HANDOUT MINDSET

Times without number I have said that; the greatest battles are won or lost between your ears. It doesn't matter how often you get motivated or by whom, every moment your mind perceive a defeat mentality, your entire body registers failure spontaneously.
Although fleeing oneself from mediocrity is extremely demanding, I beg to differ with Michel de Montaigne who once said, "Poverty of goods is easily cured but poverty of the mind is irreparable.” Although it's inarguably true that a defeat mindset begets poverty, with a visionary mind and relentless efforts, success awaits. 

In other words; poverty is just but a defeat mindset. The moment you shall believe without a smidgen doubt the words that apostle Paul used when he addressed the Christian church in Philippi; 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,' Philippians 4:13 that's the moment you shall begin to free your mind from mediocrity.
One mediocre mindset that we have to free ourselves from is the handouts mindset. The fact that we have baptized it with a more enticing name; bursary dosen't exclude it from being a handout. School bursaries are just but handouts that have fostered a mediocre mindset among many Africans for decades. Having a mindset that you can't afford to educate your children unless the government helps is a mediocre mentality. Unfortunately, most of us are now victims of our own mediocre mindset and our politicians can now lure us with ease into voting for them through school bursaries and endless empty promises. The truth of the matter is; the government is never interested in positively improving the economic policies that will create jobs lest we become economically independent and rob our politicians their 'golden chance' of extorting public funds to enrich themselves and to bribe us in the name of handouts so that we can vote them into their political seats for a continuous cycle of extortion and corruption. 

To my American friends who can't relate with bursaries, i am sure you can relate with food stamps that most recipients perceive as a way of efficiency in executing government policies but fail to understand that; food stamps are great enticements that render you to a comfort zone and restrain you from applying your full force of reason on how you can liberate yourself from mediocrity to greatness. In other words, just like bursaries, food stamps robs you the ability to think of your greatness and your remarkable potential of how daring you must be to step out of the confines of mediocrity into luxuriation of greatness. 
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. While politicians don't like the latter part of this qoute, they are so passionate about the former part since it's the part that they have for a very long time used to render their empty promises in order to feed their greed of being voted into office. My interpretation of this qoute is; every time you allow someone to give you a livelihood rather than teaching you how to earn a living, you render that person the power to determine when you are hungry, what and when to feed you. In other words, you subject your life and that of your family under his or her mercy.

It's extremely unfortunate that this is the life that most people lead on daily basis. We have given our so called leaders too much 'power' because of our mediocre mindset and they have for a very long time continued to take advantage of our mediocrity by impoverishing us and later  giving us smidgen handouts from the same resources they extort from us. 

As much as politicians aren't angels who should walk scot free on all ill matters of their failed leadership, I am raising awareness on our laxity that have continued to hold us in a 'comfort zone' regardless of our mediocrity. 
Noting that we are living in the days where most people are upgrading their smartphones now and then, why are we so reluctant to renew their mindset as often as we do with our gadgets? Just like the biblical words in Romans 12:2; '..... but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.' 'Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God,' if you have a pressing need to transform your life, you must first transform your mind. In other words, transformation of your mind is the first step towards the transformation of your life lest you live in mediocrity. 
On the other hand, transforming your mind becomes easier when you have long-term challenging goals that keeps you on your toes. In a comfort zone, there's no growth but mediocrity. You must always subject yourself to challenges in order to develop yourself. If your dreams for success don't scare you, they're too easy to achieve and mostly likely they are just moderate. I do believe that; failure is not aiming high and missing, it's aiming low and hitting.
It's also extremely imperative to know that transforming your mind is a personal responsibility not a collective one. Nonetheless, choosing the right friends who will constantly challenge your thoughts is a great way to help you in transforming your mind. You're an average of the five people whom you hangout with. If your friends aren't challenging your thoughts, your life is in a stagnation. It's time to break that friendship and make new friends who can positively challenge your thoughts and keep your mind engaged. 

