Start from where you are

“We are each gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and our adventure to discover our own special light”. (Mary Dunbar).

You are not born empty. God has deposited great things within each and every one of us. Whether you know it or not, it does not change the fact that there is greatness in you. Why take such a general approach; there are still some people who are still struggling to imagine whether their lives can amount to something in light of their circumstances.

The assumption most of the time is that when you are speaking to business, you are speaking to successful people only. This is not always true, we all start from somewhere. I write today to speak to someone who thinks that there are people who were born to be successful, while others where condemned to eternal poverty and failure.

I am speaking to a young man or young woman who was orphaned and knows not what to do about their future, I am speaking to the businessperson who has just started a business and nothing seems to be coming out, I am speaking to a leader of a corporation who is in the oblivion and does not know what the fate of this company is going to be.

Every problem carries its solution in it. One of the keys that I will be sharing this week is to learn to use what you have. Instead of complaining about what you do not have, the opportunities that you have missed, start from where you are and use what you have.

“what is in your hands?”

We might have heard about Moses, and if you share my faith you might know better his encounter with God. God asked a very pertinent question, “So the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.” (Exodus 4:2 (NKJV)). Further in Ancient Israelite history, we meet the story of a widow who inherited a debt and his children were about to be taken for slavery. “So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”” (2 Kings 4:2 (NKJV)). The stories of this nature are many but I will demonstrate their importance in modern life.

You are not stranded, but you have a starting point

Some people have been cultured to think that you cannot do with little. A widow had oil and she became an entrepreneur for as long as she could supply the empty vessels. Where the vessels ended the provision ended. You can look at what you have and see a meal, or you can look at it and see a seed. Do not focus on just the instant gratification, look ahead at the bigger picture and make wiser choices. The oil could have been little; but it became a starting point for something great. You can transform the little money that you have and use it to start the project, you can use that money to top up for the examination fees for that program you want.

See the opportunity and not the difficulty

A lot of people look at their situation and all they see are challenges instead of the opportunities that are visibly pregnant in the challenges. Great people see opportunities in difficulties. Blessing Shumba might have been unknown some years ago, but he benefitted from using his gift; singing.  The last time I checked he was an award winning musician.

Piracy was not fair on him and it has never been fair on many artists in Zimbabwe.  I am talking to that musician who is faced with piracy and wants to give up, take advantage of the challenge, harness the popularity you have garnered and convert it into pecuniary value. I am an author, I do not condone piracy at all but the reality is that it still happens, what it means is that we need to think out of the box and see how we can maneuver the tough times. “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” [Winston Churchill].

Use what you have

“We need not more opportunities or strength; we need to use what we have.” (Unknown). It can be an idea, a fantasy; it might be a talent or gift. Sometimes it might be the pool of resources around you in terms of intellect. Use other people’s ideas that might be the way out of the challenges you are facing. Henry Ford is respected as an industrialist but his main role in history was to assemble a team of engineers that helped him come up with designs. You will agree with me that Henry Ford left a great legacy in the automobile industry and not only that Henry Ford made a fortune from these gadgets. It took benefitting from the wisdom of other people.

Stop looking at what you do not have.

A lot of people focus more on what they do not have ignoring what they have. Use what you have in order to get what you do not have (this is said in the positive sense and is not meant to promote corruption or immorality). History has demonstrated to us that if we indeed use what we have, we can ascend to heights. There are many individuals who have proved this fact;

Haile Gebrselassie — a respected athlete internationally, and has won many gold medals. His appearance on the world scene was a product of running due to poverty. He grew up on a farm and he used to run ten kilometers to school every day. This daily routine gave him a left arm crooked as he would carry his school books whilst running. A hardship proved to be training ground for greatness. The same energy he used in running to the shops in his home town propelled him to greatness. He made a fortune through running.

Mike Tyson — though his life was marred with controversy, there is something we cannot take away from him; the pecuniary value of his fists.

He was a street fighter who had a fair share of interaction with law enforcement agents; it took Cus D’Amato to realise the amazing potential that was in this young man. History records that Tyson was the undisputed heavyweight champion and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles.

He won the WBC title when he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old, after defeating Trevor Berbick by a TKO in the second round. Throughout his career, Tyson became well-known for his ferocious and intimidating boxing style. Tyson was the first heavyweight boxer to hold the WBA, WBC and IBF titles simultaneously. Some commentators actually argue that Tyson is one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.

Milton Kamwendo — one of the leading motivational speakers and writers in Zimbabwe. For years he has inspired people in the Sunday Mail column. Milton capitalised and made a great name through using the tool that most of us have — voice. Decorated the voice with wisdom and his presence has commercial value. Many will agree with me that he made it possible for many people to believe that motivational speaking is real and can actually be done as a business. Innov8 Group attests to this fact.

Anything that you are good at can be translated into money. In other words if you properly manage and develop your area of gifting you can properly reward yourself. To any parent, the greatest gift you can give your child is guiding them to be confident in doing what they are good at.

There are of lot of writers I know today in Zimbabwe and even outside who never attained degrees before their careers but certain people had to read their books for them to attain degrees. The reason is very simple; these people used what they had and they made the best of that. You too, you can make and write your history. Be inspired!

Arthur Marara is an award winning author and speaker. He brings life to his audiences and delivers thought provoking talks for businesses, teams, organisations and churches. He is also a passionate attorney who has represented all types of clients from the lowest Courts to the Superior Courts in Zimbabwe. To experience Arthur Marara at your next event, contact +263772467255 or write to him through his email [email protected]