What motivates me?

It's not always about coming first.

  Despite it being a very loaded personal question, there are (with lots of introspection) a handful of things that really motivate me. I suppose I could go on a Christian tangent, or on family oriented one, or even a work tangent. But I am not. What really motivates me is to help rid society of as much mediocrity as possible. People and society have become so complacent with the way things are.

Why? Grow a back bone and aspire to greatness, despite your circumstances. Irrespective of race, colour or creed, and I’ll even go as far as saying one’s socio-economic circumstance IS no reason for mediocrity.

Second IS the sheer ability and opportunity to do something great on a daily basis. Every morning is a gift. Make it count. Take up the opportunity presented to make a change a change in your own life, someone else’s or in the community you live. Whether it is something as simple as greeting the aunty that lives on the corner, or donating clothing to a shelter; small contributions can amount to BIG transformations.

Finally, challenging myself to aspire to something more, or learning a new skill or even something as simple as writing an email better than I did this morning. Again, adopting an attitude where one poses oneself achievable challenges in order for them to be able to manifest into significant personal transformations.

So, what motivates me in a nutshell; the desire to do and be better in everything I do and to everyone I meet on a daily basis.

Image: http://www.jesstalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Race.jpg

The 10 most unexpected consequences of being online

Danger! Gevaar! Ingozi!

  Recently I found myself in the company of a group of young men who complained incessantly about their girlfriends or spouses. The discussion took an even more bizarre turn when the topic of the 10 most unexpected consequences of being online was introduced. Whether these anecdotes are true is debatable, but the fact is, some were humorous while others were downright disturbing.

1.       You encounter the stalker girlfriend you wish you’d never see or hear from again (considering you left her sitting at Milky Lane when you were 18 years old).

2.       You get caught bragging about an affair (by your girlfriend or wife).

3.       You get caught having an affair (with your wife).

4.       You get caught bragging about an affair you thought you were having with your wife (by your wife).

5.       You get caught having an affair with your mother in law (by your wife and father in law).

6.       You get caught bad mouthing your employer (who is your mother in law).

7.       You get caught bad mouthing your wife (who is your mother in law).

8.       Refer to point number 2

9.       Refer to point number 5

10.   Refer to point number 7

As humorous as the ‘consequences’ may be, the truth is, the online environment has become a seedy place where vulnerabilities are exploited at the cost of making a mint. This insatiable greed for money has resulted in more anti-social, depraved content been published (e.g. websites promoting infidelity). As a person, nation and global community, we should be alarmed by this, as it tearing the very moral fabric of society to shreds. The question therefore begs to be asked, is a limited censorship of the online community such a bad thing after all?

Image:  http://projectbebold.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/beware.jpg

Happy New Year



Time flies when you're idle!



Where did the year go? Yes ladies and gents, you know that you’ve spoken those very words before. I distinctly recall January as if it were yesterday. Now I can assure you that it isn’t my memory that is improving, so then it must be that our months passing by faster. So what is it that you have to show for the year that has been?

Can we all safely say that we’ve done something truly memorable in the last 6 months OR have we made someone else’s life truly memorable in the last 6 months?

Maybe this is the wakeup call we all need. We are about to enter into the second half of the year. Why don’t we take the opportunity (before the 2012 New Years eve party prep begins), to reflect on 2012 and take cognisance of what was, what could have been and what will be.

Image: http://media.rbi.com.au/FM_Media_Library/ServiceLoad/Article/past-present-future-sign1_300.jpg

Every day IS a good day.

Can you afford not to trust in Him?

  Every day IS a good day. Every day for me is a God day. Every day that I get the opportunity to open up my eyes and witness the dawning of a new day, automatically makes it a great day. I thank my Heavenly Father for His continues love (for me) through the sparing my life. Why then would I not have a good day? Trials and tribulations will come and go. The constant in my life is My Lord, and because of Him, Every day is a good day.