BBI (BLINDED BY IGNORANCE)

"When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn’t change my town either, and as an older man, I tried to change my family."
"Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that, if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town, my town's impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world." By Monk-11 A. D.
Even though the above conscious thought which is loaded with vast wisdom dating back to 11 A.D. is still inspirational to this day, the fact that this advice eminated from a monk portrays ambiguity of both wisdom and regrets.
Learning that he could have first changed his mindset before trying to change the world is a great lesson that contrived this wisdom loaded advice. To his regret, he learned a lesson at an old age meaning that he couldn't recover the time he had already wasted.
Noting that fools learn from their own mistakes while erudites do it from other people's mistakes, oh how I wish that; just like myself, this monk's mistake have taught you a lesson on the need to first change your mindset before you embark on a trajectory to change the world.
While our so called leaders have intentionally been blind to the plight of ordinary Kenyans for far too long, we have also been blinded by our own ignorance and that's why we never hold them accountable for neglecting their constitution mandated responsibilities of serving Kenyans relentlessly.
Out of our own ignorance, these selfish 'leaders' have now taken advantage of mutilating the constitution and they have the audacity to deceive us that they are doing so for our own good.
Although it's inarguably true that a great percentage of my fellow citizens are well educated people, it's extremely unfortunate because our knowledge have not brought any change for the longest. This is a clear indication that; intelligence without integrity is futile. In a more simplistic way; knowledge without wisdom is useless. That's why despite of our immense knowledge, we can't resonate with a commonsense issue like being aware that; Adding 70 more members of parliament and creating five new positions in the executive will automatically add a heavier burden of footing an enormous wage bill to the already heavily laden Kenyans.
In order to foot the proliferated wage bill in the BBI, there must be an increase on revenue. This begs the question; WHERE WILL THE INCREASED REVENUE COME FROM? The answer to this question isn't a matter of rocket science but an issue of commonsense. THEY WILL RUTHLESSLY CONTINUE TO OVERTAX US. Without perusing the entire BBI document, the fact that we will knowingly but ignorantly subject ourselves to higher taxes makes BBI a malicious and a devious plan to advance personal interests and simultaneously nurture a few individual's sense of self-entitlement. 
In his Solomonic wisdom, this are the words of Winston Churchill; " A nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle."
When moments of total ignorance from Kenyans are at hand as it is now, I inadvertently find myself quoting the great words of wisdom from the 32nd first lady of United States madam Eleanor Roosevelt; 'No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.'
The naked truth is; we have ourselves to blame for our total ignorance. Indeed, we have for a very long time allowed our 'leaders' to manipulate us to a point that we are now brainwashed to a point where we perceive them as demigods whose tune we must dance to unquestionably as we continue to live in extreme indigence. Whenever they ask us to jump, instead of asking WHY, we 'innocently' ask; HOW HIGH? Infact, we are the people in the biblical reference; 'Listen, you foolish and senseless people, with eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear....Jeremiah 5:21 Just like the boers,(Afrikaans) our so called leaders have for decades continued to impoverish us in order to forever rule us. The most vexatious thing is how they take advantage of our ignorance to effectively manipulate us. 

Out of his ingenuity, Bob Marley once said this words; "Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds." If anything, His three decades old words of wisdom tells us that; each one of us have a personal responsibility to redeem his or her conscious mind lest we fail in our collective responsibility of liberating our beloved motherland from decades of tyrannical rule.

