an uncomfortable situation, choose to respond to it and ask; what can I do to fix this? Complaining, whining, or choosing to bite of the head of whoever has messed up (even though they may warrant it), won't solve your problem. Just like insulting the barber and storming out of the shop wouldn't have made my hair grow back.Choose to focus on the solution, not what happened. I discovered that every time I remembered the incident, it only dampened my mood, I didn't gain magical powers to travel back in time and avert the entire event. You too also, choose not to focus on the mistake made or that unpleasant situation as this will only make you more angry and frustrated. So next time you face a challenge, ask yourself; are you going to react or respond to it?

You can connect with me on Facebook; andrew carlton and Twitter; @drew mboya

The Power Of Preparation

THE 80-20 PRINCIPLE
For the past few weeks, I have been reading various articles on productivity, one of the standout themes that resonated from the articles was the 80-20 principle. This states that the 20 percent of what you do determines the quality of the remaining 80 percent of your life. Chad Halvorson says that 20 percent of your activities account for 80 percent of your success.
When it comes to everyday activities I believe that this principle applies; our preparation (20 percent) determines the success of our projects (80 percent). Many times we ignore the 20 percent and focus on the 80 percent which leads to our projects failing. A year ago, I was working on a class presentation, and my group was determined to have the best work. So we did interviews, prepared scripts, sorted out editing and everything seemed to be on track. The day of the presentation we all arrived on time and were good to go, or so I thought. Everyone had a role to play and we assumed that each person would be able to handle what was accorded to them, and had no plan B in the event that one member dropped the ball. As the presentation began, it wasn't long before it came to a halt, as the technology let us down, both the video and audio were not working at all. The person in charge of this did not verify that morning that the equipment was good to go. We clearly focused on the 80 percent and not the important 20 percent. You see in this presentation, the human element (20) was the crucial comment, the video, scripts, interviews, research and other materials were the 80 percent. Sadly, we focused on the latter and it hampered our project. In the same way we should  not mix up these two aspects. Remember the 20 percent may even be that detail that no one notices. It may include; smart financial choices now to ensure the possibility of future investment, a regular study schedule for long term academic success or even research on a project before undertaking it to determine whether you can handle it. So ask yourself, are you really working on your preparation (20 percent) or focusing all your energy on the possible outcome (80 percent)?

UNEARTHING SOLUTIONS

Over the past week I have been scratching my head on what I should write about. Ideas have been far between and the few that I did come up with were not good enough. I decided to do some reading to stimulate the flow of creative juices through my mind. Eureka!! I then came upon a principle in the book; The Power Of  Your Subconscious Mind by Dr Joseph Murphy. It states that the answers to all that we seek lie in our subconscious mind, we need to look within, as their is a vast wealth of resources that lie untapped inside us. On this premise I got the idea on what to write about this week, I believe we should look within ourselves for solutions and as we are formulating these solutions, we supplement them with external ideas/solutions. Many times in life when  confronted with challenges, projects or even a task that seem to overwhelm us, we let them drown out the solution within us by magnifying that which confronts us and shift our mindset to just visualize on how we can't overcome the challenge. The obstacles we face in the long run are meant to bring out the best in us (the solutions within), so next time you face a challenge, let us for a change trust in our ability to handle it. God created you to be a solution to that challenge your facing and better yet to be an answer to someone else's problem. How then do you develop a culture of creating solutions and ideas in your life; through reading and exposure. For example: let's say your grades are falling and you decide to do some research on how you can improve your grades. You read that in order to get good grades you need to be spending at least four hours a day studying, you then decide to copy paste this information into your life, and for the first week or so you manage to do it, however after some time you stop and eventually do away with the idea. Why was this so? I think it's because you got the idea from outside but you failed to pair it with the solution within. What you needed was to take this idea and morph it to suit you, thus creating a solution that can be implemented in your life as your the author. So in this incident the best thing to do would be to; ask yourself how long can you study, what time are you at your peak, and create a schedule formulated on this premise. Here, you have taken an external idea (allocation of time towards studying) and used it to form your own solution (studying strategically according to your strength and personality trait). We realise the solution was always inside you, it just needed exposure to another idea to bring it forth. To sum it all up, the solution you seek is within you, expose yourself to other ideas, and combine them to create  tangible answers to that which you seek. You won't believe what you can solve.


You can connect with me on Facebook; Andrew Carlton and Twitter; @drew mboya

Ideas 101

Recently, my mother and I were working on a project (she is a graphic designer and I usually help her with the business). She came up with a unique design for a round about signage; she then sketched it down on paper and later transferred the design onto the computer. Before the actual sign is constructed you have to create a dummy for your design, So as to give the clients an idea of how the final work will look like. So we started creating the dummy and what we thought would be a walk in the park ended up taking eight hours to complete. This was caused by the mistakes we made during construction and new editions that we saw would improve on the initial sign. The dummy however was awesome upon completion and was worth all the hustle. I noticed that in daily life Ideas often chart the same course;

1.INCEPTION OF AN IDEA
We all get ideas, be they in the form of a project, a financial plan, a health and lifestyle change, travelling e.t.c however if this idea only remains encased in our minds, it only remains as a thought which in time will be forgotten. I had the idea to write this blog an if I had not acted on it, it would still be a thought or it would have been replaced by another one.

2.TRANSFERRING THE IDEA
This involves defining your ideas into a form that gives them clarity and helps you to actualize them. One can write down their ideas, talk to a friend about it, research on it and get advice from those who have ideas similar to yours. This is akin to my mother transferring her idea onto the computer, now your idea starts to take shape. Before starting this blog I spent a couple of months reading the blogs of others and learning from their writing techniques, I looked for web hosting sites that would be ideal for me (ideal=free) then I researched on topics that appealed to me and lessons learnt from everyday experiences appealed to me.

3. EXECUTION OF IDEA

Just as we created a dummy for our design, we also can do this with our idea. If your idea was becoming financially stable it may start with something as small as saving fifty shillings (your dummy)  a day that may lead to eventual savings and investment of larger amounts ( end product ). In my case it was writing my first article on paper (dummy ) and transferring it onto this blog (end product ), that has now come together. I still have far to go but I have the satisfaction of having acted on an idea I've had for a while. What are you doing about your ideas?

FLAWED FOCUS

Recently I took a walk to a park to relax and clear my mind I was worried about an issue I was facing and thought the park would help me unwind. However, having reached there and staying for a while there was still no respite or bliss from my worry. I was about to leave when I suddenly noticed I was sitting under a big beautiful tree, it was quite soothing to look at and  seemed to calm me there it dawned on me that I was so focused on my issue that I didn't notice the peace that was all around me. On a lager scale how many of us always seem to never experience the beauty in life, we are never able to get that inner peace or solution we are yearning for even if it's right beside you as in my case. I attribute this to what we focus on, what you decide to keep your mind on, be it the problem or solution, beauty or chaos determines what you will see and  ultimately experience. Sometimes the solution might already be in our grasp but we are too blinded by the challenge we are focusing all our energy on . So next time you face a trial, challenge or suffer duress, pause and recalibrate your focus to a positive, peaceful and surion based outlook. You may be surprised to find you already had the answers within you, that challenge may just be your step to great things or an opportunity for character growth. So let's focus on turning our problems into solutions for us and others. How has shifting your focus helped you comment and let me know:-)