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The coolest thing about the reset button…

Written by Bongeka
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What is the purpose of a reset button?  “In electronics and technology, a reset button is a button that can reset a device. On video game consoles, the reset button restarts the game, losing the player’s unsaved progress. On personal computers, the reset button clears the memory and reboots the machine  forcibly.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reset_button).

According to the above definition, the reset button has a threefold purpose, namely to reset, restart and reboot. Though these words are electronics jargon, most of us have an understanding that they indicate some sort of ability to ‘start afresh.’

I have come to appreciate that even in our lives we have the power to press the reset button. Pressing the reset button requires a shift in perspective. As I shared in a previous article, I have been going through an emotional roller-coaster. But I am so grateful that even in these weird moments of my life, God continues to shower me with strength and wisdom. As I write this I am feeling incredibly peaceful and renewed with hope to face the world.

I have come to realise that as long as you are still dreaming, you are capable of creating avenues which can help you achieve your dreams. We should never waste a day, it’s a such a precious gift. Mornings are my favourite time of the day because each morning presents the possibility of new beginnings.

I was impressed when Oprah interviewed Michelle Obama about her recent book, titled “Becoming”. In the interview Oprah asked Michelle, “You mention in the book that one of the things that has lasted with you, you say is this sense of optimism”, Oprah then reads a quote from Michelle’s book:

“I continue to keep myself connected to a force that is larger and more potent than any other election, or leader or news story and that’s optimism for me. This is a form of faith and an antidote to fear”.

Oprah continues to ask Michelle this question, “Do feel the same sense optimism for our country and who we are becoming as a nation?”

Michelle’s response, “Yes, and we have to feel that optimism for these kids. We are setting the table for them and we can’t hand them crap. We have to hand them hope. Progress isn’t made through fear. We are experiencing that right now. Fear is false, and fear is the coward’s way of leadership.” I love this because I share Michelle’s sentiments that, to have a meaningful and fruitful life, optimism is key. The real miracle of life is in optimism and as people we thrive and live on hope.

As long as you are breathing, you have the power to make a positive change big or small and that is the coolest thing about the reset button.

 

Image courtesy: https://empowereddollar.com/reset-button/

Wisdom, ,

Big ups to people who are approachable!

Written by Bongeka
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I woke up this morning and added the words “be approachable” to my life development chart in my bedroom.  I was inspired to add these words based on a story I was listening to.

Someone was sharing a personal story about a pain point they experienced when they entered the corporate world. This person had landed their dream job at their dream company. One of the main reasons that attracted them to this organisation was because of the CEO. As a young person, they admired the CEO because on the various public platforms, he appeared to be a charismatic character, eloquent of speech, cutting edge business leader and extremely intelligent. After a couple of months of working there, they were assigned to a project in the CEO’s office. The project required that he meet the CEO to gather information. The day before the meeting he was so excited, finally he will meet this formidable leader, or so he thought. The morning came, he went to the executive floor, greeted the PA and was asked to wait a few minutes outside the office.

Finally the door opened, the PA looked over to him and signed with her hand that he may enter. The first thing he noticed when he entered was that the CEO had his head down and was busy writing, so he quietly sat down and waited for him to finish. When he finished, the young lad greeted cheerfully, the CEO responded in a nonchalant manner. During the course of the meeting the CEO was so rude, and kept shutting down the young man’s ideas. Post that meeting the CEO would not attend some meetings set up by the chap and if he did accept a meeting invite, the young man would lie awake the night before anxious about what the following day would bring.

This guy eventually resigned after a few months and went on to get other jobs. Years later he started his own enterprise and it became a success. What touched me most about the story, was the key principal he has built his business on, and that  is approachability. He learnt from the early years of his career that ideas are inhibited if we don’t have a culture of being approachable.

The Collins English dictionary defines the word approachable as:

“friendly and easy to talk”

I started reflecting about how I have faced my fair share of people in leadership positions who are just not approachable. As people, we generally have a desire to achieve and a desire to connect. It is the connection that sets alight ideas and brings life. I want to be an approachable person and I have penned the following questions as kick starters to help me:

  • How approachable am I?
  • Am I doing something or not doing something to be approachable?

