The Journey

What is the end? What is an end? Completion, achievement, another page in history for those coming after us to learn from? In this case, this is the end of the series of blog posts I have been posting. Not forever. Just enough for you guys to miss me a little. Absence and the heart. For this reason, I thought it fitting to speak of endings in this post and why they are not the show's main star.

?In the modern day and age, endings leave us quite disappointed. The completion of your favourite tv show that had you hooked for weeks or the end of a sporting season that stoked passion in you from the first to last minute of every game. Perhaps a project that you have been working day and night tirelessly to complete. There is catharsis in endings for sure, but no matter how difficult it was getting to the completion point, for most of us, the summit does not always bring us to the peak of our emotions. Why is this?

Think about the stories you tell. The best ones are usually where you have to overcome some discomfort or obstacle. Your boarding gate got changed, and you had to sprint from one end of the airport to the other to make your flight and sprained your ankle as you approached the airline staff. Your child forgot to tell you about a project due the next day, and you have to find somewhere or someone who has glitter at 9 pm on a Tuesday. The height of the hangover or food poisoning from the dodgy sushi place. When you get on the plane, find the glitter or recover, those moments aren't the story's crescendo. The best parts, in hindsight, are always the worst parts.

We live in a world full of instant gratification, from 15-second Tik Tok videos that explain complex concepts succinctly to Checkers60 doing your grocery shopping. For most of us, the endings come in the blink of an eye. And why not have it this way? We have evolved to a point where we use technology to circumvent inconveniences. Some are great, but perhaps some are not entirely. Whether these advances will lead to our downfall is a lengthy conversation for another day. Connect with me, and we can have a chat about it. I advocate that we must remember to linger rather than languish in them.

I have touched on these in my previous posts. We are harnessing our potential, facing adversity and forming habits that aid us in achieving our goals. The common thread that weaves all these posts is the appreciation for the journey we all go through with potential, adversity and habits.

Relish the incremental moments that will one day be the tapestry that is your success. Do it so that when one has the opportunity to look back, one can find moments in which they appreciate every moment of the journey with gratitude.

I will leave you with a tenet of Adlerian psychology: Breath in, now out. Everything we have been through, positive or negative, has brought us to this moment. It has happened in line with nature. Nature is cruel and harsh, but it is accurate for the most part. The only thing we can do with the experiential weapons that nature has given us is assessing them, harness them and ascertain how to use them to carve out accomplishments for ourselves and those around us. Use it all, especially the bad, on your journey.

Thank you to everyone who has read, liked and shared these posts. I feel lucky to add my words to this ecosystem. The future we have is undoubtedly bright. Let us continue collaborating for the betterment of ourselves, our beloved South Africa, and those who come after us.

Yours in entrepreneurship

Muziwethu Mtshali

CEO – Entreprenerdy South Africa