Dear Dali

One day they will tell you about the 10000hrs rule made popular by Malcolm Gladwell. It is argued that for one to be a specialist/master in any field they should spend at least 10 000hrs perfecting their craft. When I learnt about this rule- i jumped at it and thought this would be the best way to propel myself ahead. But I was not sure what to focus on. I have never been a one thing person. And I bet there are many of us like that. We do a lot more than research for instance. What should I let go off to do that one thing which will propel me to mastery?

No one owes us anything. This is one of my constant refrains to myself and the team at SIVIO. As a nonprofit we run the risk of assuming that we are owed resources by donors. During bad patches we can easily be disappointed by the behaviour of donors. We don’t always quickly regroup to deal with negative energy- which ends up harming us.

Over the years I have learnt the importance of being a doer rather than collecting and refining an idea. There is no perfect idea. The test is in the doing. I must appreciate the importance of testing the idea, learning as we implement and to quickly make corrections. The clock is ticking, and it never stops- a fresh idea or organization maybe old and dated tomorrow. Keep going.

This was a constant question that you used to ask whenever we embarked on a road trip. I think as human beings we are at times more focused on getting there (destination) and little interest in the actual journey. I am the same. Impatient. The first three years of SIVIO Institute also coincided with the building of our family home as well. It wasn’t easy. It stretched my patience. But it taught me the importance of initially enduring the journey to eventually the enjoying the whole process.

I have heard it said that corruption is a cancer destroying our moral compass and creating decay in society. Agreed. Have we looked at intolerance? It is potentially a more debilitating threat to attempts of nation building and consolidating democracy.

I believe it was Prince Metternich of Austria who said ‘ I once ruled Europe but never Austria’ in reference to his regional influence and overseeing what is usually referred to as the ‘ Age of Metternich’.

From the time we started our work in Zimbabwe in 2018 me and my colleagues have been invited to maybe 5 events speaker, a couple as part of an audience and very few radio appearance thanks to Tafara of Classic263 who developed a liking to me- probably because I was always eager to participate. Our work has not been widely cited. I still have to introduce SIVIO Institute. We are not a known brand. However, I have been all over the world during the same period.

It takes a burning desire combined with faith to keep going? Ever since I co-founded SIVIO there has not been a day that I have not thought about the organisation. It’s my 3rd born but at times it behaves like it’s the only one. However that level of focus can kill you. One has to find ways of taking a step backwards. Watch the baby from a distance. I generally don’t work from the office. I have created a distance between myself and the team responsible for the day to day management of the organization. At times it helps to watch from a distance.