I love mjengo (construction). In fact, I sometimes think I’m a mjengo guy posing as a coach. Now I understand why my dad used to say that once you start building, you do not stop. I suppose we are co-creators with God. I hunt for creative ideas on Pinterest and another app called Houzz. I admire how people build nice, rustic-themed structures, especially the ones away from the city that blend with nature.
While scrolling through Instagram, I came across a guy calling himself The Curious Builder. He was once a top wedding photographer. As is often the case with life transitions, he dropped photography and moved to a beautiful, remote part of the country, where he started building his heart out. He has made a gem of a destination, at least from what he shows on IG. In one of those reels, he mentions how buying the land there and starting the mjengo depleted all his resources. Once he had built something and could start selling accommodation, he realised he had no budget for marketing or advertising. And what did he do? He decided to be his own influencer, since he couldn’t afford one. That stood out to me: being your own influencer and attracting clients through your own efforts.
We all have a unique gift to bring to the world, but often we bury it deep because we can’t find or afford someone else to bring it out in the open. I was once rebuked by a friend after complaining that I had something valuable to share with the world, but was frustrated because I lacked an influencer who could see my value and shout it to the world. My pal asked me, “So you’re waiting to be discovered? That’s your strategy?” (Add a healthy dose of attitude to that question, hehe.)
Often, I have shared stories of successful people who landed on their ideal stage through a chance encounter. They were just doing what they enjoyed and were gifted at, then someone noticed them and set them up for success. That has been my preferred route to living my dream life. While that happens for some, I’m slowly discovering that I may wait forever for the right pair of eyes to land on me and do the heavy lifting. Kweli, hard work is a compulsory course in the coursework of life.
Working hard in silence and letting success make the noise is a good strategy. While I have been doing that for several years now, I’ve increasingly felt the need to do something more. You see, when I encountered the book Halftime by Bob Buford and completed the Halftime Program almost ten years ago, I did not know I would become the poster boy for Halftime in this neck of the woods. Since then, I have learnt a lot about midlife transitions, coached many folks through their own halftime, and written much about it. In fact, the core of this blog is how we interact with transitions at midlife and move from success to significance. That’s my pet subject, and it has defined my calling as well as who I am as a coach.
One of the discoveries in my halftime process was confirming that my life is meant to unfold on this continent and that my assignment is to help others like me, at midlife crossroads, find and live meaningful lives. But having the vision is the easier part; bringing it to reality ndio kazi. I have been restless for a long while, feeling like I’m being irresponsible with my assignment from Sir God. I went on a quest to interrogate the nagging feeling that wouldn’t go away. Halftime is like archaeology: you have to dig until you find the gold deposits—your unique life assignment—within you.
I did find my gold but then got a severe bout of imposter syndrome. Sir God ni nani? He will get the assignment done either way; if not through us, then He will find another way. Folks, have you ever felt like your assignment was ready to be done, but for some reason you weren’t? That is exactly how activating Halftime in this region has felt for me. That said, we can’t wait forever to be ready, as that may never happen.
So I feel it is time now. Despite feeling inadequate, I have decided to be my own influencer and do it afraid. After many Halftime roundtables and coaching sessions, both in person and virtual, I have felt for some time that we need another way of preaching this gospel of midlife transitions to reach many more people who need this salvation to move into their second half successfully, hehe. To that end, it’s now time to reveal something I have been working on in silence for some time with the help of a few individuals I consider destiny helpers.
On September 25th, we will launch the first in a series of twelve transition webinars intended to reach as many Halftimers in Africa as possible. Men and women who have achieved a fair measure of success in their careers and communities, but feel that something is missing and are trying to figure out their second-half assignment in life. Through these sessions, I will attempt to explore how we move from success to significance through the lens of our African context.
We are opening registration and payment today via this link: https://www.mula.bz/p/113c9dc41a.
I have never done something like this before, but I’m convinced this is what I should be doing at this point in my life. Many times, instructions from Sir God feel scary, but once obeyed, they reward others and us in many ways. We are a year away from our national elections in Kenya. Soon we will start hearing from political aspirants saying, “Naomba kura” (please vote for me). While this is nowhere near a political initiative, allow me to say my version of naomba kura, folks, hehe.
Consider registering for this first webinar (and the ones that will follow) if you are in midlife and at a crossroads. You might pick up a nugget or two to help you in your transition. And remember, sharing is caring, as my baby shark often says. So, tell a friend to tell a friend.
I’m excited about what will unfold in this purpose project, and I’d be deeply grateful to walk this adventure with you. I’ve been hoping for this for a long time, but hope is not a strategy. It’s time we moved from being talk-oriented to action-oriented. As author and speaker Brian Tracy says, that is one of the defining marks of successful people.
Success to Significance Webinar
You've built the career, the title, the reputation — everything success was supposed to give you. So why does it sometimes feel like something's still missing?That's exactly what we're unpacking in Webinar 1: When Success Isn't Enough, the opening session of my new Success to Significance series for African leaders in midlife. In one honest hour, we'll talk about the transition every high-achiever eventually faces — and how to cross it well.
Thursday, 25th September12:00 – 1:00 PM (EAT)
Live on Zoom
KES 2,000
Seats are limited. Know a leader who needs this conversation? Forward it their way.
Register Here