Posts Tagged ‘kenya’
The Sacred Flow of Life
In July of 2014, after almost ten years of living in East Africa between Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya, we decided it was time to reevaluate our geographic location. Africa has been a prevalent aspect of my life since I was just a child, and after a decade of living and working there, it has become…
Read MoreThe Year of Your Perspective Bank
At our core, I believe each of us operates according to our perspective. Our beliefs, judgments, actions, inactions, fears, loves, desires and infatuations are founded in our perspective. Each of us has an perspective bank full of experiences that happened to us or that we specifically sought out. We don’t choose the environment we…
Read MoreClear Eyes & Open Hearts
In 2006, I gave away everything I owned, left my partnership at the private equity firm and transplanted myself to Rwanda. I wanted to reinvent myself through new experiences and become more of who I wanted to be. To say that my time in East Africa {Rwanda, DRC, Uganda, Kenya} involved some difficult times would…
Read MoreOnly As Big As You Make It
There are certainly many habits that make me who I am. I diligently work at being deliberate about all aspects of life and I think that’s a fundamental must. Then I work to create solid habits from that foundation. Everyone struggles, to some degree, with fear, stress, lack of confidence and various other worries. Then…
Read MoreWhat Wolf Will You Feed?
This Cherokee proverb is quite popular, and seems to keep coming up on my radar. It’s simple, but profound. One evening, an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil, full of anger, envy,…
Read MoreAppreciating The Unexplained
The more I experience life, the more I appreciate the unexplainable. I’ve been trying to teach Francois some of the nuances of the love I feel for my wife. Not an easy task, especially when explaining to an 18-year-old Rwandan boy from the village that’s never experienced love. When he asked me what it’s like…
Read MoreJust Keep Giving
Philanthropy is messy. It’s rare that you achieve exactly what you set out to accomplish. The process often involves a lot of frustration, tears, frustration and lack of resolve. Let’s face it; changing the world is no walk in the park. And if you’re dealing with people, it’s likely they may not be grateful for…
Read MoreLiberation Philanthropy
I’m a firm believer that we all have a choice. We make choices every second of our lives that determine our reality. Ultimately, we all do exactly what we want; it’s just a matter of how badly we want it. But does a child growing up in the inner city in Chicago or Compton understand…
Read MorePriorities & Perspective
As 2011 has come to a close, my mind has been dwelling more on society’s perspective and priorities. The developed world has created a completely different and unnatural reality and worked diligently to convince society that this way is the only way. And I certainly see the ripple effect even here in Kenya. It’s fueled…
Read MoreWhat Will Be My Life
In March 2006, I dropped everything in Nashville (TN) and moved to Kigali, Rwanda to pursue my dream of developing businesses that would foster an image of beauty and excellence for Africa. About two weeks into it, I met Francois Murengerantwari. He was an 11 year old street kid, selling some odds and ends at…
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