We recently caught up with Price Msiza, of Still-Rise to find out what drives this ambitious, charismatic and humble guardian (don’t use motivational speaker around him. Lol)
So this is how that session took place.
Tell us who you are, in 5 descriptions?
- I love Jesus.
- Good communication skills.
- Hard working.
- Positive attitude.
- Easily to talk to and Ambitious
You express your crafts through your foundations and companies, what inspired their creation?
My experience in prison inspired me. I was once living a nonsense life and I got myself behind bars serving 7 1/2 years. Inside I made a choice that I need to change the way I used to live otherwise I’ll die young and in prison.
So I decided to invest my time through education and doing positive things.
Coming out with a criminal record and no job I decided to register my own private company PM Business Enterprise Ltd. Pty and a non-profit organization Still-Rise, it’s mission was to focus on giving back hope to ex-offenders who have encountered prejudice and are unable to integrate back to the communities upon their release.
Be the organization that strives to support ex-offenders to reintegrate back into their communities and provide preventative programs to trouble youths who are considered high risk of being offenders and potential prisoners.
You do motivational talks and edutainment programs around schools, what do you hope to give back through these?
I don’t classify myself as a motivational speaker. When I’m invited at an event, school or church to come and speak it becomes difficult because people will be expecting to be motivated.
Honoring an invite to me simply means that I’m going there not for everyone but for one person who will relate to my testimony. And my prayer is for God to change that person’s life through my story.
Hence when we go to schools we educate and not motivate. As a person to giving someone hope is success to me, because you’ll never know if that young person was about to commit suicide.
What inspires you to still do what you do and give back after all these years in the industry?
God is my inspiration. Am spiritually grounded and my belief in working with young people and engaging with the community. I’ve got so much passion and energy for people, seeing people happy makes me content.
You have encountered crime, drugs, education and financial challenges in several ways, how have these experiences influenced your drive and passion fight back against it?
In my community I have so much influence both to young and old people because of the way I carry myself and respect people. I lead by an example, if I say crime sucks they must first see that in me that crime sucks and it doesn’t pay.
Getting myself involved in social programs within my community made them to gain my trust. Still-Rise is in partnership with Tembisa SAPS and the department of correctional services we run crime awareness and prevention programs around schools in Gauteng and community care based centres.
Our programs are teen pregnancy, drugs and alcohol substance abuse, life behind bars, bullying, crime awareness campaigns such as door to door campaign, march against crime and drugs etc.
What is your view on how decisions made today affect your tomorrow/future?
Who I am today is a result of all the decisions I’ve taken in my life. That includes everything I’ve done, thought and said in the last few years, yesterday and now. So with everything I do, either good or bad, indirect or direct I’ve learnt that am creating my future.
Though I’ve taken decisions from my past experience that am not happy about but I can’t change the past. What happened, happened. I don’t regret anything. Experience was my best teacher.
How would you advise people on how to discover their talents/ potential and what they want from Life, through your own experience?
You can take the horse to the river but you can’t make it drink. People have the spirit of a donkey, they are very stubborn.
Out of ten one would see my experience as life of milk and honey and want to taste it. My advice would be, follow your calling, invest in your craft. Learn to be patient. Eventually when the right time comes things will fall into place.
Can you share an example in your life of how a decision you made played out, over week/months/years, to create the consequences you wanted?
There are a lot of examples I can give but I’ll just mention two or three.
Quitting smoking was the best decision ever it was my biggest challenge tjerr I struggled with that.
Two deleting friends that don’t add value in my life and always discouraging and telling me things like I won’t make it in life and three starting something and finishing it. It’s such a humbling and an awesome feeling.