I stared at Microsoft word for quite some time before I could conceptualize what I really wanted to write about, as of late I have had difficulty with my creative writing, there has been so much going on, with school and other commitments that I have, that I hardly make time to allow my creative juices to simmer and manifest into words, so that I can clearly articulate my thoughts. However something that I would like to share, that I grasped within my tenure in the states is: the culture of always holding yourself to a certain standard of excellence, to maximize each and every opportunity that comes ones way, by being the best version of one’s self, to what Maslow dubbed as self-actualizing.
There is no greater euphoria than finding what one loves and enjoys, and I gained just that in DC, my experience allowed me to explore avenues that I hadn’t even begin to think of, being in a liberal arts education system provides one with perspective, but I rarely provides with practical experience, at least that is the norm in South Africa. In this short excerpt ill provide some key insights that I have garnered on my SAWIP adventures.
Self-awareness: we constantly demand the best of ourselves, and on that journey of discovery and self-actualization we want to find our niche, the forte to a destination of mastery and expertise, however we spend most of time trying to get GOOD at things that we are OK at, which is a great thing, improvement is always great, but what I found, when I asked all the people who were experts in their field on how they got where they were, they all echoed one singular sentiment, and that’s amplify your strengths to steer you in the direction where you can leverage your skills to become the best at what you do, and that means doing some serious introspection about who you are, what one loves to do, and your inclined competencies. This is a difficult task, which requires a substantial amount of time, but it’s worth it, because when we operate in being the best version of ourselves, we inspire others to do the same, and that’s how we create a culture of excellence, when we allow ourselves to fail in order to steer ourselves to the direction that awaits our destiny, some call it failing forward, I just think it’s a universal truth, in essence get to KNOW YOURSELF.
Leadership: the concept of leadership is greatly synonymous with an occupation or a title, but that definition has evolved and doesn’t fit our times, SAWIP emphasizes on servant leadership and being an active citizen, but what does that mean, who does it speak to, are there certain individuals that fit the criteria, that’s how people conceptualize things when there is coded jargon attached, but what they don’t realize is that they have allows been leaders, when we are born; we are assigned descriptions, being a brother or sister, the youngest or oldest, we act out our roles within the family based on our description, and as an older brother myself, there is an abstract awareness that I need to look after and set an example for my siblings, that is called leading without title, I am not told to do A or B, but I feel it incumbent upon myself to do any way. Which is something that I learned in DC that struck me as an “ah-ha” moment, and an epiphany that draw parallels. Being a leader doesn’t require one to be assigned, but has to do with what one does, being active by utilizing ones abilities in an act of love and compassion to serve for the greater good, setting an example that others may follow, and that’s how we create the societies that we envisage.
Networking: they say it’s not about who you are, but who you know, and that adage was confirmed when I was in DC, networking is a central culture of the metropolitan world, and as a young hungry ambitious lad, I rose to the occasion, SAWIP created business cards where they had our credentials and contact details. At first I didn’t think I would need them, until I realized I was wasting opportunities to formulate meaningful collaborations and friendships: meeting people at conference and someone asks for your card but due to ones self-inflicted idiocy you can’t present it at the time. Another useful tool is Linked In, I have since realized the power of leveraging ones social capital, as a student it’s a great platform to get to know the organization that are of your interest or follow prospective employers, but most importantly it serves as an instrument to inform your network base about the things that you are doing and interested in, documenting experiences and sharing opportunities and knowledge is key to retaining and cultivating meaningful friendships with people that you rarely converse with.
Passion: La pacione; this probably the most important aspect and I cannot emphasize this enough, I met many accomplished professionals, and they always speak about passion and it’s an integral part of what they do, and I couldn’t agree more, as humans we want to be affirmed, we want to belong and to be accepted, but most importantly we want to feel that we are doing something that is meaningful in making a difference, Steve jobs said it best:” your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work”. DC taught me to find what I love, enjoy and execute, but most importantly to constantly challenge myself so I can unravel other aspects of myself that my passion can resonate with.
Fun: be a kid again, get out of your rigid routine and comfort zone and explore new things, be an active participant and immerse yourself in activities that grasp your interest, engage in conversations with people that you wouldn’t normally speak with, grow and explore and be open to new possibilities, the world can be a wonderful place it’s all about perspective.
Remember: WHO YOU ARE TO BE, YOU ARE NOW BECOMING