In a world shaped by systems one’s mindset is the one thing that can set one free, and set one apart. It’s not your background, your bank account, or even your education that determines your future; it’s the way you think. All these things are useless when the mind is blind.
When you dare to think differently, to question what’s around you and craft your own path you step into your power. That’s what truly separates those who succeed from those who settle.
I learnt this early, not from textbooks but from watching people accept the life they never chose. Where I come from in the Boland it’s common to see young people finish school only to end up in predictable jobs on farms, in restaurants, behind counters. Honest work, yes, but not always born from dreams. Too often it’s just what’s available. Just what’s handed to you.
But what if we didn’t accept what’s handed to us?
At the age of 10 I began dreaming of a life beyond what I saw, beyond my colourful essays. I didn’t know where exactly I was going, but I knew I couldn’t allow my environment to shrink my imagination. I crafted a universe in my mind, one where I could break cycles, define my own success and live with purpose. Even at this age I do that.
Life is by no means easy. Life tests you in subtle and serious ways, through finances, health, limited access, just to name a few. It throws you a general dish, a one-size fits all blanket and tells you to be grateful. But I refused to accept the idea that this was all there was. And that refusal became my strength.
My father once told me “smooth seas never made skilled sailors, and when you are born into a system your first act of freedom is to question it.” That quote has never left me. It’s guided the way I move through the world.
Systems, political, economic, educational, the media don’t just shape what’s possible for us, but how we think what is possible. And if you don’t break free of the script you were handed you’ll play a role you never auditioned for.
June is Youth Month and this year’s theme, “Skills for the Changing World, Empowering Youth for Meaningful Economic Participation”, points us towards the future. It’s about preparing young people for a world that’s evolving. Before skills we need to talk about mindset, because if people don’t believe they can build something those tools will sit unused.
Mindset is the hidden engine driving our choices, fuelling our creativity and expanding our vision. It’s that small spark that says “there must be more than this.”
Thoughts are powerful. They come from what we consume in our conversations, our culture, our environment. If we’re surrounded by defeatist thinking, by people who don’t dream, we may start to believe that dreaming is foolish, that success is reserved for “others”, that we are meant only to survive, and never thrive.
But when you start thinking independently everything changes. You stop chasing appearances and start building substance. You stop measuring your worth by what you wear, where you live or what you drive and start defining success on your own terms. After all, one of the greatest traps of our time is an obsession with looking successful.
What sets you apart, really, is how deeply you think, how courageously you act, and how consistently you build, what you’re planting when no-one is watching. That’s the difference maker. You know, “be the change you want to see.”
If there’s one thing I want young people (like myself) to take from this Youth Month, it’s this:
Don’t be afraid to be different; it’s often your greatest strength. The world doesn’t need more copies. It needs more creators, people bold enough to question, think and build on their own terms. I’d love to hear from you.
