Uncle Chim Tuna’s 12 Lessons Everyone In Their 20s Can Learn From Ghafla
I decided to make a list of 12 lessons people can learn from Ghafla because Christ had 12 disciples. And the unique thing about my list of things people should know or get to experience while in their twenties is the fact that I am writing it from an entertainment angle. I figure, seeing as I am turning 25 this Friday, I should share some of my experiences and the lessons I learnt from them. And some are hilarious, some are dark.
When you turn 20, an entire new world opens up to you. There is university or college. You’re finally old enough to talk about adult topics such as sex and understand the ramifications of your decisions. Your parents no longer treat you like a toddler and even encourage you to go out and make mistakes of your own (within reason). But there are some of us who get hung on being 16 for years while others are 21 and have the maturity and wisdom af 60year olds who have lived a lifetime of bad decisions. and the entertainment industry is awash with the two types. Why? well, because the entertainment industry attracts extroverts& narcissistic.
And some of the things I have learnt over the years working at Ghafla are:
#1. Learn to network.
Learn to talk to people when you’re out. Learn to hobknob and mingle; you never know when it will come in handy.
#2. Make REAL friends.
Working for Ghafla I have watched celebrities back-stab each other. I have watched careers rise and plumet and I have seen as “friends” scatter from you when the hard times come. Make real friends because these will last a lifetime. My colleagues are some of my best friends. Wait, does that mean I have a sad life? still trying to figure that out.
#3. Seek a mentor.
Mista Majani is mine. That is why I joined Ghafla. I joined so i could start something of my own. Mista Majani took me under his wing and would invite me for meetings with his investors. Seek out mentors who are truly out to help you. Not mentors who are doing so simply to assuage whatever guilt they have accumulated in life. Seek mentors who will help you grow both professionally and mentally.
#4. Take risks.
When I joined Ghafla, I was a finance student at JKUAT. I had the Ghafla records at my disposal. I saw the trajectory Ghafla is headed on and i decided to join full time. I took a risk -a calculated gamble if you will. The way I see life, while you are 20-something, you are young enough to make mistakes and still have time to recover. You can stake your world on a decision, watch your world crumble and still have the youthful vigour necessary to pick yourself up and move on -especially if you have no dependents.
#5. Never rush life.
Life is short, live it to the fullest. Be young while you’re young. Be silly. Laugh when you feel like and within reason, do what you will. You owe it to yourself.
#7. Have a passion
Before joining Ghafla, my passion was watches. I found it very easy to apply the same passion I have for collecting and restoring watches into working at Ghafla. That is one thing everyone seems to comment about when I meet them. And it makes me want to succeed at Ghafla.
#8. Ignore the haters and detractors.
Ghafla is at a point where everyone has noticed us. Some hate seeing young people make money. Others are inspired. Some say words of encouragement but the loud minority love to hate. Learn to ignore the noise. Keep your eyes on the prize always. When Ghafla was starting out, alot of people had something negative to say about starting an “entertainment website”. When I wanted to join, alot of people spoke ill about Ghafla. They now call me asking for favours and employment opportunities. As Sue Watiri once told me, “No one ever throws rocks at a fruitless tree!”
#9. Celebrities too are human.
Stop idolizing socialites and celebrities. They are only here to entertain. stop trying to be like them and for heavensake stop whining about that “naked socialite” simply because she has a better body than you. Learn to see them for what they are, entertainers and leave it at that.
#10. Cultivate a work ethic.
Working hard is something admirable. Forget all the trustfund-babies who spend all day doing nothing. Working hard is my form of worship. I work like a slave so I may eat like a king when the appointed time arrives.
#11. Save.
I have seen so many celebrities fall off and land in the jaws of poverty and that scares me. Some get invited abroad and when things do not work out, lack the funds needed for a bailout. I do not want to go down that path!
#12. Cultivate your reputation.
Think of your reputation as your brand. What comes to mind when people mention your name. Mine is that I am a man of my word. I have never had to reassure a celebrity or source that I will not run their name when I run an expose. They know I will not.
I have also never been yelled at by anyone demanding a take down. Everyone knows better.
