Before I matriculated at JKUAT in May 2007 to pursue an engineering degree, I went looking for piano-teaching jobs I could be doing over the weekends while at JKUAT in an attempt to imitate my immediate elder brother Paddy who juggled medical studies and work. As luck would have it, I landed two such jobs in a timely manner.

But alas! I gave up doing the jobs after my first semester at JKUAT. My lack of good social skills, coupled with the demanding nature of my engineering studies, are what led me to quit the jobs.

Perhaps due to the not-so-good experiences I had while teaching piano during my first semester at JKUAT, I didn't bother to look for work when we closed for a long holiday in December 2007. I just stayed at home over that four-month holiday.

Unenterprising though I was, I had some measure of discipline back then. I did a lot of reading and a bit of some farming during that long holiday. Then over the weekends, I commuted to All Saints' Cathedral in Nairobi where I enjoyed singing and fellowshipping with the cathedral's 9.30am English service choir.

It's not until I reported back to JKUAT in May 2008 for my second year that I started becoming undisciplined. I would skip classes, doze till as late as 12pm and withdraw from social activities, a behavior that compelled one psychiatrist to admit me to hospital.

After I was discharged from the hospital, I completely lost my bearings. I would do things without thinking of the consequences. And I would do what others instructed me to do as if I didn't have a brain of my own to think with.

What was even worse was the intense guilt I succumbed to at times. The guilt would make me feel as if I had committed the worst sins in life. It was such an intense guilt.

But slowly by slowly, I found my bearings. I engaged in activities that made me discover I had talents in music, writing, web-design, public-speaking and computer-programming. Engaging in those talents brought me immense joy and satisfaction.

Even though I came to enjoy exploring my talents, I must admit that I have found it hard to shed the load of indiscipline I picked up at JKUAT in 2008. There have been mornings I have overstayed in bed. And for me, overstaying in bed is getting up after the Sun has risen.

With time, I came to find out that much of the guilt I used to feel was due to my lack of discipline. It took me a long time just to figure that out.

Having discovered the source of my guilt, I have endeavored to lead a disciplined lifestyle. I have come up with a plan of how I spend my days as Talane Miedaner advises in her stirring book, Coach Yourself to a New Career.

My typical day begins by waking up at 5.30am. After making my bed and praying, I settle down to read the previous day's newspaper. Then I engage in my talents for the rest of the day, with breaks to eat, bathe, wash my clothes and clean my room. And then at 5.00pm in the evening, I go jogging and walking to my hometown of Kiserian, after which I check my email and social media accounts till 9.00pm when I retire to bed.

That routine works for me. And it took me a long time to arrive at that routine. But I am glad it has brought me peace of mind at last. Whoever said "only the disciplined are free" was on point.

Because I believe there is no one-size-fits-all formula for success, maybe my routine might not work for you since you could be having different abilities, circumstances and opportunities. All of us are wired differently.

I therefore urge you, my beloved reader, not to make the mistake I did of imitating my immediate elder brother Paddy when I was matriculating at JKUAT in May 2007. Just come up with a disciplined lifestyle that feels natural to you. There is freedom in discipline!

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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed reading the above story on having a disciplined lifestyle, you might also enjoy another one on "Salvation is Free Folks!". Just click on that link in blue to dive straight into the story.

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When I was a second-year engineering student at JKUAT in 2008, I cajoled my Dad to buy me a CD-player for listening to my favorite music in my free time. I seemed not to have realized back then that a laptop was the best gadget for me to acquire. Not only could I use it to listen to music but also to hone my writing, web-design and computer-programming skills.

But back in 2008, I don't think I was mature enough to own a laptop given how careless I was with my property. I would give out my books and electronic gadgets to my friends even when it inconvenienced me. And I would place my possessions in places where thieves could access them.

One Sunday in 2008 for instance, I went back to JKUAT only to find it still closed following a chaotic students' strike. After I was denied entry into the university's premises, I hid my bag under a tunnel near a JKUAT gate and strolled to a nearby food cafe to have a meal. And alas! When I came back to pick my bag, it was gone!

Had the bag contained a laptop, I would have lost it on that unforgettable Sunday when someone stole the bag from under the tunnel. That was how careless I was with my property. Which is why I have said I wasn't mature enough to own a laptop.

In 2016 when God blessed me with my first laptop, I had grown up to treasure my possessions. I can't help realizing that I got the laptop just at the right time. And the laptop has been of immense value to me. It has helped me listen to my favorite music as well as hone my talents in writing, web-design and computer-programming.

The fact that God provided me with a laptop at the proper time has given me hope that He will also bless me with my dream car when the time is right. You see, I have come to desire owning a sleek and hard-wearing vehicle; something like a Honda CX5, a Mazda X5, a Nissan Xtrail, a Toyota Vanguard, a Subaru Forester or a Volkswagen Touareg.

To be honest, there have been times I have felt left behind for not owning a car. I have envied some of my peers and neighbours that I have seen driving vehicles. Even my four siblings spin their own vehicles, including my younger brother Symo.

One thing I admire in my four siblings is the way they learnt to drive without relying on our modest parents. Even Symo didn't ask for assistance from my elder siblings. He worked hard to earn the money he needed to enrol in a driving school and purchase his own automobile.

And that has reminded me of an African proverb that says, "A man who drives his father's car is not entitled to speak in a council of men who own bicycles." That proverb inspires me to work hard at buying my own car, just like my siblings have done.

Although I have at times felt left behind for not owning a car, I don't think I have been qualified to possess one. I used to exercise too little and sleep too much. Even as late as last December, I would doze after breakfast while my fellow citizens were busy at work.

Over the last six months, I have moulded myself into a diligent young man. I have been rising at 5.30am every morning, staying active during the day and going for a one-hour exercise at 5.00pm in the evening. There is nothing I detest these days so much as idling.

When God will finally bless me with my dream car (and I am believing He will), my one-hour evening exercise will remain sacrosanct. I will still be jogging and walking during that hour just to keep my body in good trim. And, tell me, is there any blessing greater than good health?

Another blessing that I am believing God will give me at the proper time is the woman of my dreams. A lady who is smart, funny and vivacious. Given how lazy and cowardly I have been - hardly the kind of qualities any right-thinking woman would want in a man - it's good I have been single all these years.

My beloved reader, let me tell you that I have come to believe in God and in His timing. And that has helped to reduce my worrying and fretting. I urge you to also trust in God. He's never late in fulfilling the desires of our hearts if we walk in His ways. That's all I am saying.

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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed the above story on trusting in God's timing, you might also enjoy another one on "O ye of Little Faith!" which I wrote some time back. Just click on that link in blue to dive straight into the story.

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