Unless you are a visitor in Kenya, you know very well that we are deficient of servant and visionary leaders but surfeit with selfish, corrupt and power hungry politicians in the name of leaders whose agenda is to sate their greed for power and opulence. That's why amidst covid-19 and medic's strike, their concern is how more positions of power will be created for them to continue to rule over us. Our government times without number have approved the words of Ronald Reagan; "The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other."
Turning to the word of God; Then Jesus gave the following illustration: “Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? Luke 6:39 While most of our leaders are blind to the plight of ordinary Kenyans, we on the other hand are blind to their evil strategies of impoverishing us for their gain. 
In their selfish quest to change the constitution, please be advised that; they can keep on changing the constitution every year if they so wish, but their unsustainable greed for power and their unwillingness to honor the constitution at hand are a crystal-clear indication that; NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES THEY  COERCE US INTO CHANGING THE CONSTITUTION, THEIR CONCEIT AND LACK OF GOODWILL TO HONOR THE CONSTITUTION WILL ALWAYS PREVAIL. 

In other words, any person who lacks self-discipline to necessitate a sense of responsibility to support, obey, uphold, defend and protect the very constitution he or she vowed allegiance to when he took the oath of office, but out of his or her sense of superiority complex, ignorance, self-importance, ego, pride or whatever other reason decides to dishonor the constitution, that person is a recusant and is not fit for leadership whatsoever. 
As we await for the referendum with mixed feelings and anticipation, kindly liberate yourself from the blindness of ignorance and remember that; the mouth that consumed the seedlings will be the same mouth that will ask; what will I sow? Please don't be an enemy of your own and always remember the wise words of Albert Einstein; 'Insanity is doing the same thing, the same way, over and over, but expecting different results.' Before you consider changing the constitution, first consider changing your mindset because that's the root cause of all the problems. 
 

Coming to America

'Over the land of the free and the home of the brave.' These are the words that mark the last sentence of the United States of America national anthem. Since it's only in the bible that you can't add, remove, adjust or change not even a word but a punctuation mark lest the curse of death befell on you as it's written by apostle John in Revelation 22:19, I've choosen to change the last sentence of the United States of America national anthem to read; 'Over the land of the free because of the brave.' 
The reason behind my need to restructure the last sentence of the national anthem is in reference to the centuries old misconceptions that the myriad opportunities that denotes United States as a land of milk and honey are in reference to a collective responsibility of every American being a hardworking and law abiding citizen. This misconception pushes me to recall the words of an American musician and Grammy award winner, James Antony Carmichael;  'if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.'
Even though I don't disagree with the part of myriad opportunities, I beg to differ on the part of opportunities being realized out of a collective responsibility of all Americans. While a great number of Americans are hardworking people, truth be told, a smidgen of Americans are opportunists who suffer from what I call; Work ethics deficiency syndrome.
Work ethics is the term that will allude to most of my statements in this blog. In reference to the wise words of pastor Charles R. Swindoll pertaining attitude; “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% of how you react." It's inarguable true that; in the United States of America, you will encounter numerous trials and tribulations of many kind, racism and prejudice notwithstanding. All the same, your reaction and resilience towards all these challenges must stand the test of time if you are determined to succeed. 

On matters work ethics, it doesn't matter which country you migrate to, without great work ethics and resilience, you will never ever realize your potential and the potential of the country of your residency. 

The greatest aspect of suitable work ethics is attending to whatever legal job that comes your way. In support of my conscious thoughts, the scriptures are at the surface in the book of Ecclesiastes 9:10a; Whatever your hands finds to do, do it diligently......As you attend to whatever job that comes your way with total deligence, it's very imperative to know that;  United States is a country where your might be judged by the color of your skin rather than the content of your character and in isolated cases, your accent might as well follow suit. Whenever such moments are at hand, kindly remember that; it's not about what someone does to you or say about you, it's about how you react. You should never ever allow such moments to deter you from your trajectory towards success. In the very words of Eleanor Roosevelt; 'No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.'  The the distractions of the naysayers nessissitates a biblical reference from Exodus 1:12; 'But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites.'

On the other hand, the primordial perception in the minds of most people that dollars are harvested from the trees is just but an absurd myth. If by any chance this perception is true, I must then admit that I am either myopic or the fact that dollars are green like tree leaves has always robbed me a golden chance to see them. 