Some ideas to answer the kick starters are:

  1. Being a listener…it truly starts here. I saw the below quote the other day and it really blessed my heart!

“Are you really listening…or are you just waiting for your turn to talk?” Robert Montgomery

  1. Being humble… Someone once said,“humility is not thinking less of yourself, its thinking of yourself  less…” We are not our titles, wealth and accomplishments.
  2. Being kind…I promise you one of the best ways to influence people is through kindness. When you live out your kindness, people will do absolutely anything for you joyfully.

Let me know your thoughts on how you think you rank on being approachable? 🙂

 

Image courtesy: https://www.superinterns.com/2015/09/approachable-boss/

 

Wisdom

Unemployment, a great teacher!

Written by Lesedi Marumo
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Three months ago, my employment contract came to an end and I have been unemployed since then. Between brokenness and ample free time, I learnt a few lessons I would like to share in this article.

Firstly, I realized that most of us identify ourselves by our job. Think about it, when the statement “tell us about yourself?” is posed, most people respond with their name and straight after that, their occupation. Perhaps it is inevitable that we would include our jobs when describing ourselves considering that we spend most of our time working, but this lead to me asking myself the following question, ‘When your job is taken away, what is left of you?’ Although it is important that we do something and do it to the best of our ability as Ecclesiastes 9:10 states,“Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom”.  I think what is more important is that we find our identity in Christ rather than in our occupation.

Secondly, every time I tell someone that I no longer work, the immediate response is always “Don’t worry, you will find a job soon”. I am yet to meet someone who will say “Maybe in this time you will come up with a great innovative idea or start a business”. It became evident to me how linear our education system is and how it has, as a result, crippled the potential of many. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate people’s responses because I know they mean well and before my unemployment phase I would have probably responded the same way. As I reflect deeply, I realize that the system has ingrained in us that our jobs define who we are. I am aware that it would be insensitive to assume that entrepreneurship is for everyone, but I think as a society we need to think differently about employment.

Lastly, we need to stop romanticizing the idea of self-employment and actively incorporate entrepreneurship as part of our education system. Our schools need to start harnessing the gifts and talents of students instead of only equipping them to be great employees.

So, where am I at right now? Well, for the past three months I have been exposed to various events where the reoccurring theme has been ‘Be real’. These words became as loud as a church bell and impossible to ignore. I looked closely at myself and realized that there are so many dreams I have incarcerated because I thought “well I am already here doing this, so I might as well”. But life is too precious of a gift to just live with the “might as well” kind of attitude.  I should also mention that unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, when you do a self-introspection, your weaknesses are laid bare. These weaknesses are uncomfortable to accept but you can only work on your weaknesses once you have identified them. In a powerful interview between Bishop TD Jakes and Pastor Steven Furtick (https://youtu.be/QVGk_jwyBXI), Bishop Jakes put it like this, “You are at your best when you are authentic to your core”.

This journey has by no means been all ‘hunky-dory’. Vodacom still sends those unpleasant “You have less than 5MB of data remaining” messages and I still have to fight thoughts that creep in and tell me I am useless. The lessons, however, have been worth it and deep down inside, there is a knowing that ‘All things work together for good for those who love the Lord.’

Image courtesy: https://shanegarrison.org/2016/08/30/new-lessons-in-transitional-ministry/

 

 

About Writer:

Lesedi Marumo is a fun loving, confident, opinionated, young women on a journey to self-discovery. At the center of her life is Christ and she hopes to live a purpose filled life that is pleasing to him.

Wisdom,

Hold my hand sister…

Written by Bongeka
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My two friends and I often echo the expression “hold my hand sister”.This is like a code only the three of us get. We use it when life surprises us with profound experiences. We use it when we engage in stimulating conversations and one of us drops a nugget of wisdom. We even use it, when one of our crushes (lol yes, at our age we still have crushes 🙂 ) does something out of the ordinary. It has become a fun expression that connects us deeply.

 Though this is ‘our’ thing, I just thought, maybe we ‘can make the circle bigger’ by encouraging other sisters to find like-minded women, who they can connect with.

 August has been deemed women’s month and tomorrow in South Africa, we commemorate this very important public holiday. I can attest that I love the woman I am and becoming. I owe a lot of my progress to the incredible female friendships in my life. Genuine love amongst women is a true master piece to marvel at. If we invest in holding each other’s hands, we can witness great things in our generation.

I’ve always wondered why in certain social gatherings, we encouraged to hold hands. I realise that hand holding is a symbol of unity, oneness, interdependence, connectedness,  safety and love. The human touch is so powerful. To me, hand holding is one of the greatest forms of intimacy and communication.

