Rowan Spazzoli

One of the questions that should be asked more often in economic development is: who benefits?

This came up several times in an interview I conducted today with a development professional. We were talking about policies and investments intended for development and how these don’t necessarily reach the people they are intended for.

An abstract example might be a skills development project aimed at making people more employable. Most of the money for that might go to the planning committee or people involved in setting up the strategy. There might be a building that’s built or IT infrastructure that’s set up.

But, in this example, it’s likely that little of the monetary impact is making it in to the community. There might be investment, but a significant portion is absorbed by high income earners who are consulting on the process.

Watch the flow

I’m not saying that the planning groups, infrastructure teams or managing organisation should not get paid. These are key elements in economic development projects.

However, the question of who benefits needs to be kept at the center of the planning and the discussion on such projects. And the benefits must be aligned to the needs of the community. Better yet, the community should be involved. 

We can improve the way we do development by watching the flow. And seeing whether the policies and investments are reached their intended recipients.

Image is from a small park near my home 🙂

Blog: 306/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey
Song of the day: Starley - Call on me [Ryan Riback Remix]

Yesterday we hosted a “changing paths” workshop for students who were unsure of what they wanted to do after their degree. It’s mainly focused on students who are on a set path, such as accounting, and are now thinking about doing something else.

One of the mentors on the course gave a really great piece of advice to the students. She said that when she was confused about work in her masters program, she brought it up with her professor. This particular problem had been stressing her out for weeks. The professor said to her:

“Hmmm…. that work looks confusing to me too. Confusion is healthy though, it means you’re growing. Just don’t let the confusion cause anxiety.”

This stuck with me for the rest of the day. Because we’re so used to confusion about our lives being a negative thing. That we’ll only be happy if we aren’t confused.

However, being confused often means you’re exploring new things or growing.

So if you’re feeling confused about your life, that’s okay. Just don’t let it turn to anxiety.

Image is from our drive last week 🙂

P.s. I know I’m late on yesterday’s blog. Will do it tomorrow 🙂

Blog: 303/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey
Song of the day:  Daughter - Medicine (Sound Remedy Remix)


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Bluffing is one of the most interesting strategic moves available in any game. And definitely one of the most risky and rewarding moves in poker.

It involves going on the attack, even when you are quite aware you have a weak hand. 

You are no longer betting on the cards you have in your hand. You’re betting on the fact that the other person will fold. That they don’t have the nerve to match you. To call your bluff.

If they call you out, you lose. 

But if they don’t, you win. Without having had the cards to win.

Bluffing takes guts. And can sometimes backfire. But sometimes, the payoff is great.

Image is from our poker game this evening 🙂

Blog: 297/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey

Song of the day: Poker face - Lady Gaga

While driving home from the airport this afternoon, I was caught in a tumultuous storm. Visibility dropped to almost nothing and in some areas there were deep, standing patches of water.

As this happened, every car on the road slowed down and put their hazard lights on. I turned off my radio so I could focus and I’m sure other people did too.

But what I found most amazing was how polite and understanding everyone was to each other.

We all drove at the same speed. If you needed to get out a lane or move to the offramp, people let each other in immediately. At one stage I almost got stuck in a deep patch of water, and the car in the lane behind me stopped and flashed their lights, and allowed me to join in front of them.

I know that people were likely doing this is in the interest of their own safety. But there was also a really odd sense of community on the road. We were all in a common predicament, and we were looking out for each other.

In contrast, we are often horrible to other people on the road. We get angry at slower drivers and angry at faster ones. We complain about people cutting in front of us and get annoyed when people hoot at us for cutting in front of them.

It seems like having a common adversarial situation and danger changed this, only for a little bit.

It’s odd, but tough circumstances often bring out the kinder side of humans.

Image is of Devils peak at sunset, taken by my mom 🙂

Blog: 290/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey

Song of the day: Grimes - Realiti

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