Category: Life

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” — Dr. Wayne Dyer (Tick Tock Thursday #2)

I have really been battling with implementing my ideas about how I could create time. For instance, getting up early was easier to do then because my brain was working overtime anyway and I just couldn’t sleep. Once my brain got over itself I couldn’t get myself out of bed anymore to write. I am an owl by nature and dragging my self out of bed at that early just is not in my nature😜. In fact, it was draining me.

So what do I have to do to create time in my day for the things I want to do? Well…I read the quote by Dr Wayne Dyer and it really got me thinking. Do I need to change the way I look at my activities in order to change what I do and become more productive?

#canva #time #timemanagement #african #drdwaynedyer #productivity
Image: Canva

I have being giving this a try. When I open Facebook, for example, by the time I get to the third post or so, I say to myself: “what am I doing here? My time is finite. Is this bringing me any closer to where I want to be?” The answer is usually no when it comes to social media so I exit the app and move on to something I need to or want to do.

Essentially I am trying to change the way I look at time. When I see it as finite then I am more motivated to use it wisely. Too often I have found myself saying: “Ag, tomorrow is another day” but the truth is that tomorrow is not promised to me. Today is here. Today is now. I used to ask myself if I would regret a choice “when I am lying on my death-bed when I am 90” when I needed to make a decision. I guess instead of 90, I should be changing that to “at the end of today” when looking at the frivolous things I catch myself doing sometimes or when my son needs my attention while I am doing something. The later is a tough one of course because he must learn to respect other people’s time and needs so sometimes I have to just say “can we do that tomorrow” because I am on a deadline. More often though, I just need to say, ” Give mummy x more minutes” so that both our needs are met in the here and now.

I must admit I find this process more doable because I don’t necessarily have to plan my day too much. I just have to be more aware of how I am spending my time and make “in the moment” choices. I am also consciously working towards my goals every day.

If you are still looking for a productivity method, give this try. Let me know how it goes.

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to like, follow and share if you enjoyed this post and want to see more.

Grounded African is 1 year old!!!

I cannot believe that it has been a year since I took the plunge and started my blog.  Every word written has been a joy (published and unpublished).  I had a look at my stats the other day and was floored at how inactive I have been.  I will have to remedy that ASAP 🙂 I must also say thank you to all of you for your support, your encouragement and feedback.   You have made a huge impact in my world 🙂

The past year has been quite a journey.  With tons of research on blogging, SEO and the like under my belt, I feel like I am ready to take it to the next level.  This new digital world is so fascinating.  Besides,“A goal without a plan is just a wish”.  according to Antoine de Saint-Exupery.  A plan needs action to reach that goal so enough reading and planning and time to start doing.

I have also had a few queries about blogging and how to go about it so  I thought I would share some of the learnings I have had  over the past year.

Blogging is a cool place to start getting your feet wet in the world of writing.  If you are still trying to find your voice, this is a good place to start.  I have found WordPress quite easy to use but it can be quite limiting if you are not looking to spend too much money on your blog right now.  If you don’t want to be limited, then it is best to find a host and use the wordpress software to create your blog.  It does come at a price though.

Blogs are not the only place online to practice your writing.  I have enjoyed writing on Quora and Medium as well.  You can follow me on these sites as well. No matter where you write though, if you are looking to grow a following, you need to write fairly often (no less than once a week) and interact with other writers and readers on the sites.

There are lots of writers and books out there that are worth getting your hands on.  The ones i have found most useful are:

  • On Writing by Stephen King  (a great autobiography and loads of writing tips)
  • The Elements of Style by William Stunk jr (highly recommended by Stephen King)
  • You are a writer by Jeff Goins
  • Starting a successful blog by Gundi Gabrielle  A very useful book. In fact her entire beginner marketing series is full of handy tips and tricks.  She also has a proven method of achieving “number 1 seller” status as a self publisher on Amazon.  All her books have achieved that status if I am not mistaken.

There are a few more that I have read as well but I found these to be most helpful.  By the way, a lot of good books are found on Amazon.  Don’t despair if you don’t have a kindle.  You can simply download that app on your phone or tablet and read your books on there.

The most important lesson I have learned is to devise a schedule and stick to it in order to be consistent.

There is definitely loads more to learn but, like I said earlier, it’s time to start doing.   I’ll learn as I go.  Looking forward to another year of writing and sharing my world and the lessons that come with living in it.  Thanks again for your support.

“But the highest rung of what’s possible is far beyond the world you can see…” Trevor Noah

I have just been listening to Oprah’s chat with Trevor Noah during her Super Soul Sunday podcast.  For years I have been fascinated by and enjoyed the comedy of Trevor Noah.  I don’t see him as a comedian though, I see him as a storyteller whose stories make us laugh.  I never imagined though that he would climb so high that he would break the South African ceiling and ascend to the world’s stage.  I never imagined but I did hope.

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on his book when it was released in the hope of getting some insight into the life experience that gave rise to these stories and it did not disappoint. I guess as a Coloured person I saw him as one of “us”  and, technically, by the old government’s definition, he is.  His upbringing though was very different and in a lot of ways unique, so his life experience was unique.  It was as though he is born to walk straddling two worlds at a time.  I know that sounds strange so let me explain what I mean.  He is neither white nor black but grew up as a black person.  He was treated differently even within his own family because his skin was lighter.  This led to very unique experiences for him as a child.  Now he is a South African (and a proud one at that) living in New York and hosting a top-rated American show once again allowing him to experience the world from a unique point of view.  I guess we all do but this guy…eish…his experiences seem to be the stuff of legend.  Ok Ok I exaggerate but you know what I mean 🙂

I am in awe of Trevor Noah for various other reasons as well though.

  • He is authentic- He has no airs and graces.  He is always true to his roots.
  • He has integrity – when he was first called by Jon Stewart and invited to the US, he turned him down because he was in the middle of a tour and didn’t want to disappoint his fans.
  • He works hard– not just on the daily show.  on everything.  He puts 100% into everything he does.
  • He is passionate about what he does – I love his Trump rants especially..lol
  • He gives back – He has just launched the Trevor Noah foundation but that’s not all.  Before he became an international sensation, he was touring South Africa with up and coming local comedians using his notoriety to raise theirs.
  • He is wise – he views the world from a different perspective to most of us and, together with the wisdom his mom has handed to him, he has gained insight about the world that has led him to model behaviours and make decisions that have led him to where he is today.

I truly hope that he is working on part two of his book.  I don’t know about you but I am dying to know how he went from becoming a stand-up comedian to the host of The Daily Show.  He has done a ton of travelling in between so I can only imagine the stories he has to tell.  I can’t wait.  (Please release the next episode sooner rather than  later Trevor!)

There is no way Trevor Noah has reached the top rung of his ladder yet.  There is definitely more beyond the world that he can currently see.  May he continue to rise.

What I love most about Trevor’s story though is that it is a reminder that anything is possible if you work hard.  It’s a reminder that you don’t have to come from a rich family to achieve.  It’s a reminder that we are all capable of greatness. We just have to believe while we work at it. It’s not gonna happen overnight, but it can and will happen.  Don’t give up.  Keep on rising.

I’ll leave with another of Trevor’s pearls of wisdom…

“Progression, in my opinion, is often identifying shortcomings – whether it’s views or the things you’re doing in your life, your relationships – and trying to find the places where you improve on those.” ~ Trevor Noah

If you enjoyed this post, you know what to do…please like and share 🙂