1. FOCUS

As a young clergyman, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) was just like any ordinary pastor. But the defining moment of his life came when a young woman by the name of Rosa Parks defied the age-old rule where a black person would give up his or her seat in a bus to a white person. Rosa defied the status quo and triggered a movement championed by MLK Jr.: The Civil Rights movement. From this day onwards, MLK made a choice…he chose to focus on the fight for equality of the colored people. He chose to champion for a just and an equal society. His whole life revolved around this theme which is what we know him for today. He wasn’t an extraordinary man. He just chose to focus. He saw a need and sought to offer a solution. He didn’t spread himself thin to the point of losing relevance but took one societal vice head on. Today, we see the fruits. It begins by discovering one’s purpose. But it just doesn’t stop at that. It starts by identifying a specific need your purpose can meet and give it your best shot. The information super highway avails to us many possibilities. However, it deprives us of an understanding of what to focus on. The needs are many but we have only one life, two hands and two legs. Inasmuch as we believe that we can solve the world’s many problems, we can only be the best of what we were meant to be if we choose to focus on a solution to one of the many problems. Business gurus would put it best: make your focus or niche as small as possible so that you can expend all your energies to give your very best.

2. CONVICTION

Convictions are stubborn. At times they are illogical and outlandish. But what if in the midst of many problems, we just choose to believe that there is a solution somewhere and seek to find it? Celebrated inventors like Thomas Edison didn’t just rely on their scientific knowledge. In fact Edison did not even have academic qualification in the electrical field yet he discovered the light bulb. If that’s the case, what energized his search? What gave him the motivation to conduct hundreds (if not thousands) of experiments in what seemed like a ‘wild goose chase’? He believed that there was a better way to illuminate our surroundings. Much better than kerosene. He saw a possibility and built a conviction around it. Perhaps we don’t necessarily need an Edison to solve problems around us but a conviction and a belief that it is possible. Conviction builds within us hope. Hope always looks forward to a better tomorrow. We might not necessarily have all the answers today but the hope we have will be transferred to others who will push on to find these answers. The challenges might seem intimidating. But it pays to believe that tomorrow will be better. It pays to have conviction that we shall find answers to our problems whether they are financial, health-related, societal or political. God has fashioned us a creatures which thrive in the midst of hope. Keep hope alive.

3. CHARISMA

Mahatma Gandhi inspired many in his age not because of his oratory skills but simply by the ability to identify with the struggles of others and point them towards a solution. This was the psyche behind ‘Satyagraha’; the non-violent uprising against colonialists in India. People are inspired to action not necessarily by oratory skills but by someone who identifies with them; someone who sees life at their level. But not only that. People are pushed to seek for solutions by those who seem to point them towards those solutions. Gandhi rallied his countrymen towards a unified cause; freedom. Beyond his conviction to live as a free man, he chose to inspire people around him to aspire for the same cause thereby building a critical mass which the British couldn’t ignore. Isn’t that the same path our freedom fighters walked? Abraham Lincoln, the American statesman rallied his people from the north to fight for a cause that was greater than him; abolition of slavery. The ideas we harbor within us are just a practical step away. The difference they can create starts with unveiling them for people around us to see. Many times, people know the answers to their problems. However, what they sometimes need is to see that they are not alone in this fight. The ideas we hold are just as good as the paper we write them on. However, something magical happens when we invite others to ponder over our ideas with us. So don’t just stop at ideation. Prototype and put a model on the table. Let people see, criticize and talk about it. Bring out what’s in your mind for others to build an opinion about it. See the world the way others view it. See the struggles and challenges they face. But don’t stop there, seek to inspire them with a potential solution to their problem. Imagine what change can happen if many people are inspired to forge in a unified direction?

4. ACTION

Reverend Dietrich Bonhoeffer was not your ordinary Lutheran church minister of his age. He was a man quite literally involved in the struggle against Nazism. Bonhoeffer wasn’t just angered by the murderous actions of Adolf Hitler and his cronies but chose to practically take it a step further. Together with others, he hatched several unsuccessful plans to assassinate Hitler. His actions were not haphazard. They were laid down with strategy. He formed associations with some elements of the German intelligence assisting him in his plans. Bonhoeffer didn’t live to see a Nazi free Germany. He was captured and hanged in prison weeks before the Russians entered Berlin. Today, he is respected as a member of the German resistance movement. These were German people many of whom lost their lives in the process of defying Adolf Hitler. What’s striking about this pastor was his willingness not only to inspire others but to act in accordance with his convictions. Many knew the right thing to do but were afraid. What set him apart was he defied fear and ventured to his destiny. Our age of social media is defined more by keyboard warriors than by people who actually step out of their comfort zones and act in accordance to what they believe is true. Many of us fear because when we choose to step out against the status quo, there is no guarantee that we will succeed. But either way, we must choose to stand out from the crowd. We must choose to be counted. I salute those demonstrators who marched to the office of the President in Nairobi, Kenya chanting anti- corruption slogans. They were roughed up by police, beaten, tear gassed and dragged as the rest of us in the middle class enjoyed our cozy homes and offices. But they chose to step out of their comfort zones and speak on our behalf. Their choice not to be quiet led them to pay the cost. Inspiring others is not good enough if we cannot lead them to action. Action is what sets aside change-makers.

5. END-GAME

The British parliamentarian, Sir William Wilberforce is perhaps not as much celebrated because unlike Churchill, he didn’t win wars. Instead, he won over the consciences of people. Wilberforce lived in an era where slave trade was the order of the day. But he chose to obey his conviction, step out of the shadows and challenge the status quo in parliament as an elected MP. Definitely this was a tall order. He seemed to be fighting a losing battle. Many of the parliamentarians themselves benefitted from slave trade. But Wilberforce never lost heart. He pestered and persevered. He grew in resilience by the day. He won over like- minded people whom he encouraged along the journey. He stepped up his motions and bills in the House of Commons. His life goal and ambition was only one thing; Abolition of Slave trade which ultimately came to be. But this victory didn’t stop him from championing for the total abolition of slavery. It became a reality just three days before his death. He kept his eye on the end-game. He fought tooth and nail to achieve what he believed his life meant to accomplish, a rare trait in our day and age. It pays not only to take time and consider what we exist for but having that end- game in mind. Many causes and initiatives have been abandoned half-way by people who’ve lost heart and are discouraged by things around them. But our goal in life should be a constant reminder about what we are all about. If we can figure that out then we must trudge on with a focus on the end game. No one promises that it will be easy. In fact, for many of us (if not all), we will have to fight to it out to the end. But when we do so and arrive there, we can say like the Apostle Paul, ‘…I have fought the good fight, I’ve finished the race and I’ve kept the faith’ (2 Tim 4:7- NIV).