Zambians & Africans take Responsibilty for Change

Financial frustration is perhaps one of the most common situations in many people's lives. On a recent trip to Zambia my home country, I could not but notice the change in the attitude of many people concerning life in Zambia and personal financial stability. Just a few years ago many people were so disgusted by government policies that took away jobs and left many in abject poverty. People generally thought it was the sole responsibility of government to create and sustain jobs. I do agree with that notion to an extent but I also believe that the citizens do have the responsibility to effect change by becoming more innovation and industrious.

To my great delight people in Zambia are moving on with life armed with a new attitude;"We can make Zambia work for us!" This attitude has prompted many to go into Small scale businesses and have found ways of getting round the poor micro lending policies of the Zambian government. People all of a sudden have a realization that money is actually on the streets and not in some ivory tower office.
Even people in formal employment are taking part in this innovative and industrious spirit. Some people get loans from work and lend it to a business man or woman for a higher return. Granted, the interest rates are not exactly the most favourable but they put money in people's hands who in turn better their lives without whining about government not caring. The default rates are also high on these "street loans" but that has not stopped people from lending or borrowing to change their lives.

Young people are also taking part in this attitude change. Most of them who cannot find jobs want to start business with a little help from people who actually believe in them. I sat down with a friend of mine whose heart beats strong for the empowerment of young Zambians through entrepreneurial training and resources. Our hearts are one in this regard since we both know know that real success rides on the shoulders of sound financial, mental and spiritual education. If you're interested in helping please drop me a line and we can find ways to partner and help young Zambians and Africans.

My challenge to you is to invest in your country and its people. Find ways to make a meaningful contribution by starting businesses and or NGOs that have the welfare of people at heart.

Zambia is indeed changing and Zambians are leading the charge. You and I can sit here and argue about the legalities of micro-lending and or policy issues but the fact still remains; real change only happens when people decide to BE the change they seek.
To your Success,

The Changing Face of South Africa

Disclaimer: I will use some language that might be sensitive to some but please hear me out. I know that in this racially charged world we sometimes can do a lot of damage with our words but please understand the history of south Africa and people like Nelson Mandela whose 27 years of imprisonment secured the rights of Black south Africans. I say "Black" because we also do have Caucasian friends who call this their land, and rightly so for their families have lived in this land for hundreds of years.


Hello friends,

I landed in Africa a few days ago hence the silence on my blog. I have to say that I am impressed with the progress that South Africa is making in regard to Black Empowerment initiatives. For those of you that do not know, South Africa was for many years under apartheid with native black people marginalized and practically banned from participating in their own economy. Today, this country's wounds are slowly healing and racial reconciliation is slowly taking place.

The economy is still strong but most impressively, native black Africans are taking part in the development as government has deliberately come up with programs to help them. Now of course there is still alot to be done but at least there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I do not claim to know everything about South Africa but one thing I do know is that justice and equality for all peoples regardless of race are possible, and that we can all work together to better each others lives.

To your success,

The Art of Precision-Living

Have you ever walked the streets of a busy city and noticed that everyone is busy going somewhere? Have you ever asked yourself where they were actually going?

I have come to learn that life is full of activity some of which is productive and progressive while some is unproductive. Some people are usually busy going nowhere yet they like the feelings that mere activity brings-a sense of achievement and meaning perhaps. However, such feelings are futile if the activity lacks direction and vision. Living is an art and must be approached with a plan and picture of a preferred future. I call this "Precision-Living".

Precision-living is the art of ordering your life to fall in line with the vision that you have; its about planning your life and living the plan. As a leader one of the things that people will first look at is how well you are directing your own life. This observation is critical because it will determine the level to which they allow you to influence them. People want to follow a leader who has a clear understanding of the course his life has to take. I usually tell people that the first level of leadership is self leadership. If you cannot lead yourself how will you lead others? Therefore, effective leaders practice the art of precision living.

Precision is really easy to achieve in your personal life. The first thing you have to do is know where you are going. We call this vision. Where do you see yourself in the next five, ten or fifteen years? Write it down for this is the beginning of your plan.

