Can you read and write?

Can you get things done?

Can you teach yourself a new skill?

Can you figure out how to access a new app?

There is illiteracy with finance. With technology. With relationships.

How do we improve?

How do we help those around us?

How do we improve the entire ecosystem with too many competing priorities?

Doing one thing at a time.

I choose to spend time with those that tell me the honest truth. Those that push and pull to get action out of me. Those that kick my butt to get back to doing the things that matter to me.

If I am on track, that person is usually me. Time with self without distractions, instead of staring at the small screen and wasting time. But I fell into this addiction once again for about a month.

I know I am better because I am here. I can confirm this because I read a real book last night.

Outside of myself, I have friends who push and pull me. But they are also there to catch me when I stumble. Pick me up when I fall. Take me to the hospital when I can barely move.

I am wealthy because I have so many amazing friends in my life. I grow grateful once again.

I feel as if no one here belongs to mine. And I do not belong to them.

I wonder if anyone can feel my discomfort and frustration.

I wonder when I can make a final break!

Is a choice we often forget about. Microsoft did nothing when they became aware of Chinese consumers using pirated and illegal copies of its software. It was a conscious decision. And a good one.

The logic went as follows: if Chinese consumers got used to Microsoft Windows and earned enough money, they will eventually pay to use a product they have gotten used to.

Microsoft was right.

But… we often forget about the choices we must make with limited time. This usually involves quality people in high demand. If we need to choose between two people for a job, relationship, or business partnerships, we must choose wisely and swiftly. Because if we linger and wear out their patience, they may walk away out of frustration.

So how do we decide to do nothing or do as quickly as possible?

There won’t be enough time. There won’t be perfect information.

I ask myself one question:

Which option would the Future Me appreciate the most?

You are all alone in the deep blue sea. You are shivering. You are treading water. You are fighting to stay above the surface. You are scared.

Someone throws you a lifeline. Your eyes are closed. You are too deep in your thoughts. You are too frail. You don’t grab on. You don’t know how.

They swim towards you to take you away into safety. They wrap you in a blanket and nurse you back to health.

When you open your eyes, you see your tribe smiling down upon you. You are no longer alone. You will never have to do everything by yourself. All you have to do is reach out and ask for help. All you have to do is be you and nothing else. You don’t have to be a mother, father, sister and caretaker. You can be you and that is finally enough.

I was reviewing a list of restaurants I’ve enjoyed in Johannesburg. Most of them have closed down. So has a really cool bar we went to less than a year ago.

The things I like, the masses don’t appreciate. Maybe this is another reminder to enjoy the good while it lasts. We never know when the place or people will close shop forever.

A team of researchers have been following a group of Harvard and non-Harvard men for over 60 years to understand source of human happiness. What makes us happy? Fame? Wealth? Achievements? According to their research, it boils down to one thing: healthy relationships with quality people.

The happier we are, the longer we live.

Is it possible that unhappy people die early because they have nothing to live for? They no longer have a reason to exist. No one to share their lives with. No one to greet in the morning. No one to call when something good happens. No one to fall back on when everything breaks down.

Because when we get older, we care less about what people think of us. We care more about how we feel in our own skin. We care more about spending time with people we choose. Maybe unhappy people have burned too much bridges. Or didn’t invest enough time on relationships that mattered. Wasting time on frivolous things and throwaway people. Or maybe they let their egos control their lives.

Who am I spending the most of my time with? The ones I treasure.

Truth is born from a place of discomfort. To be true is to thrash and search for the very thing staring back at us. It is revealed in layers. It shows itself only when we open our eyes. It will break precious narratives borne from basic survival instincts. It must be caught before it can be released.

It means we embrace discomfort. It means we don’t run away from ourselves. It means we dig deep until our last breath. It means we surround ourselves with those who love us and challenge us.

I am grateful for the people in my life that fill me with love, laughter, pain, healing and acceptance.

It is a roadmap to lead me back to where I was and remind me who I used to be. I am leaving a trail of bread crumbs so when I find myself lost again, I won’t get as scared. I won’t get as lost. So that I can find my way back to myself.

I used to wake up in the middle of the night looking for someone to comfort me. Fill the hole in my heart. Take away the loneliness. Take away the pain. And of course, I would be alone with no one to soothe me.

I am crafting a set of lenses to reflect upon past struggles, triumphs, and paths to bring me back into the present before searching for a brighter tomorrow.

My writing is a gift to myself. It is my self care. It is my way of dealing with my painful past.

I seldom wake up like I used to. But when I do, I know who to reach out to and what I must do. I reach out to myself. I soothe and embrace the frightened child until she falls asleep. I am all I needed. I am all I need. I didn’t know this until I grew older and wiser. Perhaps I wasn’t ready until I was older and wiser.

Writing is what I do when no one is watching. It is what I do without pay. It is what I do without recognition. I do so with diligence and care. I do so with brutal honesty. It makes me uniquely me. It makes me happy.

My laptop is in the ICU after I advertently deleted critical system files.

I have been able to work without it. I dare say more effectively and efficiently.

I spent more time speaking to colleagues and coaching my team on what they are working on. I had the team print out their projects so I can review without digital distractions.

What I thought was absolutely necessary was actually a value detractor.

Where do we spend the majority of our time? Are we in the right place doing the right things? Is it adding value or is it robbing me of my precious time?