If she could do it all over again, Dineo says she would allocate less time to work than she did at the start of her career. She advises young professionals to be less hurried. ‘It seems as if we are all under extreme pressure that everything needs to happen now. It is important to regularly take time to pause and evaluate whether what we are doing is aligned to what we were put on earth to do.’
Dineo firmly believes that we all have a life purpose and that professionals need to assess whether what they are doing is fulfilling that purpose and is aligned to their value systems. One should be guided by what brings one inner peace rather than doing things that please everybody other than oneself.
‘When going down a particular road in your career, have regular check-ins with yourself to see if what you are doing contributes to your peace and joy. Take time to evaluate if it contributes to your wellness, spiritual and otherwise. Set clear boundaries for yourself as an individual that you will not cross regardless of how financially rewarding it may be. For example, don’t take up a job at an organisation whose activities are not aligned to your values.’
Dineo also believes professionals should also apply themselves fully rather than worry about what they are not doing at that particular moment. If you are at work, give yourself fully to your work and likewise if you are at home. Do not try and do everything at the same time – understand who you are as a person and be true to who you are.
‘So, for example, I see myself as a woman whose life’s purpose is to make a positive contribution to all those around her. I am positioned to uplift and contribute to people’s growth and success using whatever means are available to me. I am a person who has been graced with many gifts, including the gift of life and a keen interest in the advancement of women.’
In becoming who she is, Dineo has faced many challenges including growing up in abject poverty where luxuries, such as including meat in meals, were very uncommon. In teaching her own children, she stresses the importance gratitude and repeatedly nudges them to be considerate of the less fortunate. Once, when the family was driving through Johannesburg, they saw a homeless boy walking barefoot along the side of the road. There and then she ordered one of her sons to give the boy his shoes. She is nurturing her children to be givers and to appreciate everything they have as a product of hard work rather than something they deserve.
This article is an extract from the Masters of Money book by KC Rottok Chesaina (JONATHAN BALL PUBLISHERS)
