GENERAL
COLUMN
From the Word
Editor's letter
It’s time to do
things differently
A
lbert Einstein is broadly credited with having said: “The
definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and
over again, but expecting different results.” Although
there has never been definitive proof that Einstein ac-
tually made the quote, it matters not, because, let’s face it, it is a
universal truth that has been proven time and time again.
Think of a fly trying to fly through a closed window, over and over
again it repeats the action, until it eventually dies from exhaustion.
It’s 2019, it’s an election year and land reform is the hot topic de
jour. Our Group CEO Francois Strydom made the point at a recent
gathering “the whole world is in flux, look at what is happening to
Macron’s France, Trump’s America, etcetera, etcetera.”
Whether it is the cyclic nature of the world where history has a ten-
dency to repeat itself, going through highs and lows before settling,
then repeating it all again, and whether we are in such a cycle or
not, the bottom line is that we all need to “be the change we want
to see in the world” – Mahatma Ghandi.
Hopefully you had some time off over the holidays to take stock
of your life, your business, your relationships… and hopefully you
identified patterns that do not yield the results you desire. Now is
the time to change your behaviour. A farmer has an intimate and
intuitive relationship with the land and its animals. He/she can
sense when it’s time to change something, like leaving lands fallow,
or adding more fertiliser, or trying a new crop, or breeding with a
different breed of livestock.
In the same way, we need to look
inside and gauge our own happiness
and actively make the mind-shift to
live a happy, balanced life, in harmo-
ny with all our communities.
I hope you had a good
planting season and
that your harvests
are abundant in
2019!
Marlon Abrahams
EDITOR IN CHIEF
02
SENWES SCENARIO | MIND-SHIFT 2019
Mindshift
Ds. Willie Botha
A MINDSHIFT CAN also be called a paradigm shift. It boils
down to challenging the way you approach things, the way
you think and what you understand. A mindshift is often
necessary when circumstances suddenly change or when a
situation reaches a critical point. People who struggle to make
a mindshift often feel that they are in a cul-de-sac. You can
literally feel that you have nowhere to turn.
Maybe the Israelites felt this way when the giant Goliath
walked towards them from the ranks of the Philistines. In their
minds there was no answer to what they were seeing. And
then a nondescript shepherd arrived and he could not see
any problem.
This is an example of a mindshift. Gideon was so afraid that
he hid in the winepress and the next moment an angel called
him a brave man - another mindshift. Paul was a persecutor
and the next moment he preached God's word - probably one
of the best examples in the New Testament. However, nothing
comes anywhere near the mindshift which God made for us.
Instead of judging mankind for its unrighteousness, He sent
Jesus to change our unrighteousness.
“Mindshift” is also the theme of a book written by Dawie
Smith, well-known radio personality, leader and education-
alist. It is a brilliant book which approaches mindshift from
a spiritual, physical, intellectual and emotional level. His
approach is that the dash between the date of birth and date
of death on your gravestone, is the life that you live. It is the
most important part and we can manage it to a large extent.
If you want to change your way of thinking, your feelings or
your behaviour, consider Dawie Smith's seven step change
and defensibility model:
Step 1: Becoming aware of the issue or problem (Head)
Step 2: Acknowledge the impact on your life (Head and Heart)
Step 3: Consider your desire to change (Heart)
Step 4: What are your options? (Head)
Step 5: Commit to the chosen option (Head and Heart)
Step 6: Take action (Hand) and persevere (Heart)
Step 7: Regular stock-taking
Christians are never in a cul-de-sac. There is a close connec-
tion between Christian hope and mindshifts. If Christ is part
of your life, the changes in your life cannot be made without
Christ. The Holy Spirit helps us to do the things which we deem
to be difficult, uncomfortable and even impos-sible.