Hello everyone on the SOGR network. I must say, it is good to be here. Thank you Rebecca for bringing us together. Thank you everyone for your wonderful stories and insights. Wishing everyone the success and abundance that we deserve. This is my first post and I am already battling on how to make it short and straight to the point. I will try though.

I have just finished reading the SOGR for the second time and I will admit to say, that as I was going through the little book, I was smiling and inwardly talking to myself saying: Why didn't I know all this? It's so true! As a result, I have joined the SOGR for Practical Geniuses course and I am currently going through the first lesson.

But here is my story. And this happened even before reading Mr Wattles wonderful book. The way I can put it, is to say that Mr Wattles explains so easily things that sometimes we take for granted.

Well, originally I come from a small country called Malawi. (I bet some of you may never have heard of it or may have seen it on the world map, but it's so minute that you would possibly miss it. In any case, we tend to filter for things that matter to us, not so?). OK, it is a landlocked country sandwiched between Tanzania in the North to North East, Zambia in the West and Mozambique engulfing the East to South East and South to South West. A majority of the people live on less than a dollar a day. Don't you think they would benefit from the SOGR?

Now if you look at my profile, you will notice that I have said that I have previously worked as a high school teacher, waiter and now as a software developer (in that order). I may wish to add that before teaching and subsequently waitering, I used to clean dishes in the scullery of a restaurant at one of the universities here in S. Africa (I always felt: Damn! So ideal for a university graduate!). Mind you, I had just relocated from Malawi, with no clue whatsoever on how to go about finding the right job in a foreign country (and I am talking about S. Africa here!). I had stayed almost a year without doing anything that I felt, I just had to find something - anything to start me off. Anyway, Mr Wattles has put all this in perspective now. One may sometimes do a job that is not ideal, but it can lead you to what you desire (so long it's held with purpose and faith). Well, this job led to the two other jobs: teaching and waitering. And they came within three days of each other! I decided I would optimise the opportunity, and I was able to work both jobs for the next two years: teach from 07:30hrs to 14:30hrs then go wait on tables from 17:00hrs till sometimes as late as midnight.

It was hectic, but workable. Eventually, I started re-organising myself that I raised enough money to start me off into a one year course in Information Technology (leading to my current job). Of course, to study, I had to choose one job, between waitering and teaching, that could offer me the flexibility of attending classes during the day, and work after hours. And you can guess the what the choice was.

Worse still, I was leaving a paid job for one that solely depended on customers' good will - (mind you, waiters do not get paid by restaurants, at least not, this side. I am not sure about other countries. Customers 'thank you' depending on your service. But if you have done waitering before, you will agree that there are certain customers who will not bother to thank you, no matter how much effort you put into looking after them!). Anyway, it didn't seem like a wise choice at the time, but it was and you will see that in a moment.

Now, before I continue, I wish to also add, that the time I decided to go back to college, a very close friend of mine was busy discouraging me saying: just like him, I would finish my course and stay a year or two without getting a job. I plainly told him there and then that: "As soon as I finished studying, I would get a job as a computer programmer"!. I am not exactly sure where that came from, but I was so convinced that I wuold get a job. Of course there was some fear somewhere saying: what if he is right? I hope this sounds familiar. But you get my point! Steer clear off negative-minded people.

Well, waitering was not the best job I had ever dreamed of doing in my entire life, but it paid my bills: college fees, rent, food and even look after my family. Believe you me, I savoured all the moments the entire time I did the job. No regrets. It also taught me that there is more to life than a decent 9 to 5 white collar job. Despite the 'unfavourable' working conditions, I put everything I had into it that for the three years that I worked as a waiter for this particular chain of restaurants, I always came up tops with praises from both customers and management that I was the best waiter they ever had come across. One manager even thought I was writing these customer recomendations myself! (See, the restaurant has [or had at that time - it's four years ago] a system whereby customers can comment on service, food and the like). Naturally good service meant good tips and perhaps a promotion into management. Fortunately, I missed on the latter in my second year. (You will see that I have said 'fortunately'. I actually went for interviews, passed and was called to be introduced to 'my staff' for a new restaurant that was opening, but whatever followed after that I have not regrets it happened! I never took the job anyway and never pushed for it).