Hold my hand sister is a philosophy that says, ‘I hold your hand because’:

-I love you just the way you are

-In my presence, you can be free to live your truth

-I will support you to fulfil your purpose

-I will laugh and enjoy this journey of life with you

-I will cry and encourage you during trying times

-I will pray with you and for you so that your life will reflect God’s glory

Sisters, go out there and hold each other’s hands!  Happy Women’s Month! 🙂

 

Image courtesy: http://www.ilanelanzen.com

Wisdom, ,

The Future is Collaboration!

Written by Bongeka
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I was privileged to be part of a 2 day strategic workshop,which my friend was facilitating. Below I penned some interesting insights I gathered from the workshop.

Firstly, I want to applaud the rare species of great leaders that I witnessed in that session. Great leaders are a rare species because; they recognise that taking time away for strategic thinking is a value add. Often when leaders issue a communication about a 1 day or 2 day strategic session, people murmur saying things like, “We going to lose a day or two days of work”. However, taking two days from the busyness of our daily jobs may look like time lost, but in hindsight that could be the greatest investment for our teams and the organisation.

I was reminded of an article by Dorie Clark “If Strategy Is So Important, Why Don’t We Make Time for It? (https://hbr.org/2018/06/if-strategy-is-so-important-why-dont-we-make-time-for-it). She quotes Derek Sivers (entrepreneur and author), and he says, “busy is what happens when you’re at the mercy of someone else’s schedule.” Sometimes organisational teams may feel like they are at the mercy of their Executives schedules or their client’s schedules. However, taking time to contribute to the strategic organisational journey, can make teams realise their importance in adding value towards their organisations.

In the same article, Dorie Clark, quotes, productivity expert David Allen saying, “You don’t need time to have a good idea, you need space…” The COO beautifully captured this thought in her opening remarks when she said to the team, “…in the past we felt like we were executing somebody else strategy, but today we have taken time to be away from the office so that we have an opportunity to define a strategy that we all buy into…”

I realise something beautiful about this team. When the Facilitator asked them to share their expectations of the workshop, they all mentioned simple and common things (e.g. ‘Plan of action – where we are going and how we get there?’, ‘How will we set ourselves apart from the competition?’).

This is beautiful because, when we come to strategic workshops, we must not look for a ‘unicorn’ but we must look for a ‘horse’. What do I mean by this? Well, when we come to this session looking for profound/rare ideas (unicorn) that will affect the aftermath of what we do with the profound/rare ideas. However, if we come seeking clarity on the ordinary/common (horse), our chances of success post the workshop are higher. I love the Tranxend Consulting slogan, it reads, “Execution is Everything” the common/ordinary ideas are what makes execution a reality. The real magic lies in what the team already knows and drawing that out in open and honest dialogue through the art of facilitation.

Secondly, based on the interesting conversations that took place at the strategic session, I believe that organisational growth is a voluntary process. Organisational growth is not an organic process, it comes through deliberate actions. Great teams make voluntary conscious decisions to commit to the process of growth. Transition is the higher order of change and in transition we recognise that the process of growth can be ‘messy’ and that’s okay. Often for things to be work, we first need time to take them part.

Lastly, I still believe that teams sharing ideas, collaboration in other words and facilitation are an absolute work of art. The real aha moment for me, was recognising that, though the room was filled with a couple of brilliant minds – everyone recognised that they need to commit to something bigger than their individual brilliance. This is synonymous with the characteristics of a growing organisation because a growing organisation encourages partnership with other people for the greater good. Reality is, the more the world becomes intertwined through Globalisation and Technological advancements, the more will be demanded from teams.

So contrary to popular predictions, I don’t think the future is only about the Digital Economy. I believe the edge we need to create great organisations lies with its people, thus I believe the world will also witness a move towards the Collaboration Economy.

 

Image courtesy of: https://medium.com

Wisdom,

Celebrity-me…

Written by Bongeka
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A few weeks ago, my friends and I were driving in the beautiful and exquisite neighbourhood of Beverly Hills. As I write this, I am shaking my head in utter wonder as I think back to 10 years ago. I would never have imagined that we would literally be in Beverly Hills and living our best life. I grew up before the times of Netflix, satellite tv and the internet, all we had were the channels provided by the South African government. My first exposure to Beverly Hills was through TV Soapies like the Bold and the Beautiful which my grandmother was so obsessed with.

