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#MyQuickTake
In the articles below, I hope you find some useful insights, or that they can be the start of a great conversation! If you find an article you enjoy, please share it or leave a comment at the bottom of the page.
Setting My Compass
I’m sharing the 12 questions on my personal year-end review. Self-honesty is deeply cathartic: expression gives way to validation and response. This list will spark some important real talk! What’s on your list?
20 Observations
This one is a thought experiment to capture 20 observations about what’s happening within me and around me. It’s like holding a mirror to what I observe and absorb versus what I observe and deflect. Here goes!
Notorious Time Sinkholes
The fourth quarter is notorious for reinforcing feelings of stagnation which I’ve pondered before (Getting Out of a Rut). It also begs the question for some of us: what is stealing our time?
Is It Worth It?
Do you ever look back at everything you’ve got going on ask yourself, “Is it worth it?” or “Are my ideas working?”
Feeling Overwhelmed
Life is a series of daily negotiations and decisions, which though necessary, can be overwhelming. Hope is always available but on some days we have to go foraging for it. In times like this, I find myself thinking of prevention, relief and cure for this condition of being overwhelmed.
Career Mistakes to Avoid
We could all do with some help in spotting the issues that are unknowingly blocking our success. As my contribution to the effort, here are 5 mistakes I’ve noticed that pop up in how we manage our careers that should be avoided.
Finite Energy
If 2020 was the year that the previous normal was eviscerated, 2021 was the write-off year most of us simply wanted to survive and 2022 is the year where storm clouds have parted, allowing us to think “where to from here?”
Settling into Transition
Last August, I started a conversation about the ingredients of a career change where I covered 2 out of 5 questions in my framework . Through this article, I’ll cover the remaining 3 questions now that I’ve had more time to adjust and reflect.
30-Something & Struggling
Assuming you’ve managed to convert your plans into reality, what happens next? What if you’re struggling to cope with all the things you’ve added to your life and instead of them making you happy, you’re jaded and overwhelmed instead?
Thoughts from Christmas 2021
Writing this from the sleepy environs of Bulawayo where cars overtake each other at 60km/h, it’s the perfect setting for some short reflections on this year which is swiftly coming to a close.
Getting Out of a Rut
The fourth quarter of the year is upon us, and that brings a mixture of feelings depending on how well life is going. For some people, December is fast approaching with a sense of dread and feeling stuck. The gap between expectation and reality at the end of (yet) another year going by can get unbearable, particularly if the same long-held goals and desires are not being achieved.
Seasons
I get these intuitions which come and go about whether I am “in season” for the year ahead. Being in season feels like having such strong internal alignment that I approach life with the firm belief that everything that matters can and will fall into place
Making a Career Change
All good career breaks must come to an end! And so it is with mine as I start a new role in the fintech world combining my 3 great professional interests: harnessing financial services and technology for positive impact in Africa.
Mental Health Habits
Mental health has truly come to the forefront of open discussion during this pandemic as we battle with so many feelings, be they known or suppressed. I count myself fortunate to be in a position where my low points, though painful, did not overpower me.
Millenial Musings
Millenials are young, but not that young. We need to be careful of what could trip us up or represent missed opportunity at this sensitive time. I am curious what is on your list of opportunities and risks for the decade ahead as I share mine with you.
Zimbabwe: Searching for the Rainbow
In the past 6 months, I’ve spent the most amount of time living in Zimbabwe as an adult as I’ve ever had since emigrating to South Africa back in 2005. More time on the ground has affirmed for me the intensity of resilience, warmth, ingenuity, work ethic and grit that are possible even in tough circumstances (and perhaps because of it).
Waiting Well
The more change I experience in my life, the more I have come to embrace that waiting is not as passive as it seems. Moreover, it’s not enough to simply wait, one should wait well.
Measuring What Counts
In planning the right course for the year ahead, I try to stay mindful that not everything that counts can be measured, and not everything that can be measured counts.
Networking: The Ultimate Power Skill
Whatever misgivings we may have about networking, it has stood the test of time as the most effective way to work through people in order to identify and connect with opportunities. How are you using it to your advantage?
Momentum: Is the Force With You?
Momentum is how I view the compound effect of decisions big and small which create real world outcomes and consequences. It’s what happens when the theory of compound interest meets life.