Dear parent or guardian Part 2

EDITOR — Last week I wrote letter I called, “Dear Parent/Guardian”. I hope and trust that it is making sense and inspiring you to action. I have seen people who are frustrated in their lives yet they occupy amazing offices in the nation. There are two ways to die quickly in life, 1. Marry the wrong person (because they will stress you to death) and 2.

Choose the wrong career. Greater part of the day is spent at work, so you really need to be careful when making a career choice. This also explains why it is important not for you to impose a career on your child or dependant. I am a life coach; I have spoken to several people and listened to hundreds of stories, and I can tell you that the secret to success or failure lay in their choice of careers. Do not force your children and even yourself to live a lie.

Discover your gift

This is what the world has neglected to do. We are all born with gifts. This has nothing to do with your background; you have a gift within you. Your children have gifts within them. Help your children discover their gift at a tender age, and create an environment which will enable them to full explore and experience their gifts. Do you take time to observe what you child does randomly? Some children are so quick to open up things, be it electronic gadgets just to see what is on the inside. Others love to draw even though they cannot draw anything that can make sense. Some cannot stop singing; some even go to the extent of making musical instruments using whatever material available to them.

There are many examples, but the importance of all these is to actually point towards a gift. Your breakthrough in life is tied to your gift. Jah Prayzah is making a lot of money from live shows and product endorsements by using a musical gift. People pay to watch him enjoy himself. Carl Joshua Ncube is paid to make people laugh, the same with Anne Kansiime. Kansiime had to make two trips to Zimbabwe to take money from people who enjoy watching her enjoy herself. Soccer players get paid to enjoy themselves on the soccer pitch for 90 minutes. Your gift in life is your key to your financial freedom. Study everyone who mastered their gifts in Zimbabwe, they are making money effortlessly. When you operate in your gift zone, your vocation becomes your vacation. Do you know your own gift? It is difficult to discover someone’s gift if you do not know your own.

Anything pays!

Can someone make a living through sport, music, acting in Zimbabwe? This is a question people ask always? The truth is that I have never actually asked how much actors get paid in Zimbabwe or sports people. There is one thing that I know, there are people who wake up globally to go into the studio just to act, sing or play sport. If sport does not pay in Zimbabwe, why don’t you focus on raising your game to the international level where your talent will be celebrated and rewarded?

There are several Zimbabweans who have found their way to Europe, Asia, and South Africa among other areas to play professional football.

There are at least ten Zimbabweans who have made it to Hollywood and have secured lucrative roles on international television and are leaving their dreams. If you enjoy South African television programs, you will notice a couple, Connie and Shona Ferguson who produce dozens of high quality television series for satellite television. They raised their standard and now they get paid to be watched. Raise your standard, raise your game, raise your focus, think big, and think global. It’s not easy to start, but you have to start if you are going to be where you want to live your dreams.

Yes, anything pays. I do not know who told people to look for professions which pay. I am a lawyer by profession but I have to pay someone to clean my car thoroughly, and I know of places in Harare where there are long queues of people waiting to have their cars cleaned.

Undertakers are making money in Zimbabwe yet there are very few people who tell you that they want to study “Mortuary science or mortuary cosmetology” or even become “professional embalmers” when they finish their studies.

Our system taught us to look down on certain jobs, yet these are the people that we need almost on a daily basis or when the need arises. Anything pays, just do it well and develop yourself to the level that people will choose you for that service.

Stay blessed!

◆ Arthur Marara is an attorney, author, speaker, and career counselor. Send feedback to greatnessclinic@gmail.com or +263 772 467 255.