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‘I never lose. I either win or learn’

‘I never lose. I either win or learn’. These words were uttered by late Nelson Mandela, a revolutionary, philanthropist who served as President in South Africa.

For those who know the story of Mandela, this quote might be the most ludicrous statement to have ever been. After all, he spent twenty-eight years in prison, in conditions that were less than desirable.

Yet, reading the records about that time of his life I would understand the reasons Mandela would say he never loses, but rather dreams or learns.

Have you ever heard the phrase ‘When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.’ That is a less eloquent, more straightforward way to say every situation has a lesson to give.

The lesson just depends on the perspective you look from. When he was in prison, Mandela slept on a mat on the floor and oftentimes was thrown into solitary confinement.

He could have felt sorry for himself, been angry and bitter. But no! He saw this as an opportunity to become an advocate for the better treatment of prisoners. He ultimately won, as living conditions were improved.

He was forbidden to study for his law degree for four years. Again, he could have been angry and defeated. But, he used the time to garden (I don’t know why) and read.

He was able to understand philosophical and political ideologies that later allowed him to become one of the most respectable and effective world leader in modern history.

In 2019, the world was hit by a tragedy and COVID-19 came to interrupt the routine of our lives, destabilise our economy and shatter the things that were once stable in our lives. On top of the millions of lives we have lost; people have lost their jobs and could no longer provide for their families… Yet, as mentioned before, you either learn or win. If not, you simply lose.

For an employee, not only do you lose your job, but you have nothing to rely on. Perhaps the furlough was a bit of a help. But for how long? And did it really cover all expenses?

You must learn by realising that as an employee, you are not indispensable. In fact, the more expertise you have, the more money you cost the company. So when, your employer wants to sell their business, downsize or rightsize…. you will quickly become a liability.

This is exactly why you should take control over your own future. This is why you should now think about becoming your own boss.  That’s how you win.

And here at Recruitment Startup Consultancy Ltd, we are committed to help you make this dream into reality, by helping you build your very own home-based recruitment agency.