My introduction, My benediction

[What is it about writing that conjures the soul to be? It is its ability to chart a path toward destiny!]

How about that for an introduction? As the Great Maya Angalou said “… people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”; and my prerogative out the gate is for everyone to feel a sense of purpose taking this journey with me. I’m Sihle Sibeko – a typically atypical 29 year old with hopes, dreams, ambitions and flaws aplenty. My story is triumphant yet turbulent, brilliant yet bizarre, unusual, uncanny, unrelenting and all things in between.

It all started when I was a 15 years old high-schooler nestled in the forests of the nation’s capital. In Grade 10 we had an investing competition hosted by a prominent investment bank -my team ranked fifth nationally, and while we did not win, it sparked an intense fire that burns incandescently until today. Typical of B-students with enormous ambition and a thirst for adventure, I set out my intention quite early in life to be the founder of a globally-recognized powerhouse investment and banking firm.

That began a 14 year quest including over ten failed ventures, an impressive trading record that blew-up due to over-confidence, a stint in private equity, a first-contact network with a cumulative net worth of approximately R54 billion and most importantly, an ability to adapt to any environment in finance, strategy, entrepreneurship or business. The irony however is my greater lessons being manifest in the values and soft skills I’ve picked up along the way: patience, trust, faith, focus, happiness, open-mindedness, compassion, gratitude, humility, peace, moderation and a love for life. My most treasured lesson is finding myself taking pride in being an African; finding my spiritual, mental, emotional and physical home in African Spiritual Sciences + Customs.

The calabash of colours transformed me into being the man I am today – one taking life day by day, building their confidence layer by layer and fully appreciating all the beauty on this rollercoaster of a planet through rose-tinted glasses. This rejuvenation has imbued my optimism for the future – a future filled with such positivity that I am compelled to share my personal epoch in human history. So WHYYYY am I writing this?

1. Converging African Spiritual Sciences with Commerce

African Spiritual Science is an immersive exercise with universal application. My intention is to apply African Spiritual Sciences to entrepreneurship, business, investments and all other forms of finance. My other intention is to show an alternative view to things by understanding the consciousness of the very thing / subject we're studying through methods of ancient inspection passed down epigentically from our African Ancestors in a form of “multiversal morse code”.

2. A Journal for Time Immemorial

Much like George Soros with his “Reflexivity” philosophy, Ray Dalio with his “Principles” or Warren Buffet with his value-packed Investor Letters, I want my posts to serve as an informational black box that people can peek into as their reference point long when I’m gone in order to understand the universal application of African Spiritual Sciences, and its particular application in the sphere of commerce.

3. Happiness

For the first time in a long time, if not forever, I’m genuinely happy - like REALLY genuinely happy. This happiness conjured in me a desire to share more, be more and serve more. These posts are a way of sharing my happiness with the world, and I hope one would enjoy a smile, cackle, cathartic tear, gain a new way of thinking or gain a new lease on life from my rampant musings.

Now that we covered the why, let’s get to the HOW? Well that’s rather easy – I’ll be dropping these soft-life journal babies every Monday evening at 6pm CAT for your reading pleasure. The posts will cover commercial related topics and a variety of topics outside of commerce such as politics, religion, family-building etc, while showcasing their linkage to commerce & African Spiritual Sciences. We’ll also include a bunch of interviews with a diverse universe of interesting guests stemming from different backgrounds; again, all for your reading pleasure. 

That’s that… While I was dramatic with the introduction, I have nothing as cool for an outro. So, I’ll just end it off with this…

This week’s affirmation: I am grateful for my past and present as it has shaped me to be masterful in creating the future of my desires.

This week’s vibe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWPrGxCMcUc - Benediction by August Alsina feat Rick Ross | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd9Jbjtaktk - Webaba (Original Mix) by Culoe De Song

Siyabonga!