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Dr. Vincent Muli Wa Kituku Overcoming Buffaloes in Our Lives
Issue Number: Volume 1 No. 4 Publisher: Dr. Vincent Muli Wa Kituku Date of Issue: April2, 2002 © 2002 Overcoming Buffaloes in Our Lives.All Rights Reserved.
WWW.KITUKU.COM What others are saying about Dr. Kituku works:
“Dr Kituku, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the excellent education you provided during two Saturday Seminars at George Fox University. You are a most interesting speaker and your lessons help me every day. A copy of Overcoming Buffaloes in Your Marriage has its place of honor in our bathroom…”Rick Brumble
“Dr. Kituku, I had the privilege of hearing you speak last May at a Mental Health conference in Twin Falls. You were probably one of the most inspirational and motivational speakers I had ever heard. God has definitely gifted you and His light definitely shines through…!” Katherine Hansen, Executive Director, Community Partnerships of Idaho, Inc
============================================================================= IN THIS ISSUE 1. Dr. Kituku’s Commentary: Looking Back 2. To get the best in people 3. Top secrets that move people ahead 4. How to advertise services/products with ZERO capital 5. 9 reasons why create a dynamic marketing strategy 6. Featured Turning Point Experience Piece 7. Special Thank You
============================================================================== Looking Back
Your future, your ability to make your dreams a reality depends on: how soon you can let go of what is holding you back, how you can stay focused on your long-term goal, how you can adjust to prevail in changing circumstances (without compromising your values/beliefs) and how quickly you turn setbacks into steppingstones for a new beginning.
The 11th of this month will mark FIVE years since I had a major turning point in my professional life. In April 11 1997, I left a full time, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. job to be a professional speaker, trainer and author. I could no longer expect a paycheck every other week. No more employment related benefits-401K, Health and Life Insurances. No assurance of when or if I would be called to give a speech and by whom. English is not my native or even second language. My college education is not in any remote way related to what I was embarking to do.
There were underlining factors that made the decision to leave a predictable paycheck to uncertain expectations even more disturbing. The needs of my family of one wife and four children were increasing significantly. The financial and emotional support of aging parents could not be left to chance. Just two years before that day, we had built and moved to our first house in Eagle, Idaho, bought our first new family vehicle and committed to help a brother with his college tuition.
Now looking back, I can say these have been the most rewarding years of my life. Growth has come in what matters the most in life. A paycheck or money is not the only currency to operate with in this journey we call life. What we do for ourselves can get us by. What we do for others is what gets us ahead; whether in our profession, spiritual pursuits or relationships. To me a, “THANK YOU” from someone whose future seem brighter after my speech or reading my articles or listening to my 2-hours weekly radio program weighs more than “CHECK ENCLOSED.”
Within five years, I identified the SIX Crucial personal assets that can’t be left to chance. As the Chief Operation Officer of your life, your are in charge of your faith, health, finances, relationships, personal and professional growth. I also have come to conclude that beside our individual relationship with God, the best thing He has given us is other people. The art and science of achievements, once you have taken care of the personal assets, depends on how well your are in tune with your family; the people you serve; your colleagues; employer; critics and your community.
As you read this, you may be facing a decision that seems to be more marred by obstacles than it is illuminated by the opportunities of your dream. Maybe your limitations seem to outweigh your strengths. Or maybe your skills, resources and connections are way below what is logically needed for your vision to bear fruits. Take heart and get moving. Permit yourself to leave the comfort of a harbor, that may soon be a dry land of regret for never trying, so that you can discover, learn and grow. Faith is following a path that may not be a path to anyone else beside you. Faith is what will help you look up as opposed to sorrow that focuses on the past and worry that is concerned with the present.
With all humility, I beg to highlight just few highpoints that leaving “my safe harbor” has brought. Please feel free to visit WWW.KITUKU.COM and see the partial list if clients that have benefited from my speeches, workshops and seminars.
I have given presentations at the same conferences with Elizabeth Dole and Noble Peace Prize Recipient Bishop Tutu. Idaho honored me by making me the featured speaker at the State Leadership Prayer Breakfast that was attended by over a thousand state leaders. Within the State of Idaho, I have presented at more than 180 schools. My work has been featured in the Moody Magazine, National Speakers Magazine, Presentations Magazine, Bits and Pieces and weekly and biweekly columns in numerous newspapers and websites. Major northwest television programs and over 30 radio stations including NPR have aired my work.