Secondly, how do you hope to achieve this vision? Set some SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Transferable Goals-more on that later). Set some objectives. A specific but realistic time frame in which to fulfill these goals. Write these goals and objectives as well. Its just as easy to come up with an idea as it is to forget it but a paper has a very long memory.

Thirdly, Work your plan. Wake up every morning with one goal in mind-to live according to plan. Many people lose sight of their dream because they never build a habit of living according to plan. This is the reason why new year's resolutions fail. You must have an extreme commitment to the attainment of your vision that you dedicate your whole life and time to fulfilling that. Let your actions be guided by your plan and dream. Successful people really live predictable lives. Yes, they do not imprison their creativity but they allow themselves to be creative within the confines of their dream.They are creatures of habit and systematic approaches to life. Tony Robbins says you too can be successful if you model these successful people (From his book Unlimited power-my own paraphrase). In other words you can reproduce their success by simply doing what they do but this is only possible because they are predictable and know the power of habit. So work your plan and develop your own systems of doing things in the most effective and successful ways.

Fourthly, Precision-living is about the organization of priorities. To be an effective leader you must know your priorities even as you lead yourself. Some things you treat as emergencies can really be dealt with lastly but you get lost in the maze of activity and cannot clearly discern what things should come first. Understand though that it is extremely difficult to have priorities if you first do not have a clear vision. Vision makes prioritizing easier. So prioritize.

These are just a few thoughts on Precision-Living but there are so many other aspects I can talk about including developing the right mental attitudes for success. But we will deal with that at some other time. In the meantime remember that NOW is your moment of greatness.
T your Success!

A challenge to African Youth-YES WE CAN!

As we, in America, are on the verge of a historical moment in the life of this nation I am sitting down at my desk and thinking about Africa. For the first time in American history we have two viable candidates for presidency, on the democratic side, who are poised to go down in history as trail blazers, regardless of the primary election results on tuesday. Barack Obama, the first viable African American candidate, and Hillary Clinton, the first female candidate, go head to head to fight for their party's nomination.

On the other side of the world Kenya has just broken into a semi-civil war because of discrepancies in its recent general elections. At the center of this fight are two old men who are sabotaging the future of young generations because of their selfish ambitions to be president by whatever means possible. This is another HUGE indication that African politics need a major overhaul in terms of Leadership. I would venture to say we need young people in the spirit of an Obama who will call for a new kind of politics for new challenges led by a youthful generation.
The problems we face as a continet will not be solved until young people rise to the occasion and politely ask our fathers and grandfathers to take a seat and retire their colonial politics and mentality. We need a young generation of leaders that knows how to operate in a global economy and is sensitive to social justice issues that the majority of the continent is facing.
It is honestly beyond me how such a rich continent is still wallowing in the trenches of poverty. Our leadership has to change. Our politics have to change and WE have to change.

We have to change our thinking, because we have been educated to perpetuate a post-colonial type of politics and leadership which focuses on taking advantage of villagers who are satisfied with a bag of maize or a piece of clothing every five years at election time; politics that ridicule our dreams and dismisses them as mere fantasies and advocates for us to shut down our dream factory because nothing will become of them; politics that seek to make the wealthy wealthier at the expense of the poor. Such kind of politics and leadership are not welcome in our time. We have to be proactive in educating our rural masses and curing them of the fear of political machines that come to intimidate and not educate- political machines that are nay sayers and dream stiflers, and leaders that are so backward they have no idea that the rest of the world is actually 20 years ahead of them.
We as young people need to believe that our ideas are for NOW and that they are brilliant enough to create a powerful Africa, and that the past will not completely understand the ways of a future-focused political and economic agenda. We can, and in fact, we MUST come out from the shadows and refuse to be silenced by the voices of conventional thinking. Our time is now, but it requires us to act and liberate Africa from her self-defeating attitudes and practices.

Okay, I said it and its off my chest; BUT is there a young generation out there willing to take on the challenge of political leadership? If so, soldier on, get in that ring and voice your opinions and ideas; and in the words of Obama I say, "YES WE CAN."

