Purpose SA

Times are challenging!  I am experiencing difficulties on various levels.  The economy is not as flourishing and growing as it was previously, we have a 4 month old boy in the home and I live in a troubled city.  


The question that is however really bugging me is why do I choose to live in South Africa?

Don't get me wrong, but I believe this is a good question we need to ask, and more importantly, answer.  Many people live in this country and simply take for granted that they are here by coincidence and whatever they do is only important to them and their immediate family.  No!  This cannot be.  We cannot be building our own little fortresses in a country that is desperately trying to establish its own identity.

In order to thrive on the difficulties that persist it is very important to find purpose!  What is the purpose of staying in a country with such high crime rates, cultural differences and economic divides?  As you all know I am a white male and at the moment the economy is not specifically inclined to favour me.  Why am I here?  I am here because I believe in a country that forgives, unites and creates.  I see myself as one of the privileged individuals living in South Africa that will help shape an excellent and ethical future filled with passion and compassion.  Tolerance is not enough, it is merely a coping mechanism.  We have to live together, not survive together.

Why are you here?

The Wait

As the seconds tick by and the loneliness of the wilderness pounds how unproductive I currently am deep into my mind I am blessed to reflect.

I don't know about you but my last few years have been very interesting in terms of my work life. Many people hit a trajectory in their careers that look fairly similar to that of a space shuttle shortly after lift-off. All the pressures increase and before you know it you are 50 years old with three kids, a mortgage and a dog named spike.


My journey thus far has been quite the opposite. During the time of the birth of Jesus, and in that area, the farmers who had vineyards would not allow a vineyard to carry fruit for three years in a row. As soon as the vines would start producing grapes they would prune back the vine and stop it from bearing fruit. After three years the vine grew strong and would be able to carry much larger fruit.

The past five years I have been pruned back a number of times and normally these pruning seasons are accompanied by a period of waiting in which I am not very fruitful. It is truly frustrating because every time I wanted to get going and show of how much fruit I can bear I had to be patient and dig much deeper.

Right now I am exiting such a season and I believe it is time to bear fruit! I guess I first had to make peace with the process and learn a great deal of patience and focus. During the past 5 years my journey has challenged my understanding of work and being productive and it could only have happened because I failed to produce.

Failure is not an option, it is a necessity!

Busy vs. Effective

As most of you probably know I have been fortunate to live on different continents amongst different cultures.

It was not always that easy uprooting every few years but that little bit of discomfort growing up has indeed shaped my character into what it is today.

That little bit of suffering is indeed a privilege because it has shaped my world view in a significant way.

My exposure to different cultures and environments always leads me to reflect upon our current situation and never simply take things for granted. We currently reside in Johannesburg and this is the place where we have experienced the fastest pace of life so far. Part of it is good because there is a lot of energy here which motivates us to look for opportunities. The drawback is off course that at this break neck speed there is a danger of becoming busy at the expense of effectiveness.

One of the definitions of effective is producing a deep or vivid impression. Wow! Now there is a different standard to judge my work by. Do I produce a deep or vivid impression when I interact, communicate and produce or is everything I do a blur?

I strongly desire to produce a deep and vivid impression. I do not simply want to run around an do things. I rather want to be such a person that I leave a striking impression with whom ever I come into contact with. I believe this takes great discipline because I need to know when to say yes and when to say know. In my opinion this goes hand in hand with my purpose. Be true to your purpose! Be effective!

In my next post I will focus more on purpose and break it down as a construct (an image, idea, or theory, esp. a complex one formed from a number of simpler elements).

The Heart of a Leader

Through my studies and experience I have come to realise that the deep well of leadership is to be found in the heart of a leader.

It is the distinguishing factor inside the heart of a leader, not something external, that leads an individual to significance.

You can have all the great books, lectures and degrees but if your heart is not the place where the deep motivation comes from it is worth nothing. When I get up in the mornings I take time to ensure that my heart is in the right place. It is important for me to reflect and be quiet in order to hear what is going on inside me. Too often leaders jump in and make things happen every day without thinking of the consequences.

Let's take the industrial revolution for example. During this tremendous time of change many leaders came to the fore. None of us can deny that there have been much needed advances in production, medicine, technology etc. that have been critical to building our societies. The problem is now we need leaders who's hearts are in the right place that care for much more than the profit margin. Remember, Adolf Hitler was a phenomenal leader that could inspire and mobilise a nation into mass action. The question is what was in his heart? It is not enough that a leader has good ideas, the motives that drive the ideas are as important. Nuclear advances made by scientists were truly mind boggling (it still is to me) but the leaders who decided what to do with it had certain motives in their hearts and the rest, as they say, is history.

Back to the industrial revolution. At the moment we need another revolution because of the great needs in society such as mass hunger, severe droughts, shortage of water and war. We need to answer these needs in a sustainable manner becasue the answers we came up with during the industrial revolution have brought as many problems as they have solutions. We cannot come up with these kind of solutions again. In my opinion it was the greed (excessive or rapacious desire) and ambition of many that allowed the desires in their hearts to pollute the outcome. I am not saying that the steam engine should not have been invented - that would just be silly! The question is how has it been used and adapted? It is not only important that we do the right things, we have to do them in the right way.

Wake up to Eternity



My wife and I are entering a very special season. On 26 July, if everything goes as planned, we will have a new baby boy in our lives! We are very excited. We are also entering a time where we will be challenged to step out and truly look beyond our current horizons in terms of work and basically our whole existence.

Many paths are coming together. With the focus on each of our passions and purpose and the promising future of a new baby boy we are squarely positioned to wake up to eternity!

It is not the time to try and be safe with everything because we are expecting our first child but I believe the opposite is quite true. I believe that the greatest damage to the child is the unlived life of the parent. I'm not saying that you have to get all your partying done by tomorrow and have kids otherwise you will be damaging your children. It comes down to your definition of life. I want to teach my children that you need to fail forward and never stop taking risks. As we all know, monkey see, monkey do.

I live today as the parent I will be tomorrow. I will wake up to eternity.

Into the Dark Places

I recently read a stirring quote by novelist Erica Jong which said that "Everyone has talent; what is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads." WOW! My little world got an unexpected, yet welcomed, jolt.

I had a peak outside the box today and realised that if is not worth the risk it is not worth it at all. The challenge is to find something that I am willing to lay my life down for; for it is only then that I will have something to live for! It definitely can't be money because it is simply just never enough. What is the price that I will have to pay to poses my passion?

Am I willing to sacrifice security? How about recognition? What do I say when my comfort gets challenged? These are big challenges and I better have some form of transcending faith that will allow me to sacrifice everything that I have known for everything I need. I mean you can never be sure of many things like buying into a world of insured security that is based on a very fragile debt ridden capitalist system. It is a huge kingdom with glistening castles, towers, and temples dedicated to every imaginable god that you could ever desire to worship all built upon a matchstick foundation. There are millions of people running around underneath the veneer of wealth propping the matchstick kingdom up with very flimsy support.

What happens when the kingdoms' foundations shake and all the temples of all the gods start rattling and creaking? Our security is starting to fall and all around us and the illusion of safety and security is melting like a ice sculpture in the Sahara. The zeros in our bank account vanish until there is only one remaining standing alone, naked in the coming storm. No longer can we wander around the golden streets to ease the angst we have, no longer can we inject ourselves with sweet satisfaction that blinds us and keeps us addicted to the mediocrity of a fallen world.

Yes! What is my passion? Why do I want it? I want to look beyond the mere insincerity of the fast-paced world and work with people that desire a better perspective. I have a passion to coach individuals who desire to go into the dark places where there talent leads.