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	Dr. Vincent Muli Wa Kituku Overcoming Buffaloes in Our Lives WWW.KITUKU.COM 1-888 685-1621 or (208) 376-8724 ========================================================================== Informative and captivating FREE electronic newsletter that brings you timely information designed to equip you with powerful tools to achieve new heights in your professional and personal life. Issue Number: Volume 1 No. 10 Publisher: Dr. Vincent Muli Wa Kituku Date of Issue: November 13 2002 © 2002 Overcoming Buffaloes in Our Lives. All Rights Reserved. WWW.KITUKU.COM ============================================================================= Privacy Statement: Kituku & Associates will not distribute your address to anyone in anyway. Period. To unsubscribe (and Dr. Kituku is sorry to see you go) just type remove on the subject line. SPECIAL NOTE: If you had requested to not receive this newsletter and your e-mail has not been removed, please be patient. Our system has had strange behavior. =========================================================================== Announcing Premier Sponsors of Dr. Kituku’s Radio Program, “Buffaloes in Our Lives” KBOI 670 that is aired in the Northwest Area, Saturday 7:00-8:00 a.m. Sageland Homes by GRS Construction (Boise, ID and the surrounding areas) 3515 W. Pine Ave., Meridian, Idaho 83642. Phone (208) 941-6449. Learn more about their quality work by logging to: http://www.tourre.com/zidaho/builder.cfm?builderid=4 Tomkat Printing 2207 Overland Rd. Boise Idaho 83705. Phone (208) 388-0633 Because of these sponsors, Dr. Kituku and Diana James, co-host are able to present quality program to thousands of listeners in the Northwest part of U.S.A., every week. ============================================================================== For your upcoming Business or Association Conference, work with Dr. Kituku. You are guaranteed a memorable customized keynote speech and/or breakout training programs. CALL TODAY and book Dr. Vincent Muli Wa Kituku. You will not regret it! Call Vincent at (208) 376-8724, or visit Kituku & Associates website at www.KITUKU.com IN THIS ISSUE 1. Dr. Kituku Commentary: An Attitude of Gratitude 2. NEW announcement about Dr. Kituku’s Top 13 Lessons for Success 3. Top 7 Tips on how to be self-initiative for personal and professional development 4. Top Practices that Retain Customers 5. Featured Turning Point Experience Piece: "... where men and women get knives to cut their portion of the national cake" =========================================================================== An Attitude of Gratitude Some of life’s lessons are learned in unexpected ways and places. For six years, I wondered whether God had designated Laramie, Wyoming as a Test Site for Winter Miseries. I arrived in Laramie, Wyoming on the 10th of February, 1986. It was a cold winter morning. The temperature must have been below anyone’s survival level, or at least that is what I thought. Welcome to Wyoming!!! When I left Nairobi, Kenya on the 7th, the thermometer’s range was around the 100’s. They told me in Wyoming that I should expect two seasons, the 4th of July and winter. Rodney, my friend, told me that snow could be expected during any month except July. The snow problem was always amplified by wind. The speed of the wind was phenomenal. There was no need for raking and bagging leaves in the fall. Wyoming winds blew them to Nebraska or Colorado! I disliked the winter conditions of Wyoming and looked forward to the day I would leave. On the 6th of April, 1992, I started to work on an ecological project for Idaho Power Co., which generates its electricity mainly by use of water power. The main source of the water is snow. Indeed my very livelihood depended on snow. Soon, I joined the others at Idaho Power in praying for snow, especially given that there had been snow scarcity for about six years prior to my coming. The decorations of the Christmas tree that year were centered around one theme: Let It Snow! Let It Snow! The forest fires of 1993 covered the Treasure Valley with smoke, and the air was stifling. Migraine headaches became a problem, thus prompting me to wish for the Wyoming winds. If only we had some of the wind in Wyoming, I wouldn’t have migraine headaches. I learned to appreciate and being thankful in any situation. Perhaps it is 8:00a.m on Monday or a rainy day that ruins fishing, shopping, or golfing plans. Maybe somebody else’s prayers are being answered by the conditions we think are making our lives uncomfortable. The list of things to be grateful for is endless in every situation. Often, our attitude of gratitude is impaired by the fact that we focus on the “storms” in our lives. We only see the desert we are traveling through. However, there is always a rainbow behind the cloud and a stream in the desert. When we keep our eyes and hearts on the rainbow and the stream, we maintain an attitude of gratitude. We