Confirmation Code.

Mara gives me good hangovers. The other hangi I enjoy is from my favorite small town, Nanyuki. I wish I bottled some of it to carry in the nice branded aluminum water bottles that Mara Siligi camp gifted us. That way I keep sipping to remain high hehe. Folks some things in life can only happen to us on location. I will explain. Zoom and other online platforms have enabled us to meet without leaving home.

My coaching work started in earnest during covid so it was mostly virtual. It’s a cheaper way of working as we don’t have to drive through traffic to meet and spend money in restaurants. We were working from home. It became so much that we started living at work hehe. But this conflicted with the nature of those of us who love meeting up with people. I gradually got fatigued from relating with people on screen. I like the hybrid version of working now. Some in person and some virtually.

When the pandemic lifted and we were allowed to interact again I was a happy man. I love coaching, especially walking with folks in transitions and half-time. We pivoted the halftime program from physical round tables to virtual ones during the pandemic. I recall approaching the end of the program with a particular cohort then I decided to indulge them. I had dreamt of combining halftime conversations with being out in the wild. And sneaking in my love for nature photography hapo ndani.

It felt like a long shot asking six people to consider traveling to Masai Mara for 3 days yet some of them were not even in the country. To my pleasant surprise, most of them agreed and we held our first Halftime in the Wild retreat last year. It was a dream come true and my prayer is that we will have one every quarter of the year. Are you at crossroads and the noise of your current season is preventing you from seeing clearly what exit to take in the journey of your life? Then Halftime in the Wild is for you. Take time off, reflect, and be silent long enough to hear the penny drop on what your next steps should be. Lets chat.

Back to my explanation above. Some miracles can only happen on location. Tons of patience is required in wildlife photography. While waiting for a leopard to finish her catwalk and start hunting on one of the days, we got chatting with Shiro. The wild open savannah has a way of bringing out our deepest thoughts and we strangely connect the dots easier and even verbalise them. We were talking about crafting wild conversations – bringing folks out here to go there (deep introspections).

As we dreamt verbally I decided to check my phone for messages from my people back in Nairobi. I was missing them but didn’t miss Nairobi. Mpesa messages are always nice to receive especially unexpected ones. Of course, the genuine ones, not those fake ones cons send us trying to steal our money.

You see I had been chatting with Shiro about how we can monetise this shared passion of coaching and photography. She then said how she’s been affirming herself that she will be earning well and in hard currency. I admired the focus and resolve in her voice. That’s the moment I noticed the mpesa from a client who wanted a follow-up session to update me on the progress she’s made since our last meeting. I wasn’t expecting this because I thought we were done with our engagement. I had agreed to a catchup coffee when I got back into town. Paying for the chai was going to be the payment she would make. I’m a nice coach like that. There is always a bonus meet-up. Hope you caught that self-promo…

This client, who has been just a delight to coach, took my time and expertise seriously and put her money where her mouth was. Those are the kind of clients I wish for all of you in whatever you do. People who seek, value, and respect your time and skills enough to pay for it with ease. Of course, you also have to continuously up your game.

The timing of that mpesa at the time of our chat with Shiro was a sign to me. I felt like it was a confirmation from above that we would help folks through coaching in this magical place and get paid for it. I feel like if I was in Nairobi that message wouldn’t have come when it did. Maybe I’m giving this coincidence too much meaning but I’m convinced that the confirmation code on my phone was a stamp of approval on our dream chat with Shiro. Immediately Robert cranked the engine and our focus went back to Lady Luluka, our Mara slay queen.

Sometimes it’s like we are required to move to a certain physical location for direction to be clear. Is there a place you go to where much of your issues are sorted? or where you get the most clarity? Some breakthroughs are stationery it seems. We need to go to them for the magic to happen. They don’t come to us. May we have the wisdom to know when to go for the miracle and when to wait for it. There are times to strive for what you want and there are also times to just shine from what you are doing and the miracle will come to us.

May this last quarter of the year be full of confirmation codes for you all, both for the things you are striving and shining for. Plus ya kutoa…