Face life challenges head-on

Pages: 20
ISBN 978-0-7974-4372-3
By Richmore Tera
IF ever there is one trait that distinguishes mountain climbers from the rest of the pack, then it is their desire to soar to dizzy and cliff-hanging heights.
The same can also be said of people in life when it comes to the issue of success.
It is only those who are determined enough and take action at the right time and at the right place who can make a difference and excel.
Author, James Nyamajiwa has joined the breed of local motivational authors like Milton Kamwendo and Noah Mangwarara among others by penning a motivational book titled Go Higher.
Although it is slim – being just 20 pages – the book is laden with nuggets of wisdom that are aimed at transforming the reader by jolting his or her mind to take action, if they are to make a difference in life.
The author challenges people to take the bull by the horns, in other words, facing their problems head on rather than running away from them or procrastinating.
“So many times we are faced with challenges and at times we think of giving up.
“Every individual wishes to lead a successful and joyful life.
“Along the way to leading such lives, challenges seem unavoidable. Challenges of life should be faced head on.
“Go higher, give your best as you face the problems of life. Running away from a challenge or problem will never help you nor serve the needs of the human race.
“What you need is to master ways of overcoming the challenges you are faced with”, writes the author in the preamble.
To hammer his message home, Nyamajiwa uses the story of a pilot who is tasked to ferry passengers together with a box-full of snakes to a certain destination.
As fate would have it, the box of snakes was left unlocked, and the snakes crawl out, posing a threat to the passengers, some of whom are even bitten to death.
He advises his boss who is on the ground over the predicament, and the boss barks orders that, rather than landing, he should go higher to a certain altitude.
“No, do not land, stay there for a minute. Let me think . . . what altitude are you flying?” he asks.
This does not go down well with the pilot who is witnessing people staring death in their faces.
But the pilot obeys the orders and flies higher.
It is at this moment that he is informed that: “Now tell the cabin crew that at this altitude the snakes are now harmless.
“They can just pick them up with their hands and return them to the box, and this time they should (not) forget to lock the box,” said the boss.
The crew finally manages to put the snakes back into the box and proceed to their destination without any trouble.
The moral behind this modern day parable, according to the author, is that sometimes people who dare to go to certain lengths in order to deal with their problems (here represented by snakes) are the ones who will succeed.
According to Nyamajiwa, these problems only serve to distract you so that you won’t prevail.
He gives examples of people who made it in life after what they thought were failures in life.
He cites the story of Edmund Hillary who in 1951 wanted to go down into history as the first person to reach the peak of Mount Everest.
After attempting but failing to make it, a ceremony to honour him was set but he told the people gathered that he would make the feat, which he later achieved.
He also gives the example of the Biblical Joseph, who after dying without taking his people to the Promised Land, asked them to carry his bones there.
Thus in a way, Joseph finished the journey that he started and reached his destination, albeit as bones.
Go Higher is a book that everyone who wants to make a difference in life should read.