Tanaka Mutakwa

Today is my 28th birthday. I have always found writing to be a great way to leave a snapshot of my thoughts at any point in time. Given that a birthday is a great reflection point I thought I could leave a snapshot of 28 year old Tanaka’s mindset.

Here is what I think I have figured out about life. I am hoping to come back in the future, look at this snapshot and see what my mindset was like at 28.

1) If there is one gift you can give your close family and friends it is the gift of your time. If there is any opportunity to spend some quality time with close family and friends always use it. Never underestimate the value of this or prioritise it lower than other things. The happiest moments in my life have been memories shared with friends and family. Time flies and you never know when things will change and you don’t get these opportunities anymore.

2) Always have the hunger to learn. Stay curious. The world is changing at a very fast pace. The people with the hunger and ability to learn new things will survive this fast paced change. Don’t get stuck in old ways. Be a life-long learner.

3) While we are on the topic of learning. Take every opportunity to learn something from everyone you interact with. There is always something someone else is better than you at. You will never be the best at everything. If you have an open mind and are observant enough there is always something to learn from others. Some people and some environments will teach you what not to do. If a friend or relative goes through a bad patch try and understand the root cause of the problem, so you can avoid ever making the same mistakes in the future.

4) When in doubt – ask. Never be afraid to admit that you do not know. That is the way you learn. Throw away any false pride.

5) Have some integrity. If you say you will do something, give all your effort to get it done.

6) Accept and learn when you are wrong. Nobody is perfect. You will make big mistakes at some point in your life. The important part is to acknowledge the mistakes and take active steps to ensure you learn from them and you do not repeat them.

7) Give people a chance. Do not be so quick to judge people for their actions and what they are not good at. You probably do not have full details on the environment they grew up in or how they were raised. Given the right support people can surprise you with how quickly they can change, grow and master things. I’ve been given chances in my life by people who believed in me when others would have not. Read this point again before moving on to the next one.

8) Have a fulfilling job. If you have a 9-5 job it means you spend a large part of your life at work. If you are going to spend so much time at a place you should at the very least enjoy your time there. This means the work you do should be engaging, you should support your company’s purpose, you should be constantly learning from your peers, and you should be good friends with most of your work colleagues. I have had many conversations with friends who hate their jobs or hate their managers. You need to get out of that environment. Only you can make the change. Don’t delay it. It probably shortens your life through stress.

9) Be bold! There is an African proverb that goes “A man who hangs around a beautiful girl without speaking his intentions ends up fetching water for guests at her wedding.” Most things are not as risky as they seem. All you need is to believe in yourself and go for it. Even if you fail at your ambitious thing, it’s very difficult to fail completely. That’s the thing that people don’t get.

10) Be active! Take part in a physical activity regularly. It could be hiking, running, cycling or just taking walks often. It could be taking part in a team sport such as soccer, action netball or action cricket. Find whichever physical activity suits you, one which you enjoy. There are many benefits to being active, listing them is worthy of an article in itself. However the most important benefits in my opinion are the health benefits. Too many young people are letting themselves go after they start working. Don’t let yourself be one of these people. It is never too late to start. My preferred physical activity is running, last year I wrote a post about why I run.

11) Get enough sleep on most days, that is around 8 hours for most people. Sleep deprivation is not a badge of honour. Listen to your body and take relaxing breaks when you need them. I know the irony in this is that I am the founder of a lifestyle brand called NoDaysOff. Even with that I suggest you take NoDaysOff in resting to take care of yourself. Avoid junk food and eat healthy food often. You will be amazed how much of a difference these things can make to your life.

12) Think ahead. Things don’t just happen. You make them happen! What are you going to do this week to get you closer to achieving your goals? Write it down and make it happen. Have clear goals for yourself every day, every year, and every decade.

13) The only constant in life is change. The world changes. People change. Your friends will change. You will change the places you live. You will change jobs. You should not always try to fight this change. Sometimes trying to hold on leaves you stuck. Move forward. You’ve got to keep moving.

