Marita’s Blog

The recurring problem with malaria is that mosquitoes have evolved to be immune to every vaccination ever invented against them.

Humans too are incredible creatures of evolution, which is why fads come and go. People get excited and curious about the intoxicating new, immerse themselves in it and spread it amongst their friends. Fads are the vaccination which we poke at, learn about and play around with for a bit. Then, something better comes out. The old is abandoned in favour of the new. We buzz around the nets, asking the same questions and borrowing each new product as the “best thing” for a while before flying on. It’s in our nature.

So what’s next? Mosquitoes will eat through mosquito nets. What will humans do?

Either act, or forget.

Talking about someone else behind their back makes no difference to them, and all the difference to you. Your friends have to put up with you, you get frustrated, and sharing with your friends only reaffirms your complaints and causes them to perpetuate. I.e., in order for you to be consistent with what you say, you will find more and more evidence (that someone is bad/wrong/evil/stupid) to back up your word and “prove” to your friends your point of view is correct. The vicious circle continues with you and your friends, while the complaint (the someone) lives happily in oblivion. They are indifferent, you continue poking and you get to “be right”.

It doesn’t seem fair, does it? They’re the complaint, and you and your friends are the ones that suffer. What’s that about?

Give it up! And clean it up! Tell your friends you’re going to stop talking about X behind their back, tell X you’ve been speaking about them behind their back, but that you’re not committed to that anymore, and just let it go!

Complaining is silly. Either act, or forget.

- Spending long, snug evenings with your significant other.

- Making time to look after your family.

- Jesting, gabbing and chilling with friends.

- Building something from nothing; persevering even when everyone else around you has given up; giving everything you’ve got; climbing up arduous dips and tobogganing down slopes so quickly you don’t even know which way is up or down; and emerging smiling no matter what, because you know you held on so tightly during the ride - and you survived!

In order to be incredible, you first have to credible - to have people who trust you and your ability.

The winner of the 2007 TED Prize was awarded $100 000 for his wish of creating a world-class health system in Rwanda. He wrote the following to TED:

I wish you to help create a better future for Rwanda by assisting my foundation, in partnership with the Rwandan Government, to build a sustainable, high quality rural health system for the whole country.

Sounds incredible, doesn’t it?

But what if I told you the winner was Bill Clinton, ex-Commander in Chief of the United States of America? That’s credible.

When Richard Branson was in talks to sell Student Magazine to IPC Magazine, he shared his ideas for extending Student into a travel agency, bank, nightclub, hotel, train service, and airline with the board of directors. They thought his dreams were incredible and immediately backed out of the deal to buy his magazine. They didn’t want a loony guy running one of their magazine subsidiaries!

Now, over forty-years and eight billion-dollar companies built from scratch in eight different industries later, when Richard Branson speaks and outlines his plans for the future, people sit up and listen. Richard Branson is credible.

How credible are you to achieve your incredible goals? Work on your credibility, and you will achieve the incredible.

Go. Do it. Make a wish. Be wild! Be wise! Be audacious!

How much does your wish cost?

Can you afford it?

Then pay and do it.

You can’t?

Calculate how much you’ll need to achieve it, then pay and do it.

It’s free?

Go and do it!

1. Make sure everyone is clear about the meeting time and location.

2 If you are the one hosting the meeting, show up. Woody Allen has a quote, “80% of success is showing up.” If you’re the one calling the shots, and you’re not there - what’s everyone else meant to do?

3. Be on time. You’ve scheduled the meeting for a certain time, and everyone has allocated that time in their diaries. Something comes up at last minute? Unless it’s a real, unforeseen emergency which you had absolutely no control over, who cares? Think of everyone else. I’m sure they could have all thought of other things to do to occupy the time they spent waiting for you. Your being there makes a difference.

4. Always have an agenda. Plan out what you want to go on in the meeting, and what you want to get out of the meeting, otherwise, the meeting turns into conversations with no outcomes. People can have conversations with their friends - they don’t need to go to meetings for that. People go to your meetings because they’re inspired by your project, your vision, what they can get out of it, what they can contribute towards it, and because they want to cause something with you.

5. Have an end time. That way, people can have and plan a life outside of your meeting. Also, it’s so you don’t feel disheartened if 50 people come to your meeting initially, then filter out slowly until you’re left with 3 people at the end, and you’re left trying desperately to find a way to end the meeting (politely). Be straight about when you want people to be there, what you want them to do and when you want them to leave. That way, people know and are conscious of the deadline for achieving results in the meeting.

6. End on time. Even if you don’t have anything planned after your meeting, keep in mind other people might. Let people know beforehand if you’ve planned anything that involves them after the meeting. Otherwise, let people know when the meeting officially ends so that they feel free to leave without having missed anything important and so they don’t feel rude about leaving on time.

7. Take notes. If you say you’re going to do stuff, write it down so you don’t forget. That way, you won’t get a shock when you get an email asking you for your part of the project.

