The Odyssey

  “ The leap of faith involves having a basic belief in yourself and a fundamental trust in the vision of who, what, and where you want to be in the future. ” - Jim Taylor Leadership is such a buzzword nowadays, yet the concept is so broad and cannot be construed to one strict definition. I have heard many people define leadership and what it means to them, but leadership for me is about taking a leap of faith. What do I mean by that? You may ask. Although Jim Taylor described what it means to take a leap of faith, his description fits perfectly to what leadership is mostly about. Belief in one’s self. Courage to take action. And fundamental trust in your vision for the future. Faith is the key word in that description as scripture describes it as the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen. Henceforth, faith is about hope, vision, trust and belief. Legend has it that many years ago all villagers decided to pray for rain. On the day of prayer, all the ...

“ The social fabric of a community is formed from an expanding shared sense of belonging. It is shaped by the idea that only when we are connected, and care for the well-being of the whole that a civil and democratic society is created .” – Peter Block Social fabric, by definition, refers to the relationships and connections that we form with one another, which make us all a part of the common thread on which the society rests. Social fabric is akin to a keystone habit, which enables all other good habits to fall into place. It is a virtue that purports unity and interconnectedness even during times of despair and misery. The first step therefore, in building social fabric, is to change the status quo; our common mind-set of focusing on the problems of our society, into possibilities. In our dysfunctional communities, the greatest challenge we all face is fragmentation. We live in a space where key parts of society operate in isolation, as though they are not part of a community. From ...

           Source: internet “ Have you ever met a person who was a great reader when they were young, who was not successful? Never! It is the absolute best foundation, ever !” – Oprah Winfrey It is every parents dream to see their kids succeed in life, and to watch them become better citizens who contributes to the larger society. Paradoxically, we do not equip them with the fundamental foundation required for success in life, which is reading. It is important to realize that children do not hear us, but they imitate everything we do instead. Let us lead by example, especially when it comes to reading. I genuinely believe that everyone is a reader, and those who think they are not, clearly they have not found their favourite book yet. Imagine a community where we can start a culture of buying each other books for our kids habitually as gifts (during their birthdays for instance), and encourage them to read. Do you realize what kind of citizens they ...

“ Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid .” – Albert Einstein Recently, as part of my educational program, I was required by my Toastmasters club to set up and facilitate two meetings, both with the goal of reaching consensus. Consensus on what? you may ask. Consensus on any topic of my choice. So I chose a topic which I believe is very important as it affects mostly the youth and therefore the future of our country. South Africa is plagued with alarming statistics of youth unemployment. I proposed a solution through the following statement as my chosen topic. “Introducing Rhetoric in High School (from Grade 7 At least) could solve youth unemployment challenges. The first meeting was conducted with seven members of Toastmasters International, each member was given 2-3 minutes share their views and perspective on the subject. The meeting was scheduled for 20 minutes and at the end o...

“ In a state, virtue should be the chief aim, and unless philosophers become rulers, or rulers become students of philosophy, there will be unceasing troubles for states and human at large .” – George G. M. James. You don’t need a qualification in Philosophy to be a Philosopher. In fact, this article is not referring to those philosophers who went to school to study Philosophy as a profession because they are confusing as f*ck. The primary purpose of Philosophy in ancient times was the salvation of the soul. The aim was to create a balance and harmony in the three faculties of the soul (mind, emotion and will) through the practice and exercise of virtue and wisdom. Of the four cardinal virtues coined by Plato, wisdom is the greatest. By definition, Philosophy is “love of wisdom”. On the other hand, virtue is the behavior that shows high moral standards. Philosophers were avid readers, as the definition entails (lovers of wisdom), which seems to be a reasonable and sufficient de...

Have you ever been asked, what is your philosophy in life? More than three times in my life, different people asked me that question and quite frankly, I never liked it and so my answers were always defensive and wrong. Three years back (2017), in an interview for a lecturing post at the University of Limpopo, they asked me. What is your teaching philosophy? As you can imagine, that question threw me off and I did not pass the interview. I remember driving home after that interview and reflecting on which questions I answered well and which ones I did NOT particularly like. When the one about teaching philosophy came to mind, I snapped - WHAT THE HECK IS PHILOSOPHY ANYWAY? My understanding of the word Philosophy was flawed. Recently, I learned that Philosophy is not merely a specialized discipline where you can get a degree but a way of thinking. Often times we complicate things and in my case, rush into answering a question without understanding it or seeking clarity f...

The most successful entrepreneurs are the ones who always ask themselves the right questions in order to grow their businesses in a sustainable manner. Why did I build this company in the first place? How can I get people to do business with me forever? What do I, and my company stands for? What makes me or my company better than others who are selling the same products or services like me? All these questions can be answered by using a three step process that is regarded as the best business strategy that will not only win you customers but make them loyal to you. The first step is Attract, followed by Engage, and then Delight. 1.     Attract Customer attraction is one of the most important yet untapped business components that most companies takes for granted. More than anything, this has to do with branding than advertising or marketing itself. Everyone knows they have to advertise in order to get customers and drive sales, but not everybody seem...

“ All business investments and business start-ups require high level of optimism. You must believe in the future possibilities of your business along with your products and services. You must have so much confidence in their marketability that you are willing to take financial risk and invest many hours, weeks, and even years to achieve to achieve your business goals, and you must do all this with no real guarantee of success. At the same time, you need discipline to curb your confidence, to remain objective and realistic. Overconfidence in business can lead to business mistakes, financial losses and even bankruptcy .” – Brian Tracey It’s quite evident from the word above that starting a successful and sustainable business is not an easy task. It requires hard work, self-discipline, commitment, passion (and purpose), confidence (and ambition), to name a few. “ There is no area of activity that demands more self-discipline than starting and operating a business in our curre...