thank God despite the prevailing circumstance. At times, the rainbows and streams seem not to be there at all. Actually, we just don’t see them. This is where family, friends, and associates help us. No one can be ordered to have an attitude of gratitude. However, it is contagious. It can flow naturally from parents to children and from friends to friends. We can cultivate an attitude of gratitude by being thankful for the daily portion of fresh air, unpolluted water and three meals a day, shelter, freedom, health, jobs, opportunities to be creative, and chances to enrich the world with our uniqueness. Attitude is determined by how we respond to experiences. It is how you react to incidents, not the incidents themselves, that determines our attitude. We have basically little control, if any over natural forces like tornados, earthquakes, floods, disasters, illness and pain. What really matters is our internal response systems. How we respond to these calamities is something each individual can control. Life is difficult at times and easy at other times. Tranquility depends on how we respond to difficult times. Relying on ancient wisdom, Cicero, in the year 45 B.C. said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but it is the parent of all others.” ============================================================================== At Last! How to Thrive in Chaotic Times: Dr. Kituku’s Top 13 Lessons for Success is NOW AVAILABLE for a limited time in the Internet. Order today for prompt delivery! Your credit card information is secured by CCNOW, the Internet leader of credit card privacy. Full PAY BACK if you are not satisfied within 30 days. Have you ever asked, why is it that ONLY a small group of people seem to get what they want when they need it? These ordinary people have figured out what’s their purpose in this world and determined to stay focused in spite of the many distractions. The results of whatever these people do are extra ordinary! Do you want to be one of the few successful people? If your answer is yes, you need not wait any longer. After almost a decade of research and reflections, Dr. Vincent Muli Wa Kituku has done what perhaps no one else has done before—interweave his rich African heritage and experience in corporate America into top 13 lessons for professional and personal success. These three CDs are filled with top content and strategies for what you need to get ahead and live up to your greatness. "Vincent: I am devouring the information on the CD's. The stories you tell and how you relate them to everyday situations is incredible. You're an awesome motivational speaker! I can't believe how inexpensive they are. Thank you very much for selling them to me." Trent E Martin, Better Business Bureau Disc 1 Lesson One—The Truth About Personal Success. What is true success? Dr. Vincent Kituku builds a solid foundation about professional and personal success; Listen to his early struggles with poverty, illness after illness, schooling and the loss of siblings and how his father’s wisdom changed the tides of times forever. Lesson Two—Definite Purpose in Life. Get ready for powerful knowledge on a critical aspect of life—having definite purpose that gives you the momentum to wake up with positive expectations. Learn 8 must know and do things to build strong self-confidence. Lesson Three—The power of positive attitude. Dr. Kituku highlights the one thread of life that you have total control of and that can change how you see your world and the great opportunities life offers. Lesson Four—Basics of Life. Learn the 6 crucial aspects of life that you are CEO of, the 6 important social entities and how what you do relates with each. Prepare for a new beginning in your knowledge in what others can do for you and what no one can do for you. Lesson Five—Taking Charge of Your Personal Life. It’s common knowledge—imbalance in life has high cost in individual lives, families, businesses and community. Listen to Dr. Kituku as he highlights: the high cost of life imbalance; The top 3 types of relationships with lasting rewards; and 5 points to ponder on how to move forward without leaving your family behind. Lesson Six—Essential Elements for Achieving Professional and Personal Purpose. This lesson is filled with concrete steps for you to use and achieve your purpose. Learn: The power of personal identity; The ONE word to avoid; Harmful desire to steer away from, The only emotion to guard against, Top three sources of failure, The 7 most powerful motives to cultivate and cherish Disc 2 Lesson Seven—Top 12 Secrets that Move People Ahead. Ever wondered what makes people with the same educational background, probably doing the same job achieve different levels of success? In this lesson Dr. Kituku will take you through the12 top secrets that move people ahead in whatever field of their calling. Lesson Eight—What 21st Century Leaders, Business Owners and Employees Must Know. Our world