By:Thandiwe Kubere
Everyone has a dream worth pursuing, regardless of how big or small, one’s social status or location. And to achieve those dreams, it is essential to have a proper guide, as well as relevant tools to give the necessary drive while navigating through life’s draining challenges.
Titled ON YOUR WAY UP, This book, released on November 30th, was inspired by a personal dream the Author, Khotso William Mahonko, is working on; becoming the prime minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho someday in the future. “As I am constantly working on this dream and watching the happenings of my preparation towards it, I wondered, how many dreamers out there who are chasing their goals would make use of the lessons I got here, I thought; why don’t I share with them? The rest is history”, said Mahonko.
Touching on topics of, to name a few: “Figuring out a dream to pursue; Develop passion around your dream; Get knowledge and understanding; Get confidence about yourself and your dream; Identify the resources you require to rise”, as per its table of contents, the book, is for those who want to attain their dreams while living meaningful lives. It contains practical advice and strategies which readers can apply in their own lives for self-reflection and personal growth. “The content of the book is actually inspired by my lifestyle, experiences of my life and additional self-help literature from other great authors as a proof of concept.”
Mahonko wrote the book to guide both young and old on how they can make their dreams a reality, and although time may not exactly be favourable on the old, he believes young dreamers stand the best chance of benefitting from the book. “The aim is to effect a mentality that would give birth to many stories of success in our society, but the book is not only about attaining success, it also features nuggets of wisdom on how one may lead their lives in a manner that would feel meaningful, purposeful and nothing short of fulfilling”, he said.
The Author, Khotso Mahonko, is a Psychologist, Development Economist and an Entrepreneur. He was a community champion award winner at the 2023 Basotho Youth Achievement Awards, thanks to his first book- How Can Basotho Move to the Next Level Economically and his advocacy for indigenous people of Lesotho to have a better share in the ownership of the economy.
Given that as capable as one may be, there is a time when they feel they lack the necessary resources, drive or motivation to keep going to be able to reach their goals, on that, Mahonko declared he is driven by a strong desire to contribute in the self-help literature and thereby changing the narrative of underachievement amongst our people. “Particularly the indigenous people of Lesotho, I think success stories are not so popular in many communities. With more self-help literature written by people they can relate to, we will see many arising. I am inspired by many great men, I would not necessarily point one person, I always follow industry leaders in whatever endeavours I am working on, I may find something I like in another and at the same time find something that I don’t agree with, in that case I just take the side that I like and pass.” He also declared he has spiritual and mental practices he does often to recharge and heal from time to time while navigating harsh world.
ON YOUR WAY UP, is totally a classic non-fiction book, a success guidebook that out-rightly advices one do this, don’t do that. “And without doubt, the practices found in the book have stabilized my life a lot and I think they will do for many people out, the editor of the book actually thinks he would enforce that all the people in this country read this book if he had the power and authority”, he chuckled.
Asked on which chapter of the book is his favourite and speaks him most, he said, “Well I like them all, but I am intimate with chapter 4, *Getting confident about yourself and your dream*, It is pretty close to my heart, because you know, I have met people who discourage me from some of my dreams before, including this very one of wanting to be a PM. Some people have their own ideal people who would look good in what you want and it’s not you, they would then discourage you. Sometimes your ambitions can be a threat to some beneficiaries of what you want, they will try by all means to discourage you, if you do not have a resilient confidence in yourself and your dream, you will end up dropping it. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to be 100% confident about yourself and your dreams.”
He declared the chapter is his personal favourite, but he is also aware that people’s situations differ, and that someone’s situation may resonate more with a different chapter. “It is just a matter of where the journey of one’s life is and is headed to at that time”, he said.
Additionally he enlightened that though he has been putting his efforts and intentionally towards his dream and purpose, he think it lacks recognition, “I think the fact that I want to be a prime minister has not been covered enough”, although Mahonko is making sales with the current book, he fervently hopes people will take heed and give more attention to his eagerness of becoming Lesotho’s Prime Minister.
He highlighted that working on the book was no smooth sail as he encountered a number of challenges. He revealed, “I guess the issue is on consistency. You start writing the book excited, but around chapter 9 you are bored already, you will have to push yourself through to finish it. It is just like on anything you start, whether it’s a project, dating or whatever, it always starts with excitement. But a couple of steps into it, excitement goes down, so you have to push yourself by choice. I guess finishing it is a big glory as I took 6 weeks to finish it.”
Inspirational books no doubt play a significant role in personal development and mental well-being, the shared success stories and insights, holds a great potential of inspiring people to reach their goals.
To take; Reading motivational books can help cultivate a positive mind-set. They promote optimism, resilience, and a can-do attitude, which are essential for personal and professional success.