I’ve often told some of my friends that I have the deepest respect for architects and, in fact, anyone in the construction industry. Probably, if I weren’t in the industry that I’m in, I’d seriously consider a career as an architect. At least that’s what I like to tell myself once in a while. All the same, I feel thoroughly inspired when I look at buildings, whether they be superstructures like skyscrapers or simple residential houses. That these structures started off as nothing more than ideas in someone’s mind and have now become solid fixtures on the earth’s surface really fascinates me.
Lately, I’ve also found that I have a growing interest in property. I find myself studying occasionally how people have made amazing fortunes from developing property – taking, for example, a mediocre house, investing resources in it and selling it for much more than it was worth before. Of course, it’s not quite as simple as that. A whole lot more goes into it. But the more I look at a house or building as an investment, the more I realize that our lives are pretty similar in many ways.
Now please, don’t get me wrong: I’m not a property guru. But I’m sure it’s fair to say that we judge the worth of a house by its beauty – how it appears to the eye – and where it is located. But more importantly, we judge its worth by the type of investment that has gone into it – the fittings, the type and quality of materials that have been used and also by the calibre of workmanship that has gone into creating and maintaining it. These things add value to the structure and push up its price on the market so that even if its not necessarily located in the leafiest suburb or classiest part of town, it cannot be valued at the same price as the other properties around it.
We constantly have to look at our own lives and ask what we are doing to add value to ourselves or to ‘push up our price on the marketplace’, if I can use that term? If we are to change Africa and our world, each of us, like a skilful and sharp developer, needs to add value to ourselves by exposing ourselves to things that build us up according to our different skill sets, personalities and inclinations. It’s not always easy and, yes, sometimes it’s costly but over time it shows and it’s worth it.
So, when did you last read a good book, take a course, attend a useful seminar or expose yourself to the teachings or ideas of a good author, speaker or motivator? If you haven’t put any nice fittings in your house lately, now’s the time. Add value to yourself!
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