Add Value to Yourself

ANGELINAH CHIWONERWA

Experience can be the best teacher and it can build your character and produce something beautiful within you. Such was the case with my granny. She had grown to be the best teacher and friend to me. I vividly recall how we could sit under a mango tree and talk for hours. She would narrate her youthful stories to me, trying by all means to make me understand that as a girl child in this generation, I have more opportunities for success than she had. She always said, "mzukulu wami, funda ngoba akula muntu ongakuthathela imfundo yakho” (my granddaughter, get educated because no one can take your education).

Come to think of it, no one can take your education. All the information you have digested since preschool cannot be taken from you. If you take time to develop yourself as a young person, you increase your net value. How can you influence your nation when you have nothing to offer? You cannot give what you do not have. This means that the days of your youth are not to be wasted. You have to seize every opportunity you get, for personal development, so that you become an asset to your nation and the world at large.

One of the most effective youth leaders, Glen Dhliwayo, once posted on Facebook, "We have a generation that knows what it takes to gain a 100 likes on Facebook but none of what it takes to make a 100 cents." A generation that is pursuing things that do not have a long term benefit. This clearly shows that we still need to learn more about investing in ourselves & being valuable citizens. What benefit is it to the nation that you get 100 likes on social media? Someone said most African kids spend most of their time watching other kids making money on television (how true!). Can we blame the parents for raising a generation of consumers and not producers? Maya Angelou put it well, "If you do not like something, change it, if you can't change it, change your attitude.” We have the ability to change our environment and recreate our world.

We have to do away with the ideology of  “what will the nation do for me?", and embrace the attitude of serving, "what will I do for my nation?" When we begin to have such thought processes, our actions will be guided in a progressive direction. A direction of education and personal development. You may be wondering, "So how best can I develop myself? Well, continue reading... the following points will enlighten you.

1. VALUE YOUR TIME

The legendary Oliver Mtukudzi sang it well, "Hope hadzina ndima (sleeping covers less ground), ukagudugudza wasaririra (if you slack, you lag behind), basa mangwanani (work is done in the morning), hatina nguva yatinofunga kuti tinayo (we do not have the time we think we have).” You have to make the best of your time as a young person. Plan your day accordingly. Procrastinating and acting like you have all the time in the world will leave you amazed when you wake up to the reality that time waits for no one.

Now you have the energy and the time to invest in yourself. Do what you MUST do now so that you can have the time to do what you WANT to do later in life. Do not put the cart before the horse. Know what comes first and focus on it.

2. INVEST IN YOUR MIND

“Managing your mind is the primary principle for increasing your value, multiplying your success, upgrading your state, and thus, enlarging your estate. Sometimes, you may have tried so hard and done all you thought you knew to do about something, without much success. What more can you do? Well, why don't you begin with mind management? Can you manage your mind differently regarding that situation? Can you access your mental hard drive to see what files you need to delete and the new ones you need to download and install?"Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, The Power of Your Mind.

Expose your mind to the right information. Information that will build you up and give you a positive thought process. Not everything on the internet is for your consumption. Be selective in your reading. You cannot be a garbage dump, taking in whatever people throw at you. Choose what you will feed into your system.

There are certain things that you must do for yourself, you cannot delegate them to others. One of such things is adding value to yourself, no one will do it for you. Do not start blaming the government or people around you for your failures yet you never took time to develop yourself. Work on being the best of you and the opportunities will knock on your door. Remember, opportunity comes to everyone but only those who are prepared can grab it.

3. TAKE NOTE OF YOUR ABILITIES

What are you good at? Whatever it is, it is important and can be used to positively change your world. There are things you do excellently without much effort, that is your talent. Take note of the gift that God has endowed you with, do not hide your talent. You may have a certain skill but it may still need to be sharpened and perfected, this is where self-development comes in. Give yourself time to develop this skill, attend conferences or workshops. Volunteer to do it for people. Just put yourself out there.

You need to be very honest with yourself. Yes, it is true that you can do whatever you set your mind to do,  BUT,  you must know yourself. I definitely would not go for a singing competition on SA IDOLS no matter how much I love singing. I know that I am not a good singer (you get it right). You just have to know yourself very well and work on developing this brand called “YOU”.

Go ahead, "Value yourself and add taxes"!