By Virginia Mburu
Remember Mwakazi….?
He is the Passionate Entrepreneur and owner of
Makao Interior Designers. What about his wife Pendo, son Jabali and
daughter Waridi?
During the Christmas holidays, they took a
vacation for a well-deserved rest. The last time we met him, he was reviewing
some motivation lessons he had learned the previous weekend. Now we meet the
family holding a kamukunji (meeting).
Waridi, “Have you made some new year
resolutions?” Mwakazi asks. Waridi looks confused. “What are resolutions?”, Waridi asks. “Jabali, can you explain what a resolution is” asks Mwakazi
looking at Jabali expectantly. “It is…eh eh eh, it is deciding to start or stop
doing something."
“Great”….Pendo jets in… “That’s my boy”.
Now that you know what a resolution is, what is your resolution, Waridi?” Mwakazi asks. Waridi is now excited. “I want to improve my
science grades”. Pendo joins in and asks,
“Good, but tell us why”. “Because I want
to be a doctor when I grow up.”, Waridi replies.
Mwakazi interrupts, ‘Wow, you got it right
there Pendo, when setting resolutions, one must make sure they get
to the basic reason why they need to make a change or start on something
new.”
What is personally motivating the change? This
is what will keep you pushing on long after others have given up. You
also need to set a structure and system that will support the new resolution.
Furthermore, you do not have to wait for January
1st to make resolutions. You can make them any time a change is
required.
Pendo interjects, “Yes,you sure need to actively
support the achievement of the resolutions. That reminds me of this verse in
Matthew 12: 33-"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make
a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.”
Jabali jumps up, “I will increase my football
practice because I want to be the striker in my favourite club -
Arsenal. And Dad, can you please enroll me in the newly established Makinika
Football Academy?”
“Hold it there Jabali”, Said Mwakazi. “Let us
first see what we can learn from the verse Mum talked about. Let us brainstorm
how we can “make” our trees (resolutions) and fruits
(outcomes) good.
It seems that we largely determine the
fruit we are going to harvest- the good, the bad and the ugly- "Make
a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will
be bad.”
Mind you, we will all recognize
what effort you applied to the outcome- “for a tree is recognized
by its fruits””
By the end of the session, they came up with the
following steps to ensure a bounty harvest and enjoyment of the most succulent healthy
fruits.
Lesson 1…..Make the environment
good
How many palm trees are found growing in a cold
place such as Limuru and who has sighted a tea plantation close to
our lovely beaches? You may call it climate or environment or
whatever.
What matters is that the environment you are
planting your resolutions in must be “right”. Have you had a close look at your
‘mind’ environment- Is it supporting or sabotaging your resolution?
What about the ‘habit’ environment or the
“physical” environment? Now think of this exciting ‘earn more money’ resolution
yet you maintain the same old time wasters in your day plan? What outcome do
you expect?
Now let’s get to the actual spot where you will
plant the tree. Whereas the general environment is good, the spot you plant may
lack in sunshine.
They say that fruit trees needs six hours of sun
a day when it is growing. Have you chosen the spot in which you can have
your ‘six hour of sun’ per day and gloriously shine?
Now that you have a ‘shiny spot’, you dare not
forget that you need to space your trees. Yes- avoid chasing too many
resolutions at the same time- prioritise and space them.
Have you observed what happens when plants are
planted too close? You may have to actually break down your main goal into
smaller goals that can be easily and quickly achieved in succession all leading
to the main goal.
Lesson 2…..Make the seeds good
Select seed varieties that are good for your
environment. Are you growing Katumani maize seed for low rainfall or the
hybrids for the high rainfall areas?
Is that new product/ service/ idea right for the
environment (market/customer)? Have you done enough surveys to ensure fit?
Once you ascertain the seed variety and
environment match, now make the quality and quantity of seed good. Is the new
product/ service/idea meeting the customer needs? Will it produce enough fruit
for the market?
Lesson 3….. Dig up and mix the soils
Which plants do better-the ones where a tractor
dug up the soil or those planted where one dug up with a panga?
Just as plants need a well-drained soil, so does
the soils you plant your resolutions in. Have you “dug up” enough due diligence
as to what it entails to succeed in that area?
Lesson 4…..Water and feed the soils
Younger plants need more water than those that
are mature as they are yet to develop extensive root systems. So will the
resolution- it will need more effort time, resources etc. as you start.
And please don’t forget to apply some mulching
to conserve moisture. By the way, did you add the right fertilizer at the right
time to ensure consistent growth of your resolution? A refresher course,
a new skill, a coach, a mentor, a reminder system such daily reviews, post its,
etc.
Have a brainstorming session
to identify all the waters and fertilizers necessary and apply them early-
Remember you train a tree when its young!
Lesson 5…..Tree pruning, thinning and
weeding
Farmers know this too well. You have to do away
with the weaker plants to give way for the stronger plants. Could some of those
resolutions give way to others that have more impact?
While at it, you may find that those left
after thinning start growing some unnecessary/weak branches. Other branches may
get damaged or even die off which follows that you need to constantly
prune.
Which branches of your resolutions are no longer
helpful in the production of a good fruit? Prune them!
What about those weeds that you did
not plant but they will infiltrate your well drained, watered and fertilized
soil whether you like it or not? Time to do away with all extras that do not
support the production of the desired good fruit!
Lesson 6…..Insect, pest and disease
control
Think of the diseases, pests and insects that
damage the plant or the fruits. Now consider the attitude, habit, culture,
system etc. diseases that compromise our resolutions.
And the pests like theft, returns
etc. that eat into the fruits? What insecticides (systems and structures) do we apply to protect
the already good fruits?
Lesson 7…..Fruit thinning
You may have observed that trees have a natural
process of fruit thinning. Immediately after flowering when fruits start
growing, you are likely to observe that the tree sheds off quite a
number of fruits.
Some farmers go a step further and actually thin
the fruits manually. What about you? The tree has now matured and produced many
fruits.
The question is- should all of them be allowed
to grow and if so, will they all grow to be “good and sizable” fruits or should
you do away with some and leave those that the resources at hand can
support?
Over to you Passionate Entrepreneur;
- Do you have the “WHYS” behind your resolutions?
- What systems and structures have you put in place to ensure a bounty harvest of “good” fruits?”
Share your experiences, suggestions or questions
in the comments section below. Who knows- You could probably be the customer
who will benefit from the “GOOD FRUIT”!
Whatever you do, make
sure it results in less work, more money and positive impact.
Update
Virginia Mburu
The Work Less, Make more Money Passionate Entrepreneurs
Coach
Virginia empowers and
motivates Passionate Entrepreneurs to realize their purpose and pursue it. She
then assists the entrepreneurs to clarify, prioritise and focus on management
and marketing strategies and action plans that will get them to work less, make
more money and positively impact within one year. Download some ofher gifts- absolutely free lessons on www.biasharacoach.com
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