The Struggle.

Written by Sivuyile Tshalana.

In this life not everyone is born in a wealthy family whereby a person has no struggle and everything is solved by their money. Not everyone has inheritance or an empire from their family members to keep them going for the rest of their lives. Other families can afford things while others cannot and it is quite unfortunate. For instance there are a lot of people that struggle in the shacks and do not even know where their next is coming from and others do not even own a shack to live in.

Even though government gives some people houses, some of them still struggle to make ends meet in their lives. Within that tough life struggle there is a lot of hatred and jealousy that builds within a person’s heart in a way that they look down upon each other. Some people in the community do not even want to help others uplift their standards of living. All they care about is making other people’s lives hell everyday of their lives rather than trying to grow together. If people do not want to play a role in their communities then the country as a whole suffers, because of the lack of growth amongst people. It is so sad to find a wealthy family or a family that can afford things living next to a family that struggles but there is no communication between the two families. This is even evident at many schools whereby some learners eat their lunch while sitting with other learners that do not have lunch and they do not even care if the other learners are hungry or not.

Some children also practice what their parents teach them or what their parents do, like when there is a visitor before supper is served, some families would rather wait for the visitor to leave before serving supper. A visitor suppose to get something to eat or drink while visiting unless the family has nothing to offer. It is crucial to know another human being, because one way or the other we all need each other in this life so that we can all strive to be happy. Success has so much value when it is shared amongst other people. The struggle is real, because many people see others suffering for the rest of their lives as it brings joy to their heartless lives. Some people would rather talk and laugh about your struggle, and also try to make you accept the struggle and turn a blind eye on your future. Some successful people, especially those coming from previous disadvantaged background, do not want to help the next generation because they feel since no-one helped them, why should they help others and which is a selfish behaviour.

Your background does not define you and it should not be the reason you stop following your dreams. You going to get a lot of negativity on your way to success, just let it go and focus on things that truly matter like your future. Some people will catch up with you or invest in you once you have invested in yourself first and the rewards will start showing going forward in life. You just have to remain positive, focused, consistent and hustle daily.

Smile.

Written By Sivuyile Tshalana.

Smile, Smile and Smile some more.

Put that frown away. Move those hands away from your cheeks. Take a deep breath and count your blessings. You owe it to yourself to be happy. You owe it to yourself to smile. Things might not go your way. At times you feel like you don't deserve to be alive and you want nothing to do with life anymore. Yes, your life isn't perfect currently and you asking yourself a lot of unanswered questions.

Smile, Smile And Smile some more.

You cannot go through a day without smiling and putting a smile on someone else's face. Life is too short to be angry at all times. Life is so much better when you smile. We all have those sour days, but we cannot go to bed angry. We need to let go of what has happened, one way or the other. This can be achieved by digging down deep on your emotions and finding that inner smile.

Smile, Smile and Smile some more.

We cannot control certain things that happen in our lives at times but most definitely we can control our smiles. Go ahead, show those amazingly gorgeous teeth that are complimented by that perfectly shaped mouth and face. A smile can confuse your haters and keep them on their feet. A smile can make your day. A smile can make this world a whole lot better to live in. It all begins with a smile and also ends with a smile.

Smile, Smile and Smile some more.

A smile can start a conversation and can show that you really are grateful for every little thing life has to offer to you. If you don't know how to smile, then teach yourself as you're missing out on the finer things in life. Don't fake your smile, it has to be true and real to you. Smile at your problems and tell them they're not going to win. You will overcome every problem you face with a smile thereafter.

Cassper Nyovest: The Modern Day Super Hero.

Written by Sivuyile Tshalana.

When talking about South African or African music industry, most people will mention Cassper's name frequently on their conversations. He's the talk of the town, because of his work in the music industry. Even if you talk to certain individuals that are on the come up in the music industry or just any ordinary human being, they take Cassper as a role model and a future legend. He has shown his worth throughout his albums which has been huge successes. He has great writing skills which makes his music full messages for everyone and very unique to people's ears. He most writes about issues that people are facing right now in the world as well as quoting on his life's journey.