Now this is what I used to do for a whole year: each and every time, when going to college, I would look at the office blocks next to the route I was using and say to myself: "of all these companies here, surely one would want to employ me!" And then I would also add: this is only a drop in the ocean as I am only looking at this small area. What about the whole of Johannesburg, or the whole province, and even more, the whole country?

I would again tell two of my closest friends at the restaurant (just like myself, also in the same whining department about poor conditions of service, little pay, unrully and untipping customers etc, etc) that I think we were only being dumb by continuously whining. I had just read an article in a newspaper saying that if one is job hunting, one shouldn't just rely on the 'normal' channels of waiting for advertisements or going from one office to the other. You will end up getting disappointed. But talk to people as well. Anyone you meet. You never know who you are talking to. As far fetched as this may be it's true. Of course it sounds crazy to just go round telling everyone you meet that you are job hunting!

But trust me: here in S. Africa, you go to any company (if not most companies) you will be greeted by a notoriously big and annoying sign at the door written: NO JOBS. As I am posting this now, there is one hanging outside our office door!

I told these friends that we couldn't find jobs because they are no jobs, but because maybe we were not looking or if we were, we were not 'efficiently' doing it. I said: "We are waiters, right"? They said: "Yea"! Then I said: "We deal with different types of customers, right!" To which they also said "Yea". I then said: "Do you guys have any idea that some of these people are MD's of companies, recruitment agents etc etc. Don't you think we are sitting on a gold mine here?". Of course they agreed. And I told them that the first people I am going to tell that I am on the job market are the same people that I serve food to. Especially that I am already able to talk to them! What did I have to lose anyway if they said "No"! But then you can see that I was thinking in the negative here. I would have actually been thinking of what I was going to gain if one of them said "Yes". They thought I was crazy.

Now here is the juice of the story. Three weeks later (and two weeks before finishing my course) a family of three (husband, wife, sweet two-year-old little thing) walk in. I had never seen them before in my entire three years I had worked there as a waiter. Little did I know that these people would change my whole life. Believing in who I was (i.e. the best waiter around [and I still believe I was!]) I did my thing: served the people the best way I could though I still had this nagging feeling that I was not doing my best.

Came time to pay, the customers used a credit card. I went over to the credit card machine and while waiting for the transaction to be approved, I started toying around with the card. What I saw caught my attention. It was a company (business) credit card. And the company name and that of the credit card holder looked similar. What this guy did was name his company after his surname by just removing a few characters in it to shorten it. And... there was Software (Pty) Ltd at the end!

My heart skipped a beat and I thought: Bingo! I am going to ask that guy for a job. I went back to the table not sure how I was going to say it. The guy went on signing the credit card slip and while he was doing it my tongue felt like it had filled my whole mouth. But then something unexpected happened that loosened me up. The wife looked at me and said: "It's nice for a change to see a waiter who can smile. Where are you from?". That was so soothing. Not that I had never heard it before. But that it made me feel so at ease because of what I wanted to say. But before I could answer, the husband chipped in and said: "Don't bother, he is from Malawi!". I was mesmerised. The wife of course could not believe the husband that she asked me if it was true. The only thing that I said next was to ask the husband how he knew.
He just said: your smile, the way you talk and the way you carried yourself around while serving us. Most Malawians are like that, he said. I couldn't believe it. I turned towards the wife and simply said: "I do not lose anything if I smile at someone. In any case smiles pay my bills (rhyme not intended). We still laugh about it when we remember!(But come to think of it, isn't that a quality to be admired in a people? Can't that be used to our advantage? Yet as I said, most of us live on less than 1 US Dollar a day!). Well, the husband said he had stayed three months in Malawi while on a 4X4 trek almost thirty years ago (of course he would one day show me the pictures he took while there!). Well, that went more than I expected. And I before the metal (iron) could get cold, I hit it: "So I can see that you are into computers. I think I will one day come work for you!" You could have seen the surprise on their faces as they glanced at each other. Then they both turned, looked at me and at the same time said: "Are you studying?". To which I replied "Yes". Of course I won't delve into the discussion that followed after that but they got my number (which while shaking, I hastily and unbelievingly wrote on a crumpled table bill). A week later, I started working as a trainee software developer!

