Weekly Tips To Challenge Ordinary

Last week, we had a fun and interesting interaction in our local Postnet. I took my son to get some printing done and noticed a man standing in the store wearing a very classy suit. We live in a coastal town with a holiday vibe, where only the dominees wear ties on Sunday. He stood out like a guy wearing a suit on the West Coast.

I see the best leaders as individuals who step forward, unafraid to roll up their sleeves and work alongside their team. They’re confident enough to admit when they don’t have all the answers and humble enough to seek input from others.

Last weekend, I partook in an adventure.

Ten gents, on six boats, rowing 120km on the Bergriver over two days and one night, camping in the middle of nowhere. It might not be as epic as climbing Everest or destroying the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, but it is still pretty challenging. Everything you need, you have to carry in your boat. There are no facilities along the way. No shops. No shortcuts. Just a lot of water, farms, fish eagles, bugs and nature.

That’s the topic I want to explore today. In the small village where I live, several WhatsApp community groups were initially created to keep everyone connected and informed. Over the past year, however, I’ve noticed a frustrating trend. Some individuals have been vocal about their opinions, often expressing them in ways I find downright rude and disrespectful, then justifying their comments with the #freedomofspeech label.

Lose like a ChampionLose Like a Champion Last weekend was a bleak one for South African sporting...

Earlier this week, Shinell shared a list of really cool and challenging questions she came across. This one jumped out at me:

“Which future memory am I creating right now, and will I be proud to own it?”

At the beginning of August, I noticed an increase in posts and reminders. These posts and images shared a recurring theme: August as a new season, a fresh start. One post, in particular, struck me as profoundly inspiring. It reads as follows:

If the waves aren’t perfect, just paddle back out. There’s always another set rolling in.

A coaching client recently lost a close relative and our conversation drifted towards the more serious aspects of life: living with the knowledge that we will all die someday, role models and leaving a legacy. We have spent a significant portion of the last 6 months talking about masculinity and the importance of male role models, a topic which came up again with the passing of this family member. Knowing that my father passed away last year, he asked me about my experience of dealing with loss and what I learnt from him and the most important male role models in my life.

The answer is 166.

It can either fill you with dread or hope.

If it has been a bad year and you’re waiting for it to be over, you have 166 days to endure.

If there are still things you want to get done and opportunities you want to pursue, you have 166 days to make plenty of progress.

It has been raining almost every day in Cape Town over the last few weeks, and it is the first thing that people talk about when you see them. The rain is not a surprise – it always rains this time of year. But the short, cold, wet days and long nights still come as a shock to the system, even though we have lived here for almost five years.

Be a BeatleBe a Beatle A while ago, I wrote a letter about how exhausting the list of things one...

Ready for a history lesson?

Countless rulers tried and failed to solve the unsolvable knot, until 22-year-old King Alexander III of Macedonia arrived in Phrygia in 333 B.C., early in his ambitious campaign against the Persian Empire. Aware of the legend, Alexander studied the knot carefully, but was unable to determine a solution. Suddenly, he drew his sword and cut the knot in half with one powerful blow. It was a bold, decisive, unconventional action in the face of complexity – an emblem of thinking differently when traditional approaches fail. The young king would later become known as Alexander the Great, and for good reason, as he would go on to conquer and rule much of Asia Minor, just as the oracle’s prophecy had foretold.

I recently read about Alex Cora, the manager of the Boston Red Sox, missing the series-opening game to attend his daughter’s graduation. The media and some fans criticised him, calling his absence a ridiculous excuse.

Last week, Shinell sent me a picture with the words: “Every exceptional person I know is dangerously consistent”. It resonates deeply because deep down, I think we all know this is true.

“If only I could be more consistent!” is something all of us think more regularly than we would like to admit. This forms part of conversations we have at least once a week (either personally or professionally) with people who feel desperate to finally get out of their own way and progress towards the goals they’ve had for years.