Weekly Tips To Challenge Ordinary

I recently read these words by Brianna Wiest: “Choosing a life rooted in simplicity makes the ordinary miraculous.” She reflected on how we’ve been conditioned to believe happiness lies in “moreness.” The perception that the career, the house, the car, the clothes, or even the relationships will make us happy, expecting them to be more than they are.

Last Friday, I spent some quality time with a friend I haven’t seen in a while. Over the last few years, the business he works for has experienced significant cash flow issues. To the extent that paying salaries was a continuous challenge. He told me that for the last three years, he would dread payday, never being sure whether he would get paid or not. Often, he wouldn’t. As the head of a household, that is immensely scary and challenging.

What have you been waiting for? Putting off?

This past weekend, I had the massive privilege to complete a trail running race, which I had to sit out for two years due to my injuries. It was a two-day run in the beautiful Drakensberg mountains. I would love to share some of the things I learned, because this was such a liberating and overwhelmingly positive experience:

Good morning Shinell.

I worked in Centurion for nine years. As consultants, we would travel to Johannesburg regularly to see clients. This was before Zoom and remote work became a thing, and we would spend large chunks of time sitting in traffic on the N1. There is not much to do while you’re sitting there, so I would watch the people in the cars around me, wondering what they do for a living. And more importantly, whether they actually enjoy what they do.

One constant in life is movement. Change and transition are inevitable.

We all face unexpected shifts: a move, a breakup, a new job, name what you like. Some embrace these changes with optimism and poise, a quality I deeply admire. Others approach them with fear or reluctance. Why do we respond so differently to change?

SilenceSilence This week, I attended a silent church service for the first time. The idea behind...

This past Sunday I participated in the Two Oceans Half-marathon alongside some 16,000 other runners from across the country and globe. It is a fantastic race, well organised with a very fun vibe and great support along the route. The route itself is tough – there are some big hills and winding roads. Rarely are you running on a flat stretch of road.

This morning, I went cycling wearing a long-sleeved jersey for the second time this year. I forgot to charge my bike light, but luckily, it still had enough power to see me through. Training in Cape Town during the winter requires more preparation and logistics – and definitely more motivation – than normal. The beautiful scenery is of no use when it’s pitch dark.

Is your default setting keeping you stuck? Is your lack of ability to adapt and think outside the box hindering your progress toward your goals?

You are receiving our email a day earlier than normal because tomorrow is Human Rights Day. I for one am pretty excited about the first long weekend of the year.

Although human rights is an ancient idea, it is something that humans have gotten wrong for the biggest part of our history. Still today, there are numerous (*countless?) examples around the world of how humans are mistreated by our own species.

I recently learned more about Shabbat as a tradition central to Jewish life. It is observed every Friday from sunset to sunset on Saturday night. The day is designed to be spent switching off from work and busyness to spend time with loved ones, away from the rest of the world. The idea is that every week, humans should have a day that is completely different from all other days of the week. Not as a punishment, but for our benefit, recovery and well-being.

This got me thinking about all the other things I consume during a normal week: I listen to a lot of music during the day, podcasts while I’m cycling, watch specific channels on YouTube, and then read quite a lot too. I also fall prey to mindless social media scrolling if I’m not careful. Early in the year, I came across a post (I cannot recall where), where the author spoke about being more deliberate about creating instead of just consuming. That struck a chord.

Recently read this- “To have a friend, you must first be a friend.”

Friends or acquaintances, both have their place. But where are you investing your time?

Is working from home driving you dilly? Or is the idea of going back to the office sounding silly?