Joshua Govender, Author at 1Africa

Are you overextended?

Joshua Govender

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August 9, 2016

Most of us thrive on responsibility – we like being helpful and active, and we try to make a positive impact on the world by getting involved in things that we’re passionate about.

However, in our desire to contribute and grow, we sometimes take on more than we should. So how do you keep from over-committing?

Too many logs in the fire

Firstly, it’s important to make sure you are not involved in too many areas to begin with. By that I mean you need a primary place you are involved in – say, as a volunteer at an organisation – and perhaps a secondary area. Having too many logs in the fire is never healthy, and if you’re overextended to begin with, you’ll never be able to contribute in a meaningful way in any case.

This doesn’t mean you can’t help out in any other areas. But if you’re going to grow and you really want to make a difference, you need to focus your attention where it is the most valuable, rather than spreading yourself too thinly.

Being involved in ten different projects doesn’t make you more valuable – it only dilutes your contribution. It means you can’t give 100% to anything you’re involved in. However, if you focus on one or two main things, you can bring all your strength, experience, and wisdom, and make a real difference.

Are you busy or effective?

In the end, it’s not about how busy you are, but about how effective you can be. It’s not about how much you can take on, but about how well you steward the little that you have. In order to become effective, you may well have to pull back from other areas of involvement – but that’s not a bad thing if it helps you to make a bigger impact in the things you are really good at.

So take a step back today and ask yourself: Am I as effective as I can be, or am I running around without making much of an impact at all?

Godspeed.

Times change (and so should you)

Joshua Govender

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August 8, 2016

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If there’s one thing I’ve learnt over the years, it’s that your approach to life can not remain the same forever. Things are different today than they used to be; and things will change in future, too.

This is a challenging thought to wrap your head around: We go through many different seasons and changes in life, yet we often struggle to accept that our approach can’t stay the same as the seasons change.

I got engaged recently and life couldn’t be better – but I’ve already come to the realisation that I’m going to have to change a bit. Before I got engaged I was selfish and didn’t really have to take anyone else into consideration – I lived a carefree life and didn’t have to worry about anyone else.

However, I’m in a different stage of life now, and my world is bigger than just me now – I have to look after my fiancé as well. I was reminded of this a few days ago when I planned to go out with the boys while my fiancé was sick at home. Being a guy, I made the wrong choice at first… and I was quickly reminded that it was the wrong choice! Going out unexpectedly used to be part of life – but I’m in a different place now.

You see, you cannot move ahead in life if you keep living the way you’ve always lived. Just like the world around you, your life will continue to change, and if you want to move forward you’ll have to adapt. This doesn’t mean you need to accept everything that comes your way without question, but it does mean you need to change your perspective continually as you readjust your priorities and goals.

Don’t stick with the way you’ve always done things – keep learning, keep stretching, and be ready to adapt your approach to life.

Godspeed.

Uninspired? Here’s what you’re missing

Joshua Govender

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August 5, 2016

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Recently I’ve been feeling a little uninspired. Don’t get me wrong, I still try my best to be creative. It’s my job to create, actually, but I’ve just been in this weird season that has knocked me off balance.

So I sat down and made a list of my weekly activities – everything I had to do in a week. It was surprising, because few of the things I had to do in a week actually involved things I was passionate about.

If you have been following my blogs, you’d know that I like to share stories out of my daily life – and it’s crazy how how seasons change. One minute you’re on top of your game – the next minute you’re fighting to stay afloat.

With this in mind, I embarked on a journey of trying to figure out how I can enjoy life without losing inspiration or spending my time wondering whatever happened to the “good old days”. And one of the key things I’ve realised is that I need to spend a little more time with myself, doing the things I love.

Trying to balance your personal, social, and work life is not the easiest, and sometimes I’ve had to lay everything I enjoy aside for a season so I can make time for what needs to get done.

However, recently I’ve started to be intentional about making time for myself and the things that keep me inspired – whether it be a coffee with a homeboy or a night out with some friends.

Taking time out for yourself, and doing what you enjoy, is one of the greatest ways to feel inspired again. It’s no secret that doing what you love leaves you feeling fulfilled and happy – but sometimes we forget we need to carve out time to pursue these things.

Too many people worry about what needs to get done and forget about their own needs in the process. It’s time to get intentional about doing the things you love again!

What are you thinking?

