Values and Pillars

Over the years, I have come to define a set of 5 core values to govern my life: Growth, Ubuntu, Creativity, Curiosity and Excellence. 

My current strategy towards this life game is organized around 4 essential pillars as captured in the MindMap below. These are Personal Development, Meaningful Communities, Professional Excellence, and Financial Sustainability. I use these pillars to structure my goals in life. Below are the general guiding goals I have under each pillar. The pillars are by order of importance. 

Guiding Pillars of Ramarea's Life Plan

Personal Development

Under this pillar I aspire to:

• (1.1) Lead a healthful life, sustained by a nutritious diet, an active lifestyle, and sufficient rest.

• (1.2) Cultivate my consciousness through intentional and ever-going reflection.

• (1.3) Be intentional about my learning, especially outside the formal education system.

Meaningful Communities

Under this pillar I aspire to:

• (2.1) Develop and sustain meaningful relationships, characterized by the mutual commitment to the spiritual growth of each other. 

• (2.2) Actively do my part in the advancement of the marginalized communities to which I have pledged my allegiance. For now these communities are low-income individuals in Botswana and other African countries, black people in the United States, and women everywhere.

• (2.3) Be mindful of the privileges and power I bring into interactions with other people, and do the best that I can not to perpetuate the violence and oppression often exercised on marginalized groups by people with relative privilege. 

Professional Excellence

Under this pillar I aspire to:

• (3.1) Pursue work that enables me to help people and organizations make better decisions. Ideally those decisions would be towards building products and services for sustainability and impact. 

• (3.2) Continuously equip myself with the skills and experiences needed to excel at the work I do.

• (3.3) Be a man of my word, producing quality work within the shortest time possible. 

Financial Sustainability

Under this pillar I aspire to:

• (4.1) Have a prudent cash flow management. By this I mean to allocate financial resources already within my possession in such a way that balances my utility today with expected future utility. In simple terms, I aspire to find a balance between enjoying my money today while also planning for the future.

• (4.2) Ethically develop and manage a diversified investment portfolio to support the life of my dreams and sustain 3 generations of my lineage.  This aspiration is about making the most amount of money that I can without stealing from, harming, or lying to anyone, including myself. 

• (4.3) Commit at least a tenth of my after-tax income towards the advancement of individuals within marginalized groups where I maintain legal residence. By marginalized groups, I refer to those groups of people who have been disproportionately denied access to equal opportunities in their society at any point within the last one hundred years. The following groups are the marginalized groups in the different countries I consider home that shall benefit from this commitment:

  • (4.3.1) Students attending public school and coming from needy families in Botswana. I adopt the definition used by the Government of Botswana for their social welfare programs. 

  • (4.3.2) Black women entrepreneurs in Botswana, especially those from tribes that were excluded from Sections 77 to 79, 15 (4) (d), and 15 (9) of the unamended constitution of Botswana. 

  • (4.3.3) Black people from low-income backgrounds, especially women, in whichever city or metropolitan area of the US I shall live in. I shall prioritize education, entrepreneurship, and professional development projects for their multiplicative impact potential.