VWLOO DERYH

I Nprevious times we have heard people say talk is cheap and that actions speak louder than words. Over the years, though, we have also learnt that conversation is just as powerful as action because the action is born from the intentionality of talk.

These days there is a lot of anxiety about the national dialogue and when it will be to have conversations about the country’s development.

The anxiety over the dialogue is proof that talk once again has power.

Generally, authentic dialogue enables individuals to acknowledge that they each are part of a greater whole, naturally resonate with others within this whole, and that the whole is more significant than the sum of its various parts.

Together, we can go far and alone, we can only do so much. That through engagements, we can be more effective than when disengaged.

Hence, while we may not have the dialogue dates yet, there are in other pockets of society talk that are encouraging that the country is intentional in the development of the people in various sectors.

While the events and dialogues we have seen of late are in no way linked to the upcoming dialogue, and I do not suggest that they are, they will, however, have a positive output on the overall advancement of the quality of life of emaSwati, and one prays that more of them keep coming. We need to talk, we need to listen to each other, and we need to share possible

Opainful thing I have learnt in this paradox of life is that, you do not always get what you want. Life does want all of us to partake in its journey, but it just has that element of waking us up every now and then, but it takes us time to realise that it is actually ringing an alarm in our heads which indicates that time is up and we need to move. The year has not yet ended, but reality has slapped me with the hardest slap ever.

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In just a space of two months I had already been given a lesson that; life is not permanent, it is not here to stay, tomorrow is never guaranteed and in any day, life may end. When you are away from the real picture of it, you never really get the pinch of this truth, but when you are closer to it, that is where you get to realise how real and painful this sad truth is. It is that one bitter reality one never solutions to societal problems at every level of society.

This past week, the country was a hive of activity as we witnessed the historic Youth Entrepreneurship Summit, the Dialogue on Jobs, and the Career Expo. They have come and gone. Now the youth asks, what next.

Growing up, there used to be a tired joke about a soccer player who had a great game and was asked in a post-match interview, ‘Great game, so where to from here?’ And he confidently responded, ‘I’m going home’. The answer was correct but just not what the interviewer was looking for.

He wanted to know how the striker would build upon his current purple patch of form to keep him as one of the hottest prospects at the time.

It was funny. But fast forward to today. We have seen many summits come and go, and many people have even dubbed them ‘talk shops’.

I feel that they have been unfairly branded as such, and wishes to face because, it is the hardest thing one would ever have to live in, especially since rough times are unpredictable, they can make or break us, that is the tricky part. When going through rough times, we are usually at the verge of losing it all; ourselves and what we have worked so hard for.

You see what happens every time you go through loss, either through death or breakup.

This one part of you tells you that you have lost an integral part of you that can never be replaced, and that void is hard to fill, hence the emptiness can make you become a better version or the worst version of the pain. Think of what happens if a hole is dug in the middle of a road; cars may have flat tyres or there could be accidents, even since drivers would not be able to control the cars or some may not notice the hole.

Imagine if you are familiar with that road without the potholes, you drive as casual as possible, because after all you are used to this. Now if you drive and suddenly the car hits the pot hole, first of all you will wonder what is going on, and you will definitely check.

How will you drive the rest of the journey then? You will constantly this is not because I have been involved in some of them, but basically, because I subscribe to the school of thought that, strategy is essential before you can experiment or implement anything.

Jumping into a car without a map, yet travelling to a destination you have never been to can

strategic planning session because it has so many inputs and views from various stakeholders. Such sessions or seminars are all about open and honest communication.

Throughout the session, there are usually four main goals: Define reality, inspire with a vision, identify the gaps and create a plan for accountability (or at least the start). Such is what we hope will come out after the recent sessions.

Having attended the Youth Summit and Career Expo, I am confident that the youth have been enlightened by the knowledge they gained. I say this because be on the look for more potholes and your driving will not be as smooth as before since you would be worried on what if the entire road has damages.

The comfort you have been having all along will be no more, the only thing there will be is worry and care that your car is not damaged in some sort. If you ever hit hard on the hole, and inconvenience on the car is a threat to you some of the information was quite new to me. Chatting to a few captains of the industry after one of the sessions, they agreed that information is central to empowerment. The more people get to know and ask questions, the more they identify opportunities and seize them. So these are not talk shops but avenues for growth for anyone who can use them properly.

This past week, I read a brilliant article entitled Soloprenuership, answering SA’s youth unemployment crisis. The writer notes that the expectations of South Africa’s young people are high.

We should support them in taking baby steps and realising small wins, developing their resilience and protecting their mental health, applying their skills, and ultimately making opportunities happen for themselves.

One job at a time. Such an approach can also help Eswatini as we look at entrepreneurship as a vehicle for job creation. because of the expense it imposes.

That is how tough times make us, uncomfortable! It is not easy to live life during a rough phase, because no matter how much we may laugh in the outside world, we just know deep down that we are dying inside. I remember this one post I saw on Facebook oneday which said ‘well it is not that today I am not okay, because I am never okay except today I

A feature on smallbiztrends expands more. A quick search on Google will tell you that the term solopreneur has been around for quite some time.

The Macmillan dictionary defines a solopreneur as a business owner who works and runs their business alone.

Going by this definition of efinition of solopreneur, about one-third of the workforce comprising freelancers and consultants fit under the category. Solopreneurs have an inherently entrepreneurial mindset, and they prefer single-handedly managing their business.

Solopreneurs are often criticised for not generating jobs for others. Critics do not consider that while solopreneurs may work alone, it doesn’t mean they don’t collaborate with other entrepreneurs.

For example, a freelance writer may work closely with a designer on various projects. In this way, solopreneurs generate work for others. So they are also a solution to reducing unemployment.

Following the progress of the Bipartite Dialogue on Job Creation hosted by Business Eswatini (BE) and Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) and underwritten by the International Labour Organization (ILO), I was excited by the intentionality coming out.

A number of were tackled.

Notably, most speakers were clear that the country must come together and dialogue, as everyone needs each other.

This quote by Reverend David Matshe (dialogue moderator) impressed me the most. important points

‘Progress is a choice. Job creation is a choice, whether we give our children a future of less or more, this too is a choice. We are here today to exercise a choice.

A choice to create jobs, or choice not to create jobs.’

This quote shows that there is an intentionality for the country to move another gear toward job creation and better quality of life for all. It all starts somewhere and these summits and dialogues are that somewhere. a

decided to show it’. So this told me that, people see us and assume all is well in our lives because a smile is that curve that sets all things straight, once you smile you are putting things in order and laughter just completes the whole idea of being yourself once more.

It is okay not to be okay, because some days we are at our best mood and others we are lost and hard to figure out. If there is one thing we need to do, it is to embrace every phase as it comes, understanding that tomorrow might be a better day or even worse too. So when you smile, does it because you can, however, do it also because you are opposing the low energy you have. Because, at times we gain our energy from being the opposite of what our bitter emotions

are bringing towards us. When you feel down and out, wake up, take a shower, dress smart, smell good and go out, nobody needs to know what is eating you up and nobody should see your down days, because there is no one else owning that life excepts you BOSSMAN !

I will not deny the fact that some situations are very difficult, and in as much as we may survive them, it remains a fact that they will leave with a part of us.