It’s not the first time our country, or our world, has been in such uncertain times. And yet we can never be prepared for what the next uncertainty will be. That’s why it’s so important to discover what your natural strengths are really capable of – and how to use them.
The news reports have been exceptionally disturbing lately, as evident by Tito Mboweni, who recently said,
“The South African economy is now expected to contract by 7,2% in 2020. This is the largest contraction in nearly ninety years.”
This is a scary reality that will hit home for most people. Few of us will escape the effects of this in one way or another. And the most threatening outcome will be job loss.
You’re going to hear a lot of different approaches, takes and opinions on this going forward – you should also be aware of this and make sure you know what sources your information are coming from, and whether it’s a legitimate source.
What's the best approach?
Of course we need to stay as positive as possible here. But it’s kind of empty hopes to simply say things like , “out of the darkness will come light” , or “I needed to lose my job so I could find my new arena.”
For us to actually reap positive outcomes, it’ll take more than just upbeat words. Positive outcomes invariable emerge from places of motion or doing. Even if it’s baby steps forward…its moving forward.
I love the concept “when I take one step forward, courageously, the universe takes two steps towards me.” But it can be scary, confusing and unclear to take that one step forward. So how do we do it?
We need to prepare ourselves for the uncertainty and take that step forward. And the only way to do this is to dig into these two principles:
- Value creation – We need to ask, What do I do, create sell, produce etc. that makes a difference to people? Even in the toughest of times, the principle of value creation remains paramount. It’s possibly even more important in depressed times as people and organisations are forced to be more careful and cautious about everything they do.
- Strengths – We are more likely to succeed in what we do, if we are playing to our strengths. Our strengths are where we are naturally creative, passionate and good. There are some good processes that one can do to help establish and understand your strengths. Lumina Spark (link) is a fantastic one, but there are others as well. But even without these processes, asking simple questions can help you clarify these strengths. Ones such as:
– What’s easy for me and hard work for others?
– Where do I put my hand up and say “me me” even when there is time and sacrifice?
– Where does time simply evaporate?
How do we use this to stand out in the crowd?
Working within strengths can be daunting too, because there could be many others that are strong in this area too. For an example I may consider myself a strong writer, but there’s plenty other strong writers out there too creating a hefty competition for work.
And that’s why we want to focus on what we call a combo of strengths – you know like the combo you order at the restaurant. It does not rely on one single element in the meal; it has plenty to choose from. So when you ask the above questions and look into your strengths, be sure to consider them all and value each one, as it is their united strength that will make you stand out in the crowd.
Don’t miss our podcast coming out tomorrow…it really highlights the power points and key messages of this topic. So you’ll really feel confident and empowered to go forth and SHOW YOUR STRENGTH COMBO!
If you aren’t sure how to discover and combine your natural strengths, we’ve got your back. This is what CAFÉ Life does – we enable the best kinda you, that you can be. Stay tuned to our blogs, podcasts and newsletters to continue learning more about these resilient building principles.