Though we still face tremendous challenges as the world becomes more intertwined, from a social, economic and political front, I must say the vast opportunities to travel have really been beneficial.

Back to our Beverly Hills experience, so my friends love taking pictures and sharing almost all elements of our travel adventures. I remember sitting in the car, a bit annoyed and wondering ‘what’s up with these two and everyone else, obsessed with sharing photos and insta stories! lol’ and then it hit me. It’s nothing too profound, but just my realisation that, what once seemed like the unattainable life has become so attainable or rather an ‘attainable illusion’. We used to witness celebrities on television and magazines, sharing pictures of their so called “glorious” life. And now well, through technology in the form of smart devices and the advent of social media, we can all experience the “celebrity-me” phenomenon. This new world of picture taking and sharing our lives has made us feel like celebrities and truth is, human beings are obsessed with living the extraordinary life. As the saying goes “If it’s not on social media, it didn’t happen”.

Of course, this “celebrity-me” phenomenon brings with many negative consequences. In a study conducted by experts, they list 6 main negative effects of social media, namely:

  • It’s addictive
  • It triggers more sadness, less well-being
  • Comparing our lives with others is mentally unhealthy
  • It can lead to jealousy—and a vicious cycle
  • We get caught in the delusion of thinking it will help
  • More friends on social doesn’t mean you’re more social

Read more at (https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/06/30/a-run-down-of-social-medias-effects-on-our-mental-health/#30cef3f22e5a)

Some of the negative effects listed above suggests that social media may have a negative effect on our mental health. We are in an era where more and more people across the world live with a mental health diagnosis. However, it’s encouraging to see thorough research being done to demystify the stigma around mental health. An example of this work can be read in this article- (https://www.jenreviews.com/mental-health-diagnosis/). 

This is a beautifully written piece on mental health, providing thorough awareness of what it is and pens a blueprint that empowers people on how to deal with a mental health diagnosis.

However all the negative effects mentioned  in the forbes article are very relevant. There are also other more devastating instances (like the story of a child dying because the mom was taking a selfie, check out, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5721307/Horrifying-moment-baby-dies-mother-taking-selfies-shopping-centre-escalator-drops-her.html).

I am not saying we shouldn’t share moments of our lives on social media, of course we can. I am also not trying to be prescriptive about our social media usage, but as a self-proclaimed advocate for Human Rights, I think we must be cautious of social media usage so that it doesn’t steal our moment to moment happiness.

What are your thoughts on the above article? Please share at bongeka@fresh.penthevision.co.za

Wisdom, ,

Dr ‘Gogo’ Esther Mahlangu lives in the ordinary & it’s a true masterpiece…

Written by Bongeka
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Of late two major moments in history have touched our lives as the nation of South Africa and the global community at large. As we mourn the death of Mama Winnie Madikizela Mandela, we remember what she stood for. Hers, was life of a true political veteran; hated by many but also loved and adored by many. Though the pain of her passing rests in the hearts of many people, the liberation ideals and what she stood for even in her last days give hope to many South Africans and people around the world.

Seeing the tangible fruits of our liberation ideals come to life through the well-deserved recognition of Gogo Esther Mahlangu is truly worth celebrating. Gogo Esther Mahlangu and her work is not only a national treasure, but a global masterpiece. We have witnessed through the media – congratulatory remarks abound, as the University of Johannesburg bestowed upon Gogo Esther an honorary doctorate. And I join in with the rest of the world to announce and congratulate Dr Esther Mahlangu on her achievement.

There is this amazing proverb that I love, it goes along the lines of “A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.” Proverbs 18:16. Indeed Dr Esther’s love for her Ndebele traditions, art and her consistent pursuit of excellence has made her take a well-deserved seat amongst the great.

You know for me, what makes Dr Esther’s story remarkable is not her recent honorary doctorate or her collaboration with companies like BMW , Belvedere and icons like John Legend. For me what makes Dr Esther, Mama Winnie and many other heroes’ stories great, is what they do in the ordinary. In what I have read about their lives, I can sum up that they wake up each day, in the ordinary mundane moments where no one is looking and applauding and live their truth.

Dr Esther developed a passion for painting at the age of 10. Though she has travelled the world and has been exposed to various artists and changes over the years, Dr Esther’s staying power has been her refusal to succumb to global pressures by remaining her authentic self. A vivid example of this, is how proudly she wears her Ndebele traditional attire wherever she goes.