Joshua Govender

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August 5, 2016

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Have you ever caught yourself overthinking things? I certainly have. In my experience, there are two reasons why people do so:

Passion and perfection: Overthinking is, in many cases (definitely for me, personally), connected to passion. Yes, it’s great to be passionate about something, but when passion turns into the need to be perfectionistic, it becomes a problem – it holds you back from actually completing something. You will never get it as perfect as you want to – but you may get close!

Am I good enough? Another reason why we have these internal battles, is because we think everything we do isn’t good enough. We turn simple tasks into complicated projects, overthinking everything, simply because we don’t have faith in ourselves.

Let me tell you a secret: Your mind can be your biggest asset – but it can also be your biggest downfall. It can be hard to control your thinking because you may be reacting out of past experience or conditioning.

The key is training your brain – to learn how to operate with a new normal.

For example, I’m an introvert, and for many years I struggled with internalising things. I let my mind build all these negative scenarios, and never faced my insecurities in a healthy way.

Today, I’ve come to a place where I’ve been able to train my brain to be a little more extroverted – to to be different to my former “normal”.

The fact is, ultimately, you’re in charge of what you think. With God’s help, you can change your thought patterns.

The Bible (in 2 Corinthians 10:5), actually speaks about taking “captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”.

It’s time to start changing the way you think.

Godspeed.

Where are you at?

Culture

Joshua Govender

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August 3, 2016

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Recently I’ve found that the way I react to certain people and situations in my life isn’t what it should be.

I I lose my temper sometimes, and I have a short fuse – even when it comes to things that shouldn’t really be a big deal.

I often blame external factors for what’s going on inside me, when I should actually be sorting my heart out and dealing with the root causes of those issues.

In recent months, I’ve also started feeling a bit of extra pressure because of everything that’s happening around me: an upcoming wedding, family expectations, my job, and my social life. To be honest, being engaged is a totally new experience for me. I feel “inexperienced” in a way – however, I’m still trying to balance everything in my life, while keeping my cool and not losing the plot.

I began to think about why I feel so unsettled; why I have a shorter fuse and react in weird ways. This made me discover something very simple but insightful: Amidts all the new pressures, I simply wasn’t doing anything that I enjoyed anymore. I wasn’t doing any of the things that usually filled my heart with joy. All the pressures around me made me forget about the little things: I never hit the city streets at night anymore. I don’t write music anymore. I’m not doing the things that make that little difference in my heart.

If I’ve learnt anything in the last couple of weeks, it is that you shouldn’t forget to do the things that you love every now and then. Never lose sight of who you are and what makes you tick. If you’re a little bit more intentional about those little things, you may well end up being in a better place, and, ultimately, be a better person to those closest to you.

Godspeed.

Make it happen

Joshua Govender

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July 29, 2016

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In life, it is often easier to take the approach of waiting. You wait for things to happen. You wait for people to give you something. In short, it’s a passive approach to life.

This passive approach was highlighted in my own life because, to be honest, my natural tendency is to wait for things. It’s a lot easier and it requires a lot less effort.

But God began to challenge me on this. Yes, sometimes it’s good to wait, but often it just becomes an excuse to do nothing. We sit and wait when in fact we should have been making things happen.

I recently listened to a great speaker who spoke on this very topic. He explained that it’s always the best choice to take action with regards to the things you want to achieve in life – even if you’ve failed before. It’s about having the ability to pick yourself up and move forward, rather than settling for what you have around you and waiting for a breakthrough.

It’s about being pro-active. Some people have a more pro-active nature – they are born that way. But if you’re not, it doesn’t mean you’re off the hook! It takes discipline and small changes to train your brain to be more proactive, and I’ve had to make an effort recently to introduce more of that into my life.

Sitting around waiting sometimes creates a false expectation – and when things don’t pan out the way you’d hoped, it really does bring you down. When you take action, however, you take ownership, and achieving a measure of success brings immense satisfaction.

Let’s stop waiting – it’s time to take action!

Godspeed.

To be carefree

Joshua Govender

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July 27, 2016

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Have you ever wished you could just go back in time and be a kid again? That you could go back and not have to worry about anything? No bills, no money problems, no job issues… wow!

I would happily return to the days that I used to walk home from school. I was quite popular with my friends back then: My house was so close that I would walk home to get changed for rugby, pick up my friends, and maybe even buy them all some ice lollies (yes, that’s partly why I was so popular).

I say I want to go back to those days not because I want to be popular, but because of the feeling of freedom I associate with those times. Think about it – all I had to worry about was how many lollies to get and to make sure I was at rugby practice on time. Life doesn’t get simpler than that.

Don’t get me wrong: I wouldn’t trade what I have now for the world. I love my life. Yet growing up comes with its own set of challenges and worries.

