Coming to the end of the finish line

Victoria Seiketso Sethibe | Thursday April 27, 2017 15:27

While this column has been mainly on wellness, quite a handful of the columns I have written have been focused on encouraging learners to prepare well for the finishing lines at different school levels. Most recently, the focus shifted a bit towards guiding those who have just completed secondary education to make informed career decisions when preparing for entry into various tertiary institutions of their choices.

Now it feels somewhat strange that today I am the one who has just reached the finishing line as a columnist in Mmegi. This however, does not mean my wellness or writing work has come to an end. This just goes to prove that career does change over a lifespan. For some, career change could mean shifting into something totally different from what they have been doing, while for others it could mean only relocating to a different place.

Being a columnist in this publication has been one of the most fulfilling things I have done in the past three years. Below are some of the things I have come to appreciate about being a writer:

 

The value of documentation

Writing is all about documenting what you have learned, before it escapes from your memory. We are living in an era where memory loss is increasingly becoming common, even amongst youth. Some of the promoters of memory loss include common lifestyle factors such as; poor choice of diet, stress and depression, lack of good quality sleep, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and substance use. Sometimes it can even be a simple case of ‘out of sight, out of mind,’ whereby a learner stays too long without revising what they learned. Documenting information while it is still in the memory helps to preserve it for future reference, something that is needed by a learner at any stage.

 

Learning to manage time more effectively

Producing a comprehensive piece of written work requires small, consistent steps on daily basis, for the most part. Being a columnist helps one to improve the ability to plan and manage time well in order to meet weekly deadlines. Effective time management is an important life skill for everyone.

 

The world becomes your extended family

I wish to thank all those who supported me in this work. I will continue being available for any wellness activities, wherever I might be needed.

 

The value of investing in good quality rest

Being a writer automatically comes with being a lifelong learner. The same way a fitness instructor needs to invest in their own physical fitness, a writer and a learner need to invest in their brains and what better way of doing that than making sure they get good quality sleep! Good quality sleep helps every part of the body to function optimally.

Concentration level improves

Writing requires one to read a lot and be a very good listener. These two help a great deal in improving one’s concentration level.

Finally, being an extended part of the editorial team at Mmegi has been an enjoyable experience for me. I appreciate this publication, everybody who has had an input in my work. God bless! 

Disclaimer: Any work that could be done under the name “Youth Matters” in future” will not in any way be my initiative, or related to me, unless it lawfully has my picture by it.