Dr Esther and many people who change the world wake up each day and live their authentic best. They do what they love, they honour their craft and, in many ways, begin to reap the rewards. Many people in our generation want a seat amongst the great, but it seems they live more for the external; once in a lifetime external recognition. And that can be a disheartening process because we spend more time in the ordinary and mundane activities of our lives and thus that’s where we should seek to win.

The extraordinary moments in history like an honorary doctorate or a noble prize come once in a lifetime and only received by those who stay loyal and focused on their crafts and truth. My friend Joy Ntetha recently echoed that “Our greatest freedom comes from working towards being courageous with our truth…” and this resonated because living one’s truth is not easy, but it is worth it all.

My enjoy life tip is this – do what you love from a pure heart not trying to receive an honorary doctorate or a Nobel prize, if it happens – thank God, but don’t let that be the driving engine. Keep doing your best not for human recognition or glory, but for love.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Please feel free to share at – bongeka@fresh.penthevision.co.za

Wisdom, ,

Where there is no vision, people perish…

Written by Lethabo Mokgohloa
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A few weeks ago, I was watching a talk show about love, marriage and divorce. Although this is not a piece about marriage, one of the speakers said something that caught my attention and I thought I should share.
He said a lot of people enter marriage with wrong intentions. He mentioned that since marriage is an institution, it is important to have a vision before getting into it.

That was an interesting revelation for me because for many years my idea of marriage was about spending the rest of my life with the one I love.

Why was this so mind-blowing for me? Simply because I realised that for everything that we want to do in life, there must be a mental picture of the expected end. This is like having a puzzle picture and hundreds of scattered pieces; so every time we get stuck or want to quit, we ought to look back at the picture and continue building the puzzle.

Even though we find ourselves in what looks like impossible situations, our mental picture is meant to wake us up in the morning to put one more piece and encourage us not to give up.

However, I have also grown to learn that many of us find ourselves living life as it comes but that is dangerous because the bible tells us that where there is no vision, the people perish. And this is a powerful piece of scripture because a lot of people have aborted what could have been great businesses, projects, campaigns, and ministries because they did not have a vision.

And I love Chantal Bechervaise’s definition of vision…
She says, “Vision is the thing inside of us that guides us. It creates a desire to grow and improve. Vision embodies our hopes and ideals. It gives us a sense of purpose.”

So I challenge you today, to go back to the drawing board and begin to ‘pen your vision’ down, like this blog suggests.

Perhaps it is time to go back to our old diaries and journals and retrieve ideas we had- to touch the world, change circumstances, break norms and improve our environment- Look at those ideas, close your eyes and dream again.

 

About the Writer

 

Lethabo is a Jesus Girl. She has a passion for writing and she’s a collector of Christian and African literature. She loves and plays chess. An Online Reporter, with the hope to touch souls and make a positive impact in the society.

Wisdom,

How are you smart?

Written by Lihle Malwandla
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Photo courtesy: https://www.mcgill.ca/neuroscience/

I was introduced to Neuroscience in the 2nd year of my university studies. Since then, I have had an ‘itch’ to know more about it. So last year, I enrolled in an Introduction to Neuroscience course to satisfy this ‘itch’.

The course covered elements of Neuro-Anatomy, Neuro-Physiology, Neuro-Psychology, Quantitative Electro Encephalogram, Biofeedback and the Neuroscience of Learning.

The aim of the course is to give students an overview of the effect that the interconnection of brain wiring, physiological responses, the external environment have on our personality and behaviour towards life situations. More importantly, the course provides knowledge and techniques on things that one can do to improve brain performance i.e. increase your brain-fitness.

As intriguing as all the other course modules were, the one that struck me the most was Neuroscience of Learning, which maps out your individual Brain Profile. In a portion of the module, they unpack your individual brain inclination. They claim that the question as it relates to intelligence is no longer “Am I smart or dumb?”, the appropriate question to ask is “How am I smart?”. They make the assumption that we are all smart – just in different ways; we are all wired differently and as a consequence we have different inclinations.

