Rowan Spazzoli

In 2013 and 2014 I spent more time with an organisation called “Siyaya” than I did on my university work. The work I did with Siyaya involved helping township entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and providing them with various forms of support.

I looked forward to going out there every Friday. It was the highlight of my week.

And I did it for free, because I loved it.

Fast forward 4 years, to today, and I just had my proposal accepted by a consulting company to do similar work with township entrepreneurs, helping them to innovate and leverage various opportunities.

It’s a more advanced version of what I did as a hobby.

And now I’m getting paid for it.

I would probably still do this kinda work for free. But being paid for it means I can dedicate my time to do. I can do the project properly and support myself, instead of having to work a different job and do this on the side.

It took a while, and I didn’t think I’d get there, but I’m getting paid to do what I love.

Image was taken in Khayelitsha in 2014 after one of our entrepreneurship events

Blog: 286/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey

Song of the day: Roald Velden and EcueD - Moments

There is a belt about 5 degrees north and south of the equator where there are calm, due to the trade winds that meet in this area. For maritime sailors, this could be a nightmare. No wind meant no sailing, and they could be stranded here for long periods of time. This place was known as the doldrums.

We use the phrase “in the doldrums” nowadays to describe when you’re in low spirits or lacking motivation. In other words, when there’s no wind in your sails.

It can be a very frustrating place to be. Everything in your life might be going well, but there just isn’t enough energy to move you along.

And so you either have to wait for the wind to pick up.

Or grab an oar and start paddling.

And hopefully you’ll get out the doldrums soon.

Image is from lunch at Waterkloof this afternoon. How pretty?

Blog: 283/365

Song of the day: Blank space - Taylor Swift

There can be two types of motivation that drive you when you need to get work done.

The first is hard motivation, which is usually extrinsic. This is when you have to force yourself to do something because of fear (e.g. failing an exam) or potential of reward (e.g. landing a good job) or both

The second is soft motivation, which s usually intrinsic. This comes naturally, and you can do tasks that need to be done without effort. You don’t need a deadline or pressure to get you going.

I’ve always been good at implementing hard motivation for myself. Force myself into gear, push myself to get to the grind.

But this is exhausting. And therefore limited.

What I really want to have more of is soft motivation. Where I can plod along and achieve things without the use of force.

It’s more sustainable. And that’s exactly what I’m looking for.

Image was taken in 2014 where I had to use a lot of hard motivation to get myself going

Blog: 282/365

Song of the day: Hysteria - Muse

There are two events on a plane trip that I observe with fascination. These are:

1. People queuing at the gate before boarding has begun
2. People who stand the moment the plane has landed (and, if they’re near the window, stand awkwardly under the baggage)

In a normal line, such as at the bank, you need to stand and wait. Because the sooner you get to the front, the sooner you get to leave.

This isn’t the case for getting on and off the plane. The only bonus to getting on to the flight early is maybe extra baggage space. That’s it. And standing up as the plane lands does not make the bag carousel move faster.

It’s temping to try follow the crowd in these situations. But it yields absolutely no benefit, and you’ll have to stand uncomfortably.

Try not to be a sheep

Image is in Lanseria airport, before the plane had started boarding

Blog: 281/365

Song of the day: In my head - Axwell

Today my blog crossed 10 000 total views.

I started this blog as a way to develop my thoughts and share them with the world. And to see that the world (a small part of it) has been watching is so exciting.

There have been a number of people who have read every single post. To those people, thank you. You keep me motivated and give me great feedback.

Here’s to another 10 000 views 🙂

Image is from a walk on the prom this afternoon

Blog: 280/365

Song of the day: Ten Thousand - Emilie & Ogden

A lot of the psychological work I’ve done this year has involved freeing myself. Freeing myself from my own preconceptions. Freeing myself from my perceptions of what society expects of me. Freeing myself from the things that scare me.

And as I’ve been untangling this, I’ve noticed that I’ve become open to new experiences. And I’ve become more comfortable with things being generally chaotic.

This, in turn, means I’m more prepared to adventure. To take risks. And to do things that I’ve never been done before.

As I’ve fixed my internal world, the external world has become more vivid.

Adventure awaits

Image is from our trip away. We were throwing everything we had at catching a fish 🙂

Blog: 279/365

Song of the day: Styx - Come Sail Away