Noting that most people emigrate to the United States of America for greener pustures, i feel a pressing need to dymistfy a decades old misconceptions that tend to define green pastures as a continuity of the career, profession or occupation that you were pursuing in your motherland. Unless you are emigrating on a company's exchange program to pertake a specific job, as far as securing a job is concerned, kindly equip yourself with a variable job mindset. Such a mindset will enable you to attend to whatever job that's available before you settle and comprehend to pursue your career or occupation of choice.
On the other hand, I totally agree that United States of America is indeed a land of golden opportunities, nonetheless, succeeding in United States isn't a walk in the park. It's an endeavor that will cost you an arm and a leg. 

In many occurrences, I tend to differ with the person who said that experience is the best teacher. My contrary arguement is; some experiences are far much tormenting than the lesson they teach. If you decide to settle with the school of my conscious thoughts, please be advised that; emigrating to the United States of America without a very clear conscience of WHO you are or WHAT you want is the greatest mistake you can make in your life. I have seen people quit great jobs in their mother country only to end up depressed in the United States of America to a point of using and abusing drugs in quest for solace. Worse still, others sell their valuable properties and possessions with an extremely strong self-conviction that they will buy properties of a greater value than what they sold, only to end up in total disappointment after realizing that they can't even afford a property of a lesser value than the one they sold. With that knowledge in your mind, apart from re-consulting your thoughts before you decide to migrate to America, you should as well consult God for clarity on your decision lest you the one bird in your hand for the two in the bush.
The very first thing you must train yourself as soon as you migrate to the United States is being time conscious or in other words, time management. The decades old mediocre mindset that allows most Africans to find comfort in getting late with a ridiculous excuse namely 'African time' should never follow you to America. What will save you from waisting this most precious and free asset called time is an extremely clear conscience of WHO you are and WHAT you intend to achieve in life after migrating. Anything less will be a true recipe of future regrets. The answers to your WHO and WHAT will simultaneously answer the third most important question in a human being's life; WHY AM I HERE?
United States of America is a country of great opportunities on both spectrums of life. By this I mean, it's a country where you can move from rugs to riches or from a morally devoted and focused person to the worst criminal on the face of earth. The greatest and most powerful people on earth are here and so are the worst malefactors. For you to resist the snares of the American temptations, you desperately need God's presence in your life and sobriety in your conscience. Making a rigid decision to always stick with God like prophet Joshua will be a great decision. "..choose you now......but for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Jushua 24:15 As a grownup, you certainly have the freedom of choice. Indeed, the choice is all your, nonetheless, never ever forget that choices have consequences. 

If by any chance you will forget everything else in this blog, kindly don't forget the wisdom packed scriptures in the book of Ecclesiastes 9:11; 'I have seen something else under the sun, the race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.'
These scriptures are a perfect reminder that; you don't need any supernatural power to become successful in life. As long as you get 24 hours a day just like Elon Musk, Aliko Dangote and the like, you have what it takes to become successful in life. Kindly spend your time wisely with the knowledge that: Failure is not aiming high and missing, it's aiming low and hitting. 

A Sense of Entitlement

"Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country." These words marked the epitome of J.F. Kennedy's inaugural speech as the 35th president of USA on 20th January 1961.
From my school of conscious thoughts, I am totally convinced that; your country, and the world in general don't owe you anything. As a matter of fact, you owe mother earth an obligation to make her better than you found her.
Unfortunately, we are living in times when most if not all of us perceive that the world owes us something or anything. This self-illusion mindset that lead most people to a mere thinking that the world owes them some favour is just but a total myth that has continued to permeate in the society with untenable and societal detrimental aggression. In addition, it's an indication of a generation that has totally lost its moral compass in a dire haste of chasing riches, power, fame and publicity.
This grievous mindset of entitlement, which I like to call; the mindset of Cain or the spirit of Me, Myself and I, is the source of envy that forster anger and a dire need to forcefully acquire another person's possession or position with whatever means possible murder notwithstanding.
It's within the confinement of this mindset of entitlement that the very first death in the world took place. This was when Cain killed his brother Abel. How unfortunate can it be that the very first death on earth was not through a natural cause but murder. Later came Haman who plotted to assassinate Moredecai because he was the favorite of the king. Fortunately, his plans were thwarted and he was hanged by the very gallow he had mounted to hang Moredecai.

