Im Trying To Make It Look Simple

A couple of months in, it has been an overwhelming life stage change for me. As we know, a person’s expectations are forever changing because of new situations we find ourselves in, and promises being made to us. I recently finished my media studies course majoring in strategic advertising and was blessed to find placement soon after. The experience has come like no other. I find myself in an environment that is very pleasing to the unknowing, but like everything else, there’s much more than meets the eye. A place where you have to adapt to being on level ground, never mind climbing from bottom up, you quickly come to the understanding that there is a very complex hierarchy at force here. From who says how high, and who does the actual jumping, I’ve literally been thrown in the deep end.

To be honest, time moves very quickly in a sticky and smudged kind of way. It’s all about the little corporate nuances, where you have to rely on your snap judgment and hindsight to pick up. There’s apparently no room for mistakes in the industry I’m in, but I wrap myself in the warmth of the fact that it’s all about learning for now. I try to quickly and efficiently  grasp working tendencies as smoothly as possible, leveraging my creative and productivity levels but still blinded by the fact that it’s possible to make an error here and there. You see, in fact, it’s only about the learning; I find myself at a point where I’ve thrown whatever it is I interpret as my comfort zone away and now dwell in the ocean of challenge.

I have a vision that keeps my blood boiling. That same vision is what keeps my eye on the ball. My mentor once told me that I have to be patient and that success doesn’t come over night. He sees my ambition and my willingness to succeed, but I could understand where he is coming from. In everything we do, and things we are passionate about, there is a thin line that creeps up to haunt us between being ambitious and being over-enthusiastic. Being over-enthusiastic destroys many intelligent but naive students that enter the real working environment, where you see them trying to be and do everything at once. Us the beginners, have to set our goals relative to our ambitions so we don’t hurry the process and avoid getting lost in the abyss that is “lack of enthusiasm”, just because it’s not happening the way we’ve been planning it in our heads throughout varsity. Like I said expectations are forever changing, the quicker we learn to adapt the better. By so doing, that will eliminate plenty of disappointment.

A couple of months in, all I’m trying to do is sync my drum-roll, the more precise my beat – the more pleasant my experience will be in this new concert I'm living.   www.twitter.com/tumimokgethi

The Little things That count.

Us, the beginners.

"  NOBODY tells this to people who are beginners. I wish someone had told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple of years you make stuff , thats just not that good. Its trying to be good, it has potential, but its not good. But your taste, that thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work dissapoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase; they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesnt have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you got to know thats its normal and most important thing you can do is do alot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you finish one piece. Its only by going through a volume of work that you will close the gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than ayone I've ever met. Its going to take a while. Its normal to take a while. You just got to fight your way through.   "

- Ira Glass

The Brand that best represents me.

 Ive had this relationship with Nike for as long as  can remember. It started when my parents bought me my first pair of soccer boats when I was still learning how to tie my shoes laces. The love affair has been going on ever since. Nike, the leading sports apparel brand resonates and reflects a brand philosphy which I aspire to. Just Do It.

Being the unashamed soccer fantic that I am, playing and watching the sport has taught me my greatest life lessons to date. Nike is more than just a brand, it reminds me that theres nothing greater than motivation, to accomplish the impossible, to keep going, keep fighting and to prepare for the unexpected. Its no longer just a pair of highly technical soccer boots or an anit-sweat clima-fit shirt, its that extra thing you need when you've done all you can do. Its the feeling you get, your state of mind. Your attitude.

"I Just do it, because I believe in it."

Morals...

Hands Up if your Ready To Write

Whether you have a black pen that actually works is the least of your worries, you just about to write an exam of earth-shattering importance. It’s your final exam that determines whether you qualify or not. Ten minutes to go you spot your friend with an estranged expression on his "one hour of sleep" face. You come to the realisation that it’s a cross between stress and the surprise that the ash of his cigarette is on his jacket.
He frantically brushes it off, and takes the last drag...inhale.
"Was up dude, are ready?"…exhale.
 “I was having problems with the last three chapters"
This is the part where you caught in the middle of offering your assistance, or actually just saying "I need to go to the bathroom", just so that you don’t get yourself confused with what he doesn’t know.
The aura around the exam room is enough to make you vomit the answers you actually supposed to be writing. But that atmosphere is what I’m addicted to; everyone is so different and unique in that moment.
Seated conveniently around the “do or die” exam hall, are the five types of people who are about to write the exam:

1. The Amazing A student who is not close enough for your to get the last prep-small talk from. He’s up-straight-ready-to-write posture makes you a little envious. 

2. Your best mate, who is late and still in a state of confusion, is seated close enough for you to wish him good luck with your eyes, but is too far away from you to ask if you have an extra black pen. And a ruler. And a calculator.

3. That group of friends that you know but don’t really know. They are the go-to-guys. After glancing at them with acknowledgement, you realise you should’ve went to one of them because they might have something you don’t; like the exam paper itself.

4. Then there’s the group of peers you don’t know; yes you know who I’m talking about. The people who only attend when there are exams, tests or important assessments. You always marvel at the fact that they always make it though. How the hell? But don’t compare yourself to these people; they have mastered the art of submitting doctor’s notes confessing unimaginable sicknesses and allergies.

5. Finally, the last group of students. We can’t really place them in a definite category but their repertoire includes; The rock stars, The pretty girls, The jocks, the teachers pets, the “I’m not supposed to be here’s”, the “I didn’t study the right chapters”, the cool kids, “the loud-mouths because my parents are well off”, the “you know she’s going to fail” and then the average kids. Average in everything they do, their social status is average, average in their marks, average in how they dress and even how they look. They are known for nothing other than just being around.

I honestly don’t want and I hope I wasn’t the average kid in varsity. How you are in varsity usually translates to how the rest of your life will unfold.  Be extra ordinary in something. Be awesome in being average. Be extra confident when you’re about to right your exam or be super stressed. Don’t just be. The average kids have the don’t-care attitude which is the worst of the worst.

The fifteen minutes before your exam is who you are. It says something about how you approach life, the big and the little things. I approach my fifteen minutes of life with vigour and purpose and with the aim of getting the best mark possible.   

As simple as it Gets

We have this pre-conceived notion that when we are in love, its going to last forever.Really?

But in all honesty love isn't like that. Love itself is a free-flowing energy, much like moods and money. It comes and goes as it pleases. It sometimes stays for a day or even just for a few seconds or a month or year.Dont fear it because you think it makes you vulnerable, or be suprised  when it leaves either.

Just be glad you had the opportunity to experience it.

P.s - I know nothing about this emotion.