Blog - Page 5 of 46 - Rowan Spazzoli

Unique interests and passions

The ease of access to all forms of media since internet has become widely available has had a really interesting impact on people’s interests and passions.

For example, I do listen to quite a bit of mainstream music. But through exploring on 8tracks, Spotify and YouTube I’ve developed a music taste that is highly unique in my friend circles. I love a very specific sub-genre of prog house at the moment, and have also gone through phases of swingstep and chillhop.

One of my most interesting music phases was in 2014 when I became obsessed with Tuvan Throat Singing (see video below).

Nowadays, our influences aren’t limited to friends, family and mass media outlets. We can watch YouTube tutorials and pick up and entirely new hobby, or become a fan of a niche band from New Zealand.

We still all have a certain number of common interests and habits in our circles.

But the internet means that you can now develop interests and passions in pretty much any thing you want. And that’s pretty cool 🙂

Image was taken at Oudekraal this afternoon

Blog: 326/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey
Song of the day: Kongar-ol Ondar - Back Tuva Future

Published by rspazzoli on October 7, 2018 | Permalink

What do you prioritize?

As we get older, more and more things become demanding of our time.

Work. Family. Friends. Health. Studying. Holidays. Admin

We tend to say that we have less time available as we get older. And that’s true in a way, because much of your time is pre allocated to certain tasks.

But also, there is time that is available for us to allocate. And saying that we don’t have time for “X” or “Y” is simply saying that we don’t prioritize it.

If you prioritize your friendships, and set aside specific time for them, then you will see the friends more often. But if you would rather prioritize your relationship, that’s fine too.

We just need to realise that these aren’t automatic. There are more things that fill up our time, but we still have the autonomy to decide where to allocate it.

Image is of a stand at the Hout Bay market 🙂

Blog: 325/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey
Song of the day: Shawn Mendes and Zedd - Lost of Japan Remix

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Published by rspazzoli on October 4, 2018 | Permalink

Undisclosed Desires

Over the past few months I’ve gotten better at speaking up for what I want. This might sound simple, but most people are bad at disclosing what they are desiring.

Examples of this might be emailing a supervisor for help, telling someone you’re attracted to them, asking a waiter for extra bread or getting a friend to take you to the airport.

The reason I’ve historically struggled with these things is that I try and predict what the other person will think, feel or say to my request. And, inadvertently, my prediction is that they’d be negatively impacted.

But in reality, this might not be the case. And if they can’t or don’t want to meet the request, they can also say no.

By speaking up, we release ourselves (and the other person) from our imagination.

And we either get what we want, or we don’t and can move on.

Image is of Noordhoek, as seen from Chapman’s peak drive

Blog: 324/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey
Song of the day: Muse - Dig Down (Live Gospel Version)

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Bonus song of the day: Muse – Undisclosed Desires

Published by rspazzoli on October 3, 2018 | Permalink

My Webinar on Strategy with Global Changemakers

Ever wanted to hear me deliver a seminar?

If your answer is no… then…. um… that’s okay. My feelings aren’t hurt or anything.

But if your answer is yes, then you’re in luck!

On Thursday 11 October at 2pm CET (that’s 3pm in South Africa) I’ll be giving a webinar for Global Changemakers as part of their free webinar series.

The topic for the webinar is “Strategic Thinking: Solving Global Challenges” and will cover some of the most important strategy tools that I teach at the University of Cape Town, applied in a global development context.

If you’d like to sign up for it you can do so here (or here:
https://goo.gl/forms/omq9CPiQ5Gr6sfXE3). You’ll be able to ask questions on the sign up or during the webinar itself (or you can email me at rspazzoli@gmail.com)

The direct link to the stream can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqrnhemvjHk

The webinar is free and open to anyone, anywhere. So you’re welcome to invite friends and family to join in.

A big thank you to Courtney and the team who have put this together. Details about Global Changemakers are below (and updates will be posted to their Facebook page).

See you next week!

About Global Changemakers

Global Changmakers is one of the world’s largest youth empowerment organisations headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland and represented in over 180 countries – from refugee camps in Europe to sprawling cities in Asia, indigenous communities in South America, islands in the Pacific and beyond – by 1000 of our ‘Global Changemakers’. These changemakers are young people who work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within their communities, countries, regions and across the world and whose work has benefited over 4 million people to date.

Follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more updates and info on their work.