From those primordial biblical days up to now, the conviction from my conscience is that; most of the murders in the world take place as a result of this dreadful sense of entitlement that contrives insatiable greed of aggrandizement.

Why him or her and not me? This is the  nagging question that's associated with the sense of entitlement. Instead of letting this question take toll on you to a point of contriving a mindset of entitlement, you need to take this question to God in prayer. That's the only place that you can find true fulfillment and abundant peace that can refrain you from coveting or committing a crime.  'What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?' Mathew 16:26a
If you miss the dejecting news from the main stream media, you're most likely to read or hear them from different social media platforms on how family members kill each other for inheritance. Times without number, we get news of people robbing others with a perception that they too are entitled to riches. 

Among our political leaders, we have heard politicians who plot murder on their political rivals in order to occupy the position of the deceased. No matters entitlement, most of us can vividly remember entitlement utterances like; "No Raila no peace," or the most recent; "We shall never concede....we will fight like hell."
This egomaniac sense of entitlement has largely contributed to the present day generation of young people who regardless of their deficiency in morality and work ethics want live a lavish lifestyle way beyond their means. A generation that thinks that their parents owes them a livelihood. To everyone with this kind of mentality, here is the truth; Your dependency on your parents was a short-term right that began when you were born and ended when you turned 18 years. These were the formative and the developmental years of your life which were extremely fundamental towards your present day independence.
Have you ever known why 18 years of age is the universal rule of adulthood?  This is directly connected to the fact that; 18 years is the age when most people graduate high school and thereafter the world usher you to becoming an independent person. 
Back in my mother continent of Africa, high school graduates are referred to as O-level graduates. This means that you are no longer a child but an Ordinary level independent person. Around the world, at 18 years of age, you qualify to apply for a national Identification card (ID) as an indication that you are now an independent citizen who is directly answerable to the authorities of the land.
If you have ever blamed or are still blaming your parents for failing to pay for your college tuition, you owe them an apology. If they educated you to your high school level, (O-level) anything above that is a privilege not your right. At 18 years of age, you are an aldult who's supposed to be independent. If you are still having the sense of entitlement that makes you think that your parents owe you something, it's a high time to let it go lest you become a nuisance in the society and a failure in life.
I totally understand how difficult it is to  transist from a dependent person to an independent person. Nonetheless, the sooner you come into terms with this bitter reality, the better it will be for you since you will start to plan your future life at an early and tender age. It's extremely imperative for parents to know that; if you fail to tame your children's sense of entitlement at an early age, you will have  wronged the society by relinquishing a self-centered person to the already cruel world. A sense of entitlement begets self-centeredness, self-importance, jealousy, arrogance and narcissism. 

In reference to the golden rule; 'Do unto others the way you want them to do unto you,' we find the authentic essence of egalitarianism. Anything contrary to the universal golden rule portrays a sense of selfishness, ego, pride and narcissism.
Unfortunately, most people who are in the front line on matters equality in humanity are wolfs in a sheep's clothing just like it is in George Orwell's 1945 allegorical novel 'Animal Farm,' where the Pig Napoleon changes the rule from; all animals are equal, to; all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.
In the authentic spirit of egalitarianism, let's embrace the truth in the words of Dr. Steve Maraboli; 'A sense of entitlement is a cancerous thought process that's void of gratitude and can be deadly to our relationships.' 

In my own words I say; A sense of entitlement is an insatiable greed of aggrandizement that disregards egalitarianism.

Why remind us Mr President?