To your success,

The Power of RE:

Welcome to 2008. At the start of last year you made some resolutions-the things you wanted to achieve in 2007 and you have probably done the same for this year. My question though is; did you achieve all you set out to do in 2007? The answer is probably no and, therefore, I would like to give you some pointers on how to achieve your goals in 2008.

I believe in what i call the power of RE:

1. REFLECTION: Reflection is the ability to look back at the past with honest and objective self evaluation. Reflection allows you to celebrate your successes and failures as well. Celebrating failures because there are lessons that we would never have learnt if we had not failed.

2. REFOCUSING: Refocus on your goals. What is it that you want to achieve this year in line with your life vision. Most people never accomplish resolutions because they do have a deliberate plan for achieving them. Refocusing will help and energize your pursuit of destiny.

3. RECOMMITTING: Nothing can be accomplished without commitment. Commitment is the secret to success and you must decide NOW to be committed to your vision for life and committed to the goals that will lead you there.

These are just a few things that have helped me and am sure will do you some service in achieving your vision. I am so excited about this year and you will see me write a lot on leadership on this blog as well as other avenues. I invite you to tell your friends about this blog and the links I have especially New Zambia. Cho does a great job in provoking my thinking and I am sure you will discover the same.

To your success!

The African Mentality

I have lived in the United States for some time now to warrant the general comment I am about to make. Through my observation of various people groups there are some that stand out in the American society; The Jews, Chinese, Japanese, Indians and Hispanics, to mention a few. These people group groups among many others, are in many respects successful and living the American dream. These immigrant communities own businesses and contribute to the welfare of America.In fact it is said the economy of the United States is run by 3% of the population and they are Jews (Couldn't find the source of my stats so he number could be higher or lower). However, one of the largest immigrant population in the U.S. are the Africans but the results are very different in terms of economic success. Though we have determined African like those from the western part of continent, it seems we still have not broken through and decoded the economy of the west to have the same success that other people groups have.

It is my opinion that the one thing that stands in our way as Africans is our mentality. When an Asian comes to the U.S. for example, he or she is not thinking "where can I get a job?" But rather what business can I open.
Therefore, you find a Chinese restaurant at almost every corner in New York city or a beauty spa operated by an old Chinese lady with an army of young women plying the trade. However, the other jobs such as baby sitting, house cleaning, older people care etc are left to the low-aiming Africans and Mexicans. I have met so many Africans for example that are satisfied at this level and will not aim any higher. Now there is nothing wrong with these jobs AS A STARTING POINT for your life in a foreign land. However, there is something wrong when people begin to think that this is all life has to offer and they are not capable of anything higher than this.

On the other hand, if you go to down town New York, you will find Africans on the streets operating little street businesses from their suitcases and running away from police to avoid fines for illegal business. This sounds all so familiar to me. What these African brothers have done is transplant the way they did business back home (Tuntembas or street stores) and are trying to use that same methodology in New York. This of course will not work. Not in this economy and that's why I believe that there is need for a mentality transformation.

Allow me to just to say this one last thing to prove my point. When people ask me which country I come from, I am quick and proud to say "I am Zambian." However, that sometimes is not a good thing to say because that is usually followed by; "wow you guys can drink and party." Now that is the legacy our nation is known for and that bothers me. I have heard of people travelling all the way from New York to Atlanta in hired Escalades to go and party and drink their money off. This is unfortunate and I do not want to be associated with that. We are intelligent people with tremendous potential.We can make a difference in our own nation and so I refuse to be known as a party animal. This is why I blog. I want to provoke you to become the best that you can be for the sake of our nation and those who do not have the opportunities that we have. This is why I do not want to waste my time in the U.S. making myself comfortable and living "my life" while ignoring my responsibility to be a change agent. By the way check out my links to some great Zambian blogs written by people with like minds.

Okay, got that off my chest but now how can you and I be part of changing the African Mentality.

1. Think Information instead of ignorance & naivety.
Unfortunately the information age is too slow in taking root in Africa but we must be pro-active in seeking information. Read widely. Have you read your country's Constitution? Are you informed of your government's education policy or do they even have one. How can you help?