But here’s the thing: those worries, cares, and challenges do not need to derail your life. Yes, it’s tough in the real world. But here’s what the Bible says about those times when it all seems to become too much:

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. –1 Peter 5:7

In an ideal world, we would all be carefree. We would all be like children, without a worry in the world. We’re not, though. But you don’t have to face those challenges on your own. God wants to be there for you. He wants you to come to Him with your worries, challenges, and issues.

He wants to help you – if only you’ll let him!

Godspeed.

Blessings in disguise

Joshua Govender

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July 25, 2016

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Have you ever passed up an amazing deal because of one simple reason – even after all your friends spurred you on to take it ? Have you ever been in a situation where you’re 99% in and it’s just that 1% that convinces you to go the other way?

How often do we make life choices exactly like this?

Sometimes we are blessed with something, but we hesitate because it doesn’t look exactly the way we expected it to. We discard the gift because it didn’t come wrapped the way we wanted it.

My fiancé recently highlighted this important truth, and it really hit my heart. Sometimes we’re presented with a gift, but we reject it because we expected it to look different.

We tend to get caught up in the way the wrapping looks, and totally forget the gift inside.

It’s a human tendency to feel this way, but when you receive something, the “wrapping” shouldn’t matter.

Rather, be thankful for the moments and gifts God has sent along your way, and grasp every opportunity that presents itself – regardless of whether it matches your expectations.

You’ll be surprised how much God blesses you with when you start counting those blessings in disguise.

Godspeed.

I remember

Faith
Hope

Joshua Govender

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July 22, 2016

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I remember when I first learnt to ride a bicycle. Mine had a small red frame and multicoloured wheels. It was almost too big for me. I remember my dad taking the training wheels off and how I fell off my bicycle the first day. I also remember my mom standing in the shade, cheering me on as I figured it out.

I remember my first guitar as well: I remember literally sleeping in the bed with it. I would play myself to sleep. I remember the first time I tried out for a band – you guessed it, I was horrible! I couldn’t even put together a chord because I got so nervous. I also remember giving up the guitar for about two years; and the day that I became passionate about music again. It was like discovering a whole new world.

I remember the first time I discovered I actually liked talking to people. It was like every insult or bad word spoken about me disappeared and a new confidence took hold. I remember the day I learnt I could make a difference. It changed my lifestyle – it was like someone gave me a get-out-of-jail-free card.

I also remember the day I forgot my calling. I forgot that I was actually serving Jesus and not people. I let people into my head and my heart. I remember having a simple conversation with a friend to remind me to run my own race and not the race of others.

I remember those times – and chances are you do, too. Times when we are passionate and ready to take over the world; and other times where it feels like the whole world is against us. Times when we move forward into exciting new possibilities; and times when we stand back and let life get to us.

And yet, through all those times, God is with us. He is there, regardless of our situation, mindset, or frame of mind. He is with us when life is brimming with new possibilities, and when we feel down and out.

He is the constant. Don’t forget that – whether you are on the peak of the wave, or in a deep valley.

Godspeed.

Don't forget the classics

Joshua Govender

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July 19, 2016

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I found myself pleasantly surprised with the music on my iPod the other day. My taste was not as bad as I remembered. However, listening to my top ten made me think about how music has evolved and how the latest top ten charts have changed.
I’m not saying some of the music that’s coming out today is bad, but I feel it’s all about the hype and not about the love of music. Hip-hop today sounds completely different to hip-hop a few years ago. It is not necessarily a change for the worse, but I don’t think I am enjoying the change as much as everyone else who’s listening to the “current” music.
It’s like everyone is worried about trying to make it but everyone is forgetting the love of music. Some can argue that loving music doesn’t get you anywhere and in some cases, it’s true. Music has become all about who’s the most popular, and how much money you have. It has become about everything but music.
Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean I’m against some of the newer music that’s out now, but sometimes it’s cool just to stop and take a listen to the classics. It’s almost like listening to the classics brings back all kinds of memories.
I’m not biased; I’m a musician. I listen to all sorts of genres, new and old, but most of what I’ve learned has been from the classics. Lyrics, melodies, and beats actually portray what the artist feels and it seems that music back in the day was more real.
I’m not saying you can’t feel that in newer music, but I want to encourage you to find that one song that you used to listen to that brought back a memory. Find that one classic song that you know could make your day better at any time.
Find your classic song, kick back, and enjoy it. Those moments don’t come very often.
Godspeed.

Joshua Govender

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