Be More. Do More. Have More

Enlarging Your Personal Capacity

Friday the 1^st of April, I had a privilege of attending the pre-launch of the soon to be released movie known as LEO at the Silverbird theatres at Westgate, thanks to a good friend for the invite. I must admit that, am not a showbiz guy, I kinda wasn’t very comfy at first with the whole thing, the attention, the cameras and the works, but I got to settle in-to the set-[film production speak]. We were treated to a fantastic cocktail reception, I had an opportunity to interact with the city’s finest; outstanding & successful businessmen, Christian leaders, government officials, media personalities, film producers, actors, artists, my goodness the list goes on.

 The invitees had an opportunity of watching the trailer than ran for less than 3 minutes, and a soundtrack music video done by Sauti Sol, an incredible experience it was. Leo is a Kenyan film produced in Kenya by a Kenyan, telling a Kenyan story. In my view, the best production ever in the history of Kenya’s film industry judging by the trailer.[More details on www.leothemovie.com ].

What inspired this writing was a speech made at the pre-launch by one of the film’s exec producers Mr. Steve [Not his real name]. He mentioned that he was at a point in his life where he felt that his passion to his current trade had waned out. In his words, He wanted ‘excitement in his life’, he wanted something fresh, something challenging. He wanted to EXPAND his capacity. He later met Ms. J [the brains behind LEO] who only had just a dream, creativity and a story to produce a movie telling a Kenyan story, he jumped on board and transitioned himself from being a water drilling guy into a film producer. Talk about the quantum leaps.

One year from now, I don’t want to be the same person as I am today. I want to grow. I want to become better and better. ~Oli Dalizu

When Mr. Steve finished his speech, it hit me that in every human being lies a need to Be More, to Do More and Have more. Now if you are in a point in your life where your passion has taken a nose dive, you are no longer excited to leave your bed early in the morning, you no longer love what you do; you may want to look at your life from at a different perspective. It could be time to  change trajectory as opposed to persisting.

Repeating the past won’t create a new future; dogged determination is dumb without clearly defined direction.’~Unknown

One way to do that, I realized was by expanding my personal capacity. Expanding my capacity means being able to do things I wasn’t capable of before. It means being able to handle things I previously couldn’t. If you consciously decide to expand your capacity, you will become a different person in the future. You will look back and see how much you’ve grown.

Here is an incomplete list of tips to expand your personal capacity:

1. Take a new Challenge

Expanding your capacity is like weight lifting. If you are able to lift 50Kgs but keep lifting that all the time, your capacity won’t increase. You need to move to the next level and lift something heavier. It will feel difficult at first, but over time it will become easy. Then, once you become comfortable with it, you should lift something even heavier.

Similarly, to expand your capacity you must take new challenges beyond your comfort zone. Work on something you aren’t comfortable with. Mr Steve Jones Jr. has to let go his water drilling business to venture into a new challenge, in this case film production.

Look at your current situation. How long have you been doing what you’re doing? When was the last time you took a new challenge? If you find yourself in a comfort zone then shake things up. Find a new challenge and take it.

In my case, I realize that I didn’t take a new challenge in the last year or two. I lifted the same weight for far too long. Now that I learn the importance of expanding my capacity, I’m working on a new challenge.

2. Make sure it’s Exciting

When you are looking for a challenge to take, make sure that it’s something you are excited about. I’ve tried to work on a challenge I wasn’t excited about. The results? Wasted Time, Money, and Effort. Working on something that’s not exciting feels like a chore. Those who know me personally understand that that doing laundry isn’t my favorite chore, I find the process a bore and irksome. Sometimes I must push myself to do it. But thank goodness for the concept of Outsourcing, I can remotely manage a service provider to make sure my clads are cleaned well.

On the other hand, if I work on something exciting then working on it feels effortless. Sure, there are times when I need to motivate myself, but the total amount of energy needed to get things going is much, much lower. Furthermore, I enjoy the time working on it. I want more of it, not less. I stay late, I wake up earlier working on it.  As a result, I move further ahead.  My friend Njoro says, ‘I find what I do exciting and effortless’

3. Make it Fun

Not only should you take an exciting challenge, but also you should make the process fun. In my case, I like to think of a challenge as a game. I have a challenge to overcome and I have some resources at hand. I need to allocate my resources wisely and work my way over the obstacles. There are surprises and pitfalls along the way. Isn’t it just like a game?

Thinking of a challenge as a game makes me more excited about it. It also makes it easier to handle failure. After all, loses are normal in games. They are something I need to go through if I want to become a better player. Rather than discouraging me, they make me even more motivated to increase my playing skill.

4. Focus

If the challenge is beyond your comfort zone, as it should be, then it won’t be easy. You need to focus your heart and mind on it. Don’t spread yourself too thin. Don’t try to do too many things at once. That’s a sure recipe for failure. Don’t be a jack of all trades and a master of none; become an authority in your new area of excellence. Focus!.

5. Invest

Some people are willing to take a new challenge but hesitant to invest their time and money in it. But if it’s a worthy challenge then it’s worth your time and money. There’s no reason not to invest in it.

Remember the game metaphor above? The resources you have in a game are there to help you achieve the game’s objective. You should invest them in weapons, buildings, and whatever other tools you need to achieve the objective. Similarly, you should invest your resources to expand your capacity. Don’t do it above your means, of course, but you get the point, right?#

6. Take Risks

The more you know about something, the less the risks involved. But in the beginning, when you are working on something new, risks are inevitable. Don’t be afraid to take them. Those who aren’t willing to take risks may never move to the next level. You might fail but you will learn a lot in the process. They will make you a better player.

People who just play safe will regret all the opportunities they’ve wasted in life. I don’t want to be that kind of people. I might fail, but at least I won’t regret myself for not trying.

7. Build the desire to Finish the Race.

'I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith' ~ Ref; Bible IITimothy 4:7

Your progress will be faster if you have the desire to finish what you started, which in this case is the challenge you take. This desire will fuel your effort every day to get better at what you do. It will also make you more resilient in the face of difficulties and setbacks. Without such a desire, your progress will be slow.

8. Move On Up

Once you achieve certain level of mastery in a particular challenge, move on and take a new, more difficult challenge. Don’t stop and be comfortable with where you are. Keep expanding your capacity. Build your momentum. [Check the article I wrote sometime last month ‘Fall Into The Groove; Gain Momentum’]. Have at it.

I’d love to hear from you. Share your tips on how we could expand our personal capacity. Feel free to share this article with your networks.

Join ‘TheChampsMind’ family by following this blog on Google Connect. Follow me On Twitter @ www.twitter.com/DalizuKing   and/Or on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/dalizu