Here comes the much awaited thread of the top ten lesson that I learned in 2018. Some of them I knew already, but they became even more important this year. Every experience, good or bad, is a lesson and we only fail if we miss the lesson. Here we go #My2018Lessons
Lesson 1: 1. There is a strength in being outside the establishment or someone that is seen as being naive or new to the culture/game because only you can have the audacity to play the game differently from how it has been played historically. #My2018Lessons #blessed #grateful
Lesson 2: Being an underdog and a misfit gives you the freedom to try things that no one else has ever dreamt of. This may attract criticism and that’s okay, as long as you are authentic. Just keep doing YOU, the underdog. #My2018Lessons #blessed #grateful
Lesson 3: Don’t always depend on ability, effort is much more important. Games are often won on the basis of effort and not just ability - this is how underdogs get the top price! When the game becomes about effort over ability those who are used to winning don’t know what to do.
Lesson 4: If you are ever accused of being a narcissist then please do not defend yourself because it is a trap! The trick is to get you to defend yourself because then you will sound like a real narcissist. This is how haters operate! #My2018Lessons #Blessed #grateful
Lesson 5: Use every criticism levelled against you as your ally or that critical voice that keeps asking key questions everytime you make decisions. Resist the anger (its hard, I know) and listen to the voice! #My2018Lessons #Blessed #Grateful
Lesson 6: Conventions are made to be challenged. Why should I have a driver, bodyguard or even fly business class simply because I am VC? What’s so special about being VC that I should now refrain from taking selfies or getting into an UberX? #My2018Lessons #blessed #grateful
Lesson 7: My success as a VC is not going to come from following tradition or convention but from understanding my strengths, many of which come from who I am (black African South African woman who knows poverty) as well as my culture & values & use them to my advantage.#Grateful
Lesson 8: Never ever judge people only on the basis of their race. Not all white people are against you as a black professional & surprise surprise, not all black people are for you. What I know for sure: it is better to judge people on the basis of their values. #My2018Lessons
Lesson 9: Anyone can spend money. But to earn it, save it and defer gratification one has to learn to value it differently. Valuing money is not about race or class, it’s someone we all have to learn & we can only learn it if we accept that we dont know it already. #My2018Lessons
Lesson 10: The powerful and the strong are not always what they seem. Many of them are insecure and scared of losing their position of power. Respect them like you should everyone else, but never be scared of them, because they are scared of you! #My2018Lessons #Blessed #Grateful
