The beninging…

“Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you.
You must travel it by yourself.
It is not far. It is within reach.
Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know. 
Perhaps it is everywhere – on water and land.” 
― Walt Whitman

Becoming BraNtsimbi…

I have decided to document and chronicle my journey towards becoming BraNtsimbi. The natural enquiry then becomes what is Ntsimbi and why does it need a Bra. Let me attempt to break it down.

The term “Bra” in the South African slang lexicon represents a form of knighthood, a salutation. It’s almost a “coming of age” but of a different kind. Bestowed upon those who have been seen to occupy a space of swag and respect by virtue of age and accomplishment particularly in South African black townships…

To be honest I’ve often wondered if I would reach this “coveted” stage, if I would be deserving of being called Bra ”Something” and I am probably a handful of people who have these musings on salutations unless of course you’re preoccupied with being a doctor (not a jab, I’ll explain another time) also a tad conceited I know…

So far I’ve done a great job of being bra anything that is mildly exciting, although you could call me Bra ”Late”, Bra ”LastMinute” or Bra ”maBaLinde” meaning you will wait. Ok, I am being a tad bit melodramatic. I have had a decent wicket in many facets of my life in spite of my challenging upbringing, like an amazingly beautiful and incredibly smart roommate (AKA my wife), I am relatively well educated, career ain’t too bad, well rounded inspirational friends and a basic level of fitness. With that said I do not think these are unique, we all have a certain level of great and wonderful things to identify in our lives. But back to the main thing…

So why Ntsimbi? Well Ntsimbi is simply iron or steel in Zulu. Who doesn’t want to be a man of steel or a man of iron or even more exciting an Ironman. As you would have already guessed it the simplest pathway, I figure, to being BraNtsimbi is really by attempting to do an Ironman. Smart huh? Not quite. Let me tell you why?

“An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), consisting of a 3.86 km swim, a 180.25 km bicycle ride and a marathon 42.20 km) run, raced in that order and without a break. It is widely considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world.” This alone scares the living hell out of me, which is probably a good thing. But so we are clear, I’m doing the half Ironman.

Training for the Ironman or even half of it requires three crucial ingredients:

1. Discipline
2. Consistency
3. Perseverance

Well, the jury is still out on whether I can mix a balanced recipe of these three ingredients!

So becoming BraNtsimbi really is about a transformative journey. One that is seeking to challenge and change beliefs I’ve held on for long about myself. Creation of a self-culture of ICanDoism(that’s a word now, motivational speakers create words all the time). It’s a process of testing not only my physical limits but mostly my mental strength. Becoming BraNtsimbi is ultimately about getting to the finish line.

I hope you will enjoy going through this journey with me. However more importantly that you find your own miniature Bra”Something” to become. Michelle Obama expresses this thought more eloquently and succinctly.

“For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.”

Michelle Obama