8. Fulfil on all your agenda items and come to a conclusion on everything. Remember, that was the point of you having the meeting in the first place. Don’t loiter around in indecision - weigh up all the choices, and if it’s not life-altering, come to a conclusion.

9. Decide on next actions. Allocate tasks to everyone. It makes them feel useful and a part of the project. Best way for people to really take on ownership of the project.

10. If it’s not essential, don’t hold a meeting.

If you tell people you are going to be at X location at X time, people take your word for that. If you’re not there, they decide that next time, you’re not reliable for being where you say you’ll be. If you tell people you’ll do something, people expect you to have done it by when you say you’ll do it. If you don’t, people rely on you less the next time around. If you give your word to things offhandedly, and then don’t fulfil on it. People see you as someone who throws your word around, but doesn’t get stuff done.

If you want to be seen as trustworthy, credible, reliable and powerful, it’s simple.

Be your word. Do what you say you’ll do by when you’ll say you’ll do it. Furthermore, deliver on the intention of what you say- do things wholly, completely and with integrity. That way, people will be able to relate to you powerfully, and your word will be powerful.

What is power? Power is being able to say whatever you want to say, whatever the situation.

If you don’t keep your word, don’t make yourself wrong. All there is to do, is to clean it up, so that your word may be powerful again. To clean up with people you first have to think about what you will put in place so that what you did doesn’t happen again. How will you do it differently next time? What’s going to make the difference? Once you’ve figured that out (and don’t take too long - life’s short) you say to them what you gave your word to, you say what you did, and then you tell them the structures you’ve put in place such that it’ll never happen again. If they get your commitment behind what you’re saying then they will forgive you and relate to your word powerfully again. If they don’t, don’t stress. Keep your word again and again and again and again and again… and show them!

Do you take a bold stand in how things are going to turn out?
Do you take responsibility for your actions?
Do you have an empowering context for what you are doing?
Do you stand for the honour of another?
Do you consistently perform at an outstanding level?
… Are you a champion?

Being the champion of a project, an organisation or a company is no easy feat. It requires you to take a bold stand in how you want things to turn out. If you’re dead-keen committed to the project, organisation or company working out, then no matter how many set-backs or failures you encounter, you’re going to keep going.

Being responsible for your cause is being willing to take on any consequences that your actions may incur. If you put your word to something, and don’t uphold your word like others would expect you would, acknowledge that and be with any consequences that that may cause. Be responsible for why you’re doing what you’re doing.

Why are you doing what you’re doing anyway? Do you have a reason that touches, moves and inspires you? Or is it all just mechanical for you? Have something which drives you, makes you want to see a project through to the end and motivates you. Your empowering context what will get you through the hard times, when everything looks like it’s going to fail, and see you through the project.

Providing service in whatever way you can to help others is standing for the honour of another. It’s being selfless when others are being selfish, giving when others are taking, nice when others are cruel and standing for justice rather than justifying your inaction.

Let your individuality shine for the world to see by creating with personality, humanity, passion and love. Then, you will create something that has never been created before, and your work will be outstanding.

And lastly, be on time. Champions are usually the first to arrive and the last to leave.

Planning things with integrity means to plan things such that you have done all you can in your base for things to go as smoothly as possible. It means being prepared for the worst-case scenario, being prepared for the best-case scenario, and actually preparing full-stop. Sure, you can always ‘wing’ something at the last minute - which makes your heart pump faster and you feel like you’ve ‘gotten away with it’ again. But when you actually prepare yourself for what is going to happen, you’re calm, focused, and know that whichever way it goes, you did all you could for it to turn out well. Answer the following questions to plan stuff with integrity.

What am I out to achieve?

By when?

What will I need to do in order to be able to achieve it?

By when?

Will doing what I say I will do really achieve it?

Really?

Have I factored in contingencies?

How will I do those things anyway?

By when?

What are the next actions I can take?

When will I take those next actions?

If your teacher comments on your work and tells you it can be better; it’s not you, it’s your work.

If the person behind the counter snaps at you for asking a simple question; it’s not you, it’s them.

If someone doesn’t want to help out with the fabulous, brilliant project that you have planned; it’s not you, it’s your project.

Don’t take things personally.

Your teacher was probably thrilled that you, their student, had the initiative to create work on your own accord and show it to them. A good teacher will teach you and nurture you to learn and grow to your potential in every field - in academia and as a person. They are not out to make you feel bad about the work you have done.

The person behind the counter probably had things on their mind - maybe their mother is in hospital, or their relationship is falling apart. You don’t know. Sometimes people are grumpy because they want other people to get related to them - for others to know and relate to their pain. Be kind to people, for we all have our worries.

Someone doesn’t want to help with your project? There are over 6 billion people on this planet. Find someone else who does.

Don’t be offended by what people say or how people act. The only person who can make you feel bad or lose your confidence is yourself. Don’t give other people permission.