Independence breeds success

This column is apolitical and we completely avoid political topics, themes and content. Every rule has exceptions. Today, we will come close to a political theme as an introduction to a principle that we want to discuss relating to personal achievement and success.

Many people blame our economic challenges on lack of donor support, resulting from Cashgate and so on. I do not think that donors should even come into the equation. We cannot be waiting for the donors to come. This is the best time to begin to build our economy without needing the donors. We now need the real and complete independence that Kamuzu, Aleke Banda, the Chisizas, Chokani, Kanyama Chiume, Chipembere, Orton Chirwa, Rose Chibambo and many others fought for.

I remember around 2006, when we had huge debates on such topics on the Diaspora chat forum Nyasanet, many of the prominent economists argued that economies that were built with little reliance on donor money are able to withstand the challenges that countries such as Malawi keep facing. A good example I remember seeing several times was Kenya. Now, I also know that Rwanda’s development story has little or no reliance on donors.

We now need to get weaned from the dependency on donor money, donations and all these institutions such as World Bank, IMF, and so on. When they come, let them come only to supplement and only to take us the extra mile. Not coming in for the core survival of our state. No!

The same can be said for personal cases. The people that have a personal philosophy to be self-contained, self-reliant, and totally independent are bound to survive most of the big, and even small, challenges in their life. Those who keep depending on others, on friends, relatives and institutions are not built to last. It is a matter of mindset and, therefore, purely down to choice. We choose to either be independent or not. And every choice has the attached consequences.

I cannot recall from the top of mind anyone of the many successful people that I know who has a dependency mindset. All the names of successful people that immediately come to my mind are of people who are totally independent. Even when they ask for help, they don’t ask to depend on you or the help. The help they ask for is the only single missing piece in a big puzzle already nearly solved and they will not be back the next minute or hour for another round of help.

I know very well that this sounds a little harsh. Sometimes we need to tackle hard truths, hard facts of life. We cannot always talk soft matters and easy content. We need to also embrace tough realities of life. Young men and women who embrace independence as they grow, quickly become successful in life. These are the people that would rather not have a smart phone if they cannot afford one than get one through serious begging or even doing some tricks. At a fundamental level, those with a completely independent mindset believe that for anything to happen, it is down to them and nobody else.

Good luck as you review which groups of people you belong to. If already independent, well done and please keep it up. If not, then good luck as you work to change your approach to life and congratulations for adopting this new approach. You are destined for a better life! n