All posts filed under: Philanthropy

Unemployment Skyrockets

Published by Colin Nanka

South Africa continues to go through transition. The government has started to build housing for those with less means in around major cities. Getting a roof over your head is the first priority. Often housing built for 5,000 swells with up to 60,000 as people take care of friends and family. Unemployment in South Africa is 27 percent! What if one out of every four people you knew didn’t have a job? The good news – I saw at least one example of building job creation. Pinotage Youth Development Academy. In an industry that makes a lot of money, the wine business, they are funding vocational job training for disadvantaged youth. Bridging the gap to finish high school and get training that can turn into a job in a growing industry. We experienced it at one of the wineries we visited and they are doing great work! When those days the job is a grind, be patient, be reflective, be present and be grateful for the living you make. In those moments often lies the …

5 Peak Moments

Published by Colin Nanka

A mentor recently shared with me, the 5 peak moments in your life will show you what you care about.  It helps identify the commonalities for your purpose.  Mine in chronological order are: Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro / Safari / Raising Money (2009) – Giving Back, Gratitude, Belief A 13 hour run through desert in Chile (2015) – Acceptance, Capacity, Belief, Pay it Forward Adventuring in Antarctica (2016) – Reset, Refocus Getting Married to Blake (2017) – Love, Passion, and Partnership The birth of our daughter Tess (2017) – Joy, Love, Growth What have all these peak moments shown me? We each have much more access to skills, capability and “gears” we didn’t know exist. I would estimate we have at least 40-50% more capacity than we are currently operating with. How do we find it?  By leaning into uncomfort and opportunities that stretch our capabilities. Once stretched, they don’t go back. What will you do today to start leveraging those extra % points? Defeating Average. Colin

If you could only do one thing…

Published by Colin Nanka

“I measure my happiness by whether people close to me are happy and love me, and by the difference I make in other people’s lives.” Bill gates knows a thing or two about success.  What does he advise recent grads of 2017? Focus on three fields: Artificial Intelligence  Energy Bio tech   Why?   The the future is going there. Resources, jobs and progression of our society.    How do you contribute to accelerating progress?   Two ways: Focus on understanding people’s talents. Gates recognized later in life the smarts of coding was important and the people side even more.  He also says “the world is getting better and I do believe that is true.” Gates references a book from a Steve Pinker where he said “it’s never been a better more peaceful time to be alive and because of this we can accelerate progress.” I find it fulfilling to read the words of a major historical figure and global contributor as they reflect back on life lessons and what they would do differently.  It begs the question, 20, 30 years from …