(Samson Midigo is a columnist and writes about self-development)
In October 2008, the Information Communication Technology (ICT), Board of Kenya advertised training opportunity for persons interested in setting up Digital Village Centres countrywide.
This was the first advert of its kind, encouraging persons living with disability to take advantage of the opportunity for self-employment. I travelled 300 hundred miles from my home town in Muhoroni to attend this course. This trip provided the opportunity to visit with Melanie, and her two sons Mathew and Michael in the outskirts of Nairobi City.“Here dad got you a book to read,” Melanie said, as she placed “Awaken the Giant Within,” by Anthony Robbins on my hands.I wasn’t aware, let alone heard books on the science of self-improvement exist. Although the course was postponed, reading this one book transformed my life overnight from the inside out. Three steps stood between my old and new life; situation analysis, setting achievable goals and setting up home-based self-employment.It is true there are many obstacles, but there are also opportunities in life. These three steps set my foot on a path that led to self-employment. 1. Situation analysis “Be content with being deaf for the rest of your life,” three different ENT specialists, informed me after examination. Two opposing forces emerged within, one willing to accept and move on. The other harboured bitterness and refused to acknowledge the inevitable. I was trained as a sound engineer. The hearing loss turned my ears into the greatest liability, so I thought. Reading Anthony Robbins book “Awaken the Giant Within,” challenged me to analyze the situation. This led to setting achievable goals. 2. Set achievable goalsI wrote down $100 on a piece of paper and kept it together with personal documents. This would be my monthly salary from copywriting. I did not earn that much in the first month of self-employment, but I did earn $500 in the second month from one e-book writing assignment. Today, my operation expenses come from content writing and product reviews. The money from e-books is set aside for equipment repairs, maintenance, airtime purchase, house renovation, travel and medical cover. 3. Setting up home-based self-employmentDavid Migoya, a friend from ICT training and I teamed up for the first assignment three years after the course. David developed the website and I wrote e-newsletter content for a local NGO. This project set in motion self-employment opportunities steering us in different directions. David is a lead website developer based in Kisumu City, while I write online from home in Muhoroni. I am yet to clock the six-figure salary from self-employment, but I’m making a living working from home. Chance connectivity paid back over and above my wildest dreams. Whether you are keen on improving one or all areas of your life, the name of the game is self-discipline. Your present connections are a future investment. #hivisasaoriginal