THE THIRD SHOCKWAVE!! THE CHOICE TO LIVE OR PERISH IS IN OUR HANDS

 

By Jaymo Wa Thika

Now now…. We can confidently say that, as the residents of Nairobi, Kiambu, Nakuru, Kajiado and Machakos counties, we are back to FACTORY SETTINGS as concerns the COVID-19 pandemic. We are back where we were one year ago when this pandemic first hit us last year in March.

As much as we would want to blame the president for being very harsh on us, we were equally to blame. We brought this situation on ourselves for being careless and unmindful of the spread of this virus unlike our other 42 counterparts who will still enjoy some freedoms as we ponder how to survive for the next few weeks or months…. Who knows? We brought this unto ourselves out of our own ujuaji and feeling of importance. We simply let off our guard.

That aside, maji yakishamwagika hayazoleki…. Sasa tugange yajayo. This is the time to reflect and search ways to adapt to the “new normal” or perish. It is not the time to sit down, whine and cry over things we have little control of.

The other day I quoted Thika Town MP Eng. Patrick Wainaina when he said;

“If we haven’t learnt anything from the COVID-19 pandemic, we shall never learn. If it hasn’t taught us to be innovative, then we are doomed. As a section of the economic sector collapses with COVID-19, another window of commerce opens. Each of us needs to position ourselves to avoid collapsing with those that have been rendered redundant. Simply reposition yourself and identify the priority areas and opportunities that have developed from the conditions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

I still stand with those words…. The president has locked us into our own cocoon, closed all bars and entertainment joints, banned any forms of gatherings, limited eateries to “take aways only” etc… and you all know what that means. It means limited business or to some, no business at all thus limited resources in circulation.

But does that mean the end of the world? ABSOULTELY NO!!! God has given us the power to think and do life well, to maximize our potential.

Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! – Deuteronomy 30:19

This is the time to think beyond the box. At least by now, we have some experience with COVID-19, having lived with it for over a year now, unlike in March 2020 when no one knew anything about it.

This is not the time to be rigid and getting stuck to your previous comfort zones. It is the time to adapt ourselves to the emerging situations and getting the most out of every situation that you get into. This is the time to really open our eyes to identify opportunities that come with the new challenges.

Every challenge is an opportunity. Business is solving other people’s problems for a fee. Get out there, identify the emerging challenges and make money out of them through creating solutions to people. The new normal now is the avoidance of physical contacts and interactions. Find solutions and opportunities to solve this puzzle. This is where online business comes in. Make use of your smartphone to do business. Even those with “Kamulika Mwizis” sell or create opportunities via phone calls or SMS.

There are businesses that have been created by this eg the sale of “Barakoas”, sanitisers etc…. Why not try and see where you fit in.. Ama are you too “big” for such? Watakusema you say? But, huko kukusema hakutakuletea chakula kwa meza. Watasema watachoka, kasha walale.

There is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t find something to do. However, our greatest challenge is because we don’t like to think. We just want to stick to our old norms, what we have been doing ever since and want to believe that those are the only things that we can do or we were created to do. Huo ni ufala. Amka ufikirie. Tumbo haijui kungoja. Lazima uishughulikie. If you wait for someone else to think for you, you will die of depression my fren.

Think!! Think!! Think and think of new ways to earn a decent living. Otherwise, jua kuna watu hawalali saa hii trying to fish out opportunities that will present themselves during this lockdown. We lala tu na kushinda ukiblame serikali vile haijali watu wake as others strategise on how they will get that coin that is still remaining in your pocket. Ukikosa kujipanga, utapangwa.