Accepting change and making it happen

I want to say that I am thankful for all the new knowledge and for all the new ideas,the new strengths that I learn and gain everyday in my life through meeting new people like Kuseni Dlamini who works for AngloGold Ashanti www.anglogold.com and is a lecturer in International Relations at Wits University www.wits.ac.za. I found him to be a very inspirational speaker.

I am now vigilant and ready to act on all new challenges that I meet with the anticipation that there will be positive outcomes that will guide and encourage me to do more good in my life and in the lives of other people. Positive outcomes are out there in the world for me to grab but these come with the need and acceptance for change.

Humbleness, humility and gratitude I believe are character attributes that can open up amazing possibilities to carry me into the future. These attributes are also important in determining how somebody handles courage. For instance in a work environment one’s courage can be tested by a new assignment. Having courage will tell how well one will respond whether with competitive ability or a resigned and reluctant approach.

We are constantly facing challenging environments every day, facing criticism, handling unfamiliar tasks or merely having to step up the pace in order to be ahead of everyday performance. I realise that I need to push my competitive edge, set my own tone for the choices I make in the work environment so that I can be able to tackle unforeseen challenges, the change that is inevitable and of course the unrelenting competition and the need to survive in today’s workplace. Inner strength is therefore necessary, to meet impossible deadlines, yes I know these will come soon and sometimes to simply accelerate the organisation’s efficiency.

I am aware that I need to learn one of the world’s languages if I am to fit in as a global person. There is now a great propensity for the use of Chinese, Hindu, Spanish, Portuguese, French languages and many more. I am willing to learn French to increase my competitive edge so that I can be able to work in an environment that demands it. It has become imperative for one to be multi lingual and to have many cultural capabilities in the global village we now live and work in. I don’t intend to be left behind by the gravy train. I have to think and act global, regional and to act local.

I am going to rise to the challenge, grab opportunities, and try to work as a team, rise above drawbacks and be able to be the change that is necessary in the work place. I am positive that with this attitude I cannot go wrong. I will try not to be silent about the things that matter because as Martin Luther Junior said “our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.”

My passions

My passion for human rights was aggravated during the presentations we had from different organisations today about possible internship placements. There were consultants from Environmental Resources Management www.erm.com who reminded me of my days at the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Programmes (CAMPFIRE) www.campfire-zimbabwe.org. This was a community organisation that dealt with issues of the environment and how best they could be used to empower communities. Programmes were tourist based and meant to build the capacities of rural communities in the long term management of natural resources. Today I found the workings of these two organisations to be more or less the same.

CIVICUS www.civicus.org ( a world wide alliance for civic participation and promotion of human rights) also reminded me of my Work Related Learning experience when I was still an undergraduate from the Midlands State University (Zimbabwe) when I worked for the Media Institute of Southern Africa-Zimbabwe (MISA Zimbabwe) www.misa.org/zimbabwe an advocacy organisation for freedom of information and expression. Later I was to work for the Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe www.mmpz.org.zw a sister organisation to MISA which also advocated for human rights especially those related to freedom of speech and expression.

CIVICUS has various programmes like Civil Society Watch and Civil Society Index which I found interesting because they all center on human rights work and ERM because its centered on working directly with communities These organisations are of interest to me because I am passionate about working for the human cause and for the betterment of our society especially with organisations that have both a local and an international outlook.