Now my friends, tell me if that is not true of what Mr Wattles preaches that we normally waste time thinking of how things will come to us instead of just impressing our thoughts upon the formless and let it worry about the 'how'? I can now see that I was able to unknowingly attract what I wanted. It's my strongest belief that with the SOGR now, I will attain my wildest dreams. I have spent lots of time worrying about things I do not want, instead of thinking about what I want. I will of course tell you another story in my next post (this one will be very brief) because I will need advice on it. And it happened a few months ago. It's about how we bought a house that we wanted, but not really wanted! Sounds confusing, eh? But as I said, Mr Wattles has made it clear to me now.

Lastly thank you Rebecca (once again) for allowing me to misuse (or abuse) space on the site, but I thought I would share this. There was no way I could shorten it - (and by the way, I did some creative writing and you know how difficult it can be for some us when ideas creep into our heads!). To everyone else, expect success (sorry Rebecca, that is so sweet I couldn't resist borrowing it from you!).

Excellent story Nixon!!

Way to go...keep it up!

Hi Nixon!

Good to hear your story,

Wishing you very best of luck and remember more success is on its way....

Thanks for sharing,

Hyder Abbas

quote:

Lastly thank you Rebecca (once again) for allowing me to misuse (or abuse) space on the site, but I thought I would share this. There was no way I could shorten it - (and by the way, I did some creative writing and you know how difficult it can be for some us when ideas creep into our heads!). To everyone else, expect success (sorry Rebecca, that is so sweet I couldn't resist borrowing it from you!).

Nixon, I wouldn't allow anyone to misuse or abuse the forum. Had you done that, your posting would have been removed right away.

And you don't need to "borrow" that phrase. Just take it; lots of people have. It's my pleasure to share it (probably not original anyway!).

I wouldn't have wanted that shortened a bit! Thank you for sharing your story, I enjoyed it very much.

Nixon,

What a wonderful story. Just what I needed to read. Thank you.

Welcome!

What a wonderful story, Nixon!

And I have heard about Malawi. Geography was one of my favourite subjects in high school, and one my children chose Malawi for a school project years and years ago.

Hi Nixon,

I'm also kind of a newbie and all I can say is WOW! Your story brightened my day. Thanks.

Wanja

Hello and welcome Nixon,

Your story was/ is wonderful. Yes I have heard of Malawi as my work is fishkeeping I love the fish from lake malawi no not to eat! To keep as pets. They are a lot like you. They are very bright and colourful, they are entertaining, they can survive against all odds and are so easy to keep.

Your story is so good. I got my big job in the aquatic trade by sheer boldness, like you I'd been and done training and been to interviews and was still doing jobs just to keep me "ticking over" ; I met up with the man I felt was the top man in the trade. I told him I'd been using and recommending his products to all the people I knew for the last 15 years and felt it was time I got paid for it. This was October, in the April of the following year I got the job.

Sadly he was taken seriously ill. Another member of staff made me redundant. But now I have my own business and still rely on their products and take an active part in their development.

Please tell us more Nixon.

Love and success to all

Gwen

Wow! I like you story a lot!

Keep the faith, friend!

Nixon that is heart warming

Thank you.

thanks nixon for the post . what a wonderful story that is n will remain . my friend have a faith n expect many more success . u r story has once again proved that sogr works and really works . thanks again .
garwan

Nixon, what a wonderful story. And yes I happen to have heard of Malawi before: in a documentary where it was portrayed as being "the poorest country in the entire WORLD".

Well done dear new friend and I am so happy to see you aboard. Looking forward to reading more of your Success stories.

Funny example of how Sogr works its miracles. I am living in one of the top 10 richest countries in the world. Does not make any difference because I am learning and drawing inspiration from you here.

Thank you Rebecca for removing all these fictitious boundaries by providing this forum!

Caroline

Nixon,

Your story is beautiful. I love to read stories like this. They help to remind me of all that is possible.

I have found too that our "HOW'S" will always show up when least expected. I love being surprised. In fact, in my prayers I do ask God to pleasantly and joyously surprise me each day.

Appreciation from the Heart,

Richard De Haven