Cassper always speaks from the heart as he's very vocal about issues that we face on earth as he can relate, especially what Black children still have to do in order to make successes out of themselves. Since most of them come from disadvantaged backgrounds, they have to work harder to break the poverty chain at their homes. Hence when they look at Cassper's story it gives them hope that it is possible to make it, despite their backgrounds, race, gender, religion, nationality and tradition. Success is always up for grabs but it doesn't come easy as people need to do sacrifices throughout their lives. Cassper sacrificed his family time and education to go to Johannesburg and chase his music dreams. As an artist he went through thick and thin, he had to push through the pain in order to enjoy the gravy that he's currently sipping on now.

What is truly amazing is that he didn't give up on his dreams even though he had it tough in the music industry. We look at Cassper as our Mr Nelson Mandela of the music industry as he has similar personal traits as him. Like always thinking nor finding ways to uplift the standards of living of our communities, and promoting unconditional love, respect and tolerance amongst each other in the world. Cassper has written his name in the history books of South Africa for putting his unique music in the world's stage and paving a way for many musicians to follow on his footsteps and conquer the world. He has received many accolades for his tremendous work, but he has always seen himself as a winner and definitely he's on the winning team that uses the winning formulas only to stay at the top.

Cassper has been on top of his game but he feels that he still needs to do more. As winners always finding ways to stay ahead of everyone and run their own races. Success hasn't got in the head of Cassper as he's still humble and stayed true to his day ones to build their umpires. We need to give credit where its due and Cassper Nyovest deserves all the praises for all his hustle and he's an inspiration to many of us as fellow South Africans. LONG LIVE CASSPER NYOVEST LONG LIVE.

Please go and buy Cassper's latest album Sweet and Short.

Thank Y'all

Written By Sivuyile Tshalana.

I Just want to take this opportunity to thank the people take off their busy schedules to read my work. Thanks a million to everyone who has read the material on my blog. Shout out to more people who will read my work.

I love y'all unconditionally.

Decisions.

Written by Sivuyile Tshalana.

As a human being living on earth, along the way you have to make certain decisions to benefit you or your loved ones going forward in life. These decisions can effect you or your loved ones in a good or bad way depending on the decision made and the situation that lead you into making that particular decision. Almost everything is made up of decision in life and it is a matter of how well you make your decisions and most of the times you have to stick to your decision in the long run of life.

It is crucial to think before making any decisions, you need look at both the negative and positive sides of your decisions. Nowadays many people make rushed decisions that they regret later on in their lives. People cannot make proper decisions while they are not emotionally, physically and psychologically unstable. Many people need to learn to make decisions by themselves to show maturity and independence. You cannot afford to give powers to someone else to make decisions that will change your life forever but you can consult with them and you must make the final decisions. In this life it is your decision to be lazy, sleeping nonstop, being uneducated, being unsuccessful and being inferior to other people, while you can be superior if you wanted to be superior in your life. You choose who you want to date, your friends, your environment and if you want to be single as well as doing drugs, smoking and drinking alcohol. A lot of decisions certain people make are usually influenced by temporal people that enter their lives which end up affecting the rest of their lives, when these people have left them and that leads to more regrets. Hence people should make their own decisions and when things go wrong, they have no-one to blame but themselves and they have to take full responsibilities of their decisions. Many people need to understand the importance of making decisions, before even making any decisions and sometimes a person might not get it right the first time around but it does not mean they should quit in making decisions. They should learn from their mistakes and keep it going by making wise decisions. 

Many people need to learn to trust themselves and believe in their decision making skills in order to make successful decisions about certain things in their lives. People need to realize that they cannot run nor hide from making decisions sometime in their lives. One way or the other, they will make decisions and it is important that people start learning at an early to make proper decisions while still supervised by elders. Remember the decisions you make in life can make or break you but either way, you have to keep it moving and learn from every decision you make on this earth.

