By Pascal Ebhohimen, Ph.D
At a time such as this whilst we remain confused about the global health crisis, as we do not have control over the unprecedented attack of the Covid-19 as individuals except to comply with the government directives on safety and hazard control measures, particularly the mandatory requirement to stay at home under lockdown restrictions, we are open to many choices about our lives and the future of our businesses.
Today , as I reflect on the current crisis , I ask myself what choices can I make ! I would therefore like to share some of my thoughts with you,and if you like the ideas,do so by practicing same as well. Or create your own choices.
It is about building self and family resilience and in our businesses during a period of crisis .
As we begin, tbere are a few questions I need to ask:
Is there any one of us with a problem ? Of course Some of us will say yes. Then, are there any of us who do not or would not want to have any problem at all?Many of us will say YES. But how many would like to die now, so there will be no problem at all ? The dead ones don’t have problems . No one will raise up his hand. The answer will be tumultuous NO.
So a problem is a sign of life and only the living beings have problems. Problems are inevitable in our life journey . We cannot eliminate all problems but we can handle them or cope with them by making the right choices around such problems. We must leave out from our life or even our conciousness those things which do not have control over or those things we cannot do( not even using capable and smart guys) and those things we need not do because they don’t create any value for us or our business now or in the future.
How many of us would like to know how to cope with solving problems? The answer will be all YES.
LET’S GO:
The truth is : life is worth living because man has problems.
I shall begin my reflection by saying this prayer, taken from a book ” The power of positive thinking ” by Carnigie
“God grant me the serenity to accept what I cannot change, The courage to change what I can and the wisdom to know the difference between what I can and what I cannot”
Say the same prayer again.
Think through the prayer again and you will see clearly the principles that you have to live with in your life. Life is about the choices you make , at ordinary time and in bad time such as the one we are all currently facing.
Here are few choices you can make:
1) Whilst staying safe at home, decide to read and acquire new knowledge and get ideas about how to better manage your home , and relate with your spouse and children (if any). It is a choice you can make or fail to make.
2) Decide to sleep, rest and relax ; pay attention to your health.
3) Decide to exercise daily by having brisk walking and/ or use gym in your house. Do so with your spouse ( if any)and other family
members with you( if any). Be happy doing so , listening to music you love
4) Eat at the right time and ensure you have balanced diet
5) Observe quiet time, pray with other members of your household and study relevant books that build your faith and enhance your spiritual
growth.
6) Acquire vocational skills that you had always dreamed of and now you have the space,time and access to internet and equipment to help you do so.
7) Develop a business plan for a new idea or a resilience and continuity plan for an existing business
8) Make relevant contacts using social media and personal telephone and sms; and share ideas and information
9) Think less of Covid-19 pandemic and “how ” solution because as an individual you don’t have an answer or control over but be careful complying with the government directives to keep safe. If you have consistently
high blood pressure, for instance as a health challenge , eliminate negative and life threatening information, and TV and radio news on the pandemic.
Rather, play music and dance with your family members . Do what you enjoy.
10) Ask yourself, the little savings I have , “how much do I leave in the savings deposit to meet family needs ,children education ; and how much do I invest in a zero risks instrument or how much risk am I comfortable to take in other investment instruments?
11) How many people, recreational / business, do I associate with and who should these be?
This is the time to do so virtually, exchanging
ideas and information.
12) What new business idea do I have and begin to take preliminary steps to achieve the business objective .
These and more choices have to be made at this time , and actions taken now and consistently into the future.
These actions you took would yield positive result if you had the self discipline and emotional commitment whilst doing so. You reward yourself by acting on the choices you make . No one else will reward you if you consistently do what you have chosen to do and have the courage , despite a few challenges that could come up on the path, to remain resolute and committed to get to the finishing line. The rewards you have now and much later are your perfect health, happy home and family and potentially successful business you would have created.
It is how consistent you are in doing those things that provide you with psychic benefits as well other positive results that translate to your success in life. And if you do those things that do not create value for you or your business consistently, then they would translate to failure in life. It is not just one single positive result that translate to one’s success in life but the consistency in doing those positive things over time beginning now during this global health crisis .
During this period , make room for reflection and self appraisal so you can retract from those things you don’t have control over. The serenity to do so is key to success. It is about the choices you make .
You equally need the courage to stay on track despite a few hiccups and challenges you might face along the way, it is a part of life; and finally the wisdom of God to know what to do and when to make these choices .But timing is of the essence and the time for making choices is NOW.
• Ebhohimen is a Public Affairs Analyst