by Samson Umurhurhu
Some features of the current realities amongst others include:
- High levels of inflation
- Low purchasing power
- High and unstable exchange rates against hard currencies
- High interest rates
- Insecurity/conflicts – locally and globally
- Supply chain disruptions
- Corruption/stealing
- Technological disruptions
- Political challenges
- Others
What do you do, to live a good quality life, at times like these? Is a good quality life even still possible? If yes, how? Understand that your mind set, and focused on effectively tackling the current realities, is one of your most precious assets to successfully go through the current times.
It is my belief that in the midst of the current environment, a good quality life can still be attained, and this also depends on your own definition of what a good quality life is to you. Definitely, if you do not want your standard of living to drop, you have to come up with ways to sustain the quality of the life you want.
Living requires making choices. Therefore, I would like to propose the ideas below, some of which may be relevant for your situation:
- Embrace the future and be poised to overcome the current discomfort and the unknown. Define the overall/central objective of your life, and the quality of life you want to live. Be clear about what you want, and commit to what you need in order to achieve your goals. Let this be the hub around which you make your decisions and choices, while focusing on what is within your control.
- Plan properly, learn to budget in respect of what is relevant in your situation, backed with the discipline to implement.
- Spend more smartly managing your costs, and cutting expenses, where your spending has been excessive and/or not necessary.
- Spend to stay alive and healthy – It is penny wise, pound foolish, to stop spending and investing meaningful time in areas that promote your basic wholesomeness.
- Prioritize spending on necessities, the must-have; such as what to eat, school fees, rent, and others.
- Negotiate your bills; look for alternatives; get the best deals, at the least prices possible – without compromising good quality of product and/or time for cheap products/services, that eventually could cost you more.
- Examine your location, including cutting down on unnecessary trips – If possible, move closer to your office/place of business.
- Even at the individual level, skills, service and product provision, have become very competitive. So be creative – making a difference in your skills set, and skills delivery, product and service experience, for you to stand out for superior outcomes.
- Build your personal brand and become visible, using appropriate media, and showcasing area(s) you can be considered to be the go-to resource, and for best results.
- Seek advice from professionals and other relevant sources, and find ways to build some emergency funds.
- Acquire practical skills that provide solutions to critical needs of people; diversify to tap into broader sources and streams of income.
- Invest wisely; including looking at your paid routine subscriptions, to evaluate their continued relevance.
- Spend appropriate quality time where you obtain your greatest and best returns on your investments.
- Look for possible opportunities in the current realities that can provide you, or the organization you work for, with legitimate open doors to make some more money.
- Put aside pride and undertake meaningful economic activities, that generate income to enable you meet your immediate needs.
- Properly conduct yourself in such a way, to avoid falling into avoidable situations, that could make you incur unnecessary expenses and/or loses.
- Occasionally focus on what support you can give to others; spend on giving to alleviate the negative impacts of the current realities on those you can help.
- Reward yourself once in a while; visit the restaurant; go to the beach, and others, in order to build, maintain and keep some fun factors into your living.
Other General Thoughts
There is the need to be intentional in facing the current realities, and be pragmatic in figuring out innovative ways, that work for you to survive and thrive, and not continue to lament in respect of how things should, or ought to be.
If you do not effectively manage the realities of today, this can lead to avoidable consequences to your life, career/business today, and for tomorrow.
Deepen critical stakeholders’ relationships/partnerships/collaboration with those who add value to your life, and contribute to the achievement of your overall/central objective, leading you to your attaining your desired good quality of life.
Understand that life is a process, which comes in seasons. Learn and grow from your effective management of your situations today. Leverage your hope on the truth that this is a passing moment, and stay focused on figuring out your way in the current challenges, in order to achieve your ultimate life’s objective.
With prudence, the proper use of reasoning to explore and examine your own situation, and without comparison with others, your strategies and approach will have to be personal, for you to be uniquely established in realizing the quality of life you have defined for yourself.
In my case, having done all that is within my control, I trust God for the rest. I wish you the best quality of life possible for you in these times.