I must have missed the news, or my memo was sent to the wrong address because the last time I consulted my memory, the son of Jomo was still the president of my beloved motherland. 
The reason behind my dilemma between the former and the latter is purely based on the fact that, in less than a fortnight, the president has more than once reminded us that he is still the lion incharge, and his roar can clearly be heard in all the 47 counties. 

From my school of conscious thoughts, his constant reminder relates well with the Kiswahili proverb; Chema chajiuza kibaya chajitembeza,' which literally translates; while greatness is irresistible, failure is condescending.
His constant reminder that he is the president brings back my memories of years back when my immediate neighbour in the village would occasionally line up his children upon getting home totally intoxicated. In his befuddled state, he would stridently ask his children; "Do you know who I am?" "Who do your mother tell you I am?" Before they could gather some courage to answer him, he would hurriedly say, "I am the lion in this house and when I sneeze, everybody must response." 
The president's deep faith in his presidency which contrives his constant reminders that he is still incharge begs the question; Did he miss the Sunday school class when the teacher qouted James 2:17? 'Faith without works is dead.'  Giving him a benefit of doubt by assuming that he has never missed a single Sunday school class won't annul the truth that; Moments of self-guilt contrives spontaneous occurrences of self-abasement that render most people to repeatedly pronounce a title that's ascribed to their power as a way of revitalizing their confidence lest they feel intimidated. 

However, the best approach on self-guilt moments is not to affirm your title. Instead, you're supposed to rise up to the truth of the matter at hand and portray your servant-leadership by propitiously addressing the concerns of the people. Unfortunately, without a track record of consistency in leadership, to most people, a propitious address will never ever carry the day. 

In reference to the words of Nelson Mandela; "Anybody who changes his principles depending on whom he is dealing with, that's not a man who can lead a nation." It's very unfortunate that Kenyans have times without number witnessed capricious leadership in the last three and a half years to apoint of neither relying nor trusting most if not all of our 'leaders.'
Quoting the words of wisdom from Denzel Washington; 'Without commitment, you'll never start, but more importantly, without consistency, you'll never finish,' the starting part of Uhuru's tenure took off tremendously since there was what we all perceived to be a duo commitment that portrayed visionary leadership towards the fulfillment of the BIG FOUR AGENDA. Nonetheless, our joy was just but a short lived glory after a handshake that brought a persona non grata in jubilee's house in the name of peace, cohesion and walking along with unity. This 'hasty' move has not only disintegrated jubilee's house, it's now evident than ever before that; from the opposition side, the handshake was a premeditated strategy to impede the fruition of the Big Four Agenda and later use this failure to challenge the credibility of the government of the day. And to our surprise, the Big Four Agenda was prematurely terminated before it could see the light of the day and now we have to forcefully eat from the new menu by the name BBI. This lack of consistency in leadership clearly shows that: Fulfilling the promises associated with the Big Four Agenda remains to be a dreadful dream if not a nightmare. 

How I wish that the president would have known the words of immeasurable wisdom from Jesse Jackson; 'Leadership cannot just go along to get along, leadership must meet the moral challenge of the day.' 
On the other hand, it's very unfortunate that we are in a reign of leadership where telling the truth is not only illegal but also punishable. Under the leadership where members of the opposition party serve in the government. Kenya is indeed a facetious country. Where else on earth have you ever heard members of the opposition party serving in the government? It's only in Kenya. In the name of handshake, the current chairperson of the parliamentary committe on budget and appropriations  is a staunch member of ODM who happens to be the current women representative of Homa bay county. This is a clear indication that; apart from missing some important parts when we were hurriedly copying our constitution homework from the westerners, by the look of things, we copied all the laws but forgot to copy the most important law; the law that makes it mandatory to implement all the other laws.
The fact that I am a prisoner of truth, I have no apologies whatsoever when saying, "I won't tell you what you want to hear and smooth your soul with temporal happiness followed by perpetual regrets, I will tell you what you need to hear and give you a temporal heartache but ultimate perpetual joy and freedom."  And on matters truth, the scriptures are on the surface in John 8:32, 'You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.'
Noting that sooner that later we will strart a countdown to the remaining days before Uhuru's exit from the presidency, this is my honest advice in a nutshell; Unlike riches which can be inherited, a legacy is a self-aquired achievement not an inheritance. In that regard, when the history of our beloved motherland will be written, will there be nostalgic chapter on your legacy?