has become a jungle where it doesn’t matter whether you are a carnivore or a prey. You must run to survive. Learn: 10 practices that will position you for success; Recognize what sets you apart in your industry; 8 top secrets of surviving and thriving in your jungle; 10 steps on how to ask what you want when you need it; Best ways to negotiate deals prospects can’t turn down; How to inspire, motivate and position yourself; 13 things leaders/managers do to de-motivate people; 9 tips on how to inspire and motivate others for superb performance and; 9 tools for thriving in unpredictable times. Disc 3 Lesson Nine—Turning Adversities into Opportunities for New Beginning and Growth. Bad things happen to each and every one at one time or another. Dr. Kituku’s path in life, as you learned in lesson one has been filled with failure, poverty, illness after illness and sadly the loss of siblings. In this lesson, Dr. Kituku shares 12 steps for turning adversities into steppingstones for new beginning and growth; Living with “social buffaloes” and; the 7 attributes you need to overcome “buffaloes” in your life. Lesson Ten—Life Beyond Real and/or Perceived Obstacles. What would you do if, before your proposal to marry is accepted, you had to search and kill a lion? Find out what inspired the Maasai men to search and overcome lions before marriage; Top 7 tips on how to see beyond your obstacles. Lesson Eleven—Putting Faith into Action. Having faith in your great ideas and your potential is one thing. Putting that faith into action is another. Dr. Kituku provides an extra ordinary illustration on the power of faith put into action in what he calls “African Impala Syndrome.” He provides 9 proven strategies on how to avoid suffering from “African Impala Syndrome.”. Lesson Twelve—The Principle of Planting in “Dry Season.” What is planting in dry season for professional and personal success? Do you know the high cost of not planting in your “dry season?” Learn the 8 most important questions to ask yourself if you are to grow in all aspects of life. Lesson Thirteen—Pushing Your Internal Air-conditioner. What is stopping you from living the life of your dream? Do you know you may have a talent or an experience that could propel you from mediocre performance to life rich with fulfillment? Listen to another one of Dr. Kituku’s signature story that has won international awards “the Unused Air-Conditioner”; 7 reasons why people don’t “push their A/C” In conclusion, Dr. Kituku looks back to April 11 1997, and what happened afterwards. He left a full time job to be a professional speaker, trainer and author. No paycheck every other week, 401K or Health and Life Insurances. English is not his native or even second language. His college education is not in any remote way related to what he was embarking to do. Now, looking back, all Dr. Vincent Muli wa Kituku says is, “I am blessed.” What others are saying: Dear Vincent, “…Your motivational talks to the team and your special sessions with our key leaders have helped us reach a higher level of performance on and off the field…you are truly a blessing to us…” Dan Hawkins, Head Football Coach, Boise State University Dear Dr. Kituku, “I love your creative writing and story telling and down to earth tips. You are an inspiration! ...” Lesley Craig Dear Vincent, “…The evaluations we received from the conference rated your talk as the highlight of the gathering…Spirits were uplifted and a more positive view was created for where we are now and the changes we are experiencing…” Debra Geraghty, The Casey Family Program 30 DAYS SPECIAL OFFER: $20.00 ONLY (plus 4.99 S/H and 5% for Idaho residents) Reg. Price: ($59.99) for 3½ hours worth of powerful knowledge and tools you can use to not only overcome today’s unpredictable challenges, but also to THRIVE. More saving! Buy 4 sets at the discount price (@ $20/set) and get the 5th one FREE. Great way of giving a gift that will never be forgotten! Mail check to KITUKU & ASSOCIATES, P.O Box 7152. Boise, Idaho 83707. Or Call Toll Free 1 888 685-1621, for immediate shipping. Please have your Visa, Master Card or Discover credit cards when you call. Top 7 Tips on how to be self-initiative for personal and professional development In today’s constantly changing workplaces, an age of no crystal clear job description, one factor will set you a part from the crowd – self initiative. There is an African folktale about self-initiative. The story is about a major savanna fire in dry season. The fire, given momentum by wind, was consuming everything. Animals, large and small, birds and rodents scattered all over. But, there was one small Weaverbird, who flew to the nearest water source and draw water into its beak. He then flew back to the burning area and let down the drop of water and flew back for more. An elephant noticed this small bird fly back and forth several times and eventually asked him, “Why are you doing this. Do you think you can