This is guest post by a 16 year old Karabo, a girl I got to know about her through her mentor. Thulani Mphahlele Author and Performance Strategist whom I wrote about here. Karabo, already a motivational speaker has founded a public speaking club at school which she recently partnered with Thulani Mphahlele and has also been featured on SABC. Girls and boys her age have dreams that can be achieved through strong mentor-ship. I needed her to share her journey and I thought to encourage you that our kids need to be noticed and mentored and who knows what they will turn out to be.
I get asked by a lot of people my age about how they can start realizing their dreams.
I have a simple answer, we all need mentors.
I give this simple answer because that is how I started.
There’s a Zulu idiom that says; Indlela ibuzwa ku laba’phambili which translates; the road is asked from those ahead.
I have never been shy to ask how things are done.
I believe it is that very same spirit that got me the mentors that I have today.
I witness many a young people with very dynamic dreams and big goals but because of the fear of reaching out to others who made it big, those dreams and goals end up being just that; dreams and goals.
Meeting my mentor, Thulani Mphahlele
I met one of my mentors Thulani Mphahlele at my Saturday school.
I had heard a lot about him from a friend who attended the school- I heard about a public speaking club he was operating in the school. Once I enrolled in the school I was keen to meet Mr Mphahlele.
I decided to attend a few sessions of his club just to understand exactly what goes on in Rome.
Although the plan was to lie low for a while, Thulani chose me to be a speaker for the session that followed.
I knew I had to make a killer presentation.
After thorough preparations, the day finally came. Nerves kicked in, nonetheless I got to the venue before everyone else and familiarised myself with the surrounding. Unfortunately on that day, Mr Mphahlele was not there. That was both a disappointment and a relief nonetheless the session continued.
I didn’t want to be ordinary, so I thought of a stage name; Dynamite. It was one of the words I probably heard elsewhere and didn’t know what it meant. It was supposed to be a once off but when I looked up for the definition, it was exactly what I was looking for.
I delivered the speech with great energy and enthusiasm.
Although Mr Mphahlele was absent the other learners gave him a positive feedback about my talk and thus he called me for a follow up meeting. It was through this conversation that he saw my passion for speaking.
Our meetings became regular. At the end of each meeting, I was a better person.
Here is what’s exciting, the fact that I didn’t ask him to mentor me but it happened because of the hunger I possessed.
What I learned from interacting with my mentor
At times Mr Mphahlele would shout at me for being late for the club sessions and got a bit more firm with me. For the period he has been with us as members of the club, he fully geared me up alongside other students towards growth-and I did grow quickly.
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He taught us how to do things as our authentic selves.
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He understood that we differ as students and he dealt with us as individuals and that helped each one of us to grow.
Meeting Sanele Zulu
I got to meet Mr Sanele Zulu at a leadership talk ( Sanele is the CEO of Sanele Zulu International and Co-founder of SMME Opportunities Network in South Africa). I had been following him on social media and other internet platforms. I was captivated by what he does. On my second encounter with him at a leadership talk we were both invited to, when it was my turn to speak, I quoted him while in the panel. He was highly impressed and called me up after the talk.
That’s what happens when you are always prepared for an opportunity, door open for you.
I was honoured to be called by someone whom I look up to.
I remember escorting him out of the venue alongside other inspirational speakers, walking with giants made me feel like one.
We made contact and since then have had the mentee mentorship bond going stronger.
I believe every child deserves an opportunity to be made to feel like a giant. As a child being notice by giants make you dreams become bigger and also fuels your passion .
How did this happen?
1. It happened because I was ready for the moment
It was not sheer luck that someone my age would be privileged to meet people like these two.
It happened because I had already planned what I wanted, when to get it, how and why I wanted it.
Sometimes even though the mentor you are looking for is not within your reach, if you take the work you do, seriously it will eventually lead you to them.
A great many young people think mentors take one from zero to hero, where they start with you from the thinking phase, planning phase and materialising phase.
It is not always the case be ready when a mentor finds you.
Mentors are there to walk the journey with you and not to walk it for you.
What will keep the relationship between a mentor and mentee I believe is great hunger from the mentee, the ability to go an extra mile.
The passion they possess will be what keeps the mentor giving all that they can to assist you.
2. It happened because I started with the little
I started with the little and slowly I attracted the relevant people who helped grow and find amazing opportunities . No matter how slow your progress may be, it is always a lot better that being static.
Start where you are with the little you have.
We often envy highly successful people and wish to be like them.
That’s what most of us do; envy the finished product and not the process it took for it to be as is.
When you look at the final picture of the puzzle never forget that it took all the little pieces to come together and form the great picture you see.
The greatest of men wasn’t born great but it is the little good things that they did along their paths that made them how they are today. Start where you are with the little you have.
3. It happened because I let my work speak for itself
Someone who has seen you do what you do exceptionally well, will give a good word for you elsewhere. Do justice to the opportunity you are given and let your work speak for itself.
It is your work that will connect you to the right mentors.
But how do you choose a mentor?
I would emphasize strongly to young people to get relevant mentors.
Find someone who is where you’d like to see yourself one day.
Mentors aren’t only for careers and it’s best for one to have more than one mentor.
You can have one for your personal life, a career mentor and even a spiritual one all at once. Mentorship can also happen over emails and phone calls.
Your role as a mentee
A great many people think mentors take one from zero to hero.
Mentors are there to walk the journey with you and not to walk it for you.
What will keep the relationship between a mentor and mentee I believe is great hunger from the mentee, the ability to go an extra mile.
The passion you possess as a mentee will be what keeps the mentor giving all that they can to assist you.
As a mentee I strongly believe it takes some convincing and impressing to do in order for an individual of note to dedicate their time towards helping you reach your dreams.
They gave you a gift of time and you have to prove your worth.
Karabo Dynamite is 16 years old and she’s known for her electrifying energy on stage which is why she calls herself Dynamite. It is that which has landed her a feature on SABC 1’s talk show “Shift”. She established her project, Ngwala Pono – donate a pen that aims to 1) distribute donated pens to schools to school during exam seasons so that pupils get to give exams their best shots with a pen that is in good condition and to 2)encourage pupils to write their dreams as the name translates: write a vision.The club aims to spot,develop and expose great speakers with influence from an early age. In future, she aims to study Chemical engineering and head for news anchoring thereafter.