12. Learn continuously

The day you stop learning is the day that you die. I'm in an industry whereby continuous learning and training is the order of the day. You can never be complacent and say you've arrived. This is particularly true in the world of today where technology is moving at a break neck pace. For instance 2 years ago nobody knew what an ipad is but it is now ubiquitous. So it is in life you've got to keep on improving, keep learning new ways, new tricks and techniques to survive.

If we continue leaning on what we've learnt before we could render ourselves obsolete. If you look at the business world there are countless companies that fell by the wayside due to their reluctance to adapt e.g the once mighty Kodak is teetering on the brink of collapse. The ones who survive are the ones who are able to read trends and react to them constantly on the look out and constantly improving. There's something I was taught in a talk given by Titus Naikuni when I was still in uni- expect 3 things change, complexity and competition.

So don't get complacent keep learning and not just academically but from the world at large. That way you'll keep yourself relevant.

11. Human beings are not linear time invariant systems...

human behaviour is hard to predict and you really can't tell how people will react in different circumstances. We are not like machines where you just flip a switch and voila you get what you want. Human behaviour borders on chaos. Expect the unexpected

10. Stop and ask for directions

It's a common joke that men don't stop and ask for directions and I have been guilty of this many times. One of the things I have was taught in flying school is when you are temporarily unsure of position - i.e lost the first thing you do is confess. Hard thing to accept that you're lost but it's the first step in getting back on track. Asking for directions is not stupid, nobody knows everything so if you don't have that map or GPS ask! This can be extended to any other situation where you have inadequate knowledge to move yourself forward, ask others who've been there before!

9. Intelligence alone does not guarantee success

We live in a country that puts a big emphasis on exam results and book smarts. However important classroom performance is, it is not the only thing that will help you be successful in life. More important is so called emotional intelligence, how you relate with other people and the so called 'soft skills.' Coming from a technical background I've come to realise how important this is in the marketplace. Out in the real world it's not only the hard skills that count but how good you are at building relationships with the people around you.

8. Generally people care less about what you know but would rather know that you care

Having knowledge and information may be great but when somebody is going through something they'd rather you take your time to listen than load them with facts. Everybody likes to have somebody who cares not necessarily one who has the answers or the solution. A lesson we as men are learning all the time...

7. Everything in it's time

"There's a time for every purpose under heaven" comes from the famous words in Ecclesiastes 3:1-15. Timeless wisdom right there (pun not intended) Timing is an art that is hardest to master and there's nothing better than doing the right thing at the right time. It takes a lot of wisdom to discern the times and seasons but it is always best when you get it right. For example how beautiful it is say in a game of football when the striker arrives just at the right moment to receive the pass and strike the ball into the back of the net.

That sense comes with practice and attention. Learn it!

6. Do not confuse motion with progress

I got this little pearl listening to John Hagee on TV. He was talking about how the children of Israel spent 40 years going around in the desert because they refused to learn the lessons necessary to go into the promised land. Even in our lives we could find ourselves doing round in circles instead of towards our goal. Another way of saying it is don't confuse activity with productivity. It's easy to engage in a lot of activity to procrastinate but in the end it is wise to invest in activity that will take you forward.