The Garden: Determine your value

Trying to upgrade your craft or adding a skill can be a rather daunting task especially when you have a full time job. With determination and discipline it is doable in fact it is a goal that can be achieved.

Life is progressive and so it’s only common sense for us to also keep up with the progress in that we need to continually grow. I’m sure you’ll agree with me that being stuck can be rather depressing and can lead one to a low degree of complacency and perhaps dissatisfaction particularly when we see how the world evolves around us which can leave us feeling left behind.

I bet you none of us like the feeling of being left behind, even worse we do not want the feeling of us being under performers. This is not to say that compare yourself to others, this is rather to say stay relevant. Being competitive even with the times is a critical advantage especially in the highly competitive age we live in. With high rates of unemployment and over concentrated industries it makes it hard to secure a prominent position without upgrading yourself.

When we start our careers we should also bear in mind that it does not mean we have arrived. All the more reason we are required to continue to expose ourselves to learning be it formal or non formal; whichever it is we need to continue to work on ourselves. Topping yourself up as I call it can sometimes mean spending a bit of money; giving up your late mornings over the weekends or even spending less time in your social circles however it’s all part of the sacrifice. Something needs to give in. No matter your age, marital status or even the number of children you have it’s never too late.

October is my birth month and as usual I’m excited because it’s a new year for me and with each new year there’s always some sort of resolution that comes with it which fundamentally stem from a need to grow. This process of course does not just happen, I would evaluate the past year and would consider the objectives I had in comparison to the ones I have managed to tick off the list and I would alter it to fit into the current plan.

This period also symbolises a season of birth when ideally I would be birthing one project or another and this to me is very vital since it’s a personal goal, an annual objective. I’m pretty much sure you have yours too. This week I decided to use my birthing season to encourage those of you who have been pregnant for a while or who have had a concept in mind for some time but have not managed to execute it for one reason or another.

I’m talking to the ones who especially feel like time has already gone. It is really never too late, start now I promise there’s no better time to start than now. Another group of people I’d like to address are the ones who have started but couldn’t complete because of whatever reason, finish. Often times we start and we don’t finish, we start writing a book we don’t publish, we start a project and we don’t complete it. Whatever it is, it is imperative we get into the art of finishing. Not only does finishing give us a sense of accomplishment, it is also rewarding and serve as a motivation for the next project or plan. I’m encouraging you now to go for those classes, take up that additional degree or diploma; get that certificate; acquire that skill; develop that art, start that business do whatever it takes to maximise your full potential. Never allow yourself to get complacent especially not with a life of mediocre, do not settle rather go for the best. When I say the best I mean the best of you. Bring out every treasure in the inside of you. You see each of us possess a quality/qualities that has the capacity to bring fulfilment and satisfaction in our lives and at the same time serve those around us and so don’t underestimate yourself. You are valuable.

The mistake we make as professionals sometimes is that we expect others to always see our value and the reality is that it is not often the case. Do what you need to do to prove yourself. So what if at first you settle for a package that is a little lesser than what you think you deserve? What’s key is for you to create an opportunity to prove your value and once you have value then you do not have a hard time negotiating your worth because your worth speaks for itself . At this stage you don’t need to convince anyone about what you have to bring to the table but they have already seen your value.

This is when I find it difficult to understand why a graduate would turn down a job offer because the salary is too little or someone who has not started a business because you lack capital. The trick is to start where you are, with what you have and then build from there. Most importantly start and then the second priority is to finish. We really do not have an excuse there’s room for all of us to improve, we have choices and we need to make use of these. One famous quote says “there’s a constellation of stars” which means there is indeed more than one star, it takes a number of tars to firm a constellation and so we need not be bothered that so and so is a star and so what? You too can be an addition to the constellation. There’s room for all of us in the sky. We really need to move away from feeling sorry for ourselves and we also need to stop looking down on ourselves and most importantly we need to stop making excuses for our inability to commit to our personal growth. Let me share with you academically how one module called EIP 1501 became functional in my day to day activities. Let me mention that I sincerely found the cause to be a waste of time and not for me but I’m glad I went through with it because it proved to be vital especially in my line of work.

This module has confirmed the activist in me, although I have always been very passionate about human development in various sectors be it gender, socio economic or political. EUP has given me such a background and rich content, more like a stir towards the manner in which I can pursue my passion for writing. I now find myself debating about literacy, gender, religion, politics, socio- economic and other topics related to human development even on social media platforms. Had I not dealt with my phobia for technology I do not think I would have had the confidence to join forums and be part of the discussions that take place there of which by means of feedback have been impacting the lives of people around the world. EUP has offered me relevant and significant information in this regard for instance, on Social, Psychological and Cultural Theories of Development; The Millennium Development Goals; Communication and Development; The Role of International Development Frameworks and Organisations; and just generally Understanding and Managing human Development. The case studies were a great mind opener in that they had very innovative ideas that were transformative e.g. “Connecting Nangi” and “Bhutanan and Gross National Happiness”

Even in my recent preparations on my English Assignment, I had to study a novel “When Rain Clouds Gather by Bessie Head” for a composition and I could actually see how in the novel human development and agriculture and the economy and the women of the village of Golema Mmidi ( a village in the novel) were being transformed perhaps not by the use of ICT’s then since the writing of “The Rain in the Clouds” was many years ago but we have come a long way since then and I can just Imagine how the lives of the community of Golema Mmidi would have been even better should there have been availability of ICT’s. So yes in a nut shell this module was transformative, it was educational, informative and yes I struggled especially with excel which was in the minority but majority of the time I concurred. I believe in sharing information and will thus continue to make use of this module as my point of reference not only in my personal life, but also in my studies, my work and my involvement in the community.

Start your journey and be consistent and believe you me, you will accomplish the unthinkable. You are a force to be reckoned with but it starts with you. You recognise yourself first, determine your value and you will be established. Happy New month, may October be kind to us all.