Decent Conversations, Great Ideas!

The year has got 365 days and every day might look different due to the activities we are engaged in but some things will stay the same all through the year like the sun rising from the East and settling in the West. As the days go by, you will meet people of all walks of life, with different values, interest, peer group, older generation, rich, poor etc.

Opportunities will be manifested in the conversations you will be engaged in that will either evoke new thinking, create opportunities for the next innovation, self reflection, partnerships, life transition etc. In this era of technology you will also be overwhelmed with different cross cutting conversations on the social media networks within every second or minute to either share, like, tag, read, watch or comment (text, video, images and audio).

Lectures at CMETrust in Mathare ( Youth Space)

All this will compete for your attention and influence the way you think and act on a particular aspect of your life or the subject.

 Self Evaluation Around Conversations

Let me take a pause and reflect on 2018, think about these ten questions around conversation;

1. How many conversations did you trigger that led to an idea or action?
2. How many 'useless' conversations were you engaged in that didn't lead to anything progressive?
3. How many meetings were you invited to? (round table meetings, workshops, conference etc).
4. How many meetings did you organize to discuss an idea or meet the ideal prospective partner or mentor?
5. How many social meet-ups did you attend (Weddings, Parties, Meet and Greet)? 
6. Who was in attendance during the meet-up or meeting? 
7. How many follow-ups were organized after the first meeting? 
8. Are there traces of success stories, follow ups, projects or pilot project triggered by the conversation you started?
9. How many e-conversations were you involved in? Think of email, SMS, telephone calls, social media, hangouts, Voice over Internet etc. 
10. What were the challenges, success or opportunities through the use of either e-conversation or meet-up in person? 

 Diary 2018 – Story Telling and Conversation

 " Naturally, we are social being and we are meant to live together not in isolation since the time of creation. No matter any challenges one might face there are still ways to strike a conversation for better understanding, partnerships, ideation, cohesion, etc.”  Wilson Masaka, founder Wilsen Initiative  (Wi) 

Everyone has a story to tell! 

 Open your mouth to tell a story,
 Open your mind to many other possibilities,
Open your heart to help others tell their story
and Open your eyes for new opportunities for connections in our stories 

I have learned that the people that I meet in my life either online or offline will always influence the next pathways of my journey through the conversation we make that might trigger shared synergies for new ideas and sustainable impact.

Never underrated any conversation be an active listener and participate in unearthing new opportunities that might never openly present itself. Take a good example, it is interesting to talk about the weather patterns which will be there everyday, but on the flip, you can also re-frame the conversation by also thinking of how our actions contributes to the weather patterns and try to do something about it and this will be around global warming which is real.

Let us all, think of ourselves as solutions to existing and emerging problems in the society. Within the 17 SDGs my energy is around poverty eradication and quality education for all. It doesn't mean I don't support the rest, but I primarily try to add my contribution and voice toward the goals even in a small way despite my position in the society.

What's your main goal/s in 2019? 

 The 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) to transform our world:

• GOAL 1: No Poverty 
• GOAL 2: Zero Hunger 
• GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being 
• GOAL 4: Quality Education 
• GOAL 5: Gender Equality 
• GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation 
• GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy 
• GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth 
• GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure 
• GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality 
• GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities 
• GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production 
• GOAL 13: Climate Action 
• GOAL 14: Life Below Water 
• GOAL 15: Life on Land 
• GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions 
• GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal 

Read more on https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/envision2030.html