Image: http://jcluforever.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/trust-in-the-lord.jpg

Celebrating the things that we DO have





Don't lose sight of how lucky you really are.

  Often we lose sight of all the wonderful things that we have. We have become so ungrateful for the simplest of things (seen and unseen). Recently my wife and I visited an orphanage for abandoned HIV kids in Gugulethu. Due to the sensitivity of the issue, I cannot disclose the name, but seeing the make shift orphanage in the centre of the township broke my heart.

Coming from the Cape Flats I always thought I had it bad, but witnessing the life that human beings are subjected to is not even fit for a farm animal, let alone for residents of Cape Town. Interacting and playing with these kids one quickly realises the true value of life, and the insignificance of material possessions. Yes they’re wonderful and they make our lives real easy, BUT does it warrant a celebration when you don’t really appreciate what is important, e.g. life, your family or your neighbor. These kids, as young as they are highly appreciative, because they have NO other choice, and they are one another’s family; they are all that they have.

What will it take for us to start celebrating that which we do have? What will it take for us to stop being selfish brats and open our hearts by sharing that which we do have? If each of us just plays a part, whether it is a kind word or a warm cup of Milo, this seemingly insignificant gesture (to you), can make a massive difference in the life of someone who doesn’t have anything. How do I know this, well staring into the eyes of a 12 year old who has been abandoned that has absolutely nothing other than the clothes on his back doesn’t lie.

Image: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKqGWDeJRTu9elRV2jXMnLKLlBnmPsweBk1eOHWcNDUegnmMD2uFQHH21LLUiLifSQWHSqLAxghmk6q5j5Xi12_li2Qkf1QnMtIYX5MjkE1OV_YhNXgefMIULeozViHPJt3sq-OB3GR5II/s640/thankful.jpg

Have we lost our sense of humour?

NOTE: This blog is NOT intended to be humorous!



What have we really been striving for as South Africans?



   Have we as South Africans become so preoccupied with race and being politically correct that we have lost our sense of humour? Nowadays you cannot say a word without first having a look around,  scoping who’ s in earshot, out of fear that you may be labeled a racist.

I’m coloured, and I have friends of every shade of the rainbow, and I’m not shy to say that we poke fun at one another’s cultures; but at the end of the day we’re sure to maintain a high level of respect for one another. It’s the ability to do this that makes us as South Africans so uniquely funny. We’ve been through so many dark days that all we as a nation want to do is love our neighbor, laugh out loud, and celebrate the ability to have fun.

Why is it so difficult? Quite honestly I think that it is a very small segment of the population that has a problem with this. I also think that it is those very segments of the population who behind closed doors are the real racists. My brothers and sisters of Mzanzi, if you weren’t fortunate enough to born with a sense of humour, then buy one, smokkel one, but for heaven’s sake, just get one, because life is just way too short to miss out on all that is beautiful in this country WE call home?

Image: http://www.azcec.org/files/laughing.jpg

The (pink) elephant in the room

As a PR Practitioner, I was truly tickled pink!

  Let’s be honest and address the (pink) elephant in the room that was the Public Relations Management stand at the 2012 CPUT Open Day. As a graduate of the class of 2000 I was mortified by what I saw.

The question begs to be answered, are women clad in pink feathered carnival outfits truly representative of what we as Communication Practitioners strive to achieve? Is that the impression we wish to convey to prospective students and the world? In my humble opinion, a momentary lapse in judgment mottled the image of an industry that has struggled for the last 60 years to be taken seriously.

So what happens now? Well, as all PR persons know, we overcome this hurdle by ‘rolling up our sleeves’ and getting on with the task at hand, continuing to act and conduct our work in an appropriate manner so as to regain our dignity, reestablishing ourselves as professionals, shrugging off the circus act which was.

Image: http://7deadlysinners.typepad.com/foureyedbat/images/2007/12/27/pink_elephant.jpg