14) Time flies. One moment you are in primary school, wondering when you will ever become an adult. Next thing you are a fully grown adult with so many responsibilities and you are struggling to keep up. While there is a place for resting and relaxing, never waste time. If you get the sense that you are wasting time it means you probably are, trust your instincts and get out of that habit. Understand the value of time in everything you do.

15) Enjoy the special moments such as your graduation day, or the day you start a new relationship. Remember though that moments are just moments and what is important is to actually live by what the moments define. After you graduate you need to make use of the degree / diploma you receive in the real world. After you get into a relationship be committed to make it work in its entirety.

16) Travel and explore places outside your normal area. You can learn a lot from other people outside of your normal environment of comfort. Even if it means travelling across the country you live in. If you can, you must also travel to other countries across the world.

17) Be a self starter. Don’t wait for people tell you what to do all the time. There is self fulfilling value in seeing progress in something you thought about, took action on and completed.

18) Don’t regret things. Learn from them. Regret is past tense decision making.

19) If you are thinking about holding any leadership role in your life. The best way to lead is by your actions not what you say. Inspiration from words is often short-lived, however from your actions people can learn that many things are possible and they will be able to follow your lead. Leadership is also about growing people. Imagine you get to the end of your career and you say, “Here are all of the people I developed, I coached, I inspired, I built, I made stronger, faster.”

20) You are never too old or too young. I’ve seen very old people complete marathons and ultra-marathons. In the same way we’ve all seen very young people start and go on to lead global companies (Zuckerberg – Facebook. Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown – Snapchat).

21) Great things take time. Don’t rush things. Be patient. Have a long term mindset. Think long term but make slight progress towards the end goal on a daily basis.

22) There are a few times when it is ok to give up and try new things. Most of the time don’t give up. Push on and things will come together. Deciding when to give up is a skill in itself.

23) Be happy. Your happiness in life is probably the right metric to use to measure success.

24) Understand how habits work. Most of your actions whether good or bad are performed via habits. If you can master how to learn and unlearn habits then you will have some control over your life. If you enjoy reading one of the best books I have read on this is The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. If you are not a fan of reading you can look for some of his videos.

25) Be positive. The world has so much negative word spreading. Just watch news for a few minutes to see how much negativity is reported. You would almost think there is nothing positive that occurs in this world. Yet in fact there is a lot positive progress that happens daily. Be one of the people that shares the positive side of things. You never know whose life you can have a positive influence on. Be optimistic and inspire others.

26) On money. Try and learn as much as you can about money. How you should manage your money. How to build financial discipline. How the economy works. The school system does not do justice on educating people about money. I’m still learning.

27) Still on the topic of money. While having a good sum of money is great, never let money be your primary motivator to do things. It can be crippling, often leading you to do things that are an anti-pattern. Such as staying in a bad work environment just because it pays you well. Yes you should be paid for your worth but more importantly you should rather optimise for your own happiness.

28) A side effect of being ambitious and doing well is that a lot opportunities will present themselves toward you. Choose wisely. Sometimes it is ok to say no to a great opportunity because you have others in the pipeline already. You can always come back to some opportunities later on in life. Avoid taking on too much. There is great value in being focussed and seeing things through.

29) Your attitude will take you far. I remember back in my school days I realised that if I put in some extra effort in everything I did, the teachers and coaches would notice. Even if I wasn’t the best in that class or sport I would leave a mark because of my hard working attitude. This is something I still believe in to this day. Going the extra mile will leave you in a good place.

30) You are going to go through some difficult times in your life. Everyone does. It is part of being human. Have a set of people who form part of your core support system. These people can be family or friends. These people will help carry you through your difficult moments in life. You can return the favour when they need you to carry them too one day.

