Stories // Mosa

// photo by Mosa Hlophe //

“Are you living your best life?”

You know when you’re at a party and you see that one guy who is just having a fucking great time? Like everybody could be in a bad mood and they’re still dancing along to whatever song is playing. Their life motto was “YOLO” before it became mainstream. They have a magnetic positivity that isn’t overbearing or forced. In essence, they have a light to them that is uniquely organic.

That’s Mosa. In my first interaction with him, I asked him how he was doing and he responded, “I’m just living my best life.” He can connect with anyone in the room. Even beyond his $100 smile and animated gestures, you can tell that he has a genuine passion for people. From taking a peek at his Instagram (@thesearethestreets) of his photography work, you can really tell how he looks for light in the people he sees and the compositions around him. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like that kind of an outlook in life is rare to come by.

We met him at a “braai” (South African BBQ) along with his close friends, all of whom seemed to be pursuing impressive careers that consistently focused on making an impactful influence in South Africa. You could tell that all of them vibed off of each other through how passionately they lived their respective lives, and it was especially cool to see how everyone seamlessly blended together despite having vastly different interests/focuses. Mediocrity was never considered; vibrant individuality was highly encouraged.

As I got to know Mosa better throughout the days, I learned how creative of a soul he is. After studying statistics and heavily considering the “Big 3” consulting firms, he took a risk and decided to pursue using his eye for design within the clothing industry and photography. You see his photos, and it all makes sense.

All in all, Mosa taught me to notice the energy in my surroundings. You can look at it in a scientific way, like the Law of Conservation and Energy: energy can neither be created or destroyed; energy can only be transferred or changed from one form to another. You can also look at it more analytically, as how you notice your energy levels change when you're around certain people or situations; how certain people give you "good vibes" and others just drain you. The conversation wasn't so much about eliminating people who transfer a lot of energy out of you, but more so just recognizing the people that enrich you with good energy, good vibes. Whether it's from a similar sense of humor or just the patience to genuinely listen, it's interesting to stop and notice relatively when you are pouring into other people versus being poured into.

With the people that you surround yourself with, the activities that you put your time into, the thoughts you let your mind escape to: "Are you living your best life?" Sure, there are moments to be critical or frustrated or down on yourself. Yes, you don't need to have a constant smile on your face. Maybe, we have times that we need to get things done in life that we don't enjoy. But, for all of the doubts we have in answering "yes" to this question, we just may owe it to ourselves to rework what we put our energy into. So thank you Mosa for making me a more intentional human -- keep living your best life.