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Showing posts from August, 2016

Better at life

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Life is all about living your best life. It is a competition between lives gunning for first place. Who is living life well? Who has the best life? Who is the Nr 1 liver (or should it be lifer?)? We look towards the rich and famous. We look towards the spiritual and humble. We look at family, friends, associates and those we admire and secretly envy. We look towards them to get ideas about living our own lives successfully. Recently I watched a video whose point was, life is not a journey nor a destination but a dance. We need to experience our life in musical terms, he suggested. What I know is that we as human beings are made of body, mind, heart, spirit and soul. And without getting into philosophical discussion about the difference between, let's say, the soul and the spirit, life is made up of certain elements, and we are responsible for them. Life is a gift, a temporary one. And we are all working on our lives every day. Some have given up and have stopped trying. The...

ABC of good characteristics

A uthentic B old C onsiderate D iplomatic E mpathetic F un-loving G enerous H umble I nspirational J oyful K ind L oving M indful N ice O bservant P atient Q uiet R ighteous S incere T rue U nderstanding V irtuous W ise Z ealous

Outformation

I have a friend who is suffering from clinical depression. I say clinical because it is no longer the case of having the blues, or being moody. She has a host of other symptoms. She has insomnia, she has lost a lot of weight. But the biggest symptom is the negative mindset of regret and indecisiveness. It has been disruptive to her life on a personal and professional level. People have tried to help. She has been with her family. She has people praying for her. She has received advice. She has gone to doctors, but it has gone on for a long time now without improvement. What effect does depression have on a long-term basis? I researched depression. A combination of diet, exercise and distraction are recommended. Now I myself am not a stranger to depression. I have had my bouts in the past but have not suffered for a good few years now. I believe it is psychological. Possibly chemical, genetic, psycho-somatic. The reasons could be numerous. I believe she can get out of i...

Molding your career

"Abusive environments often produce feelings of unworthiness and a lack of confidence, not to mention fear. This negative belief system, if carried into adult life, can produce all sorts of unproductive habits including drug addiction, criminal activity and an inability to mold a steady career path." (p.21 of 'The Power of Focus) I have started reading this new book that a friend lent to me. We were discussing having your own business, and she recommended this book to me. In the first chapter the book focuses on habits, on good habits and bad habits. So far it is a good read with some practical guidelines I have already implemented, but this line that I quoted above is what stood out for me. Now I am not a drug addict, although I admit a fair share of drug use in my twenties as a journalism student, and I am not a criminal, but it was the third point that holds my attention, the inability to mold a steady career path. Well, perhaps I am being too hard on myself, as...

Make the most of it

I have been rummaging through my things today. They are mostly in boxes because I moved recently. So as I looked at each item, I thought of its potential, and I promised myself to make the most of it, whether it was a collection of gem stones or baking utensils, I felt that I needed to not renegade these items to things I own and never use. We really have too many things. Sure, we accumulate stuff over time, when we want or need them, but oftentimes they are superfluous. I guess there is a dichotomy of interest. I often refer to certain behaviours as either east or west. It comes from my German background. Even though I did not grow up in Germany, I have experienced enough of its history vicariously. On a documentary I watched about a couple in Germany where the wife was from the west and the husband was from the east, they discussed their differences. Their answers made such an impression on me that I still refer to it today. So the wife from the west just bought something new w...

Hey big spender!

I recently downloaded an app to help me keep track of my personal spending. After each purchase I added it to my expense column. And whilst keeping track is one part of financial responsibility, the other part is to analyse your expenses. In retrospect, the question 'was that really necessary?' formed in my mind, and I had to admit to myself that I am not making enough of an effort to differentiate between buying what I need and buying what I simply must have! So in order to save my money for something I really need, I need to practise enough self-control and discernment to distinguish between my wants and needs. It is important to keep account of where my money goes. It is important to stick to what is on my list. It is important to sacrifice the small things in order to earn the big thing. You forget the chocolates you grab at the till but you won't forget the new Macbook Pro you bought, after avoiding instant gratifications. So, big spender, it is time you went o...

Selling when you are not a natural

My sister told me that selling is easy. You need to create a fear of loss, she said. Hence the deadlines. And here I naively believed that in order to sell something, you needed to believe in your product. The art of persuasion is just that, an art. Some people can sell ice to an eskimo; they are gifted. They have the knack for it, the gift of the gab. But just today I read that if selling does not come naturally to you, it might be to your benefit. So how can it be to your advantage not to be a natural salesman? According to Alan Knott-Craig, who was named Young Global Leader by World Economic Forum in 2009, "the customer can see you're not comfortable selling, and so they trust that you wouldn't be standing there, sweating, unless you truly believed in what you're pushing." (See the August 2016 edition of 'Entrepreneur' magazine.) But there it is again. You truly believe in the product or service. You need to identify with what you are selling. If ...

What's in a cup?: Free

What's in a cup?: Free

Free

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It is a Friday today, a free day because I had the day off, and I spent it in Johannesburg, my birthplace, Egoli, the city of gold, also famous for its high crime rate, syndicates, hi-jackings and e-tolls. I love Joburg though, because it has an energy, a high frequency, a buzz. It's a happening place. Industrial, artistic, political, business-like. From fancy cars to taxis, black, white, colored, Chinese. Rainbow nation is South Africa, Joburg its heart, if not its capital. We voted on 3 August, a public holiday, advertised as free and fair elections, as a car drives away with ballot boxes in the backseat. Ha, free indeed. Freedom, what does that now mean? A loaded word. A loaded gun our common fear. Think positive. Think ahead. South Africa, my roots, my home, my family. South Africa, the bush, the braai, the biltong. Keep the dream alive, South Africa. Born free.