Fostine Opiyo Odhiambo – Independent HR Consultant.
After facing myriad challenges in the past years, I came to notice that all solutions lie within me. The power of creating inner resources for your own solutions to your problems is what may be lacking. People have solutions within them but the power to ignite their actions to start moving towards the best solution is a challenge.
Always when you have a problem, you will start thinking of the best solutions by yourself. For example, if you do not have food for your family you will not sit down and expect manna from heaven but you will ignite the process of getting that manna. There is that inner conviction that will push you. Sometimes it may look impossible but that inner conviction is always reliable. The inner conviction will guide your heart to your next level of decision-making. Life challenges are continuous processes but most solutions lie with the problem holder. Some of the steps on how to create inner resources for your own solutions include:
- Scan your challenge to identify the key problems: It is important to understand your challenges first. The source of your challenges as well as their level. Scanning your challenges enable, you to understand what challenges you are facing. For instance, you may be jobless. Your joblessness may be associated with other problems e.g. marriage, alcohol addiction, rent, food. You will find most people try to solve other problems associated with the key problem and forgetting the key problem. Once you identify the key problem try to ask yourself. Why you face such challenges? Find out what may be the course and when it started. Understanding the duration of your problem will help you ascertain the challenge levels. The level will help you to collect the learning lessons and come up with an action plan.
- Educate yourself and learn from your past challenges: Challenges are the best teachers. Learn from the challenges. When scanning your problems, pick vital solutions from the lessons acquired. For example, I am jobless because I was dishonest at my place of work, I am jobless because I was not loyal to my supervisor, I am jobless because I had alcohol challenges that led to my frequent lateness and missing going to work. I am jobless because I disrespected authority. I am jobless because I did not utilize my capital well when I got the opportunity. Learn from the challenges. Pick some lessons and share with people who had faced the same challenges in the past.
- Create an Action Plan: Your inner conviction is the best plan. Whatever comes into your mind as solutions when you have a problem or a challenge write it down and take your time to think about various solutions arising from it. For example, when you are jobless, your inner conviction may direct you towards starting a specific business. Write that idea down. It may also direct you towards solving some problems associated with the main problem e.g. stop taking alcohol as a way to run from reality. Write that down. Your inner conviction may direct you to a friend to share your challenge as you try to find workable solutions. Write all these down and analyse each solution. Try to consult widely where possible and look for both the positive and negative aspects of the solutions. When creating a plan be real to yourself. Do not lie or preoccupy your mind with dreams. Being real to yourself is a healing process towards creating inner resources for your own solutions.
- Review and recheck your inner conviction: Your own generated solutions are the best but frequent review and recheck will lead to a more permanent solution. When you are jobless, your inner-conviction may lead you towards starting a business. You may analyze the pros and cons of this business, develop a business plan, look for the capital, and be ready to start the business. Reviewing and rechecking your inner conviction will prepare you for circumstances where solutions may not go your way. Preparing for unforeseen challenges is solvable through frequent review and recheck of inner convictions. If this does not work again? What is next? The response to such questions is the review and recheck process.
- Engage and provoke your new thoughts and solutions: Thoughts can change a person’s life directly according to Rhonda Byrne (2006) in her self-help book titled The Secret. Engaging your new thoughts will provide a new roadmap on how to live with the challenges. Engaging your thoughts helps you to understand all the aspects of your life- money, relationship, health, job, spiritual life, and inner peace. When you have that inner peace, you have that great inner resource for your permanent solution.
- Transformation: This refers to that process where an individual viewership is converted into another greater value. When you see your problems as the new sources for your new resources and taking advantage of your problems to stop future reoccurrence then you are moving towards the best direction. When you have identified the key problem, picked some critical lessons from it, created an action plan, rechecked the plan, and provoked your inner thoughts the last process is self-transformation. Accept the above processes and the push from your inner conviction. The transformation will require more sacrifices and acceptance of your current situation. It will prepare you to have that sense of boldness to create inner resources for your own solutions.
Conclusion
The scanning of your challenges, self-education, and picking lessons from your past challenges, creating a plan for the solutions, reviewing and rechecking your inner convictions, engaging your new thoughts, as well as transformation, is the secret towards creating inner resources for your own solutions. The solutions are within you. Just identify the SECRET. Scan your challenge to identify the key problem. Educate yourself from past problems. Create an action plan. Review and Recheck your inner conviction. Engage and provoke your thoughts as well as Transform your ways of doing things.
About the Author
Fostine Opiyo Odhiambo is the Founder of Jo Africa and an Independent HR Consultant. He has written a number of articles and immensely contributed to many professional writings globally. He has a wealth of experience in various family-owned businesses, industries, and projects in the hospitality, communications, manufacturing, production, merchandising, Maritime, Casinos, Entertainments, Education, Agribusiness, and Healthcare sectors as well as community-based projects within East Africa. Working with people is his passion. He advocates for Honest Human Resource Practices and Africanization of Human Resources practices. He developed AKOBRA Model as a fit between an employer and its employees. He is a member of IHRM – The professional body of HR Practitioners in Kenya. He sits on various Development Boards within Kenya. You can reach him through fostineodhiambo@gmail.com