Some pictures from the run
Month: September 2015
Do not understimate the power of goodwill
You cannot underestimate the power of goodwill in every sphere of life.
“Sometimes, the simplest things are the most profound. Many times, the most obvious things are often ignored. A god percentage of the time the most common sense principles are the ones most disregarded. Perhaps it’s because we are so intent on making a living that we forget about making a life.
One of the most forgotten principles for personal success is a word ignored by almost everyone – Goodwill. It is a principle so under used, but so powerful, that it could take us to the heights of success. It remains underused because people overlook the disarming power disguised in subtle terms such as compassion, kindness, empathy, unselfishness and caring.
In marketing classes in MBA School, we learned many useful things about advertising strategy, marketing to consumers, studying statistics of a sales campaign and getting the order. To this day, I use the tools of the trade to help me in my business. But one thing that hardly anyone hardly touched upon was the concept of ‘Goodwill’
Goodwill is not just a number on the accountant’s balance sheet, but an invisible little used tool that all of us have at our disposal. Let me explain. Most of us could help solve someone else’s problems, either with a telephone call, an introduction or referral, signature or other obvious mean. But we refuse to do it. Why? Let me tell you why. Because we feel there is nothing in it for us! Or we are afraid to get involved.
Let me tell you a true story. It was many years ago. A young woman walked into my assistant’s office. She was looking for a job, but we had none to offer. Just the week before, all job vacancies had been filled. At the request of my assistant, I spoke with the young woman. She only wanted to work for the summer and then would complete her last semester of graduate school and return home to her country. She had been looking for a summer job for almost four weeks. No one wanted to hire her and train her to work for such a short period of time.
I remembered my days as a graduate student and felt her anxiety. Although there was no sound business reason to do so, I told my assistant to create an office job for her. After all, she needed help and it felt good to help someone without figuring out what was in it for me. I hardly saw her until her last day when she came into my office to say goodbye. She thanked me again for the job and handed me a business card.
“This is my father’s card,” she said, “If you ever visit my country, call my dad, he’d be very happy to meet you. I’ve told him about how kind you and your employees were to me. In my country, my dad is a government minister.”
And that’s how I ended having lunch with the mayor of Nairobi, dinner with the Vice President of Kenya and making business alliances that brought my company profits hundreds of times greater than the salary we had paid for summer help. On top of that, I enjoyed going on photo safari to the Serengeti Plains of East Africa, walking along the beaches of Mombasa and sipping Pimms#3 at the Mount Kenya Safari Club.
This is not an isolated case. It’s just one of the more obvious ones. You can never tell who will lead you to that next contact, that profitable contract or the added financing you were looking for. It is important that we treat everyone with dignity and respect. REMEMBER: Business does not do business with other businesses. People do business with people.
The internet is not about computers, technology or even marketing. That would be like saying cars are about the internal combustion engine and the laws of thermodynamics. The internet is about people and communications. If we communicate with honesty and feelings, we’d find that most others respond in kind.
So whenever the opportunity arises, do something for someone else who is powerless to do it alone. Don’t worry about what you are going to get out of it. The Universe has a way of repaying in ways far too strange to understand. Earn “goodwill” and you will prosper beyond belief.
~ John Harricharan ”
I got this off this site: Walubengoden
5k that changed to 10k
Did i tell you that i was registerign for a 5k race? Well i did.
It is called the UAP Ndakaini half marathon.
At the last minute i decided to change and do the 10k.
It was to start at 11am and my friends were doing the 10 k which was to start at 10am.
The drive down was amazing. We passed lots of people on their way to the marathon. I mean like bus loads and cars full of energixed folks. The views were amazing. Lots of lush greenery.
When we got to the venue we got parking and started what seemed to be a never endign walk to the start line. It ended up being 3.5km. Talk about a warm up.
When we started the run, it was downhill and i was feeling upbeat and strong. I even paced a lady who belongs to a slimming group that features on telly. Felt so good.
As i got to the 3km, it began to hit me the magnitude of what i was doing. The hills seemed to be never ending and i knew there were more.
As i got to the 5km mark, i was happy to see officials standing with cartons of water (what else could it have been?) My joy did not get too far up on the scale once i noticed they were empty and they did not look too happy at the volley of questions that the participants ahead of me were asking.
I did not disappoint.
“Is the water coming?”
A slight hesitation. “It’s on the way.”
Any hesitation is bound to lead to a lie.
We both knew that i was not going to wait for it.
“There is water ahead.”
“I hope so. ”
I walked on muttering to myself that i will never do a Ndakaini marathon again.
As i navigated a particularly steep hill, I looked at my phone and it said that i was on the 8.5km mark. It felt more like 11km but oh well.
As i navigated the hill, i was hit by the most unexpected view. The dam stretched out before my eyes and it (dare i say it), it was worth it.
I of course stopped and took pictures of the island, water tower to add to the collection of pictures that i had taken.
When i got the finish line, it was a mess of disorganisation that would have me go to the finish line, and then walk back about 800m backwards and then another 3km to the car.
I didn’t.
I just walked the 3k back to the car.
Overall, i am glad i did the race. But i will not be doing it in a hurry.
I met a friend there who told me that it is usually disorganised. That a lack of water should not surprise me. It is a regular occurence at that particular race. however, that the fact that it started just a half hour later than planned/advertised is a big improvement from previous years.
Would i do it again? Maybe.
Would i advise anyone to do it? Yes, with some precautions thrown in like, carry enough water on the run.
I am glad i did it. 🙂
In the meantime i am trying to train for the Stanchart half marathon.
#migrationcrisis
The world is talking about the pictures of the little boy, Aydan Kurdi, who drowned and washed up on a Turkish beach. Utterly heartbreaking.
It is painful to realise that the Syrian crisis has been ongoing for the last 4 years.
I found this link to some information on the crisis and the refugees.
It is amazing, moving and humbling that some people have been moved to open up their homes to refugees.
It is also understandable that some people do not want to have the refugees in their countries as their country cannot take care of the citizens let alone refugees.
My humble opinion is that unless this situation is sorted out in their home country, the refugees will keep coming. To this end,it will be only a matter of time until the citizens will be tired of hosting refugees and will demand that they go back. There will then be an issue of racist, religious and xenophobic attacks.
I hope that this issue will be resolved soon.
To the politicians who want to sit and talk of how they will share the refugees responsibility and do back door deals and blackmail, people are desperate! This is not the time to play power games. It is wrong.
That which is morally wrong cannot be politically right.
In the meantime i will do the little i can to help. Pray. Donate.
What will you do?
New Month, New Challenges
Hello! Sorry for being silent.
I’ve started a new job that has me knackered and at the same time I’m losing sleep as I find myself thinking of ways to deal with the challenges I’m facing. Imagine that, just one week in..sigh..
This new job also has me reviewing my running plans as it means I have to get up earlier in order to get my run in and be on time for work.
That means I have only managed one run this week 😦
Next Saturday I intend to do a 5k (my first ever, though I have done two 10ks)
I don’t want to do runs in the evenings as I am too tired and life gets in the way.
I hope you are doing better than I am.
I say the only way to move is forward and though it doesn’t look like it now, I am learning lots.
Onwards..onwards..
Happy running 🙂
elbowsandtongue 