An interesting key feature of this module is a “How am I smart?” self-assessment. This assessment seeks to map out your specific intelligence inclination (preference). They assess you across the following intelligence types:

  • Traditional IQ – Logical/Mathematical (e.g. Scientists), Linguistic (e.g. Writers) Spatial/Visual (e.g. Architects)
  • Bodily Intelligence (BI) – Physical/Kinaesthetic (e.g. Sports people), Sensory (e.g. Chefs)
  • Emotional Intelligence (EQ) – Intrapersonal/Self (e.g. Psychologists), Interpersonal/Social (e.g. Teachers)
  • Spiritual Intelligence (SI) – Creative (e.g. Entrepreneurs), Musical (e.g. Musicians), Naturalistic (e.g. Biologists) and Spiritual (e.g. Pastors)

In my self-assessment I scored high on EQ, but scored low on IQ – the latter of which is generally seen as the superior assessment of intelligence. The question I posed to myself was- does this mean I am dumb because I am not mathematically inclined? My answer- of course not.  I am fortunate enough to have chosen a career path that does not necessarily require traditional IQ, but requires high levels of EQ. Therefore, I am absolutely suited in my “intelligence” to carry out my role.

The nugget of wisdom I wish to convey is this, too often society dictates that we need to be mathematically inclined to be successful in life. I say we are all wired differently, and have within us a different purpose to fulfil. We cannot all be doctors, nor can we all be entrepreneurs. God has placed within us different inclinations that are linked to His purpose for our lives. It may be cliché, but one should truly do what they love. Not only will you be happier following your natural, God-planted, inclination but you can also be very successful. You also do not need to complete this assessment to know what you love to do, just be true to yourself. The assessment merely confirmed what I already knew about myself.

So, how are you smart?

About the writer:

Lihle is a daughter of the most High God – Jehovah. She is a Change Management specialist who is passionate about Organisational Development and fascinated by Neuro-Psychology. She holds an honours degree in Industrial Psychology. She enjoys musical theatre and outdoor adventure games. She is principled, values spending time with her family and friends. She is pragmatic, empathetic and caring.

*Article picture courtesy: https://www.mcgill.ca/neuroscience/

Wisdom, ,

Great men are a rare species…

Written by Bongeka
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International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8 across numerous nations in the world. International Men’s Day is celebrated annually on November 19 in just over 60 countries of the world.

According to the UN there are 195 countries in the world and it’s interesting to note that of these 195, the number that commemorates Men’s day is significantly lower than the number that commemorate Women’s day.

In my own country South Africa, we have a national holiday, August 9 where we take time to celebrate the amazing women of South Africa. But I don’t recall a national holiday to celebrate the amazing men of our country.

I am aware that there will be various arguments that may rise to challenge the statement above. One of the biggest arguments surrounding this is the fact that since the beginning of time, men have dominated every sphere of society and whether we want to admit it or not, even our “modern” society is still built to support men.

Even many religious practices and teachings have been wrongly presented and largely favour the patriarchal agenda.

However, it’s also encouraging to note the great work that has been done to redress the gender/sex issue through movements like feminism, which have their early traces in the 1800s and have significantly evolved into various expressions today.

In South Africa, there are various initiatives to support the girl child and numerous women empowerment initiatives. This is amazing progress for a world that has favoured men for thousands of years. However, I really believe that our generation faces an interesting dichotomy. This dichotomy finds expression in a conversation I was having with a dear friend of mine.

As someone who works closely with young people, my friend echoed her worries on the “over” focus on the girl child, to a point of “neglect” of the boy child. This over focus is leading us into another risk where women are raised to be strong and fully empowered and the men are just left without being empowered with the “right” tools to fully compliment the women to build each other and build our societies together.

I fully understand the continuous effort of building the girl child because of the harsh injustices of the past, but what I am merely also advocating for is; let us not neglect the boy child because if we do we will continue to create an imbalanced society in which one sex is supreme than the other and we will be no different from the oppressive systems that we are challenging. We need great men in our generation and campaigns like #menaretrash don’t help much. We need the full strength of both genders to make our societies great.

There are many great men and I have been fortunate to be surrounded by some in my life and though my writings are about uncovering wisdom in everyday life, I thought let me pause and honour the rare species of great men. I really want to honour them in this piece, though they are indeed a rare species, but none the less when great men show up and they fully take their place, it is an absolute work of art to witness.

To my Daddy, I am the woman that I am today because of your constant unconditional love, you always encourage and believe in me even more than I believe in myself. To my four brothers, I “dig” you guys, your love, your support, your giving and over protection is truly remarkable. My cousin brother whose kindness knows no bounds.

To all my male friends, though you all different in many ways but I love how you show up in the world living a deliberate purposeful life, serving, giving, protecting, loving and so much more…

To my spiritual Fathers, thank you for surrendering your lives for a much greater cause.

 

Wisdom, ,