A series of events over the past few days have left me feeling low spirited, frustrated and defeated. I feel like a fraud and a failure. I’m not the person living the life I know I should be.I’m not achieving my goals or following my dreams. To encourage myself I decided to rewrite one of my favorite poems by Marriane Williamson, “Our Greatest Fear” that I came across in my usual morning readings.

What is My Greatest Fear

My Greatest Fear Is n­ot that I am Inadequate,
My Greatest Fear Is That I am Powerful Beyond Measure,
That I can do and achieve beyond my wildest dreams
It is my Light, ­not my Darkness That Frightens Me,

I Ask Myself, who am I to be Brilliant and Wise?
Who am I to be Wealthy and Respected?
Who am I to be Handsome and Loved?
Who am I to be Talented and Fabulous?

But the real question is, Who Am I not To Be?
I am a Child Of God, a Prince in His Kingdom.
My playing small does ­not serve the World.

There is ­nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that others won’t feel insecure around Me.
I was born to manifest the Glory Of God within me.
It is n­ot just in some people out there; it is in Me too.

And, as I let my own Light shine,
I am consciously giving you permission to do the same.
As I am liberated from my own fear,
My presence automatically liberates You.

~The Apprentice~

A friend of mine and long standing business owner Mr. Karangi Karibui of 5th Dimension Architects flattered me by endorsing my blog and the beliefs I aspire to. He thought my readers would be blessed by this poem written in 1927 by Max Erhman. I hope you enjoy it and thanks Karangi!

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Hello people, I hope you are enjoying this series on the 9 habits of Millionaires. Lets continue.

Habit 5: Do what you love

All successful people in this world have one thing in common. They do what they love.

In Uganda, most of us are looking for shortcuts to getting money and we’re constantly looking for the right business or career path that will get us there. For a while I recall that IT was considered the choice career and then it was Procurement so that people could be on tender boards and eat “enjawulo”.

Let me make this clear, you can never be successful unless you wake up everyday excited & full of passion for the work your going to do. People who love what they do don’t even see it as work. They enjoy themselves tremendously and eat, sleep, breathe what they do. As a result, they become the absolute best at what they do. They are walking encyclopedias about their particular field.

In any industry/ profession there will always be a minority who earn millions and the rest of the majority who earn just enough to get by. Why? Because those who earn the millions absolutely love what they do while the rest of us simply do it because that’s what you studied or it’s where you were told the money is.  There is no perfect millionaire career path. Whatever it is you choose, you can be a millionaire. You simply have to be absolutely 12o% committed to being the best in that particular field. And you can only do so in something that you love doing.

Tiger Woods is the best golfer in the world because of his intense love for the game and his obsessive commitment to practice and improvement. The same was true for Michael Jordan. He wasn’t the most gifted basketball player. Infact, he was rejected from his high school team the first time he tried. But his love for the game and commitment to training made him a legend. Steven Speilberg loves making movies, Tom Clancy loves writing about all things military, Museveni loves to rule

Realise one thing about all these people is despite the fortunes they’ve amassed, they still continue working. That’s because for them, it’s not about the money per se; its about their passion and being the absolute best at what they do. They love what they do so much, they would do it for free!

If you’re wondering why you aren’t successful, why you aren’t motivated or focused, the reason is very simple. You’re not doing what you love. Find what you love. We have been taught by our parents that in order to be successful, you gotta find a good job and work real hard for 30years. Simply put,

go to school > work hard > make enough money > do what you’ve always wanted

but the millionaire principle is

find what you love > become real good at it > make tons of money > continue doing what you love.

Again, it really doesn’t matter what it is you love. It maybe technology, sports, clothes, cooking, baby sitting, writing, nsenene, gonja, whatever.You can be a millionaire doing anything you choose as long as you’re the best in the business.

So let us ask ourselves the following questions:

1. What do I love to do? What would I do even if I’m not getting paid?
2. If time, money, resources were not an issue, what would you be doing on a daily basis?
3. Who are the people who have made a fortune around my passion?

Answer these questions and get serious about making your fortune doing what you love. Next up, Habit 6:Acting with Integrity

Shalom