One thing I have no any idea why I did it was to write two articles on how to win for the Boise State Football that was struggling. Suffice to say I had never played or been to a single football game—and never a sports guy-But have deep conviction on what it takes for an individual or a team to achieve dreams. The head coach called and asked me to speak to the team. After my first contact with the team, he called every time I was in town. I developed spring and summer programs for their team leaders, coaches, and the red-shirt players. After the BSU won 1999 conference championship, Dirk Koetter (head coach) gave me a football, Bronco hat, T-shirt, Jacket and pants—a full coach’s uniform for a sport I have no clue about its rules. This team won two conference championships and two Humanitarian Bowl Games!
The point here is you have what it takes to make a difference in a situation that you feel convicted to jump in and make a difference.
God has been good. Yes, there has been numerous setbacks—some quite challenging. But all in all setbacks have been like darkness in the night that makes it easy to see the stars and contemplate their beauty and mystery.
I continuation of the focus that has brought this endeavor thus far, I will be sharing what I have learned in different areas of life/business. Every month there will be a Featured Turning Point Experience piece that reflects a unique circumstance either in speaking or writing arenas.
============================================================================== In FIVE years, I learned 12 Top Secrets that Move People Ahead
1. Faith to believe and act on convictions 2. Personal initiatives 3. Know where you live and work 4. Listen, look and ask 5. Turn ideas into tangible results 6. Persist 7. Be a leader 8. Take risks 9. Learn to learn from mistakes 10. Never, never, ever give up 11. Key point to remember: You can only make a difference by doing things in a different way. To succeed you need others and you must focus on getting tangible and/or intangible results. 12. NOW is the Time ============================================================================== In FIVE years, I learned 6 top secrets to get people do their best repeatedly
1. Show up when they are doing something right, and acknowledge their performance immediately 2. Accept the fact that you are their role model. They look up to you. You set the example and the standards to be followed. 3. Build their confidence by letting them know that their contribution matters. 4. Stay positive consistently to keep everyone focused on your organization’s vision. 5. Small talks won’t get you anywhere. When negative issues arise, address them immediately and layout, from a positive perspective what must be done, when it must be done and by whom. Have a follow up plan. 6. Don’t be afraid of slow progress. Break projects into easy to understand and undertake steps. Small successes are the bedrock upon which to build great success. ============================================================================== In FIVE years, I learned 12 strategies on how to advertise services/products with ZERO capital!
1. Press releases 2. Moving-up section 3. Free show cases 4. Presenting at service clubs 5. Writing articles for your industry market 6. Writing articles for your consumers industry 7. Have newspapers people write about your products/services events 8. Do radio interviews 9. TV interviews 10. Appearing in community programs that are publicized by other groups 11. Use bulletin boards at churches, colleges, community centers and senior citizen centers 12. Word of mouth
============================================================================== In 5 Years, I learned 9 Reasons Why I MUST Create a Dynamic Marketing Strategy
============================================================================== This Month’s Featured Turning Point Experience
In my professional speaking career, I had never been speechless until the day I went to give a presentation to a school and I found myself asking the director, “What do you want me to speak about?” I have spoken at prisons, funerals, alternative school programs and other challenging situations, but this school was unique. The requirements for admission included being pregnant or already having a baby and a determination to complete high school. These students ranged from fourteen to eighteen years old, and sometimes younger. There was a daycare facility for their babies next to the building where I was giving my presentation.
One of my three daughters was fifteen at the time. The thought that she could be one of these students was sobering. As a parent, there are things you pray never happens to your child. As a father of girls, I was moved beyond words by the situation of these girls. These girls were there on their own, shying away from the cultural stigma toward a predicament like theirs.
I gave a presentation, “Don’t Give Up: My Mother Never Gave Up, That’s Why I am Here Today.” As their teary eyes radiated with hope and teachers nodded in appreciation, I revisited some of my life’s darkest moments, this was a wake up call for me. I decided to give my daughter, Caroline, a special 16th birthday present. Nothing could be better than the stories/metaphors of solution and hope contained in this book, “For Caroline Kasiva (Sweet 16!): And All Girls 16, Younger or Older, You Are Special” that I wrote and presented to her on November 20th, when she turned sixteen.
The topics in this book include: How to Overcome “Buffaloes” In Our Lives; An Attitude of Gratitude, Memory Vs Imaginations, Keep Your Eyes on the Prize:A Lesson From Steers, See Beyond Your Obstacles, Resist “Social Peanuts” The Way You Would Resist a Plague, Break Cultural Barriers to Grow, Break From the Processionary Caterpillar Syndrome, Masters of Your Past and Present and Future, Don’t Give Up, Hold the Light You Have and Hold It H igh, Guideposts for Choosing Lifelong Husband, Overcoming “Buffaloes” in Marriage, Overcoming “Buffaloes” in the Workplace, Don’t Keep The Box, and Finally: Branches Along the Path of Life. Before leaving, I asked that the young children be brought in, and I shared African folk tales and culture about raising children. Each pair, mother and child, received a copy of, “East African Folktales For All Ages From the Voice Of Mukamba,” my first book.
