Inspiration from N to Z

The continuation of the alphabet for all those with a vested interest in life and business...

N is for navigate. In life, as in business, leaving everything to chance can mean missing opportunities. Life, and business, is governed by the random and the purpose, as some theories believe. Random events may be opportunities for advancement or they may be setbacks, depending on how clearly you have drawn your path on your map. Having a plan in mind and a clear idea of where you are going and goals along the way helps you to get the most out of the terrain you are crossing. Look to the horizon, check your direction, consult your map and compass, and then proceed with confidence.

Trying sometimes means that we will fail, but the lessons learned are invaluable.

Jill Hamlyn, MD, The People Business

O is for opportunity. Sometimes it knocks loudly, and demands to be let in. Sometimes it only whispers in your ear and runs the risk of being drowned out by all the other voices. Opportunities for good should never be passed up, while other opportunities need to be negotiated according to where you are at that moment in time and space. Each opportunity is a gift. Life is not so much linear as it is circular, and some opportunities may come around again while others may not. It is up to you to decide how ready you are for what life is offering you.

P is for perseverance. "If at first you do not succeed, try, try again" is an adage that our grandmothers used when we were about ready to give something up as a bad job. Although it is inadvisable to keep on and on doing something when it is clear that no progress will ever be made, persevering when there is only the faintest glimmering of light at the end of a long, dark tunnel is the stuff that hard work is made of. A sense of achievement and satisfaction leading to greater self-esteem is your reward at the end of the day, over and above any other rewards for a job completed. It is one of life`s truths that good things seldom come easy, and this is a lesson well worth learning in the earliest stages possible.

Q is for quality. Quality never goes out of fashion and is an ideal towards which many people strive. The understanding is that quality is the cornerstone on which many goods and services are based and that if people are impressed by the quality they receive, they will keep coming back for more. Quality is also a human attribute - the quality of the people working for a company often determines the direction in which that company goes and the quality of the managers and leaders in an organisation determines the productivity of the team, or lack thereof. Quality in this millennium should be a non-negotiable deliverable.

R is for respect. Coming from the diverse set of backgrounds that we do in SA, the cultural and individual differences we encounter on a day-to-day basis are enough to keep us in a perpetual state of amazement. Even when we may not know a lot about the various backgrounds, it is the fundamental human quality of respect that prevents us from degenerating into racist, sexist and ageist stereotypes. Respect has been undervalued just recently, but without it, we are going nowhere fast. It starts with respect for yourself, the job that you do and the life that you lead and moves into respect for others, their jobs, lives, dreams, difficulties and struggles. It is often said that respect should be earned. It is also true that we are worthy of respect anyway, by virtue of being who we are and doing what we do.

S is for scrupulous. Being scrupulous is an under-rated quality that should be given more attention. Someone who is scrupulous in their dealings with others can be trusted and someone who is scrupulous in their work can be relied on to have thought out every angle and dealt with almost every possible problem that cropped up. Those who pay attention to detail will often come across opportunities missed by others that may be used to great advantage. These are the same people who will most often be scrupulously honest about how these opportunities arose.

T is for try. Rare is the person who gets anywhere without trying, and the odds are good that the position in which people who do not try find themselves is an unsatisfactory one. Some of the sweetest words to come out of someone`s mouth are "I`ll try". In trying, we make mistakes and it is only through those mistakes that we progress. Life is not always sweetness and light, and it is most often during those times of pain that we experience our greatest growth. Trying sometimes means that we will fail, but the lessons learned are invaluable. If we are to experience life fully, some pain and failure are inevitable, and as hard as these are, it is better than existing in the shadow of fear.

U is for understanding. Understanding is closely tied up with meaning. On an existential level, it is true that the majority of people continually search for meaning in their daily lives. Once this meaning is encapsulated, it becomes easier to reach an understanding of our position and choices. The way to reach understanding is usually to ask questions, whether to clarify something about others or about ourselves.

V is for values. We have been brought up with them, acquired new ones or abandoned old ones or those not working for us anymore. Values are an integral part of the experience of being human and often determine how we conduct ourselves and our lives. We feel uncomfortable in situations that go against our values, and our patience and tolerance are challenged by those whose values differ from ours. In situations such as this, the qualities of respect and tolerance are our greatest allies. It is also preferable to have some values, rather than none at all.

W is for work. It is an inescapable fact of life. We work in order to earn money and to gain satisfaction in areas of our lives that are removed from the personal. Work can often be as satisfying or taxing as you wish to make it. As we spend the majority of our lives engaged in jobs and careers that necessitate work, it also makes sense to choose the best possible work fit there is. Being unhappy in work is a sure-fire recipe for unhappiness in other areas of life. It takes courage to admit that the work we are engaged in may not necessarily be the right occupation for us, and even more courage to find alternatives and to change. Life is short and the working day long. We owe it to ourselves to be happy in what we do.

X is for xenogamy. Taken from the botanical world, this is a word that means cross-fertilisation. SA`s diversity means that we have no choice in the matter of cross-fertilisation as different ideas and concepts are brought in from different quarters. Cross-fertilisation is not a bad thing, however. It can make products, services and companies hardier, tougher, and more likely to be able to withstand the vicissitudes of the market. It is something to be embraced rather than feared. It is the way of the world, and our country.

Y is for you. This column is being written for you, the reader. You have a life and goals, hopes, dreams, wishes, needs, fears, demons. The face that looks back at you in the mirror is extremely human and as such, you are not perfect. This is also a relief, as it means you can stop striving towards the impossible ideal. Love, acceptance, tolerance and kindness are the ideals of the day, especially in the way you treat yourself. You are all blessed with talents and a purpose, which is why you are here on this earth, and why you can also make a difference. Nothing would exist without the input of you.

Z is for Zeitgeist. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Zeitgeist refers to the spirit of the times or trends of thought and feeling in a given age or time period. The Zeitgeist of this new millennium is likely to be different from the last one as we strive ever onwards towards betterment. Watchwords for our epoch are hard work, respect, please, thank you and I`m sorry. The spirit of our times is largely positive, but cautious as an eye is cast back towards mistakes made and lessons learned from history. We have enormous power now, as individuals and as a collective, and if we are able to use this positively, we could be the generation that truly makes a difference towards the better. It is in our hands.

From A to Z, letters combine to form words, which in turn form sentences encapsulating the concepts and ideas that remind us of where we are, would like to be, or going. It all starts with the basic, and from small beginnings grow enormous potentials. It is located within each and every one of us, and it is our challenge to make use of who we are and what we know in order to progress. It only takes the subtraction of one letter to turn the word `revolution` into `evolution`.