Father of light and life, thou Good Supreme,

Oh, teach me what is good, teach me thy safe!

Save me from folly, vanity and vice,

From every low pursuit, and fill my soul

With knowledge, conscious peace, and virtue pure,

Sacred, substantial, never-fading bliss!

 

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What a year that was. I am very thankful and grateful to have made it through the past year. The first year of my thirties started with the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns, and it was doubtful that we would make it to 2021. Thoughts on other years:31, 30, 29, 28.

Now that I am starting the 2^nd year of my thirties, still under the Covid-19 pandemic, I am more hopeful about the future and trust that living for today is enough of living. The future belongs to our Creator.

With the lock-down came the opportunity to be introspective and achieve more intellectually. I read the most books ever in 2020. That’s 62 books in number. I say, “All that I know about my life, it seems, I have learned in books. It’s also the year that I defended my MSc. Electrical Engineering thesis and graduated from JKUAT with the same. In the same year, I also passed my Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) professional engineer interview and finally registered as a professional engineer. So I can now legally practice in Kenya and use the initials, Eng. Benard Makaa, PE.  I managed to complete two book manuscripts that I had been working on for some time. That was a lot of work, and the books are going to be published soon. Spoiler alert! One is a novel and the other an Electrical Book.

Have learnt that sometimes you can always ethically skip the line and that there’s always a third door. I don’t have to always follow the downtrodden path. I can initiate and clear one for myself and others. That, to know what life is worth, you have to risk it once in a while.

Few thoughts on the following:

Health.

I start with health because health is priceless. I try to sleep at least 7 hours a day, and when I do less, I can always notice the disastrous effects on my productivity, creativity and general cheerfulness. I still do two meals a day. My daily morning press-ups are now at least 30. Haven’t missed a single day.

Every Sunday or Morning, I do an “INTENSE CARDIO-TONING WORKOUT STRONG BY ZUMBA”. This particular one, 20 mins in length, was suggested to me by my girlfriend. I must do this at least once per week. Try it out,  you will sweat a bucketful.

I ultimately did away with refined sugar and now only use honey and hibiscus for breakfast.

Learning & Professional Development.

I still strive to read daily, and especially when traveling. I read the most books ever in 2020. That’s 62 books in number.

My focus is still now more on business, marketing, psychology, philosophy related books. For a list of the best books I have read in the last 6 years, click these:2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015..

Defended my MSc Thesis and graduated from JKUAT in December 2020. My MSc journey was quite an adventure, and I may one day write about it. From the research to the publications, it took me to places that I had never imagined reaching.

I am seriously planning to start my PhD. Electrical Engineering this year. Those who have scholarship links or connections, or advice can reach out to me. I shall appreciate the gesture.

Got registered & licensed as a professional engineer by the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK). So, professionally, you can now call me Eng. Benard Makaa, and you can engage me legally on any work pertaining to the profession. Also, I became a corporate member of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya(IEK) and a secretary and member of the Innovation and Knowledge Management sub-committee, part of the Policy Research and Advocacy Committee of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya(IEK).

I will still say that titles can be deceptive. People still do wonderful work without labels. Designations may be a trap. Some people become ensconced with titles and end up attaching their ego, self-respect and identity to such. Hence why some people feel insulted if you don’t address them by their titles.

But it’s for the sake of public safety and security that professionals get registered.

Still, my model of learning and working shall be like that of Benjamin Franklin.

Writing.

I still journal daily. I write on whatever interests me. I don’t understand why some people don’t keep journals.

I still record most of my thoughts on A6 notebooks I carry around wherever I go. I really enjoy writing my thoughts down.

I completed writing two books I have been working on for some years now:

A Novel, titled “The Diary of a Seducer”. To be published in Mid-March 2021. Preorder a copy here.

A practical, real-life electrical design guide book. (Could be more than 1000 pages). To be published in June 2021. Editing going on.

Work| business.

Completed my 3^rd year of working at Technical University of Kenya on 26^th Feb 2021. Now starting my 4^th year.