31) Run your own race. This is your life. A lot of people spend significant portions of their lives trying to create an image other people will credit them for. This is achievable, however you may find after achieving this you are still not happy. Don’t chase prestige, go for what makes you genuinely happy. Be yourself!

That is it. Hopefully with each year that comes I will become much wiser. I will be able to refine some of these ideas and maybe add more as I grow. Never Settle! NoDaysOff!

On the 14th of January in 1992, I was a few months from my 3rd birthday. On this day my parents blessed me with a younger brother. They named him Tashinga Gerald Mutakwa. Life was never the same after that.

Tashinga seemed to have been born with a “I will go for what I want” attitude. The side-effect of this attitude is that he can be very frustrating if you ask him to do something he is not interested in. However that is a story for another day.

Every strength has its opposing weaknesses. Today I would like to talk about the young man’s strengths, which even as his older brother I have learnt from myself.

When Tashinga finished high school, despite pressure from multiple people to go and study something else, he stuck with his resolve and went on to study what he wanted. He studied what he had a passion in and enjoyed.

He completed his degree in Film Directing at the end of 2014. I remember watching the final year film he directed (Bala “Bullet”: A short film) and realising it was so good he had managed to silence anyone who ever questioned his choice of degree.

After completing his studies, while others went on to look for jobs Tashinga took his own path and started his own company. Its difficult enough to start your own company straight out of university and try generate enough income to survive at the same time. However I am proud of the work he has done in forming and growing Greenback Media Group. Showing all the young people out there that it is possible.

When I lived with him a few years back, he kept asking me to help him set up his company website. I was in a very busy phase at the time so I could not help him immediately. In a few days he had managed to read up how to set up a website, had registered a domain and built the company website by himself. Again I’m proud to say that without any of my help to this day he built, and maintains the Greeenback Media Group website. You can always achieve anything if you have enough of a drive to do so.

I could keep going. I am going to talk about one more thing. Something he is very proud of. About three years ago Tashinga envisioned hosting an event that created a platform for up and coming artists. He brainstormed the idea and drafted up a plan. He named the event Mother City Live.

The first Mother City Live event was hosted a couple of months later on a Thursday evening in a small sound bar in Long St, Cape Town. It was well attended, the performances were respectable and given Tashinga was still a student at the time, that first event can be considered a success. Everyone starts from somewhere.

I however could have never predicted that Tashinga would continue to push Mother City Live, see where he can improve the event and grow it further. I’m proud to say that this year’s edition of Mother City Live will be much bigger and better. Tashinga has managed to get over 30 acts lined up, with Jimmy Nevis being the headline performer. That sort of growth over a three year period is impressive. I’m inspired. The event is just over a week away on Saturday the 26th of November.

Having seen this idea from the start. I know Mother City Live is Tashinga’s baby and he has passionately pushed its growth to this stage. I am excited about this year’s event, but I am even more excited about how much more he can grow the event over the next few years. So if you are free on Saturday the 26th of November, please come and support the young man’s event.

Tickets are available on Webtickets here – https://www.webtickets.co.za/event.aspx?itemid=1465197345

More about the event can be found here – https://www.facebook.com/mothercitylive/

Keep going brother. We may be quiet from the outside, but we are excitedly and patiently watching how your story unfolds. I believe in you.

I’m still happy my parents blessed me with Tashinga Mutakwa on the 14th of January 1992.

Day two of the Scrum Gathering South Africa 2016 conference is about to begin. My role at work is “Software Engineer”, which at the basic level can be seen as someone who solves problems and translates them to code in some programming language to build software.

This conference is about processes, methodologies and managing teams. Which raises the question, what does that have to do with my role as a software engineer? I believe to be great at anything you do you must grow in more than just your core skill. I’m ready to learn more and continue in my constant pursuit for learning.

My bio on most of my social media platforms says “Computer Scientist by qualification but my ambition is to be a Polymath.” I’ve also had that as my WhatsApp status for a long time now.