I don’t know why, but after my speech, the director gave me a rose plant. It was the first time I had ever been give a live plant. It’s growing next to my home office window. When I see it I know, “I Can’t Give Up.”
If you would like a copy of the, “For Caroline (Sweet 16!)…,send $10.00 (FREE Shipping/Handling), to Kituku & Associates, P.O Box 7152, Boise, Idaho 83707 or call (208) 376-8724. This may be the best gift you will ever give a girl about sixteen years old. ============================================================================== Special Thank You.
In appreciation for all those who have made this journey possible, I want you to know that you are special. There are no appropriate words that can truly reflect my heart’s warmth as I reflect on the light you have shone on my path(s). God Bless You.
To say a BIG THANK YOU, I will offer within the next 30 days all these books and tapes for just $89.99. Plus a Free compilation of TOP 75 articles (Topics include Professional and Personal Growth; Family/MarriageNew Beginning—Looking Forward; Turning Adversities Into Opportunities; Healing; Mother’s Day; Father’s Day; In Memory of…; An Attitude of Gratitude; Christmas; Spiritual Challenge, Encouragement and Growth) that I have written over the last FIVE years. Please note: Shipping and Handling is free. Better still, Get any three books and the forth is free (plus free shipping).
Buffaloes in the Workplace: Thriving the Turbulence of Change as a Jungle Rod. By Dr. Kituku. Audio Tape ($11.99) Buffaloes in the Workplace: Thriving the Turbulence of Change as a Jungle Rod. By Dr. Kituku (Updated booklet) ($10.00) The School With No Walls: Where Lifelong lessons begin. Book. By Dr. Kituku. ($9.50) East African Folktales for all Ages From The Voice of Mukamba. Book. By Dr. Kituku. ($9.95) Multicultural Folktales For All Ages: Traditional and Modern Folktales from Kenya and Philippines . By Dr. Kituku and Felisa Tyler. ($9.95) Slices of Hope & Inspiration. By Dr. Kituku. ($9.95) 2nd Helping…Slices of Hope & Inspiration. By Dr. Kituku ($9.95) The Voice of Mukamba: African Motivational Folktales For All Ages. Audio tape. By Dr. Kituku. ($9.50) Families Can Bounce Back. Compiled by Diana L. James. (With Dr. Kituku’s contribution) Book. ($10.99) Whatever Happens, You Too Can Bounce Back. Compiled by Diana L. James. (With Dr. Kituku’s contribution) Book.($10.99) Bounce Back. Compiled by Diana L. James. (With Dr. Kituku’s contribution) Book. ($10.99) Teens Can Bounce Back. Compiled by Diana L. James. (With Dr. Kituku’s contribution) Book ($10.99) Hold It For Me So That I Can Make The Bed: Making a Difference in the Lives of Children. Booklet. By Dr. Kituku. ($5:00) Once Upon a Time…the Power of Storytelling in the Workplace book. By Dr. Kituku ($15.00) Jambo Mama: An Introduction to Swahili For American Students, Teachers and Families. ($10.00)
============================================================================ Stay Tuned With Dr. Vincent Muli Wa Kituku
Stay Tuned With Dr. Vincent Muli Wa Kituku, host of “Buffaloes in Our Lives" a TWO hour weekly radio program, aired in the Northwest area on KBOI 670 AM, Saturdays at 7:00 a.m. Read Dr. Kituku’s newest articles in, Zidaho.com, Idahopress.com, Idahostatesman.com, Argusobserver.com, Times-News Magic Valley. ============================================================================== Don’t Forget The Dates are Set: May 23rd-24th at Boise Double Tree Riverside Hotel: Dr. Kituku’s Popular Seminar- Thriving in the 21st Century:How to Bring Success, Balance and Customers into Your Organization Don’t miss the early bird’s discounts and benefits. For more information visit WWW.KITUKU.COM or call (208) 376-8724
You can order Dr. Kituku’s books and tapes in any of the following methods: Call Toll Free 1-888 685 1621 or (208) 376-8724 (orders are mailed within 24 hours) (Visa and Master cards accepted) Mail order: Send check or money order to: KITUKU & ASSOCIATES, P.O Box 7152, Boise, Idaho 83707. Electronic Order: Order directly while you are here. Your information is confidential. Orders mailed within 24 hours after your information has been processed. You can also order from Amazon.com (Note: not all books and tapes are sold at Amazon.com). |
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