Live!

If you’re not making this world a better place then all the best to you, enjoy your life, but you are wasting your time. It costs one thing to leave a legacy… Everything.

I am learning very quickly that there is no shortcut to excellence. It is only through hard work and sacrifice that you achieve greatness. And the greatness that I talk about is not one of monetary measure; it is the kind that echoes for eternity in the hearts and lives of generations to come. That means different things to different people. What does it mean to you?

My challenge today is for all those with dreams that they have put on the back burner. Question: “When are you going to start moving towards them?” Tomorrow? 2011? 2012? When you get promoted? After you graduate? Whatever your answer is, pen it down. Tell somebody and stick to it. You were born with a unique set of characteristics, personality traits and abilities. Your DNA, fingerprints, even your voice patterns testify that there is nobody else designed like you. Therefore, live your life like only you can. Use your gifts and use them for all they are worth. Use them to change things. Use them to shift cultures. Use them to save the world. Whatever it is you decide to put your hands to, do it with everything inside and leave nothing to take to the grave.

“Talent, you have naturally. Skill is only developed by hours and hours and hours of beating on your craft. There’s no easy way around it. No matter how talented you are, your talent is going to fail if you’re not skilled.” Another Smith quote.

What am I saying? Don’t accept a mediocre version of yourself. You know there’s more inside you. You know there’s more you can and want to do. I pray you may have the courage to do it.

Live and LEARN

As the aspiring mega-galactic-super-celebrity-want to be a star artist that I am, I received some sobering advice from a very smart man. He told me, “Tats, it’s not about you. If you remember that, it will be one day.”

After an hour and a half of conversation with the guru, I realized the benefits of speaking to those who are more experienced than you. Wisdom brings perspective. It slows everything down and puts things in their place, Matrix style. You no longer sweat the small stuff. That’s the power of perspective. Perspective brings wisdom. You are able to act with greater intentionality and purpose with a bigger picture mindset. And only those with wis-dective conquer the world. Yes, wis-dective! That’s what I said.

In whatever field you are in, I encourage you to look for those who know more than you. Pester them. Book appointments with them. Poke them on Facebook till they give you some of their time.

Those who don’t ask for help are helped less. Like Brooklax, I know that pride is a hard thing to swallow. But in your journey to achieve your goals, big or small, call someone. Call your enemy, even. You’d be surprised at their willingness to help you if you humble yourself. At some point, you have to dent the ego a little. It will heal.

What do you want to improve in? Cooking? Time management? Fax machining? Budgeting? Performing? Whatever it is, give someone a call, ask them for help and start the journey to a better version of yourself in that area.

Live and LEARN.

Live and LOSE SOME

All human beings have a measure of competition in them. When I’m 87, I think I’m still gonna enjoy whipping my great grand children in a game of Crazy 8. No mercy. But what happens when you lose? When you aim for something and miss.... that’s harder to deal with.

You don’t have to pretend that you don’t mind losing, but you do have to accept it when it happens. And it is alright to be unhappy about it, but the most important thing is who you choose to be thereafter. Failure, just like pain or disappointment, can either transform or deform you. I encourage you to be transformed into a better version of yourself when you face defeat. Train harder, get stronger, be better.

I was in a competition recently and after walking off stage empty handed, I had to dig deep to come to a place where I could honestly say, “Congratulations” to those who won. It was not easy, but I got there eventually. We need to realise that our worth is never defined by a single achievement or failure; it is a never changing truth that you were created with great emotion and intellect by God Himself. You are a deliberate design. You are worth more than all of heaven and what lies in you, is immeasurably more than you can think or imagine.

Aim for the moon every time and even if you miss, you will land on the stars.
You win some. You will lose some.

Live INSPIRED

A video to remind you to never give up!

Live and LOVE

“I love you”. Everybody says it. Not everybody means it. Love is easily one of the most abused words in the world, right after “Ayoba” and “Tjatjarag”. I’m sure, once upon a time, everybody understood its significance, but the world has suffered one too many heartbreaks to have an unaffected view on love.

The truth is that loving someone requires so much more than we are prepared to give at times. Passed the infatuation phase and after the cute lyrics and poems, you are bound to have your words tested. Will you really cross the ocean and bring back the moon? I love my wife, very much, but sometimes I do want to be selfish and put myself first. That’s when it hits me... Love is not self-seeking, ever. It is always preoccupied with the other person. It is always an, “I give 100%, 100% of the time” commitment. Sometimes I don’t want to get up from bed and switch off the light... My feet are warm and I’m too comfy. She must do it. She’s closer! But love reminds me, “It’s not about me. It’s all about her. If I love her, I will put her first again and again and even at those moments. ”

People give up on each other because it is not always an easy road to give of yourself, especially when you don’t see any like-response. “Love is not enough” is a statement many people make when relationships fall apart. People say it with all the sincerity in their hearts, but sadly, they are sincerely wrong. Love gets a bad name because of people who don’t know what it means. It is enough... when it operates, interacts and flourishes between two souls. There’s nothing like it in the world.

In the movie, The Last Kiss (one of my favourite flicks); Zach Braff, the male lead, is in a relationship with his sweetheart of a girlfriend. He meets, and is bedazzled by, a hot young thang and his existence is thrown into a spin. He begins questioning his life, his future, his desires and all the while the hot young thang is hot for him. Things happen or they don’t (don’t wanna give the story away), but there is a scene where the he is talking to his girlfriend’s father. The father tells Zach that in 30 years of marriage he has never cheated. Zach is stunned. “Never?”, he asks. “Never”, comes the reply. The dad tells him that he has been tempted. He confesses that women have come onto him, even at his age. And he says he knows that it will continue. His words after that moment are vital... He looks the young man dead in the eye and with all the authority of a man in love, he says, “How you feel matters only to you. It's what you do to the people that you say you love, that's what counts. That's the only thing that matters.”

