34 Unpopular Lessons

If they ask you about some of the nuggets your dad shared with you, then these 34 lessons will be one of your reference points. In fact, you don’t have to wait until you are 34. These are the lessons my son:

On Being Personal

1. Be proud of who you are, everybody else is taken. Never be ashamed of your name,? your age and your mother tongue
2. You deserve to be happy by doing what is both right and not against the law.
3. You can’t change people. You can only influence them. People will only change when they choose to change but not because you are telling them to change.

On Building a Business Around Your Personality

1. You must beat your own drum daily.?
2. Learn to celebrate small wins. Waiting for a big win is a scam.
3. Save. save some money every month. No matter how small you think the saving is, that is what will save you big.
4. People will always find a way of accusing you. Always ask yourself one question: “Why I’m I doing this?” If you find an interesting answer, go ahead. Do it. Let them be.?
5. Your health or your wealth? If you can, go for both. It’s possible.

On Making Decisions in Life

1. Please make a decision even if it’s a wrong one. Being indecisive is not a good place to be. If you feel stuck, seek guidance.
2. Never wait for the new year to start anew. Start now. Start on a Tuesday. Start on the 16th.

On Leadership and Governance

1. Never defend your government unless it pays you to do that work
2. “We will do it” is a scam. Much respect to people who say “I will do it”
3. You should say it in the meeting. Don’t wait until the meeting is over to rant to a few people how madly you wanted to say a point.
4. If you think threats can work, think again.
5. If you can delegate everything as a leader, please do, if the work is done well, credit will always come back to you
6. Always leave the big picture to your juniors while you take care of the small things. All praise will come back to you anyway.?

On Faith and Religion

1. Never tell someone to abandon their faith. To most people, faith is the only thing they have and are proud of.
2. If you get a chance to speak to Dads, remember to tell them that their sons and daughters should learn about God for the first time from them.
3. Pray God daily so that you don’t become a genuine problem to be solved.

On Reading and Writing

1. Every year, make a point of buying? at least one book and reading it. Knowledge compounds.
2. It’s fine to have mixed thoughts in your mind. So write them down. This is how the journey to clarity and action starts.
3. Document your process. You never know who might be interested in buying a copy of that process.
4. If you know how to give feedback, always give it. The world is secretly craving for it. Feedback must necessarily not be positive. But at least let it be honest.

On Being a Good Person

1. Money is good as a means to facilitate life but not? as a means to dominate it
2. If you feel the need to wait for that day when you’ll feel rich to be charitable, you’ll never be charitable. Don’t wait. Start with the little you have.
3. If your circumstances allow you to help someone, please help. Although not everyone you help will be grateful, you’ll be happy that you acted in time.
4. Be a person of humility: “By accepting who you are and who you are not, and accepting what you have and what you don’t have.”

On Media and News

1. News is nothing more than a set of information meant to make you feel angry about yourself.?
2. Every time you read a news headline, always ask yourself, “who is benefiting from this?” 100% of the time, it will never be about you, but it will be made to appear as if it’s you
3. If you must criticize, never do it in public. Save the kindliest, nicest and brotherly words for the public.
4. Never argue on social media. If someone here and there tells you that a yellow elephant can fly, tell them thanks and move on.?

On Family

1. ?Don’t fight your brother. Don’t fight your sister. Don't fight your father. Don’t fight your mother. There’s a difference between a home and a family.
2. If you start your own family, remember two things: to pray for it; to offer counsel with love.?

Finally

1. Remember God in your youth. Mkumbuke Muumba wako wakati wa ujana wako”

So in case ….

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On 12th January 2021, Samuel Waragu started?The 12 Books in 12 Months Book Reading Challenge of 2021?through?Waragu’s Book Cafeteria. 12 people registered for the challenge. In an interesting twist, he discovered TPOOPA while facilitating the journey. Other than taking care of the book cafeteria, he is also a copywriter and a bibliophile too. To know more about TPOOPA, you can visit writeshape.com.