Hi, I’m Gerard.
I want to say that up front, plainly, because I’m not writing this as anyone with it figured out. Not a saint, not a preacher, not someone who’s arrived. Just an ordinary person, doing what all of us are doing — trying to navigate this life as well as we can, one day at a time.
We start out seeking comfort
Here’s something I find strangely profound: the very first thing that happens to any of us, the moment we arrive in this world, is discomfort. A slap, a breath, a cry. And then — comfort. Someone holds us.
We’ve been doing that ever since. Too hot, we take a layer off. Too cold, we add one. We are, by nature, comfort-seeking creatures. There’s nothing wrong with that — it’s simply true of all of us.
But greatness has never lived in comfortable places. If we want to grow, we have to be willing, within reason, to aim a little higher than where’s easy.
Every role matters more than we think
I believe every single one of us is here for a reason — and that what you do, however ordinary it might feel, matters more than you probably realise. The barista who makes the most perfectly poured cup. The street sweeper who takes real pride in a clean corner. The executive quietly making good decisions no one will ever see. None of these people are more or less important than the others. They’re just showing up, doing their part, well.
That’s not a small thing. That might be the whole thing.
Values worth aiming at
None of us gets this right all the time — I certainly don’t. But I’ve found it helps to have a few things to aim at, especially on the harder days. For me, that list looks something like:
Consistency. Integrity. Authenticity. Humility. Compassion. Kindness. Connection. Availability. Resourcefulness.
Not because I live them perfectly — I don’t — but because having them named makes it easier to notice when I’ve drifted, and easier to find my way back.
A word on humility
One thing I keep coming back to: how long any of us gets on this planet isn’t something we control. No amount of effort changes that fact. And there’s something clarifying about sitting with that honestly — it tends to strip away a lot of noise and leave you with a simpler question: given the time I do have, what’s the smallest meaningful way I can leave things a little better than I found them?
That question, more than any five-year plan, is probably the one worth returning to.
Why I’m telling you this
I’m a cofounder of Making-A-Difference, an organisation built on a simple belief: our country has more knowledge, skill, and generosity available right now than at almost any point before — and if we can connect that to the people and causes who need it most, we can do real good.
We support South African organisations and initiatives serving vulnerable people, so they can spend less time worrying about survival and more time doing the work only they can do. It’s not glamorous. It’s mostly quiet, steady work. But it matters, in the same way the barista’s cup matters, in the same way the swept corner matters.
If any of this resonates — whether you’re weighing a decision at work, standing in front of a classroom, or just having one of those days where the comfort-seeking instinct is winning — I’d genuinely love to connect. No agenda, no pitch. Just two people, trying to navigate this thing a little better, together.
Learn more about the work at Making-A-Difference.