Love can’t be found in songs, sweet melodies or even words. Love is patient. Love is kind. It is not easily angered and it keeps no record of wrongs. Its existence is suggested in words. But it shows itself only in action.

Love is always enough. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails.

Live and LAUGH

There’s nothing like it in the whole world! Laughter! Better than sleep, better than chocolate, better than sex.... Ok, my bad. Maybe I’m exaggerating a bit. A Kit Kat Chunky is pretty good. I had one last night.

Milton Berle put it like this: “Laughter is an instant vacation.” If that be the case, then stand up comedians are certified pilots that can take you on the craziest getaways. (22-24 July, Monte Casino, Parkers Comedy Club, a certain blogger will be performing: hint, hint). But I digress...

My point is that there is alot of things that we need to remember, one of which is to laugh as much as we can before we expire. Think about the last time you laughed until your tummy hurt. Remember when you couldn’t breathe and your tears were flowing uncontrollably? Yes, that was you. Do it again! And again! Tell your co-worker a joke now. Close the door in your office and do a silly dance. Put a fart cushion under your boss’s chair and then find another job.... My point is, fill your life with joy, laughter and random silliness. Or in the edited version of Katt William’s words, “If somebody falls in front of you. And you are not a doctor on duty across the street from the hospital. It is your obligation to get 7 laughs out of that before he gets off the ground. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.”

Someone once said, “Laughter is an orgasm triggered by the intercourse of sense and nonsense.” And you know what, they were right!
You need to laugh more. Stop taking things too seriously. So what if your ex girlfriend is hotter now than when she was with you? Ok, that’s a bad example, but you get my point. Maybe you don’t.

As a stand up comic, I’ve found the words of Victor Borge to be true. “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” I’ve seen this with my own eyes. Carnival City, room full of Afrikaaners, me, on stage and all of us laughing at my rendition of a Black Eyed Peas/Kurt Darren remix of “Boom Boom Pow” (you had to be there).

“I've always thought that a big laugh is a really loud noise from the soul saying, "Ain't that the truth." - Quincy Jones
“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter” - E.E. Cummings
“A man isn't poor if he can still laugh” - Raymond Hitchcock

My point...? Laugh a little more, seriously.
Have a great rest of the week!

Live FOR OTHERS

If your life is solely about you, then you’re wasting it. If your hopes and desires are motivated by the accolades and rewards due to you, your dreams are feeble at best. You are here for a greater reason than yourself.

One of the hardest lessons that you will have to learn about your life can be encapsulated in 5 words:

“It is not about you”.

You were born to impact and influence the lives of those around you. This notion is not just for the few or the many, it is for all of us. It is a deep rooted truth that has motivated many to influence and change the world. From Moses to Mandela, Mother Teresa to Che Guevara, all these individuals sacrificed themselves for a greater cause than themselves. These were not extra ordinary human beings, but they answered a feeling that all of us have embedded inside our hearts. They heard the voice that hits us all at some point(s) in our lives, the voice that says, “I need to do something. I must do something.”

As you give of yourself to others, the strangest thing happens; you find your true self. It is in the context of others that you discover... you. Use your gifts and talents to affect positive change in your surroundings. Give to the poor, donate money to a charity, teach somebody a skill, share your time with the unfortunate, be friendly, love the unlovable, pay for a child’s pre-primary education... Whatever you do, do not harden your heart.

God gave your gifts; use them to bless those around you.

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.
Jim Elliot

Live YOUR DREAMS

It is tempting to take this expression and place it under the banner of "Famous speeches".

It's easy to think of it as famous words spoken by a famous man in a time past and irrelevant to our South African context. But whether you are an American or not, the reality is that these words echo deep in the hearts of every man and women walking this earth.

WHAT IS YOUR DREAM? Whatever it is, pursue it with every vessel in your body, with every ounce of breathe that God grants you. I dare you to believe that your dream can come true. Thereafter, I double dare you to put action to your faith.

Rene Angelil mortgaged his own home to finance Celine Dion's first album. When nobody else would take her in, he saw something that other record labels didn't, a genuine talent that was bound to mesmerize the world. What first steps do you need to take in order to step out and live your dream. Be courageous and do it!
Madonna moved to New York City in 1977 with $35 in her pocket and a dream to become a star. The road was not easy, but she made it. If Madonna can make it, surely you can too!
Sean "P.Diddy" Combs started Bad Boy records with an unknown rapping artist, Nortorius BIG. He took a chance on an overweight, awkward looking rapper and made history. Today, P. Diddy, is a major media mogul making millions of dollars worldwide.

No matter what you've seen and heard. Contrary to popular belief and experience. Dreams do come true! It's crazy to think so, I know. But remember, people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX9GTUMh490

Live WITH PASSION

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU FELT LIKE THIS?

Passion is something that no man can live without. Without it, you are slowly dying. We live in a world that places so many demands on us. Responsibilities overwhelm and force many people into a life-less existence.

Look at your life. When do you feel most alive? Give yourself time to feel that more and more.
Take time out and do something that you enjoy. Stop everything and go create a crazy memory. You have one life to live, so live it out loud. Don't over-think it! That thing that you have been toying with in your mind. I'm talking about that dream that you've been postponing for "later on". Just do it now. Aim for the stars, reach for the ridiculous and you might just end up with something great.

Have the courage to live your life!