This article is dedicated to my dearest Letty Macheka Mutswiri, who was taken to be with the Lord. May her soul rest in eternal peace, all of us knowing that she fought a good fight and we shall all follow in the fullness of times?
By Prosper Mutswiri
How to keep a positive, energetic and profitable attitude in times of uncertainty Do you know something that is certain or sure? How does it feel when you know something is certain for sure? That is the feeling I am trying to capture in this article so that we flow together.
Someone approached me and said to me, “My life has been filled with uncertainty lately between health, family, financially and so on. And I’d like to change that”. While writing this, I remembered that life was always filled with uncertainty and if this is true, which it is, then staying true to my beliefs, I just need to figure out how to use the uncertainty so that it empowers me and you rather than it sucking the life right out from under us. Writing this article, I also remembered the words from my parents in Christ, Apostle Langton and Florence Kanyati that, “At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail” (Job 14v7).
One of my greatest mentors, Gary Thompson once said some of the opportunities that life presents to individuals, companies and countries are hidden in turmoil. What turmoil does is that it brings uncertainty, catalyses indecision and fear, multiplies anxiety and apathy and subsequently leaves a vacuum. Into this vacuum, those with courage, conviction and vision can make incredible impact. And this is where the power of choice comes in. Although very little in life is under our control, we do get to choose our thoughts, our words and our actions to some degree. And our thoughts really do create the reality of our lives. If we choose to be anxious, then we’re anxious. If we choose to be happy, then we’re happy. Using this theory, I can basically wash away the thoughts of uncertainty and replace them with thoughts of trust and knowing. We all can.
Creating certainty in companies, in uncertain times, requires tough marketers. Creating certainty in life, in uncertain times, requires just attitude and realisation, development of a thick skin and inbuilt shock absorbers to be able to withstand the wind. The Zimbabwean experience is grooming people of character who are undeterred in their business vision to create success stories against all odds. It’s no longer about being successful in the third world anymore, but being globally successful. This is because brands now see no boundaries due to the technology age, consumer choice and advanced distribution channels and so on.
Then how do we create certainty in torpsy-turvy times? For the periods I have been with my dear wife, I have learnt the following nuggets about creation of certainty in turbulent times. Certainty is total belief, choice, decivesely doing what others are questioning and certainty is maintaining the right attitude towards everything to include your brand if you are an organisation.
Evaluate your influences. Influences affect our thinking. They are what we read, watch and who we associate with. Influences can be any things that go into our minds. If you want to change your behaviour, you have to start by changing your influences or input. What this does is, change your thoughts, and when you change your thoughts, your perceptions change, your meanings about situations changes and your overall outlook changes. So if you have negative input, you will produce negative output in the market, with family, in relationships and in your work. But conversely, if you have positive input, you will have positive output and more dynamic and beneficial results in all areas of your business.
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Having a positive attitude won’t take away the challenges of the world or what you encounter personally. What a healthy and positive attitude will do is empower you to deal with challenges and situations in a quicker, more effective and healthier way. The right attitude will lead you to the right meanings, perceptions and solutions that would not otherwise come if you had a negative and defeating attitude.
The results you desire come with consistency and commitment. Your determination, resilience and inbuilt shock absorbers against torpsy turvy times will pretty much define Zimbabwean’s new breed of business people.
lProsper Mutswiri is a certified marketing practioner, writer and motivational speaker. He is writes this article in his personal capacity. For comments contact [email protected] or 08611 208 182.