You, Can Succeed In Life, How?

Written by Sivuyile Tshalana.

It all boils down to how hungry you are when it comes to life itself. It is good to have goals, visions and ambitions in life in order to contribute to your success. Actions play a vital role when it comes to success. You can have a great plan on paper or in your mind on how you going to reach your dreams, but if you not doing anything about it on a daily basis then it will just remain a plan on paper or a dream in your head. No-one is born to be unsuccessful in life. Whether you believe it or not, it is what it is. We all meant to succeed in this lifetime.

‘Practice makes permanent’, if we all work on our dreams everyday. Put in the work, despite the negativity one gets when we share our dreams with others. I do not see any reason why people should not be successful. People need to accept that there is no smooth road to success, there is a lot of humps, roadblocks and traffic on the road to success. ‘Patience is a virtue’, which basically means waiting for something without getting angry is a valuable quality in a person's life and with such a mindset you cannot go wrong. Always remember that ‘easy come easy go’. If you did not work for something in life, but you get it for free, that thing has no sentimental value in your life and you will abuse it or misuse it. Since it is something you never worked for you have no idea about the work that was put into it for it to be a success. People need to visualize success in their body, mind and spirit. They need to be in it to win it at all costs, because it would not come easy. It is within your abilities to succeed, it is not far fetched because if you look within yourself you can achieve it. You can actually use that as a stepping stone to success. Do not be afraid to fail in life. Remember ‘it does not matter how many times you fall, but what matters is how often you get up’. Your downfall can also lead to your come up, hence it is just a matter of how you look at each challenge on your way to success.

Do not be afraid of trying out new things in life. Not everything is a rocket science, so ask if you do not have the answers. Hence do not let people tell you otherwise about success. Procrastination is the thief of time and is a major threat to success. In order to succeed you must value time and use it properly each day, because we all have twenty-four hours in a day to do something that contributes to our goals and future. But we usually spend those hours doing unproductive things, lazing around, complaining and gossiping about people. All of this is not the building blocks to success, it is just a waste of time and it should be a phase in people's lives that should not last long. They should quickly get over it, and focus on their lives and how can they better it. People must identify their strengths and weaknesses, so that they can fix it. You cannot fix something if you do not know the problem. Hanniffa Patterson says ten words that highly describe successful. They are being positive, perseverance, care (about people), generous, integrity, self-forgiving, excuse-free, confident, building relationships and focus.

We all need to ask ourselves what are we doing in this life in order to be successful. We can all succeed, but not at the same time and you can never judge or measure your success by other people's success. You can look at them as motivation and learn from them. Get up and start doing something towards your future it is never too late. Keep your circle small and full of people who share the same goals as you. Go out there, chase your dreams and do not be afraid some people might not get your dreams at first but sooner or later they will keep up.

Dj Fresh (Big Dawg): The Role Model.

Written by Sivuyile Tshalana.

In a world so short of role models and mentors that many people can a thing or two from them if they look properly for guidance. There is the Big Dawg that many people cannot stop mentioning when it comes to pioneers of South African House Music and just South African Music in general to the world.

This pioneer goes by the name of Dj Fresh and he is one of the humblest men in the music industry, despite all the things he has achieved in his career. He is so grounded, loyal, and a fantastic entertainer and all-round people’s person. Dj Fresh values his fans, whether it is on-air, face-to-face or social media, he always shows love to them and does not mind taking selfies with them. He is a House Music legendary deejay who has released numerous albums, best known for his House Flavas compilations. If he is not behind the decks making people dance or producing music, he is on the air waves, making people's mornings exciting with his jokes, great topics and unique opinions. ‘The Big Dawg Laugh’ that makes you laugh even if you did not get the joke, because it is very contagious. He makes real radio fun with amazing content and a great team. All the hard work, determination, positivity, perseverance and hunger for more attitude makes him standout. Dj Fresh has created scholarships for students from disadvantaged communities to attend university, especially to study media.

