The day of departure

Today is my last day on the African continent until new year’s eve. I am a few hours away from embarking on a journey to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I will be working with AIESEC Rio in collaboration with NGOs in the area to help children, teenagers and young adults with issues of citizenship, human rights and leadership. The ultimate goal is to empower everyone we come in contact with, so that they can feel the burning desire to positively impact their communities.

We need passionate young people in all communities to change their nations from the inside out. The ultimate goal of this exciting journey to Brazil is simply to change one person’s perception about their life. If we can change one person’s perception of themselves, so that they have greater confidence or a greater desire to do good in their community, this endeavor will be a  huge success. I believe it is important to never underestimate the impact that one person can have on a community. Thus, if we can positively affect one person, we may be indirectly involved a ripple effect of positive change in Rio de Janeiro, possibly Brazil, possibly South America, possibly the world.

Imagine a young Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King Jnr sitting there on a warm (read: boiling hot) afternoon in Rio, void of confidence, skewed self-image, and apathetic about the world around them. Imagine if they never had anyone to believe in them, or open their eyes to the atrocities of this world. Imagine if they were never encouraged to follow their passions in the face of adversity.

I trust that God has put this opportunity in my path for a reason. I am so thankful to Him and I deeply want to glorify Him during my time in Rio.

Many lessons will be learnt, friendships will be gained, challenges will be faced, and fun will be had… Lots and lots of fun.

Let the adventure commence!

The Year of Growth

I hope to look back in 20 years and say, “2013 was the year in which I began fulfilling my potential”. On January 1 2013, I had hoped to use this year as a means to grow as a son, brother, friend, Christian and leader.

Thus, I have adopted the “yes man” mentality to accept all opportunities that have come my way. This has been the year in which I have grown more than any other year in my life.

I joined a Toastmasters club in February to improve my public speaking skills. In July, I became President of that Toastmasters club. In March, I applied to become a Google Ambassador, and in June I was accepted and sent to Nairobi (Kenya) for leadership and Google Apps training. I now represent Google at my university, in the hope of integrating technology into the education infrastructure. I have attended 2 TEDx events, in which I have met inspiring people and heard perception-shattering talks. This has all been while completing my Honours degree in Physiology.

The excitement and responsibility of these involvements has been great. It has helped to build my CV, and fleshed out my Linkedin profile slightly. But that is not why I have embarked on this journey. These experiences have helped me step out of my comfort zone, and forced me to learn with each new step.

From 18 November, I am going to close out the year by going to Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) with AIESEC for 6 weeks in order to help young people build their understanding of human rights, and leadership skills. This is another extremely exciting opportunity that God has blessed me with.

I have noticed that opportunities will intermittently (yet constantly) come our way in different forms, and it is our responsibility to be open-minded at all times in order to seize them, grow as people, and help others.    

I never want achievements to define me. 

I want to make a difference in this world, and I want to glorify God every step of the way. 

I have been really blessed in my life, and I thank God hugely for that.

I’m excited about what the future holds!

The Underestimation of Character

What is character? The first definition that popped up on Google was “The mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual”. I don’t like this definition. Mental qualities? Moral qualities? Too qualitative. Too vague. To me, character is so much more than that. Character is not simply a noun, as all dictionaries would have you believe. It is not simply a word. Character is a concept.  Character is what defines us as people, so how can us, as people, define character?

The challenge is, how do you define a concept that encompasses so much of our identity?  In my view, this concept is best illustrated by words of Charles Swindoll; “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it”.

You can be born with the proverbial silver spoon in your mouth, but success like the previous generation is not guaranteed. One must learn to live their own way, experience trials and tribulations and build the character in order to take advantage of the resources around them to achieve success. For these people born into excessively affluent families, it is easier for them to become drug addicts and apathetic alcoholics than it is for them to replicate or exceed the success of their parents.

Conversely, a person that is born into poverty is not destined for a life of destitution. There are many factors at play halting the person’s pathway to greatness, but I firmly believe mentality is one’s greatest enemy in these situations. A defeatist self-apologetic mindset will likely result in this person’s children being born into the exact same poverty. However, if the impoverished person  allows their difficulties to nurture courage in the face of adversity, there are no limits.

A person born into poverty will suffer greatly and will face a massive task to turn it around, but Helen Keller’s (She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree – the epitome of a person with character) words apply; “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” The book of Romans in the Bible states very similar sentiments to Keller in that we should rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. 

I firmly believe that life is a small fraction what circumstances you are in, and a mighty fraction of how you react to it.You can be good person. You can give to the poor. When people ask you what your profession is, you can answer with a broad smile, “philanthropist”. You can be a genuinely “nice guy”, but if you lack character, you can never be great. 

If you lack character, you can never be great. 

To quote a great man by the name of Albert Einstein, “Most people say that it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character.” My good friend, Albert, is right. You can be very good at what you do, excellent even. But character is the catalyst that transforms a good skill into a great skill. Character catalyzes the reaction of goodness into greatness. If we want to make a difference in our respective fields in life… If we are ambitious enough to want to make a difference in our country and eventually the world, we won’t do it by simply being “highly skilled cowards”. No, to have any hope of achieving any lofty ambition, character is needed. And character in abundance.

In life, as we progress up the ladder of success, great challenges will arise. As we start achieving our goals, we will encounter stumbling blocks and frequently closed doors. If we are not willing to persevere in these difficult times, we cannot expect to achieve anything. Think of a bad day as a test of character. Think of a bad week as an exam. If you get fired from your job, that is very sad news. But think of it as God preparing you for something greater. 

We need a paradigm shift in our way of thinking... If we start looking at troubled times as exciting times for personal growth, that is when our lives will change exponentially for the better. 

Remember, you have two choices when confronted with difficulties in life; the first is to accept it with a positive attitude as a challenge and a learning experience. The other option is to simply give up and move back to your comfort zone. Comfort zones are great, but there is no room for personal growth in them, and certainly no room to build character.

I want to challenge you, and I want to challenge myself. I am on this journey and I have a long way to go. I implore you to not let your past define you. I implore you to let present and past sufferings spur you on to achieve the improbable. We must remember that life is indeed 90% how we react to circumstances around us, and as such, we determine our own fate with our character. Intentions mean nothing. Achievements mean nothing. It is our character that defines us. 

One day, when you have left this earth, will your legacy be that you were a person of great character? 

Inaugural post

Today is the day.

I have gone back and forth in my mind over the last few months wondering when I should start blogging. Today is the day. Exciting times are ahead, and exciting times have past. What better way to document all the excitement than through a collection of words on public display?

I will use this blog to give my thoughts about random aspects of life. I'll give thoughts about interesting experiences and encounters. I will be honest. I will write as I think, and think as I write.

I am not a great writer, nor am I great thinker. I have a dry sense of humour and a contrary perception of the world. I speak from my heart and mean what I say.

This blog is my canvas, and I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you.