I was recently invited to facilitate a Personal Branding workshop, on behalf of SAWomEng,
as part of a bigger Girl’s Networking Day hosted by Sasol. The event was
attended by about a hundred sparkly eyed, enthused and energetic high-school
girls! My job was to motivate and inspire them to discover their “onlyness” and
celebrate their individuality. The only thing is... I think I was the one who was
left most inspired!!
With
many learners these days being plagued by apathy, laziness and sheer
indifference, it was so refreshing to be able to interact and engage with young
girls so willing to learn and just wanting to absorb every last inkling of
everything they were exposed to. For me, it simply reiterated my belief that
when you invest in someone, when you make the time to show them that they and
their needs are important too, they will reciprocate. Maybe not immediately, and
it might take some effort, but it all becomes so worth it when you see the
difference that a simple belief in someone can make.
How
often do we find ourselves saying “Kids these days!” and shaking our heads in
dismay? How quick are we to brand kids as lazy or call them incompetent? Yes,
no doubt there are multiple factors at play - our distressed education system,
teachers constantly being on strike, kids coming from troubled homes - but
instead of blaming these factors, which are often out of our direct control,
perhaps we should look at this a different way. What is in our control? How can
each of us give a little bit of our time and effort to invest in someone, even
in a small way? Try it.. You may just be surprised by the magic that results!!
;)
