The Sunday Mail
“THERE is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self,” so said writer and philosopher Aldous Leonard Huxley.
Although, I always make an effort to be the best at everything that I do, sometimes I find myself slacking one way or the other.
There are certain individuals that I look up to for encouragement, but I have come to realise that for me to progress and grow in life, there is a great need to develop at a personal level.
In the continuous journey towards self-discovery, I recently bumped into and read Arthur Marara’s “Personal Development Toolkit”.
An attorney, author and motivational speaker, Marara crafted a book to share life changing principles that are meant to inspire people to achieve greatness.
With several high school textbooks under his belt, his ability to impart knowledge is exceptional.
Combining biblical references and real life testimonials of incredible personalities, the author managed to produce a practical and tangible developmental toolkit.
Making use of 2 Kings 7:3, Marara points out that if one is to transform his/her your life, there was need to take action.
I urge you to read the verse and the book to fully understand Marara’s thinking.
Anyway, the lepers in the Bible realised that if they did not take responsibility for changing their lives, they would actually perish, which also applies in our lives, whereby we can let things deteriorate or take the necessary steps to change them.
He goes on to say that it is very difficult to liberate a happy slave from slavery, which relates to people who have become comfortable with their problems and do not seem too keen to change their situations.
The insights in this book, reinforced by inspirational case studies are meant to give hope and a scope for the endless possibilities in life.
“There is no one who has a monopoly over success. Regardless of where you come from or where you are born, you can become what you were created to be,” says Marara.
Many people spend their lives justifying why they cannot achieve certain things and they fail to come up with strategies that will make them overcome obstacles.
Marara gave an example of Dr Vivian Thomas, an African-American surgical technician, who developed procedures used to treat blue baby syndrome in the 1940s.
The story of this particular individual is inspiring, considering that even without any education past high school, Thomas rose above poverty and racism to become a cardiac surgery pioneer and a teacher of operative techniques to many prominent surgeons.
Another interesting case study in this book is that of the late Herbert Chitepo, who despite living in a difficult political environment, chose to step beyond the common and made history by becoming the first black barrister in Zimbabwe.
“You can achieve and develop your life regardless of the challenges that may come your way.
“Champions are measured by the number of obstacles they have overcome to greatness,” said Marara.
Other elements which were explored include striving for excellence, vision, learning, exploitation of opportunities and progress evaluation.
The section that talks about exploiting opportunities kicks off with a quote from Stephen Covey who said: “Effective people are not problem-minded; they are opportunity-minded. They feed opportunities and starve problems.”
Successful people are said to have the ability to turn problems into opportunities by devising solutions to challenges being faced by society.
“If a person dies today, you will need the services of an undertaker. While people are mourning the departure of their loved one, others are busy calculating the cost for removing the body, washing and dressing, driving and burying their loved ones,” goes one paragraph in the book.
Most of the case studies and examples used are quite fascinating, which drove me to finish this 148 page-turner in no time.
The book is written in a simple, yet interesting way, which makes understanding easy while the content is gripping.
The insights are capable of unlocking the secrets that are buried deep within our imaginations, giving us directions in the journey towards desired goals.
The major setback I noticed was repetition in some instances, but overall this is one of the best motivational books I have read.
