I recently got to travel to this beautiful seaside town called Semporna in Sabah. It has everything for a perfect tourist destination. Islands, crystal clear waters at sea, and great food. The only problem is that after Covid-19. The tourists stopped coming and the towns are not as packed as they used to be. I spoke to my taxi driver and found out that many have lost their jobs after the tourists stopped coming.
I then asked what many of them were doing now. It turns out that many of them have switched careers to other fields such as agriculture. This got me thinking about change and how difficult it can be.
The Difficulty of Change
Change is extremely difficult. It can be difficult since it rips apart everything you know before and it forces you to try something completely new. This can be daunting especially if it is something far from away from one's comfort zone.
The question however is not if there is a need to change. Change unfortunately is inevitable, the question is how to deal with the difficulty of change that we may one day have to face.
Upskill, Move on
I have seen many peers who have taken this opportunity to upskill themselves and work on a different skill. Some of them have even gone back to school for a masters or a doctorate, hoping that this will lead to better opportunities. Personally, I've taken this opportunity to work on my trading skills and have subscribed to a rather good course with a lot of support. The lockdown, in general, have given me the time to focus on this which is great.
However, there is one small problem with upskilling. The results are not exactly immediate and if you have a family to feed, then other short term measures may be more prudent.
Persist, Stay on
One of the centers that I was consulting for had their business put on ice due to its students being confined at home. The center tried running online classes but not all parents were keen on the idea. The situation was bad but the center decided to stay open to service any students who were interested. This was because the center believed that once the lockdown ends, the students would return.
Based on this scenario, I think this des work only if you are part of a business where you believe that demand would return immediately once the lockdown is lifted. While this is an option, it can be akin to staying in a losing trade since you don't know exactly when the lockdown would end.
Conclusion
So here's some bad news, there is nothing much that one can do once their work is affected. I would not sell you on any schemes nor magic remedies. But I do know this, the only prudent way is forward. Think about it, there are three options, forward, go back, and being stagnant. You can't go back in life unless you have a time machine in which case, can I hitch a ride too? It's not helpful to stagnate and stay where you are if you are affected by this current situation. As such, move forward, plan for your next plan as if you persist, you will come out f this better and stronger.
Hi @alvinauh
Changes are always good even if they seem bad, however we must adapt to continue.
Zero that this reflection defines very well a position that knows how we can continue and safe for the good of oneself.
I will always choose to move forward
Likewise, always move forward and run that race to the end!
Sooner or later, if we don't change on our own... Life will take care of that.