Dj Fresh has been able to remain relevant for so many years as a broadcaster, entrepreneur and a deejay. He is very unique, because he can be able to adjust to whatever the music, and broadcasting industry throws at him and he still comes out on top anyway. Dj Fresh is a true legend and a role model.

NB: Catch Thato Sikwane aka Dj Fresh ‘The Big Dawg’ on Metro FM! Monday to Friday from 5am - 9am murdering the airwaves. Alongside Somizi, Angie and Mpho on the #FreshBreakfastShow.

Music!

Written by Sivuyile Tshalana.

Nowadays music industry is of the biggest industries in the world. Its an industry full of longevity depending on how people involved deal with their revenues, threats, opportunities and strengths. Hence it is very crucial to go to the music with a clear plan, whether people are going to be in the music industry or music business and even both if people are good multi-taskers. Music speak to the heart and that is reason why a lot of people listen to certain songs during circumstances that happen in their lives, whether their good or bad.

People listen and watch music on their preferred music gadgets which then allow people to keep up with their favourite music. The people have the power to breakdown, and learn lyrics through their minds and which then leads to them singing their favourite music. Depending on the lyrics of a song, but that is what many people relate to in many songs. Certain people seek for closure, and advice on music to make them ease the pain they going through and others to even relate it to their past. With that being said, musicians have a lot of influence to the people, especially the youth as the see musicians as role models. That is why there is hardcore supporters that own every albums, merchandise, got tattoos, pictures of musicians and go to their favourite musicians concerts nor performances. Musicians have a huge hand in the growth of human beings within the world as they also contribute to the economy too.

Although certain genres within music are all about or promote flashing money, cars, jewellery, how many women they sleep with, drugs, alcohol and expensive houses, clothes and technology gadgets. They make explicit music videos to sell fake lives and negativity. Then a lot of people believe what they see and hear about their favourite musicians and they start imitating their behavioral systems. Nowadays some music has no meaning at all, as some musicians just mumble their lyrics, don't really care about their audiences and the message they want to portray to the world. Certain musicians care about how much they getting from their music, their individual accomplishments in terms of accolades and don't really care about the effect of their music to the world.

The truth is there are less good musicians nowadays that actually sing about peace, love, respect and tolerance. Even if there is but they're not getting the right exposure in media. Many people are glued to music that doesn't have messages that people can learn and reflect it on their lives. Musicians have the power to break or build human beings depending on their content within the songs. It's vital that musicians know the power they have over the world and they need utilize it properly. We need more real musicians, with their unique stories told through music and musicians that don't allow fame get the better of them. Musicians that actually tackle issues that we facing in the world are truly scarce. 

Mzansi Super League (MSL).

Written By Sivuyile Tshalana.

South Africa cricket board should be proud of their hard work into making Mzansi Super League (MSL) a successful tournament. A lot of work went through it, in terms of superb marketing strategies as their advert was easy on eyes and quite enjoyable to watch. MSL advert involved some well-known celebrities nor influential human beings like Tumi Morake, LKG, Jomo Sono, AB DeVilliers, Nina Hastie, Makhaya Ntini, ThandoThabede, etc. Just to name a few as the list was endless and everyone who was involved in that advert really did their best to make that advert a success. The theme song was incredibly catchy and one of the great theme songs that overcome from South Africa. Dj Fresh and Busiswa really out did themselves in making the MSL theme song. MSL came up with a brilliant slogan, “Fast, Fun For All.”

MSL commenced from the 16^th of November and ended on the 16^th of December 2019. Which means there was a full month of MSLT20 cricket that played on different cricket stadiums across South Africa. Twenty-Twenty (famously known as T20) cricket is a 20 0vers fast paced, full of excitement, quick runs scored and many wickets that are takenkind of a cricket. The runs scored and wickets taken by different crickets teams was exceptional done well. Even though some teams might feel they lacked on certain departments during their actual cricket match days. MSL showed case the sort of talent South African cricketers have and put everyone on the map. All those young players that got exposure into playing with their cricket heroes and most of them made the most of their chances give them by their coaches.Every team was made up of fantastic players (bowlers, batsmen and all-rounders) and an excellent technical support teams. The MSL T20 was made up of 6 world class cricket teams and there was only one team that could be crowned the first MSL T20 champions.Namely, Cape Town Blitz, Durban Heat, Jozi Stars, Tshwane Spartans, Nelson Mandela Bay Giants and Paarl Rocks. All these team had amazing support from their supporters across the country.

