What to do when you want to do everything?

I want to do lots of things and this post is me trying to figure out how to do it all, or what to postpone, or what to just cut out all together.

A good starting point would be to have a vision, turn this into a mission statement, projects and action plans with clearly defined, measurable and time sensitive goals. But this really doesn't sound like fun (and sounds too corporate-strategy-like). Instead I turned to Facebook where I came across this:

And it is supposed to help you find your life purpose. I tried filling in the headings (even taking it kinda seriously) but with little success:

That which you LOVE

koeksisters

a good workout

organising events

bringing people together

travelling

my wife

That which the world NEEDS

better men

anti-consumerism

spirituality

just cities

That which can be PAID for

planning

research

teaching English

That which you are GOOD at

organising events

bringing people together

eating koeksisters

I don’t think I’m any closer to my Ikigai. 

The idea of a balanced life appeals to me, one that includes continuous growth mentally, physically and spiritually. Social and financial growth are also important but I think those are more by-products for me than things I would set out to grow. So I turned to Youtube where I found these:

My friends Syed and Kamalio talking about all the things they want to do and learn.

And this other guy talking about all the things to learn:

Those didn’t help direct me in any particular way but at least I got the sense that I wasn’t alone in trying to do so many things. And so I turned to the last hope of internet things, a list-acle. 

A couple of years ago I read a piece on Pharrell's habits for success and thought it interesting because it wasn't the typical habits common to many in the business world. What I liked most about it was that it provided some insights into how one might juggle a life in which you are many things. And I’ve been juggling.

Outside of fellowship hours I've been making some progress on the projects I wanted to take on.

On the AwethuArt front I’ve reached out for help on the website recognising my own shortcomings in web design and graphics. I’m pretty sure the person I’ve reached out to will be able to do a much better job in a fraction of the time and if not then at least I freed up some of my time to think about other things in the meanwhile. I’ve also been looking at some of the next steps for a storytelling event that’s been on my mind for a while. An organisation called The Moth has been organising events where people can come together and share stories for a little while and the need for this within our communities was emphasised when reading Chimamanda Adichie in sessions a couple of weeks ago. I’ve always loved Mayfair and Fordsburg, they’re the suburbs where I grew up going to mosque with my neighbours and bunking mosque to go to McDonald’s and Shell with my neighbours. But the community is fractured. There is so much diversity but instead of drawing benefit from our differences there is rampant misunderstanding. I would like there to be just one night where we come together to listen to each other, the old Somali man, 5th generation South African Indian aunty, Fordsburg Primary School children and whoever else has a story to share. I contacted someone who worked at the venue I want to use to find out how to access it and I’m currently looking for a partner to work on this project with, someone with an equal passion for the suburbs and the stories that come from it who will help me source storytellers and perhaps MC the night while I run logistics.

 

On the teaching-English-to-migrants front there’s some progress. A wonderful partner has come on board in a big way. We met on Saturday and ate samoosas in the Plaza. I’m meeting someone else on Wednesday for a potential venue and other support with community projects based on his years working in the community. I like this project because it draws on a skill I already have, although it needs some brushing up and it has the potential to scale up to help many adults who don’t feel confident in their English skills. When teaching abroad I often reflected at one of my forefathers took the time and effort to learn this difficult and confusing language and as a result I am able to enjoy the benefits of it. I am conflicted though because as English spreads speeds up the extinction of other languages. We hope to give native languages their due respect by having a library that includes books and magazines in native languages to encourage a reading culture in all languages. Reading in your native language is an act of self-preservation. The fact that books aren’t available in languages other than English in local libraries should be seen as it is, an affront to people’s dignity. Having non-English books available to learners goes against what they teach in English-teaching school but it’s our small way of fighting back the neo-post-neo-colonialism.

Just this evening I got off a Skype call with another wonderful partner on the conversations-on-masculinities project. This will likely only start in October allowing me some breathing room but I plan on using this time to try and learn about conversation facilitation (or to find someone to do this instead of me). 

Effective partnering is important not just for efficiency but because it allows me to spend time with people I admire and draw inspiration from. It also allows me to meet new and interesting people and get to know them relatively well in a short space of time exposing me to new worldviews, ways of working, thinking and being. I find that the productive work that needs to get done can be a drag when going at it alone but with someone else it gets done often as a result of a bit of a tennis match where each of us does our bit and puts the ball back in the court of the other until all the steps are complete. 

I think I have the beginnings of a partnership for spiritual growth but I need to do some follow up on that path and as for the physical I’ve been added to a Whatsapp group with Joburg breakdancers that I hope will lead to some training sessions.

Through thinking about these various aspects of the life I’ve also had the opportunity to think in more general terms about a life worth living. To me it is a life of expression, freedom to break boundaries, to live by the rules that you create, to take advantage of every opportunity you've been given.

Importantly I would like each of the things I mentioned above to contribute toward building strong institutions. Once-off events or the start of projects are exciting and fun but they should be part of a larger idea that will provide benefits to society beyond the immediate. I still have a lot to read, learn and think about how this cross-over works.

I would also like all these things to contribute towards building a diverse and interesting life full of new adventures and learning. A portfolio career.