success – JACOB CLOETE

My Escape from Poverty – Part 7

During my escape from poverty, I did all sorts of work. Nothing was beneath me. I worked on a farm while still in high school. Many days I accompanied my grandfather on his tasks and daily routine.

Whose Paradise is this?

Sometimes we find ourselves in situations where we are the gazelles and in some predator’s paradise.

My Escape from Poverty – Part 6

I later went home, but I was not accepted like the lost son I was hoping for. My Grandmother was glad to see me but wanted me to apologise to my uncle and my Grandfather.

My Escape from Poverty – Part 5

Five kilometres outside Bitterfontein, there was a reservoir next to the road. This was where I decided to quickly take a bath and wash my t-shirt. The sun was not out, and there was no time to wait until my t-shirt was dry. So I put it on wet and start walking to Bitterfontein. ItContinue reading “My Escape from Poverty – Part 5”

Grit: The Secret to Success

I think the best way to describe my mindset is “aanhouer wen” (perseverance pays off). It is a principle my Grandma taught me at a very young age. As a kid growing up on a farm, my job was to sometimes collect firewood and bring it home. Close to the farmhouse, I think about 500mContinue reading “Grit: The Secret to Success”

My Escape from Poverty – Part 3

The first time I tried to escape was towards the end of 1998. My life as I knew it was falling apart. The school I just adjusted to was closing down, and I knew my grandparents did not have the money to send me to another school. I was frustrated and scared. So one morning,Continue reading “My Escape from Poverty – Part 3”

Pessimism

The world is filled with pessimistic people, and now they have phones in their hands to spread their negativity. This pessimism was so visible with the announcement of the Bill and Melinda Gates divorce. Social media was flooded with memes, and these memes focused on all the negative. They range from alimony settlement to workingContinue reading “Pessimism”

Fear

I recently registered Abrasive Media as a company. If I listened to all the negative statistics of how many companies failed within the first year, I most probably wouldn’t have done it. The odds were against me. If I listened to how many doctoral candidates do not finish their degrees or how long it tookContinue reading “Fear”

My Escape from Poverty – Part 2

My escape was also driven by a longing for freedom. And for that, I needed hope, but finding hope in the hopelessness was an indignifying process, an all-out psychological attack. To keep a sense of dignity and keeping the tender flame of hope alive became an all-out war—a war against all forces of society. ItContinue reading “My Escape from Poverty – Part 2”

My Escape from Poverty – Part 1

I think the worst part of growing up poor was called “arm” or poor. But then poverty always sounded better in Afrikaans. In English, poverty sounded terrible. It sounded like a disease, and it also felt that way. Society made sure they treated you that way. Growing up, I never thought that I would escapeContinue reading “My Escape from Poverty – Part 1”