put off this huge fire with just a drop of water here and there?” “No, my friend” said the bird, “I don’t think I can put off this huge fire. But, this is all I can do, and I would rather do it than do nothing.” Self-initiative is ability to identity something that needs to be done and you, without being asked, start doing it. That is giving more services than you are required to. Seeing a need and filling it before you are asked to. Helping other people with their need when you don’t have to. To be self-initiative, you don’t have to have all the skills or knowledge, but the willingness to help. You don’t have to ask for permission either. Here are Top 7 Tips on how to be self-initiative for personal and professional development 1. Look at the big picture – how what you do relate to what others do 2. See what elements are not working well 3. Think of different ways for a solution or solutions 4. Identify the benefits of the solutions you are thinking about 5. Share your concerns with someone who can help with knowledge, contacts, skills or finances 6. State how you can help 7. Start with the skills, knowledge and abilities that you have already Bonus 8. Learn as you work on the solution There are invaluable benefits for being self-initiative at work, home and in community or church activities. You automatically develop a rare, but powerful quality – ability to discern a situation and do something about it. You develop positive mental attitude towards other people. You build your confidence in your skills, knowledge and abilities. You become self-reliance. You attract the attention of others, including your superiors. This permits you to become indispensable. In return, nature compensates you by liberating other people to help you with your personal projects. ============================================================================== Top Practices that Retain Customers Build relationships. Value the success of your client/customer with or without any pay for you. 1. Forget old tactics (Find a customer’s pain and heal it). A person will do business with someone they can relate with. 2. Be magnetic. This happens when your company (plus products/services) is the 1st thing a customer can think of when he/she or someone else they know has a need of items similar to what you offer. 3. Use the skunk’s power of publicity. A skunk survives by making its presence known. Make your products/services known. Use media, service clubs, schools, and other social entities. Remember to offer products/services that don’t stink, a downside of publicizing poor quality products and services. 4. What is your personal life philosophy? Create a philosophy that goes beyond a selling pitch. A philosophy you can quote to others when you are half asleep. Mine is “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 .” And life is short. I will have fun in anything I choose to do. 5. Forget 8-5, Monday through Friday. Selling is an everyday activity. You can always be in the frontline or research what’s going on in the market so as to be better. 6. Be at your client’s human level. Asking for a celebrity’s treatment pulls clients away from you. You are the hired hands, not the village hero to be carried shoulder high. Be normal, go second class. 7. Be an expert. Develop your knowledge in your line of products/services so that customers can call you with problems because they know you have the answer. 8. Be your customer’s silent marketer. Direct people to the products/services your customer provides and you will keep your relationships vibrant as well as earning their business. 9. Remember St. Fransis of Asisi’s words, “Preach the gospel, use words if necessary.” If you can’t live what you preach, your clients won’t. 10. Sharpen your spear constantly. Reading how others are attracting and keeping customers will help you do the same. 11. Go the extra mile. Surprise your customer with something you don’t have to do, or don’t have give them. Ask about their children’s birthday, their new home, the puppy, the vacation. Ask about personal things they have let you know about. ============================================================================== In April’s newsletter, I promised to share what I have learned in different areas of life/business in the last 5 years as a full time speaker, writer and seminar leader. Every month there will be a Featured Turning Point Experience piece that reflects a unique circumstance either in speaking or writing arenas. However, this month I want to share a special incident that has been in my mind for since 1975 and more so the last 5 years it’s about, "... where men and women get knives to cut their portion of the national cake" "My children, that is where men and women get knives to cut their portion of the national cake." These were my dad's own words in January 1975. My dad did not have western education, yet he did anything he could to educate his children. He rewarded us with well