by Manini Mbongwa
As we are nearing the end of 2023, it is important to look back and take note of the good things that were achieved and to take note of all the things that didn’t meet our expectations. It is my wish to share with you the four lessons that I learned this year.
Taking Good Care of yourself
Research has shown that there’s a high increase in cases of people suffering from stress and depression. As a mother who is taking care of a daughter that’s also suffering from depression, I’ve experienced waiting for more than a month just to secure an appointment with a psychiatrist or psychologist. Women who are in business are challenged with balancing our lives. We are expected to take care of our families, our businesses and our employees first. We hardly get time to focus on ourselves. But it is important to take time off and prioritise us as well. This can take the form of simple things such as spending Sunday morning in the garden drinking your favourite tea. It can also be listening to your favourite music for an hour while taking a relaxing walk, or perhaps enjoying a bubble bath sipping on a glass of wine. My first lesson is making sure that you prioritise yourself as well. Mental and emotional wellbeing should be your priority going forward.
Learning to ask for help
Entrepreneurship requires us to be strong and resilient. We are often expected to be able to solve every challenge thrown our way. We usually avoid burdening people with our problems and try to solve everything by ourselves. But I’ve learned that asking starts the receiving process. There are people willing to assist if you express your need for assistance. My second lesson is that receiving assistance is not a problem, but it is the ability to ask for help that we need to get used to.
Be prepared for opportunities that you are pursuing
In pursuit of making sure that we have enough clients and customers to keep our business door open, we often forget to step back and check if we have enough capacity to handle what we are seeking. Jim Rohn in one of his motivations says never go to the ocean carrying a teaspoon to get water, but you must at least carry a bucket. My third lesson is therefore to always remember to empower ourselves with relevant knowledge and skills so that we are prepared for bigger opportunities when they land at our disposal.
Give Your Goals Purpose
We pursue entrepreneurship with the hope of making enough money to afford the life that we often dream about. I have learned that life is not about chasing wealth, but instead there’s a bigger purpose than that. My fourth lesson is giving my goals purpose. My goals should be clear and specific for me to be able to reach them. I am working towards creating 200 permanent jobs in the next three years. This is a goal bigger than just growing my revenue.
Manini Mbongwa is the founder and ceo of UWC Umsebenzi Wokwakha Construction in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, She attained her BCom Degree this year and is successfully running her construction company, making an impact in the infrastructure and property development space. She is also a mentor and coach for new entities in construction.