There are those who argue that the subject of spirituality should never be share the same bed. However, recent research has shown that people who exhibit high sense of spirituality are better positioned to succeed than those who do not.
Bostwana born millionaire, Nigel Chanakira says that, “I believe that without faith you would not achieve a lot. A lot of my achievements are therefore because of my faith. I go to mass every Sunday. Whenever the church needs my services right now, for example, sitting in the finance committee for the bishop-I go and help. Hard work, commitment, a desire for success, passion, integrity, strong values, strong belief in oneself, in systems, in people, and most importantly in God-this is the bedrock that holds Pula Holdings together”.
Nigel Chanakira had always wanted to own a bank, but it was a series of events that brought him to realize that God was real and that was the key to his success in life. He had heard a sermon preached in church by one pastor Tom Deusschle that made him start thinking about his dream of owning a financial institution. The pastor had preached about Kingdom companies-those started by Christians who were financing the preaching of the gospel. Nigel who had wanted to run his own bank took the challenge. He was touched by the scripture, “But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”. He needed US$ 500,000 for a banking license. He was short of US$380,000 for the total amount so he went to church to get the rest, and he did got it!
How did he get it? Well, having read Malachi 3:10 which says:
“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be enough room to receive it”. He was inspired to challenge God for a miracle. In his own words, “So that Sunday I went to church and stood up in the service and said: “I am going to give US$17,000 to the church in order to sow the seed in the Lord’s house that I will own my own bank. People told me I was stupid- I had sold my house, I was giving my money to the church. What was I doing? So, with the US$17,000 pledge, Chanakira was even further away from his target, but he was a man with a God-given vision, and four partners who believed in him.
The end of the whole matter was that he did not only own the Kingdom Bank Africa; God gave him a stock brokerage firm (Kingdom Securities) microfinance (MicroKing, now the biggest microfinance business in Zimbabwe) and many more in several African countries. Today, he runs a billion-dollar company on the Zimbabwean Stock Exchange and has won several awards over the years including being nominated a World Economic Forum Global Leader of Tomorrow. Your spiritual strength holds the key to what you can do physically! Spirituality in business has benefits Zimbabwean born billionaire Strive Masiyiwa confesses that he is first and foremost a family man. He enjoys quality time with his family. Despite his very busy schedule, he makes time to read his bible and play active role in church activities. Get this right, life is bigger than your entrepreneurial dreams.
Keep your relationship with God and family. Keep your health in place. Keep your life in a balance! Never be deceived; life is more important than wealth and riches. It is unwise to chase money to the neglect of your God, family, health and key relationships. You may not start out with a foolproof gyroscope, but to survive as an entrepreneur, you’ll need that strong sense of perspective. How to maintain simple, clear focus. How to be at peace with and learn from a failure. Understanding that not all battles are worth winning and knowing when to walk away. Knowing when to go home and give your loved ones a hug. When to go for a run.
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