fulfilled promises or encouraged us to try by proper spanking if one performed poorly. In December 1972, I took my grades home after the official closing of school. I had placed sixth in a class of 120 pupils. To my dad that was bad and unacceptable. Only one or two students from Kangundo Primary School would be admitted into government aided schools after sitting for the seventh grade examination. So number six was probably bad. I was spanked and denied breakfast. Too bad? No, that was the wake-up call I needed. I had wasted three years of schooling. In each one of these three years, the teacher or my dad, and mostly both, would say my academic performance was not good enough. Thus, I was referred back. This meant spending two years in the same grade. After that spanking in 1972, he never spanked me again and I was never referred back again. In fa! ct my father was able to pride himself on my flying colors and those of my young brother, Paul Muyanga Wa Kituku (who was always an academic giant). We both did well and passed Certificate of Primary Education examination in 1974. In January 1975, my brother and I were accepted to good schools along with about ten or so other students from our school. My brother was to join Machakos Boys School and I Tala High School. Great! My dad took us to Nairobi for special shopping. For the first time we were to purchase and start wearing shoes and long trousers. My father thought that if we had these "luxurious outfits" before joining high school, they would have interfered with our studies. But now we were ready. Going to Nairobi was a treat in itself. That trip in 1975 was my third time to go there and my brother's first time. After arriving, before any shopping was done, Dad took us to the main gate of the University of Nairobi. He showed us the University of Nairobi. He then said, "my children, that is where men and women get knives to cut their portion of the national cake." I can't say too much about the power of this statement. It became the academic road map, for my brother and I. Over twenty years later, I hear it always and in my mind I visit the same place every time I think of it. I feel the same emotional attachment to my father, brother and to the universe. One lesson I have learned since that time is, GIVE ANYONE SOMETHING TO LIVE UP TO (NOT DOWN TO) AND THE SKIES WON'T BE THEIR LIMIT. My father's words cannot and could never be substituted with any one of or even the sum of, the many, "How to succeed" books or graduate school programs. This is why. In high school, we set goals and promised our dad that we too would work hard and go,"... where men and women get knives to cut their portion of the national cake." We both hit the books. After four years of ordinary level high school, both my brother and I passed with Division I (the equivalent of an A average). We both were chosen to join national schools for Advanced Level High School programs. My brother went to Mangu High School and studied Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Further Maths (tough stuff only done by a few strictly selected students). I went to Shimo La Tewa and studied Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Subsidiary Maths. To get a clear picture of how tough this was, know that of the 120 students we were together with in primary school, only three, Richard Maithya, my brother and I, made it to this level. My brother and I still remembered, "... where men and women get knives to cut their portion of the national cake." Two years later we sat for the university entrance exam. This was known to be an exterminator. For every 100 students, less than ten made it to university. Again, we both made it, an unheard of incident where two brothers pass that exam at the same time. We were able to go "... where men and women get knives to cut their portion of the national cake." Beside my brother and I, none of the 120 other primary school classmates made it to university. I have known that there is a global cake where each individual needs their portion. Education is the only knife which each one can use to get their share. My Dad had great vision for the future. I love him for showing to me that parents and teachers can give the youth hope by believing in them and presenting to them with attainable challenges. It’s true that for some people, all they need is someone to believe in them for them to believe in themselves. You show them the stars and they take that to mean you know they can find the way. © By Dr. Vincent Muli Wa Kituku, Author, Motivational Speaker and Trainer. P.O Box 7152. Boise, Idaho 83707. Phone (208) 376-8724, www.Kituku.Com 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. =========================================================================== 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, Master and Discover 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. 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