2. Think Entrepreneurship instead of employment.
As an employee your employer determines how high you can rise in your field of work and how fast you attain that career height. However, as an entrepreneur you are in charge of your own destiny. You decide when you work, where you work and how long you work. You are your own boss. There is nothing wrong with starting off by being an employee but many people get stuck there because they never had it in their minds to open their own company. So go ahead and find what you're passionate about, find a way of making it into a business, have fun doing and become rich while doing it.

3. Think Excellence instead of Mediocrity.
Do not be satisfied with doing something well. Do it in an excellent way. Mediocrity is an enemy of success. Mediocre people are satisfied with average but people of Excellence are never satisfied; they keep pushing the envelope until all their potential is unleashed. Good is the enemy of Best. What are you involved in right now and are you doing it in an excellent manner? Even if you're working for somebody else, do your work with excellence and this way you will become indispensable. Seek to be an Asset rather than a liability.

4. Think Vision instead of mere existence.
Most people live life not knowing where they are going or what they want to achieve. Vision-a clear mental picture of your preferred future-is of utmost importance. You must see where you want you want to achieve only then can you make the necessary steps to get there. This is huge. Most people I meet and talk to don't know where they want to go in life. They are just here for the ride and where ever the bus of life takes them, they will go but not you. You must have vision.

5. Think Strategy instead of Harp hazard Action
People without a vision have no plan for their lives. They live life as it comes at them. Success is deliberate. You succeed on purpose. Hence you must have a deliberate plan for the achievement of your vision.

People may say, Campbell you say the same things all the time but that's because people are not hearing me. They choose to remain the same and as long as they remain that way, I will say the same things over and over again so that even if they did not plan on hearing me, it will at least get into their sub-conscious mind and provoke action.

Therefore, begin to change your mentality and together we can make Africa the place of progress and success.
Campbell

THE CHURCH AS A PROPHETIC LEADER

Ladies and Gentlemen,

You know that I rarely write concerning the church on this blog though am heavily involved in christian ministry. However, I am a bit alarmed by the attitude the church has, especially in Zambia, when it comes to politics. In the second republic, we had pastors talking to and courting government anyway they could because there was promised to them a brown envelope of cash for their loyalty. Most of them will not talk about it because they feel embarrassed by it.
My concern, however, is the stance the church bodies have taken not to participate in the National Constitution Conference which aims at forging a new constitution for the nation of Zambia which we hope will, among other things, limit the powers of the president and provide more accountability measures for government.
I believe that the church represents so many voiceless individuals and cannot afford to stay on the sidelines. I think the church needs to be bold enough to come into the arena of politics for the sake of the people to offer Godly counsel to the nation. Whether we like it or not religion plays a major role in government on earth. Whether we talk of Iran or Iraq,the muslim religion sets the tone in these nations. China has Buddhism and Japan has Shintoism. Why? Because religion plays a huge role in the human race. Therefore, it is only right that christians should have a say on what happens in the nation. The one thing the Zambian church forgets is that the Muslims have already declared their participation in the process. If they have their way we might see some muslim ideals tolerated in the constitution. CHRISTIANS AWAKE from your slumber. God calls us to believe, pray and most importantly ACT. Our faith only finds its expression in our action.

This is what I want to you to do. Ask your pastor whether or not you church will be represented regardless of whether the church mother bodies do or not. Ask him because YOU have to be represented,. YOUR VOICE needs to be heard. YOUR CHILDREN'S VOICES need to be heard. YOUR GRANDFATHER AND GRANDMOTHER'S VOICE needs to heard. THE VOICES OF THE DEAF AND DUMB need to be heard. Who else will represent them if the church chickens out?
This is no time to hide in our caves while Goliath hails insults at us. IT'S TIME TO ACT AND BE THE PROPHETIC VOICE WE WERE MEANT TO BE.
Arise and take action NOW! This blog receives an average of 200 people a month reading it and if each one of us would voice our wish to the church or educate our fellow christians and rally support, pastors and church leaders will have to listen.
Action is the only measure of Faith!

To your Success and that of mother ZAMBIA!