Africa Business Communities

Maria Auma: 2016 – We Attract what we are Ready for

Initially I had wanted to do a recap of Blue Luxury Investments in the year 2015. But a few days into the New Year, I just want to reiterate this phrase: “We attract what we are ready for”. I will leave that for you to chew on.

If you are considering adopting a few habits for 2016, I can share a couple:

1.    Do a crossword puzzle or a Sudoku: It seems very obvious, childish even, but you will be surprised at the number of people that read newspapers but always skip the crossword page. Yet they could arguably be the best intelligence-enhancing tools within the very papers.

2.    Travel… with a book: Without a doubt, travel is the easiest way to allow yourself to ease off the tension of impending deadlines and just focus on the road ahead, or the skyline, whichever way you like it. I adore travel because it opens up a world of possibilities for me. I am ever looking out for new learning experiences, breathing the air and sensibilities of another country and just living for the moment. Sometimes I sit, an observer in a café, and watch lives play out in front of me. (I added the book as an extra for those long stretches. The last book I read on my trip in December was Lawrence Hills’ The Book of Negroes – a fabulous book in itself, and an amazing author in person).

3.    Read a book a month: This is very important. Of course do not just aimlessly read any book that comes your way. Choose subjects that will enlighten your understanding of a concept, accord you the privilege of exploring the minds of highly esteemed and well respected writers, and equip you with niche skills to advance your professional growth. The more your read the more you will master the art of selecting the right books to read.

4.    Eat healthily: If you want to bring out the best in you, you must take care of your body too. This includes exercise, eating right whether it be vegetables, fruits or a complete balanced diet, do so. This also means eating the right foods at the right time. Of course, with our busy schedules, it gets hard to track how well we are eating, but to retain the amount of energy we need to be productive, we need to actively and continuously eat more of certain foods, and less of others.

5.    Cherish family: Family as a composition is relative to everyone. Nevertheless, we know who our family is. If we know this therefore, we should show them how much we care for them instead of assuming that they understand the demands of our work. Very few things can survive a lifetime to bring us happiness at the very end.

6.    Be bold with the risks you take: You either go all out, or let someone else do it. Taking risks is risky in itself. But as an entrepreneur, you better be willing to lose everything if you want to succeed. Those who finally succeed will tell you of all the risks they took and sacrifices they made to get to where they are. The more risks you take the more immune you become to fear of failure because you know that somehow things will work out. Let’s give it a better name – let’s call it Hope. And to sound even more cliché, I will say with solid surety that “you will never know if you never try”.

Remember, “We attract what we are ready for.”

 

Maria Auma is CEO of Blue Luxury Investments, Kampala, Uganda.

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