My aunt having seen this once asked me what a “Polymath” is and what I mean by that statement. I responded with the Wikipedia definition “A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas; such a person is known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems.” I then explained to her that even though I studied computer science and I work as a software engineer, by aiming to be a polymath I would like to learn and grow in multiple fields.

When I was younger I was always fascinated by successful people: great sports people, inspiring business people, brilliant leaders, the list is extensive.

I thought what they did was magic, that they were born with these amazing talents. They were my inspiration.

As I grew up I also wanted to be successful so I became curious. My curiosity led me to study how people become successful. I studied them through reading books, listening to podcasts, watching video interviews, observing successful people in my immediate environment, etc. I wanted to answer the question: What makes these people so successful?

I have learnt a lot about what makes people successful. I’m still learning to this day. However there is one trait I have identified that is common in all the successful people I have studied. They all possess a hunger to learn. Despite being great at what they do, they want to learn more. They learn from a wide range of fields. They are not stuck in their old ways or current state of mind.

These people believe there is always room to grow and they can become even better at what they do. I have taken this to heart. If it is one of the ingredients to success then I would like to have it too.

We are all learning beings. When we are born we know nothing, our learning journey begins. We learn how to walk. We learn how to talk. We learn how to read. The hunger and capacity to learn in babies is amazing. Somewhere along this journey we grow up and become adults, then our hunger to learn fades, we slow down. Don’t let this happen.

The secret sauce for success is the constant pursuit to learn. What are you going to learn today?

I’ve run many races since the beginning of 2015. Last year I completed 35 races and this year I have completed 10 races.

A few of my friends have asked me what problems I am running away from, or if I know anything that other people do not know. The prize however goes to the friend who joked that I’m running all these races in the hope to meet my future wife at one of these races.

A guy I used to work with once said he finds running to be a very lonely sport. I can understand where he was coming from, but after participating in all these races over the last year or so, I have found that running is not as lonely as one would first believe.

Running has allowed me to explore the Western Cape

Western Cape races take place at different locations each weekend. I have run in Paarl, Gordons Bay, Stellenbosch, Mamre, Franschoek, Atlantis, Langebaan, Seapoint, Greenpoint, Constantia, Athlone, Kuilsrivier, Koeberg Nature Reserve, Somerset West, Wellington, Century City, Bellville, Hout Bay to Camps Bay, Greepoint to Simonstown passing through Muizenberg and Fish Hoek, and who knows how many other places. Some of these places I may have never visited if it was not for running.

Being the Western Cape, the views along the races are usually breathtaking.

 I’ve run in the Constantia vineyards at night, with a headlamp. An incredible experience I recommend for all runners.

Last year I went for race in Langebaan with a few friends. We made a road trip out of it and stayed in Langebaan for the weekend. We are going again this year, we are now calling it “The Annual Langebaan Weekend Away.” This time ten of us are going. In fact we are going there this coming weekend.

Running has given me the opportunity to meet new people

I did not know half of the people in this picture before I started running. I met them at the races.

Breakfast and exploring after the runs

After each race I usually go for breakfast with my friends. It gives us a good opportunity to discover new restaurants and socialise after some fitness activity. Depending on the location of the race, some further exploring of the area also happens.

After a race in Stellenbosch last year, I drove around four different wine estates with my friend Samuel and bought a few bottles of some fermented grape juice.

At the end of the Constantia Night trail runs we got given a bottle each of some wine from the Groot Constantia estate. A worthy gift for people who have just run up and down a mountain at night.

Running has challenged me mentally and physically

Murakami once described running as “both exercise and a metaphor.” The real marathon is life. It’s the doing every day. Running doesn’t need to be justified or applied to some end. You run because keeping a healthy body and clear mind is part of your job as a human being. Because it’s a commitment you made to yourself that you’re obligated to keep no matter how tired, how busy or how burnt out you feel. In other words, it’s practice—proof of your ability—in always having a little bit extra in you.

