adminwe were fishing, Alex revealed to me the keys he used to unlock his potential over a 40-year period.
Appreciate your personal situation
Alex told me that he came from a very poor family that could not afford to pay school fees for him to complete his education.
As a result he dropped out of school and he only managed to get manual jobs.
At the age of 30, he approached a popular bus company which used to ply Harare-Mutare route for a job as a loader.
To his surprise, he was advised that his first interview would be done at Mbare Musika.
On the day of the interview, he was given what appeared to be a very easy task, to go and close the door of a bus belonging to a rival bus company and to direct any passenger destined for that bus to his company’s bus instead.
However, as he was going through his task, he was viciously attacked by touts from the rival bus company.
Although he received a thorough beating, he put up a brave fight, which convinced his bus company to give him the job.
After working for six months, he realised that his salary could not sustain him and his family despite the fact that the job was very interesting.
He decided to look for another job that paid better and it was this search that pushed him into the risky business of fishing.
Every institution you work for is your university
Alex was not bitter about the low remuneration he received from the bus company but talked glowingly about the major lessons he learnt during the time that he was employed as a loader.
The first lesson was if one puts up an honest fight in any endeavour he will be rewarded in the long run.
Therefore everyone must fight to unlock the space that you want to have dominion over.
Support will help you succeed
When Alex told his family about his decision to quit his job to go into fishing, they supported him.
His father gave him three hand-made hooks and a fishing line (janga), which he treasures to this day.
His mother advised him never to start a war unless he measures his chances of success.
After that she knelt down and prayed for divine intervention in Alex’s new occupation. In a way, his parents jump-started his new career.
Understand your vision
Alex’s dreams were centred around three main goals, i.e. to send his children to St Augustine’s Missions School (KwaTsambe), where the village headman’s children went.
He also desired to drive a one-tonne truck that was similar to the one that was owned by the village businessmen and also to own a house in Marimba Park in Harare, where his uncle lived in the 1970s.
After working for six months for the bus company, Alex realised that he could not finance any of his three goals from his salary and he opted out.
The need to fulfil his goals and aspirations enabled him to persevere during very trying times in his life. He managed to achieve all the three goals through fishing.
Stay on the path
Fishing is fun as a weekend outing, but is hard work when it is a full-time profession.
It is entertaining during major feeding hours for fish and vice versa.
During the first six months of his fishing career, he was given guidance on how to develop the mental strength to soldier on in difficult times and to always have a conviction that fish will always feed.
In this regard, Alex was advised to push forward until his fishing time coincides with the major feeding hour.
Given this background, Alex is always positive even if the bass is not biting and always is patient because he enjoys being in the dam.
To him life is empty and meaningless without rivers and dams. Can the same be said about your current profession?
He was disciplined enough to save 10 percent of his turnover most of the time.
He aligned his savings to the three goals he set for himself. The long-term goal always received the lowest allocation from the 10 percent savings while the short-term goals received bigger allocations. This enabled him to purchase a house, a boat and a one-tonne truck as well as send his children to school.
Never stop trying
Bass fish reacts to changes in the weather. Not all days are the same weatherwise as it can either be hot, cold, clear sky, windy, overcast or rainy.
This implies that a fisherman who is constantly trying to adapt by changing his baits can eventually bump into a bait that is doing well during a particular fishing time.
Those who stay long enough in any business will eventually understand the tricks of the trade.
Alex always convinced himself to come again the following day even if he catches nothing on a barren day. His motto is “ramba uchisewa pasi pemuto pane nyama”.
Expect the unexpected
Alex survived as a fisherman for such a long period because he has a lot of faith in himself as a fisherman.
He believes that bass like his bait. He always believes that he will receive a miracle when he is fishing and at times, he receives the miracles when he is about to pack his equipment to go home. Miracles normally occur to people who are working towards achieving something.
Working hard enables you to learn
Alex says that any aspiring bass fisherman who is not prepared to work hard mentally and physically will not survive in the trade.
It was through hard work that he experienced certain consistent behaviour of bass.
Most people acquire skills by working out various options while on the other hand, idleness gives nobody any experiences. People acquire skills and experience through working.
Pick yourself up after a flat day
Alex says the hardest situation for any player is to convince themselves to try again the following day after a bad day in office.
There is no successful fishermen who has not experienced a dry spell during their careers.
In most cases, dry spells are followed by lots of rain the following season. This should be a reason why a farmer should always to go back to the fields after experiencing drought the previous year.
Know when to accept change
Over the years, Alex has fished in many dams dotted around our country. He says that there are times when traditional dams stop biting well for sustained periods of time.
This might signal the need to change the dam or the method of fishing. As much as people are encouraged to be patient and persistent, it might be important to try varying strategies and tactics, which will help you to attain your set goals.
He said: “Never commit yourself to a particular dam, but commit yourself to your fishing business.
“The pattern and cycles of dams change all the time, be careful of hanging around collapsing dams.’’
The writer is a managing consultant at CLC Training International. E-mail [email protected]
leeroy
Online Reporter