By Sharon Atkins

 If you haven’t heard of him already, please make sure you go to the Good Things Guy Website and Facebook page. Change maker, influencer, radio host and super cool guy Brent Lindeque shares ‘good news’ stories from around the world. We are bombarded with violence, crime and hate speech on our timelines and in the news so we all NEED to hear that there is good stuff going on out there, in South Africa and in the rest of the world.

I had the opportunity and privilege to chat to Brent about what drives him in his quest to find the good in people, in this world and in life.

 What started you on your crusade to help and empower people?

Brent; I call myself “a personal crusader on a mission to empower through the power of positive thinking” which started 3 years ago when I used a silly online game to do something good. It was called Neknominations & the concept was to drink & dare each other to do really stupid things… I decided to help a homeless person & that kicked off a viral campaign which made me realise how important doing good & helping people is. The first year it was a viral thing which touched millions of people, from then on, I knew I had to keep doing good & helping others. I had been given the opportunity to be that vessel of change,

Did your parents and family have an influence on you?

Brent; I am very thankful for all the amazing people in my life! My family, friends & peers make me who I am. And I am only me because of them. They say that you are an enrage of the 5 people you spend the most time with, then I am incredibly lucky to have the support system that I do.

I am a huge advocate for this country and an eternal optimist. Do you think there is hope for us in South Africa?

Brent; South Africa is full of hope & alive with possibility. As South Africans we are born with the need to inherently be good & help each other. It may seem like the current state of the nation is in absolute free fall but the truth is that we’re talking about, with each other & that’s the amazing part. That’s how we become better. We face challenges head on and work together to make our beautiful home what it should be.

How do you stay so positive with all the bad, negative information that is out there?

Brent; I feed myself with good news & inspiring stories. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t block out the reality of negative media & information… I just balance it out with the same amount of positive news.
Do you think everyone has a purpose in this life and if so how would they go about finding that purpose?

Brent; Yes. 100%. We are all where we are supposed to be & as long as you work hard at what you want; you will find your purpose. My purpose found me… but I feel like I was preparing for it my whole life!

What can people do if they want to help others or give back in some small way?

I always say that the catalyst to making a difference is action. If you want to make a difference, you need to do something! Even if it’s just R5, if you action it correctly, it will make a change!

What do you ultimately want to do and achieve with the work that you do? Your main vision for the future?

Brent; I want to continue making a difference and inspiring others to be better. I want to grow my good news magazine to reach as many people as possible & in that way inspire others to do the same. I will also be starting a crowd funding for charity platform this year where people can see how small changes (micro-activism) can ultimately create big changes.

GoodThingsGuy.com Editor in Chief

CliffCentral Radio Host | CNBC Social Media Strategist | LeadSA Hero | Mail & Guardian Top 200 Young South African | #RAKintiative founder

Twitter:  @BrentLindeque 

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