I REMEMBER when I was a young boy being taught together with many others that when we finish school and do well, we will have great jobs.
We grew up and worked so that we will find great jobs.
When I completed school, it was different.
I could not find a job immediately.
I had to learn to manage the stress, fatigue and other social issues that are associated with unemployment.
I learned to be resilient.
I mean, I developed a mental reservoir of strength that helps people handle stress and hardship. At school and in our homes, young people are never taught to be resilient especially in these changing times.
Some young graduates are getting depressed because they cannot find jobs.
Politicians have continued to promise jobs and learning institutions have continued to produce graduates, but there are few employers.
These and many other social issues require us – together with the young – to be resilient.
What do you do when you graduate and you do not find a job?
What do you do when you do not receive a scholarship?
What do you do when you have tried to start a business but things seem not to be going well? You need to be resilient.
In my field, technology resilience is defined as an organization’s ability to maintain acceptable service levels through, and beyond, severe disruptions to its critical processes and the Information Technology (IT) systems which support them.
The resilient thinking approach examines how complex interconnected systems can be managed in the face of shocks and unexpected disruptions.
Making a system resilient comes from linking its parts in a way that makes it possible for them to reconfigure and adapt.
Read about resilient thinking and how it has been applied to real-world problems (Darya Sinusoid).
Resilience is often defined as the mental reservoir of strength that helps people handle stress and hardship.
Resilient people are able to draw upon this strength to cope and recover from challenges.
Resilience can mean different things to different people, so your definition may not match someone else’s.
Today, I want us to have a conversation on thinking resilient.
There are a lot of young people who graduated from secondary school, colleges and universities but are in shock by what life has to give them than they expected to find in terms of jobs.
The definition of resilience has evolved throughout the years.
The American Psychological Association (APA) defines resilience as “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress — such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems, or workplace and financial stressors.”
This conversation is based on my interactions in terms of responses and frequent questions asked by most young people about what they can do now that they have graduated but cannot find a job.
Some are struggling to run a small business while some have had their lives being disorganized due to different challenges.
Let us look at this situation. When you start your day either by going to work, running a business, going to school or going to look for employment, there will be times when things do not go as planned and there may be times when you find things out of your control.
Now is the time to figure out before that happens whether or not you are able to think in a resilient way.
People who succeeded in business do not allow their thinking swayed by negative events and people.
Can you hold on during a storm and stay on course?
Will you keep holding on to the wheel as you are being hit by each wave?
If so, what tools would you need to do so?
Creativity
Thinking resilient is finding a creative way of coming out of the setback.
Creativity involves transforming your ideas, imagination and dreams into reality.
When you are being creative, you can see the hidden patterns.
Make connections between things that are not normally related and come up with new ideas. Creative ability depends on creative thinking, which is part hard work but largely creative problem-solving.
This is according to Kylie Ora Lobell.
Anyone can be creative.
While creativity was pushed aside because of the Industrial Revolution, it is making a comeback amongst millennials in the information age, according to Hillary Grigonis.
The creative side of any human being can be activated depending on the situation.
There is no magic for one to his or her creativity.
Just where you are you can find a way to solve a problem in a new way.
For the person who just graduated from school and you just find that the uncle who promised you a job is no longer responding the way he used to when you were studying, will you just wait or begin to curse him?
These are the current issues we are facing today.
According to the World Economic Forum, creativity is one of the skills one needs to have in this era.
In the midst of setbacks, a young graduate can look around and listen to the needs and wants of the people.
Then he or she can find a way to can come up with a solution.
The education we receive from the learning institutions just helps us to see available opportunities.
You may not find an opportunity as a teacher, for example, but you can find an opportunity to sell insurance or just to start a hair salon in your neighbourhood.
Passion
Passion is a strong desire that can get you to do amazing things.
Passion is an emotion to be acted upon.
Without action, passion yields no worthwhile results.
Passion is the fuel in the fire of action.
When you have a passion for something, you love it even when you hate it.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, passion is an extreme interest in or wish for doing something, such as a hobby, activity.
Having a strong desire to do something will make you do it no matter how long it takes.
Many people have been to school study courses they are not interested in but have spent years studying.
Well, in the midst of a setback, it is very easy to give up especially if one finds it challenging to find a job.
The good news is that you can turn to something you have always wanted to try.
A person with the right qualifications, right skills coupled with passion will not find it difficult to find and fulfill his or her career journey.
Napoleon Hill in his book “Think and Grow Rich” says if a man transmutes that desire for sex to create wealth, he would be rich.
In our context, we can say we do have a desire to achieve something.
If you are passionate about things, learn how it is done and learn from those who have done or are already doing it.
Passion will make you learn how things in the most creative way.
Future
The future is uncertain to those who are not willing to plan for it.
According to Mike Murdock, the secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine.
The future looks bright to those who are evolving.
Innovation, change, adaptability and sustainability are some of the opportunities to focus on as we face the future.
According to the World Economic Forum, 65 per cent of children who are entering school today will land in the jobs that do not yet exist.
And currently, African universities are producing over 11 million graduates.
But only 3.7 million jobs are created, leaving 7.3 million young people unemployed.
According to Rodrick Mutale, the unemployment we are facing today is nothing compared to what is coming.
Barack Obama once said, “The future rewards those who press on. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t have time to complain. I’m going to press on.”
Finally, during our conversation, we discussed that thinking resilient is based on many factors, but we looked at the three creativity, passion and future.
There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that most people exhibit resilience after experiencing a traumatic event.
Plus, there are ways to foster resilient behaviour that can help you adapt to and recover from stressful events.
You may have some degree of resilience if you exhibit any of the following behaviour:
• You recognize the impermanence of difficulties.
• You see setbacks as opportunities for growth.
• You have tools to manage your stress and emotions.
• You recognize that many things are out of your control.
• You have a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset.
Outside factors, such as social and community support may also play an important role in helping people develop or maintain resilience.
Resilience is something that matters to you at an individual level.
The author is a speaker, mentor, educator, trainer, professional and community leader, IT and cybersecurity leader. For comments email: ICTMatters@kingston.co.zm; www.kingston.co.zm.