Welcome to the Mellow Madness update.
This is a space for thinking out loud about building, leading, and serving, especially in complex environments.
Last Saturday marked Zimbabwe National Youth Day.
It made me smile.
Not because I qualify by age, but because I’ve learned that youth is something you protect, not something you outgrow.
One lesson I learned from my elders stays with me:
Stay close to the young.
Not to imitate them.
Not to compete with them.
But to remain sharp. Quick thinking. In touch with the times.
There is a rhythm to every generation. If you drift too far from it, you start building for a world that no longer exists.
I have always admired a line from Jay-Z in his song 30 Something off the album Kingdom Come:
“I’m young enough to know the right car to buy
Yet grown enough not to put rims on it.”
That line captures balance.
Old enough to be trusted with wisdom.
Young enough to know what’s current.
Grounded enough not to chase every trend.
Across Africa, youth is often described as potential. But I think it is more than that. It is proximity to reality. If leaders lose that proximity, they begin making decisions in isolation.
Forever young does not mean forever immature.
It means forever curious.
Forever listening.
Forever learning.
So on Zimbabwe National Youth Day, my reflection is simple:
Stay close to the young.
Honor the elders.
Build bridges between both.
That is how you remain relevant without losing depth.
Thank you for reading.
Warm regards,