The races I remember most are the ones where I set my personal best times. Its on those days where I pushed my boundaries and challenged myself physically and mentally. There is a lot to running that is in the mind but the physical aspect cannot be ignored, if you want to truly experience the physical side of it, run a full marathon.

My personal best in a 10km race is currently 42 minutes and 52 seconds.

 

My personal best in a 21.1km race (half marathon) is currently 1 hour, 38 minutes and 40 seconds.

 

My personal best in a 42.2km race (full marathon) is currently 3 hours, 58 minutes 49 seconds.

Running has strengthened my friendships

I have run a large number of races with my friends. There have been a few races where I have run alone but it is a rare occurrence. Getting fit with friends can make all the difference between working hard enough to get results and missing races altogether. It’s harder to miss a race when someone is counting on you. Agree to a meeting time, and stick to it. I have a lot of post race pictures with friends, here are a few of them below.

The Century City Express race with Prashila, Himal, Cherel and Matan.

The ATC 4 x 3km relay race with Tatenda, Takudzwa and Jesse.

Greenpoint Park Run with Takudzwa, Nigel, Nyasha, Tatenda, Ropa, Zaahir, Sydne, and Dave.

The Lion of Africa race with Jesse, Sesethu and Takudzwa.

The Gun Run with Samuel, Jateen and Dismasi.

Running has strengthened my work relationships

“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, it has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope, where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination.” – Nelson Mandela

When I worked at Allan Gray we formed a relay team with the software engineers above and participated in the ATC 4 x 3km relay race in Greenpoint, Cape Town.

Last year, along with some of the team from Prodigy Finance (my current workplace) we participated in the Gun Run.

Running has strengthened my family relationships

I completed a trail run with my dad in Stellenbosch. This was a few days after his 60th birthday. My friend joked that “it literally runs in the family.”

I’ve also run a few races with my younger brother (guy in the blue shorts), he doesn’t run as many races but he is still on the right side of 25 I guess.

The joy of seeing people challenge themselves

A good friend sent me this message a week back –> “Bro, I ran 3kms the other day and I almost died. What is the best way to get into this fitness thing?” I responded –> “You have to be consistent man, you can’t go wrong with consistency. Run that 3km once or twice a week, after a while it will become easier and you will be able to do 5km, then 10km, and more. Its not about the distance though, its the consistency bro!”

It is always great to see people challenge themselves and the joy they derive when they accomplish the challenge.

I was there when my fellow Zimbabwean friend Zaahir ran his 1st Park Run.

I was there when Mali ran her first 10km race.

I was there when Moshin completed his first 10km race.

I was there when Takudzwa completed his first 15km race.

I was there when Tadious (the guy on my left) completed his first 10km race.

I was there when Andile (the guy wearing red) completed his first full marathon.

Running has given me a sense of achievement

One day I can show my kids my medals collection and say “look what your dad achieved when he was young.”

On one of the weekends last year I decided to do some DIY and build a medal display on my wall.

This is the current state of the medal display. I think some DIY for another one may be due soon.

The opportunity for interesting stories

After one of the half marathon races in Mamre last year I met a Zimbabwean guy named Norbert. He asked me what position I came in the race and I told him. Since its not a typical question people ask each other after these runs unless you are a professional runner, I asked him what position he came, he responded “I came 22nd.” I asked him what his finishing time was and the told me some impressive time (I’ve forgotten the actual time he mentioned).

This is where the story becomes interesting, after further probing I found out that was Nobert’s first race ever in his life. He is actually a farm worker in the Mamre area and since the race was hosted in that area he just took the opportunity to come and try it out. Nobert said he had not run since high school. Its incredible, he even said he jogged from the farm to the race’s starting point. I’ve always believed I have some element of natural fitness in me but this guy was notches above me. I encouraged him to keep running and to participate in more races, you never know where it goes.

I’ve met Norbert at about 4 more races after that. At the last race I met him which was earlier this year, he told me he has now joined a running club and they train twice a week. I won’t be surprised to see Nobert finishing in the top ten for the big races soon.

