Failure is not an option – Human Resource talk by Miyanda

September always brings a feeling of sadness to me, but the sadness is temporary and turns to joy. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the death of someone who was and still is the pillar of my strength, my determination and commitment to my God given mandate, that special person is my late mother, Colleen Bulaya.  I witness a woman who was so determined to ensure that all six of her children not only finished school but become the best they could be. Even as she became ravaged with cancer, she never lost focus on her goal, sadly she is not around to see the fruits of her hard work but wherever she is I know that she is proud that she lived long enough to instill in us that failure is not and should never be an option.

My mother taught us from an early age that failure should never be an option in life, I have not only kept those words by I live them every single day of my life, people who know me will bear witness to this principle. I am now a mother of two lovely daughters and I am passing on that legacy and those wise words to my children. I became an adult when I was still a child, my mother had six children, not one or three but six of us, she was a civil servant and worked as a Stenographer all her life. My early childhood days including working in people homes, cleaning and washing clothes so I could earn money to supplement the little my mother was earning. I remember many times when it was Christmas and I would wish it could be postponed or canceled because we knew there would be no new clothes, no decorations, no fancy food, and no celebrations.  My mother taught me to use my hands, to knit, sew and plait people’s hair so as to earn the much needed income for the family. It was tough but worth the experience, today I know that tough times do not last, but tough people do.

I know many people are facing challenges today be it trying to find employment, starting or managing a business, raising children. Whatever you are trying to achieve in your life, remember these wise words, failure is not and should never be an option you choose. Every day I wake to the sound of my daughters getting ready for school, that sound is reminder of my obligation as a parent to educate, feed, clothe and nurture them, to give them the best life I can give them. We need to change our mindset as a nation, to focus on the huge opportunities that this country has to offer, believe me, there are plenty, you just need to know how to look , where to look and when to look.

I had an interesting chat with a job seeker recently, he called me after reading the article I wrote about ‘finding a job in 90 days’, he was upset with me and told me I had no idea what I was talking about, that I did not know what job seekers were going through and that finding a job was tough unless you are privileged to know the right people in society. I gave him time to vent his anger and then invited him to come and have a chat; I also told him that it would take me less than 10 minutes to tell him where he was going wrong.  I told him that rather than accepting failure as an option, he should have just called me, asked to see me and seek clarification, guidance and help on how he would make a complete turnaround of his life. We had a fantastic chat and he walked out of our premises feeling lighter, not only because of our chat but we had a job vacancy on our database that was just right for him, he has since attended interviews and we wait to hear the results.

I was very happy to have received the call and it inspired me to invite 20 people to our premises for a free two hour talk that would give information on the job search process. I know that by the time the participants left they started to look at the process differently. I have come to accept setbacks or challenges as an opportunity to get up just one more time and move forward.  I have been at my lowest point in life, so low that I never thought I would get out of it. My focus remained on the goals I had set myself to achieve and my two little girls that need to be fed. Success is always calculated as 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration, your success and all the good things that come your way and a result of the amount of effort you put into it and how much you want it. Never blame situations or circumstances but choose to do something positive about where you find yourself. I often advise people that if you can’t find employment then create employment; again I am reminded of how much I don’t know about the realities on the ground. All my articles are based on real life experiences, I have been there and I have done it, from being an employee, out of humble beginnings I have created employment for people in Zambia and Zimbabwe. My team and I have created an environment in which we are able to bring the job seeker and employer together at no cost to the job seeker. We have created an environment against all odds to provide human resource solutions to the business community; we work under the guidance of my mother’s wise words that failure is not an option. I became a Consultant at the age of 31, many doors were closed in front of me because I was ‘too young’ to know anything about being a consultancy. It has be five years now and I still tell myself everyday that failure is not an option. Three years ago I found myself face to face with Chibamba Kanyama; I wanted to tap into his wealth of wisdom. I asked him whether venturing into Human Resource Consultancy was viable in Zambia, he said to me ‘Miyanda, you can do anything you want as long as you set your mind to it and remain focused’, I walked out of his office energized and determined to make him proud.
When in doubt speak to someone who can assist you start your journey to excellence. If you want to be a Pastor, a Managing Director, a Doctor, a Business Mogul, start talking to people who are already at the level, you have no idea the wealth of information you will receive. I know that people are shaking their heads and saying where I find these M.D’s who will speak to me, they normally have many secretaries and it is tough to finally speak to one. All I can say to you is ‘Failure is not an OPTION’
The Author is a consultant for Prosoft Human Resources Solutions. For any suggestions and comments please email miyandak@prosofthumanresource.com 0979472850 visit www.prosofthumanresource.com