While undergoing financial literacy coaching in February 2008, my mentor taught me a lesson that I understood vaguely until recently when I went through the real experience.

I was then comfortable in the pocket, thanks to my employers who paid me well and on time.

Coach Paul taught me that a crisis compresses many lessons you would have learnt in many years and delivers them to you at once.

This, he explained, is the reason a crisis helps those whose minds were ready for it to rediscover themselves, but also destroy in equal measure those who had not been mentally prepared for it by their past life.

He intended to prepare my mind to accept that moving out of regular job will only introduce me to a sharp financial crisis, and that I will learn rather than die.

I had to go through a year without regular income to appreciate the meaning of the lessons a crisis carries.

For example, I quickly lost interest in working for pay as I had done for over 13 years.

I later registered for the chartered financial analysts classes, spent 16 months studying investment analysis and management, and then took up a job in local investment advisory business.

By the start of 2008, I was mentally retired and no longer able to take instructions I considered ill informed — contrary to the rules of succeeding in employment.

I did not recognise immediately that during my coaching lessons, I had set forth my attitudes for the first steps into a journey of faith padded with many crisis.

In business and investing, contrary to formal and self employment, you learn more about how to succeed from your failures than from the so-called success, because in this other world of wealth, you must be willing to create experiences.

Like Carnegie told Napoleon Hill, you “will discover that the cause of success is not something separate and apart from the man; that it is a force so intangible in nature and that a majority of men never recognise it.”

When man will come to recognise that successful investing starts with preparing the mind for success, poverty will disappear from the list of global concerns.
By Patrick Wameyo
He is a financial literacy educator and coach

It isn’t for women only

Makena had been my patient for so long, we had become good family friends. I had delivered all her children, and was always invited to their celebrations; birthdays, baptisms and many school activities.While at their son’s school play, I struck up a conversation with Makena’s husband. He looked troubled. “Can I ask you something Doc?”

“Of course what is the matter?” The furrows on his brow deepened.

“I have noticed that my left breast feels odd.”

“How so?” I asked.

“Well, it feels lumpy. And it has some brownish stuff from the nipple. But I am not too sure. Can you take a look?”

I gave him an appointment for the next day. True enough, he did have a lump in his right breast. Further examination showed that it was fixed to the underlying muscles, and the skin had an orange peel appearance.

I was concerned and sent him to the laboratory for a fine needle aspiration; my fears were confirmed. He had cancer of the breast.

Devastating news

I did not know how to break the news to my friends. I decided to ask more questions. He had noticed the lump six months before but did not think much of it until he saw the brown discharge.

He was devastated by the news because he’d always thought breast cancer was a disease for women!

Breast cancer forms in breast tissue. Although it was always thought to be a disease of women, it also occurs in men. It is unfortunate though that many men do not seek medical assistance promptly when they have the symptoms of breast cancer so it is often diagnosed at an advanced stage.

Symptoms of breast cancer in men are similar to those of women. They include a painless lump, changes on the skin, like reddening or puckering or peeling, inversion of the nipple, and a discharge from the nipple.

The causes of breast cancer in men remain controversial. Men have less breast tissue than women, and this means that they are at less risk.

Prevention and detection

Men and their partners need to be very observant, and do regular breast examinations, to ensure that any abnormalities are dealt with early. Unlike in women, routine screening with mammograms and ultrasound is not done, unless the patient is at very high risk.

Prevention of breast cancer involves promotion of good health practices. These include moderate alcohol consumption, weight loss, exercise, and regular medical examinations.

.........Source Daily Nation