MSL didn’t disappoint and it lived up to its standards. Surely the organizers should be happy with the way everything transpired. SABC played a critical role in making sure that the MSL T20 cricket matches were broadcasted on television and radio stations. MSL can only go to greater heights next year with more investors and more international players being involved in the tournament. Finally, South Africa got a tournament that the world can look forward to part of each year. These are exciting times for South Africans and their cricket. The South African Proteas selectors will have a good headache when it comes to choosing cricket players to represent South Africa on the world stage. MSL T20 is a force to be reckon with and definitely the success rate will increase as time goes by on years to come.

Congratulations to Jozi Stars for winning the first ever MSL T20.

The Journey Part 26: Festive Season

Written By Sivuyile Tshalana.

I have to say this festive season wasn’t all that in terms of hype and the way I thought I was going to enjoy it. In fact I didn’t really dwell on the festive season, as I was mostly busy throughout the whole December holidays seasons. I’m trying to get my life together and on track with what I want on earth. At the same time I felt that growth has hit me big time as I found no interesting things with December. I tried to going out and having fun every now and then but when the budget it tight its very hard to enjoy your festive season. My finances haven’t been up to date this year. At the same time that didn’t mean I shouldn’t be grateful for life and all the blessings that are going my way this year.

I didn’t really spend quality time with my family as we were scattered along the country and everyone was very busy. Most family members were working and they didn’t really get December holidays in their workplaces. Its understandable though as we need the money in order to look after ourselves and our loved ones. With that being said, I enjoyed spending time with my son. It was the first time we spent quality time on the 25^th of December, as it me and him, just the two of us. I had to prepare Christmas lunch for us and it was an exciting yet challenging task as I wanted to impress my son. We really had a time of our lives, he actually loved the Christmas lunch and he played a role in helping me prepare the lunch. It was a bonding session, father and son moments that were priceless. Sitting with me, catching up and having some incredible conversations. A child doesn’t lie so I like to pay attention when we have conversations so that I’ll what’s bothering him in his life. As we don’t stay together currently, but soon we will be together as a proper family. What amazes me is that he could truly have a conversation with me and being called “Dad” is an unexplainable feeling. Although I’m still learning in this fatherhood industry but bits by bits I’ll get it right. I will make him and my family proud, its just a matter of time.

I also spent some time later that day with my childhood friends, to be honest we got up to no good since they had this idea that its Christmas and we could actually do all with our time. We enjoyed some few drinks and then we went to the nearest pub for some more fun. We came in the morning all tired and no regrets though as we made the most of our night. I hardly have fun but when I do I make sure I enjoy my time outside my comfort zone. I’m glad that no-one got hurt as we all came back in one piece. It was a fantastic day and I can’t really complain as I saw that the best things in life are actually in front me, like literary. I realized that fun differs from person to person but more often than not fun is created by myself as a human being. Each person is capable to create their own fun and it doesn’t really have to involve alcohol and drugs in order to be considered as fun.

My New Year’s Eve was something to remember for the rest of my life. Although I can’t really get into more details but it was enjoyable. When the song of the year played which was Banomoya by Prince Kaybee ft Busiswa and TNS, I danced like nobody was watching. I had to thank the Lord for giving me yet another year to be greater. I feel that 2019 is year for success and happiness all around. Whatever that has happened in the previous year, it is now in the past and in order for us to go forward we need to make peace with our past. The future is in our hands, don’t let anyone fool you into believing you not enough and that you can't make it life. It’s about time we put those brilliant brains of ours into good use.