Image is the information for the webinar 🙂

Blog: 323/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey
Song of the day: Man in the mirror - Michael Jackson

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Published by rspazzoli on October 2, 2018 | Permalink

Making great things

“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”
Vincent Van Gogh

Today I opened a piece of work that I’ve been attempting to complete for a while. The shear enormity of it terrified me. There was so much to do. And so much I wanted to perfect.

For a moment I almost closed my laptop. I was overwhelmed.

And then I noticed the quote of the day on my Momentum page. The one that is listed at the top of this blog.

It fitted so perfected. A moment of serendipity.

I looked up the original quote, which van Gogh wrote in a letter to his brother. It reads:

For the great doesn’t happen through impulse alone, and is a succession of little things that are brought together.What is drawing? How does one get there? It’s working one’s way through an invisible iron wall that seems to stand between what one feels and what one can do. How can one get through that wall? — since hammering on it doesn’t help at all. In my view, one must undermine the wall and grind through it slowly and patiently. And behold, how can one remain dedicated to such a task without allowing oneself to be lured from it or distracted, unless one reflects and organizes one’s life according to principles? And it’s the same with other things as it is with artistic matters. And the great isn’t something accidental; it must be willed
Vincent Van Gogh (https://quoteinvestigator.com/2015/12/14/impulse/)

And so that’s what I did today. I focused on the grind. Slowly. Patiently. Through the iron wall.

I’ll get there. And it won’t be accidental. It will be willed into greatness.

Image is from Cape Point, taken on the little adventure this past weekend

Blog: 322/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey
Song of the day: Explosions in the sky - Your hand in mine

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Published by rspazzoli on October 1, 2018 | Permalink

The Bests & Favourites

While touring with the Swiss-German tourists this weekend, I pointed out some of the places and things I love the most. And at each place I proudly declared that THIS was my favourite.

Hout bay market? My favourite.

Kommetjie? Also my favourite.

Cape point? Again, my favourite.

Kalk Bay? You guessed it, my favourite

The tourists pointed out to me that almost every place we had been to had been my favourite. And it was true, I love all of those spots.

I told them that I tend to do the same with friends. I have 10-15 people who I would proudly dub as my “best” friend.

I know that technically “favourite” and “best” technically refer to the number 1 spots. And that not everything can be number one. This isn’t lost on me.

But I use those terms to show significance. They are the people and places and things where I’m my best and favourite version of myself. They bring out my most joyous, relaxed and spontaneous me.

So if you ever here me call someone my “best” friend, or a place my “favourite”, just know that the value of the term isn’t diminished by overuse.

In fact, it means that they’re incredibly special to me. Cause they bring out the best version of me.

Image is of one of my favourite places in the world, Cape to Cuba, in Kalk Bay

Blog: 321/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey
Song of the day: Sigala - What you waiting for ft Kylie Minogue

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Published by rspazzoli on September 30, 2018 | Permalink

Getting a little perspective

It’s really easy to get bogged down in our own problems. Feeling like we’re not achieving enough. Or going quick enough. Or being enough in general.

It’s a little bubble that we exist in, which involves the same components in your every day situation. The same people or places or things.

So how do we break that bubble?

Move away from the every day. Go for a long drive, meet new people. Go on an adventure.

It may feel like you’re trapped in an inescapable mist. Surrounded by fog. But if you get a bit of perspective, a little distance, you’ll sometimes see that you’re actually just in a small cloud.

And it will blow over soon.

Image is Lions Head and Camps bay, as seen from Oudekraal 🙂

Blog: 320/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey
Song of the day: Matthew Mole - Take yours, I'll take mine

Published by rspazzoli on September 29, 2018 | Permalink

Unnecessary, Excessive Wealth

I know I’ve blogged about excessive wealth before. But today I saw another example of it that blew my mind.

Parked at the Waterfront was the Octopus yacht, a 130m, $200million vessel that has 60 crew and can take 100 people on board comfortably. It has two helicopter pads, a movie theater, 41 suites, a recording studio, a basketball court and two submarines. It even has a smaller yacht that is used to transport people to it.

I understand that this ship is also used for scientific research. But it’s primary purpose is for entertainment.

With the amount spent on it, R3 billion, and the annual maintenance cost of around R300 million, the money from that boat could have been used to change hundreds of thousands of lives.

Instead, it’s a monument to excessiveness.

I hope that if I, or anyone I know, acquires that level of wealth, we’ll spend on changing peoples lives instead of spending it so lavishly on ourselves.

Image is of the Octopus at the Waterfront

Blog: 319/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey
Song of the day: Muse - Pressure

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Published by rspazzoli on September 28, 2018 | Permalink