Made sure I took a photo with Norbert (the guy in the middle) in case he becomes a celebrity athlete in a few years.

Sometimes you get to meet inspirational individuals

It was an honour and a privilege to meet the South African rugby team (Springboks) 1995 world cup winning captain Francois Pienaar at the end of the Cape Town Marathon.

Why do I really run?

I run because I enjoy it. I run because I need it. More than that, running and being fitness oriented has become part of my lifestyle. Running is not lonely, running is very social, running has been a source of inspiration in many ways.

I am grateful to live in a city that has a strong fitness culture. There is a race almost every weekend. So next time you are in Cape Town for those who don’t live here, and next time you feel the urge to go for a run for those who live in Cape Town. Let’s go for a run. You know where to find me.

I still haven’t met my future wife at any of the races yet, but who knows what will happen at this coming weekend’s race.

As much as one can try run away from it, the end of the year brings with it feelings of reflection. 2015 has been one of the best years of my life and this morning when I woke up I decided to take note of why it was so good.

1) My older brother Tendayi got married and his wife Sancia just fit into the family like a glove, as if she has always been there. He set a brilliant example for my younger brother and I. I would rate his wedding day as my best day of 2015, it was amazing. As per standard the African aunts have started sending me the “You’re Next messages” to add some pressure on me. My brother is 5 years older than me though so I’m still good for the next 5 years I hope.

2) My younger brother Tashinga graduated and switched over from dependent to independent. Welcome to real life bro.

3) Keeping to my explorer attitude, I managed to travel to Mozambique, Australia and technically one could argue Namibia. Travelling will always remain at the top of my priorities. One can learn so much from getting out of their comfortable environment and learning about other people and cultures.

4) At the beginning of the year I started working at a company that fits into the model of what has always been my dream workplace. A startup that makes a significant difference in people’s lives. Its been a good year of learning at Prodigy Finance, and I have confidence that the company is going to be big, keep an eye out for us.

5) My 3 side businesses / projects ended the year on a profitable note, with 2 of them doing very well.

6) I ran 35 official races this year, 23 more than my goal at the beginning of the year. Amongst those were 1 full 42.2km marathon (my 1st one ever) and 9 half 21.1km marathons.

7) When I walk out of the office today I would have officially completed 5 years since I started working. Time flies once you join the rat race, but I’ve enjoyed it so far and learnt a ridiculous amount. I now have a good idea of what I want from my career and what to aim for in the future. Also I have reached a level where I know I do make a solid contribution to the environment I work in and that is always important.

8) My dad celebrated his 60th birthday in February and we even ran a trail run together when they were down in Cape Town. As Oliver Mtukudzi says “Ivai Navo”. On his birthday I wrote about 60 things I’ve learned from him here.

9) My siblings and I were all together in the same city for the first time in 9 years. My older brother left Zimbabwe in 2006 for Australia and he had not returned to Africa since then. My older sister lives in Johannesburg, and my younger brother and I are Capetonians. After my brother’s wedding he finally decided to come back to Africa for his honeymoon. The final leg of that trip was in Cape Town and my older sister joined us too from Johannesburg. It was the first time we were all in one place in a very long time, to say we had good times would be an understatement. We are making sure its never that long till we are together again.

10) Above all things, 2015 has been a happy year. The achievements and everything else do not matter unless you are happy as an individual. If there is anything I reinforced in 2015 its to be myself and to be happy. What a happy year it was, as my friend Takudzwa Makotore likes to say “We lived our best lives”

My rugby coach from high school always used to encourage us at practice and half time team talks with the words “Men You Must Keep Moving Forward.” While 2015 is probably going to be difficult to beat all I can do is keep moving forward!

May the best of your todays be the worst of your tomorrows.

Cheers to 2015, stay safe out there tonight!

All the best in 2016 #NoDaysOff