Quote of the Week!

The price of victory, the price of progress, the price of championship - is sacrifice, hard work, dedication, perseverance and faith.

Welcoming our new readers joining us from Liberia and South Korea!

Pandemonium On...

My Journey of Self Discovery - Chapter 2: Setting Sail - New Horizons!

I remember leaving my family at the Douala airport and setting off to South Africa.

When I landed at OR Tambo airport in Johannesburg, I was blown away by the infrastructure but taken aback by the extremely cold weather – no one told me we had winters in Africa.

But I got over the weather as soon as I walked into the African Leadership Academy campus...

Located in Randpark Ridge, my home for the next two years stood before me in mighty splendor.

And with each passing week, with each conversation, with each ALA event, with each guest speaker, with each community service trip, each outing, each conversation with amazing classmates, with each moment at ALA, I learnt, discovered and took a step closer towards my journey of self discovery.

...

My first Christmas away from home was after my first semester at ALA. 

My Swahili teacher at ALA, a lovely woman by name Mrs. Beatrice Akala introduced me to a friend of hers – Mrs. Nanzala Mwuara.

Long story short! 

The reason why South Africa will always be my home is thanks to this kind hearted woman, who with the little she knew about me, offered me a place to stay not once but over and over again - she became my host mom.

It is people like Mrs. Nanzala, her two daughters Wambui and Wangechi and her housekeeper Ms Agnes who showed me that there is still hope for our troubled world.

They were and continue to be a bright light in my life!

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.

Margaret Mead

Character!

Subtly, over time, your character is being formed and your temperament is being fashioned.

Your tiny and sometimes undetected decisions to do good slowly build your character.

Goals and Dreams!

If there is only one route to securing your goals and dreams - and you determine that your goals are worth taking that route, despite the difficulties - then you have a choice as to whether you'll look at that path positively or negatively.

Since you have to take that path, why not look at it positively?

A warm welcome to our readers joining us from Ukraine!

As the global pandemonium continues, we are ecstatic to welcome our new readers joining us from Qatar and from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Pandemonium On!

Quote of the Week!

Doing ordinary things faithfully + excellently = extraordinary achievements & feats.

Welcoming our latest readers joining from Malaysia and Norway!

The Real Social Entrepreneur!

"The true social entrepreneurs are ghosts that never claim the glory for themselves, that work for their goal like their lives depend on it, because actually, their lives do depend on it. They don’t work to be counted. You don’t find them in congresses, seminars and forums. They don’t read literature about social entrepreneurship; they don’t study it. They just are social entrepreneurs because they need to be. They live for it and by it."
John Alexis Guerra Gomez

Quote of the Week!

 “You don't have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great.”

Les Brown

One more to go!

We did it! 

We reached the continent of South America.

Hola to our newest readers from Nicaragua.

From Africa to the Middle East to Asia, to Europe to North and South America - six continents down, one more to go...

Let's do this!

Leadership!

Whenever you are in a space with another human being, you can influence them and that's leadership. Whether positively or negatively - you decide!

Leadership is not the position of authority you hold - it is the difference you make.

The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.  

The last is to say thank you.  

And in between the two, the leader must become a servant and a debtor.



Inspired by Max DePree's book - Leadership is an Art.

Welcoming our readers joining us from Uganda!

Quote of the Week!

"Setting the sky as your limit is overrated - Set the sky as your base! 
For in doing so, you soar to new heights and define the boundaries of what is possible."
Madelle M Kangha

http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/7336502.Madelle_M_Kangha

My Journey of Self Discovery - Chapter 1: Overcoming the Enemy of Self Doubt!

In my two decades on earth, I have definitely had/seen my fair share of ups and downs. But if I could go back and rewrite history, would I change it? Definitely NOT.

Because all the adversity I've had in my life - challenges and obstacles, have strengthened me.

                   “Adversity causes some men to break and others to break records.”  

                                                        William Arthur Ward

And the greatest transformation of my life is an embodiment of this principle…

I was never the popular or cool kid at school. I was very shy, timid and in many ways a NERD. I wasn’t the star pupil either; I was just smart, doing really well without ever becoming the best. And then there were issues like beauty, status and image which I had to deal with especially in my teenage years.  Life at that time seemed like a popularity contest - one in which I was failing on so many levels.

This created a longing in me to be accepted, to fit the mold of what I believed was cool or en vogue.

I didn’t realize what many of us fail to see: we are all born to stand out but we spend so much time and energy trying to fit in.

Thankfully, I came to this realization sooner rather than later. ..

August 2006, I am seated in front of the radio after just hearing that I was first in my school at the national exams. I was still trying to digest the news when I heard my name as the top female performer in Cameroon…

In that moment I embraced my love for learning, I owned my NERDITY, I said NO to the enemy of self doubt and I said YES to self confidence and belief - even in the seemingly impossible.

In the seconds that ensued, I was able to look at myself in a new light for the first time - to see that I was capable of extraordinary things.

In that moment I came to a realization…one which led me to do arts in high school despite popular opinion that I should become a doctor, one which led me to the African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg South Africa instead of University College London and one which has led me to pursue my passion for social entrepreneurship and to Watson University.

This realization is what Marianne Williamson beautiful expresses thus:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others”.

A warm welcome to our new readers joining us from the cradle of civilization - Egypt!