Still, balancing this with other responsibilities is tough. So my businesses (or hustles) always have suffered a lot as I have focused my efforts elsewhere. Been meaning to entirely concentrate 100% on these but still find it hard to break from salary addiction. Funny though, I like teaching and think I shall always teach and do research no matter what else I do.

For those interested in partnerships, advice, check some of the stuff I’ am doing at www.benardmakaa.com, under the “work” section.

Real Word Engineering Institute

Started teaching AutoCAD and Building Services under “Real Word Engineering Institute”. This is customized training, and the trainees receive practical training and real-life projects reference materials.

Enhanced Education Group: School Educational Materials

With the schools closing down, I observed increased activity at the website Enhanced Education Group. As teachers, parents, students downloaded educational materials from Play Group, CBC, Primary School and High School.

Brendatt Engineering Services: Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Consultants.

Covid-19 drastically affected the consulting industry, as many projects were shut down. Hope this shall improve.

Mid last year, 2020, I missed out on a very good deal that would have made huge a difference. I can blame greed and lack of preparation on my part. It is wise to be reasonable when engaging others in business and not to be overconfident.

Relationships.

Interestingly, I made a few more friends and acquaintances even with the lock-down.

Going strong with my girlfriend. Learning new things every day about life, her and myself.

I still now read and listen to relationship advice but now with a discerning eye and ear. A relationship is a personal journey unique to your situation. Don’t necessarily copy what others are doing or saying. There’s always a deeper, real reason why someone says something.  Many end up doing the opposite of what they say and advice.

I have become less judgemental about other people actions and decisions concerning their lives. We only have one life on this current earth, and whatever happens does so for a reason. No matter how it looks for now.

Hobbies.

I started practicing playing the guitar every single day, on average 1 hour a day. I sought advice from some of my friends who are good at it and have tried to implement it. It has been a journey, and I have improved immensely. Can play some of my favorite tunes. When I was starting out, I never imagined I would reach the level that I have. Practicing daily can be pretty boring, and it is easy to give up. This, I think, applies to other areas of life. We are all amateurs when starting out. Watch out for my YouTube channel!!  Have been trying to learn Woody Guthrie and Maybelle Carter Styles. If and when I shall master these, I shall be in another world. I also get inspired by Leonard Cohen. If you have any suggestion for acoustic guitar playing resources, kindly share.

I watch, on average, two movies every day. Have listed some of my favorites here: My Favourite Movies.  Some like number 104 in this list will make you shed some tears, no matter how hardened you think you’re.

You can recommend any movie in the comment section. Have come to like South Korean, Chinese, Japanese historical/war/action/drama movies. The only movie genre I don’t watch is horror.

I listen to podcasts almost every day, and especially when I am doing menial tasks in the house. I have listed my favorite podcasts here: Why You Should Start Listening To Podcasts. I get the majority of book recommendations from these podcasts. It is wise to learn from world-class leaders and practitioners.

I could count reading and writing as a hobby, but it’s more than a hobby now.

Lessons in general.

I shall still echo the lessons I learnt in my 30^th year.

“There is a time for everything, and everything happens at its own appointed time. As I age, I have come to witness the truthfulness of this statement.”

Have learned to use “The Regret Minimization Framework” as once espoused by Jeff Bezos. The idea is to project yourself into the future and look back on your decision from that perspective. For Bezos, he thought of when he would be 80 and if he would regret not trying to start this company. Yes or no. His answer was quite clear.”

As Bezos puts it:

“I knew that when I was 80, I was not going to regret having tried this. I was not going to regret trying to participate in this thing called the Internet that I thought was going to be a really big deal. I knew that if I failed, I wouldn’t regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not ever having tried.”

Life is for sharing and impacting others. Share lessons you learn with others. Be vulnerable. We only have this one earth life. What a pity it shall be to buried with all that wisdom and insight. Be selfless.

Thank you, friends, readers for being part of my life.