Africa has
been the sick man of the world for decades. While the rest of the world
has moved on to greater things, our continent remains notorious for
poverty, conflicts, rudderless governments and corruption. Africa’s
abundance of natural, human and mineral wealth has become the bane and
curse of its progress, rather than a catalyst.
From our
deserts and deltas flow endless streams of high-grade petroleum and our
earth constantly belches some of the world’s finest minerals. Our lands
are fertile and our forests are lush. Our people are young, hardworking
and many millions strong. But Africa is lost, lost behind the rest of
the world.
Africa’s
leaders have failed it and continue to sabotage its glowing destiny.
Greed, selfishness and arrogance have turned us against one another. Our
dysfunctional military juntas and democracies have continued to rob the
people blind. There is more than enough wealth to go around in Africa
but the 'significant' few have cornered the commonwealth for themselves
and their generations unborn.
We have
spent decades blaming our governments and this has proved to be a futile
strategy. Still, most of us are bound by the unyielding shackles of
unemployment and economic slavery. It’s time to start thinking a little
differently.
Our
governments will not save us; many of us already know this by now. At
this time, it is every man and woman for himself. It’s been proven time
and time again that anyone who entrusts his financial future to our
leaders will be ruined. It’s time to take our future into our own hands
and build wealth for ourselves. It’s very possible. The opportunities
around us are endless and it’s time to approach our lives a little
differently.
Smallstarter.com
hopes to become the tiny straw that holds the hand of the willing
African as he/she finds his way to financial freedom… one small step at a
time.
The Smallstarter Manifesto
This
Manifesto is a collection of pledges to myself and is free for Africans
and other people of similar circumstance who wish to change their lives
and achieve financial freedom. These six pledges are statements of
conviction and remind us of the overwhelming power we have to alter our
lives forever.
#1 - The pledge of Choice and Personal Responsibility
As a
Smallstarter, I resolve today and onwards to be responsible for my
future, to take my destiny into my own hands and work towards its
realization. I hold no person, government or institution, whether
physical or spiritual, accountable for my financial future. Henceforth, I
shall blame no one for my failures and will continue to learn from them
until I succeed. I choose to think this way because I can.
#2 - The pledge to seek and exploit opportunity
As a
Smallstarter, I shall actively pursue and create opportunities within my
environment and outside it. I choose to see possibilities in every bad
and challenging situation. I choose to see the potential for profit in
every problem. I choose to think of solutions instead of whine about the
difficulties. I choose to avoid complaints and blame. I choose to think
this way because I can.
#3 - The pledge to take Little steps
As a
Smallstarter, I believe in the natural law of little steps. I believe
that tiny drops will make an ocean and seconds will eventually amount to
days and then years. I believe that with hardwork, persistence and
zeal, success will always be sure in the end. I accept that good success
is earned and will often require time and nurture. I totally reject and
declare myself immune to the get-rich-quick syndrome that has caused
the greed and selfishness in the African people. I choose to believe
these things because I can.
As a
Smallstarter, I believe in the infiniteness of opportunities. I believe
that there is an endless supply of ideas as there is an abundance of
resources in Africa. I believe there are business ideas everywhere I
look, feel, live, interact and laugh. I believe there is an abundance of
wealth behind all the broken roads, hunger, unemployment and
homelessness in Africa. I believe that by solving these problems, wealth
will naturally flow to me as satisfaction and relief flows to the
people my ideas will help. I choose to believe these things because I
can.
#5 - The pledge to earn from my sweat
As a
Smallstarter, I choose to embrace the dignity that comes from smart
labour. I believe it is much easier to create wealth than to steal it. I
believe I am smart enough to create opportunities for myself and for
others, rather than steal from them. I choose to enrich the commonwealth
rather than plunder it. I shall channel my greed, ambition and
arrogance to solving problems and providing enormous value to others
while enriching my purse. I believe every dollar I spend should be one I
have earned. I choose to believe these things because I can.
#6 - The pledge to continuous self-improvement
As a
Smallstarter, I choose to improve myself through my successes and
failures. I shall actively seek knowledge and will continue to learn for
the rest of my active years on earth. I shall use the knowledge and
skills I have learned to boost my successes and enrich the lives of
people around me. I believe the best form of learning is self-sought and
not one endowed by a paper certificate. I resolve to be smart by my
choice and not by my circumstances. I choose to do these things because I
can.
culled from http://www.smallstarter.com/
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