Set goals for yourself
- Wits University
Humanities graduands encouraged to belief in themselves and to set goals for themselves.
Sam Alexander, owner and Chief Executive Director of the Pacific Institute South Africa, told graduands in the Faculty of Humanities during to set goals for themselves.
"If you do not set goals for yourself, life will give you goals, and the goals that life will set you, will always be inferior to the ones you have set for yourself," he said.
“If you do not have within you, that which is above you, you will very soon become like those who are around you. Life will not give you a free path."
Alexandra was the keynote speaker at the Faculty of Humanities graduation ceremony today.
Prior to his current position, he served as a non-executive director of Ackermans Limited and the Pepkor Group. In the 1990s, he served as Managing Director of the Strive Foundation which established over 15 000 micro businesses in several areas in South Africa. He also spent just over two decades as the Divisional Manager for Human Resources at Liberty Life from 1971 – 1992.
He has some unique skills and talents. As far back as 1982 he was recognised as a competent toastmaster. In 1990 he was nominated as the best television panellist for interviewing executives on management issues and business initiatives. He was also named as The Star newspaper’s “Entrepreneur of the Week” in November 1992.
Alexander describes himself as a community developer who seeks to facilitate constructive change in the lives of people who deserve better.