In Pursuit of Purpose

Hitherto, I still hold a vivid memory about the very first question my class three teacher asked me. "What would you like to become when you grow up?" Without ruminating, I scanned my mind and answered. "I would like to become a physician." "What about you Anne?" The teacher directed the very question to my desk mate. "I would like to become his wife." She innocently but  emphatically answered. I was about to burst into laughter but my conscience quickly convinced me, after all, which girl would hesitate to marry a physician? It's inarguably true that; regardless of her tender age, Anne had surely done her homework well for her to know that physicians earned a decent salary and led a good life.
True to Anne's perception, I grew up in the days when parents believed that there were only four professions that their children were supposed to assume after their studies. These professions were; a teacher, a physician, a pilot and an engineer. If your dreams were not within the confines of these four professions, according to most parents, your academic trajectory was a crystal-clear indication of becoming a failure in life. This were days when teachers' mere thinking inspired them to determine whether your future would be lined up with success or you were doomed to fail.
Noting that our parents' perception of success was purely based on the number of zeros that would follow the first digit on your pay slip, it's extremely unfortunate that, in this day and age, most young people possess this antiquated biased mentality about success. This awkward mindset is what's robbing most people their joy and peace of mind. To a greater extent, this misconception have rendered most youngsters to either undertake illegal businesses or involve themselves in lewd and immoral lucrative lifestyles in a dire need to earn money and become 'successful.'
What most people don't know or understand is that; you can earn all the money you want in this world but if you fail to find and pursue your purpose, you will never ever be fulfilled.
Opulence doesn't give you happiness or fulfillment whatsoever no wonder the saying; 'the rich also cry.' Joy, peace of mind and fulfillment emanates from finding and living a purpose driven life. 
In this life, everyone qualifies for two certificates; the arrival certificate (birth certificate) and the departure certificate.  (demise certificate) Nonetheless, the second most important day in your life will never earn you a certificate and to a vast majority, 85% to be precise, that day never comes. This means that; only 15% of the world population find their purpose in life no wonder the myriad global uncertainties. To the 15%, this is the day you will find or the day you found your purpose. In that regard, the two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you will find out why you were born. In a more simplistic way; the day you will find your purpose in life.
From my school of conscious thinking and without any fear of contradiction, I can confidently say; "Knowledge which is an aspect of the mind begets intelligence, but wisdom, which is an aspect of the heart begets integrity." The fact that the very heart that feeds on the word of God is the source of passion, which when well nurtured turns into  purpose is an indication that; in your dire quest to find your purpose, God is a necessity not an option.
As a conscientious hardworking person who spend restless days and sleepless nights attending to your occupation and planning how to attain riches, kindly be informed by the proverbial wisdom of king Solomon that; 'Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it's the LORD's purpose that prevails.' Proverbs 19:21
With the knowledge that everyone's purpose is directly or indirectly connected to making a positive change to humanity, in whatever occupation you are in, don't just inspire to make a living, inspire to make a difference. Riches can only offer happiness but wealth offers joy. Noting that happiness is just but a temporal feeling, joy is a perpetual emotion and your purpose in life is your life of purpose. 

Contrary to the words of an African poet and philologist; John Ronald Tolkien, 'Not all those who wander are lost,' in my opinion, people who maunder aimlessly in life are lost and that's why I totally agree with Mahatma Gandhi, 'The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.' 

TIME IS OF ESSENCE

Having made it through 2020 by the grace of the Almighty God, we are already a week old into 2021. By a single tick of the clock, a second goes by, then a minute and later an hour and subsequently a day is over. In a blink of an eye, the year will come to a close. The question that you are supposed to ask yourself at the close of each day is; what was my achievement today? 
In order to answer this question with confidence and enthusiasm, you're supposed to have a daily plan of your life which will not only aid you in observing proper time management but also perfect your day to day routine by ensuring that each particular day is successful utilized .
But why time management? The answer to this intriguing question is hidden in the words of a great 14th century English poet, Geoffrey Chaucer, who once said; "Time and tide wait for no man." In my own words; "No one is rich enough to buy time back." That's definitely why you should manage your time well.
Citing the dreadful memories of 19 years ago, I am extremely hesitant towards any numerals related to nine eleven. (9:11) Needless to say, I couldn't come anywhere close to intelligence without acknowledging the wisdom of the wisest man to have ever walked on planet earth. His scriptural words of wisdom are inked in Ecclesiastes 9:11 "I have seen something else under the sun: 'The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all."
It doesn't matter who you are or where you are in life in reference to position or location, every human being gets 86,400 seconds a day which is 1440 minutes a day or in a more simplistic approach, 24 hours a day. What matters is what you do with your time. In other words, what matters is how you spend your time.
According to my school of conscious thoughts, time, which is a snippet of eternity and a constant variable is most valuable and the most affordable resource in humanity because it's free. In life, there are only two resources you can spend, namely; Time and Money.
While time is an independent resource, money is dependent upon time. This means that, the money you earn is dependent upon the time you invest. Time begets money but money can never beget time, thus the phases like: it's just a matter of time and my lifestyle will change. 

United States government understands the relationship between time and money very well and that's why the money you earn is based on the time you've put in. (You have worked)
To attest the truth in the title of Benjamin Franklin's 1748 book; 'Remember time is money,' and simultaneously honor him as one of the founding fathers of United States of America, in 1914, the treasury decided to include Benjamin Franklin's portrait on the hundred dollar bill which is the highest legal tender bill in the land. In essence, the distance between your struggles and your success is time and how well you will spend it. 
On the other hand, there are only two powers that control time and money. These powers are; discipline and sacrifice and to my surprise, they are fundamentally interdependent. In order to elevate yourself from mediocrity, you should invest extra time working and in return earn decent money which you need to spend wisely in order to elevate yourself in life.
While investing extra time is a matter of sacrifice and discipline, spending your money wisely is a matter of discipline and sacrifice. When it comes to time and money, discipline and sacrifice are applied interchangeably. 
Apart from sharing common control powers, (CCP) time and money have another commonality. Both of them don't possess any intrinsic character. The constitutive ability of time or money is dependent upon the character of the beholder. 

The two scenarios that will aid you to a better understanding of my claim are;

*Two employees who work equal hours and earn an equal salaries but one advances in life while the other leads a mediocre life.
*A janitor who earns a quater of his employer's salary after working double  the time his employer works but eventually becomes more successful than his employer.
These two scenarios are a crystal-clear indication that; the discipline and sacrifice you will observe over your time or money will contrive to the level of constitutive ability in either of them. In other words; it doesn't matter how much time or money you have, if you squander either, you will fall short in the conversion of the presumption that; time and money hold a constitutive ability naturally into the reality that; time and money are futile under the care of a spendthrift. That's why some people outdo others even when they are subjected to the same working hours and similar income. 
It's not how much time or money you have, the constitutive ability or lack of it altogether is determined by how well or poor (your character) you spend time or money in your possession.
It's my humble request and sincere prayer that one among your numerous resolutions of 2021 is to utilize time and money to the maximum through a great time and money management strategy in a dire need to record a great achievement when the year comes to a close. Kindly go ahead and spend your time doing the right things and spend your money wisely because: "We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.” Nelson Mandela.