Apparently many of us are not very excited about our condition as a nation right now. We are facing very challenging times in our socio-economic life. Rising cost of goods and services, destruction and threat to life and national assets, conflicts and tension along ethnic and tribal divides, job and social insecurity, fear, anxiety and uncertainty.

I imagine you waking up daily worried and wondering how you will cope with the economic crisis especially. How much do you earn, how much can it buy, what else can you do, how on earth will you cope?

Cost of foodstuff, cost of transportation, cost of essential commodities, cost of clothing, electricity, fuel, rent, school fees; even social interaction. Things appear very difficult on all fronts and you can’t just seem to think of ways out.

Everywhere you turn, everywhere you go; the gist is the same. Things appear difficult for everyone. No one appears to have any extra money to spare or lend or give to you. The pages of the papers, the television, the radio all reports similar. Things are getting tighter, times are rougher, everyone appears to be going through right now and to many, it’s difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Your employers too are complaining, business is slowing down, patronage is low, revenue and profit declining and its looking like the suggestion to downsize may be the final resolve of your employers.

It has happened in similar organisations, probably some of your friends and colleagues have even lost their jobs recently and you can only imagine what they are going through right now in this hard times without any more monthly income.

You may not be very happy right now, you’re worried, tensed and just can’t think of anything you can do. You’ve decided to turn entirely to God for divine intervention and protection because as it is, only God can save and deliver you and carry you through this season which is absolutely true.

Even so, your faith and hope is borne out of fear not confidence hence, the anxiety persists, the worry is still there and you’re absolutely overwhelmed.

You try to think daily of what to do but you keep experiencing brain blocks. No flow of thoughts, ideas or solution to the situation.

My dear friend, as true as all these may appear and sound, it is not universal, it is contextual. Hmn.

Dear friend, what you see, what you understand and interpret about your life and your environment is a function of how you are, what you are, where you are and what you choose to see.

You may find it a bit hard relating with my submission this morning but I assure you it is the real truth and you need to follow and listen carefully.

You see all that is happening to you and around you no matter how scary, intimidating and terrifying cannot kill you, stop you or truncate your possibilities unless and until you let it.

Life by nature is never smooth, soft, favourable or gentle to any human being all lifelong. The hard and tough times in life have their purposes, relevance and value.

When the monstrous, intimidating and horrific seasons show up in your life, it usually can’t take you out without your permission. Life will offer you two options, to rise with courage and confidence to overcome the season or to bow and yield and sink with the storms of the season.

Whatever the outcome, it’s not the fault of the storms of life, it’s entirely a matter of your choice.

I know it appears logical to fault the environment, fault leadership, fault governing strategy, blame past administrations and gross mismanagement over the years, however surviving through this tough season cannot be achieved through the blame game. No matter how profound, logical and factual your opinions and submissions are, no matter how many people agree with your position, it really does not change your life quality, safety, and social security through the season, unless and until you do something. This is the season to act, not just complain and blame.

The worst disservice you can do to yourself now is justifying your lack of clues regarding solutions and way forward by blaming everyone and everything.

Dear friend, when people lack personal dreams and goals in life, they often fall victim of various socioeconomic policy turbulence.

When you lack a sense of personal identity, personal vision, ambition and destination you will hardly survive in turbulent seasons. When your sense of individuality, worth, livelihood is completely in the hands of environmental forces, you will be tossed back and forth and may even suffer a wreck in stormy weathers.

A dream, a vision, a life of purpose is like a rudder to a ship. No matter the situation, no matter the storms, there is always a sense of direction.

A man of vision and purpose in this season will hardly see impossible socioeconomic situations, no, in fact, all he’ll likely see are opportunities for relevance, impact and manifestation.

To all who understand and know, you will have come to terms with the fact that purpose is usually your assignment and service to mankind. You would always be driven by that passion to solve problems and proffer solutions as mankind requires within the context of your purpose. Hence in these hard times, the real truth is, opportunities abound in excess for everyone to come up with ideas and solutions, perfect it, make it applicable and get paid for it.

Many of us are confused and jittery and afraid of this season because our thoughts are fixated on cash, money, liquidity and the need to meet our needs.

Those who however, have their minds set on solution, answers and ways out of our current challenges are excited, motivated, inspired and passionate about the opportunity to be relevant and fulfilled. They don’t worry about money as money is the reward for solving problems many people can’t solve.

It may be true times are hard, but it is not true you can’t break through and record outstanding success even now.

If you dare to shift your focus from money and survival to purpose and problem solving, your fears will disappear instantly and your mind would begin to function effectively again. As you think and meditate on how to solve a problem in an aspect of life you’re passionate about, your perspective would change; you will regain confidence and self-esteem. You will not see yourself as a victim of the situation but a leader in your own rights.

You will suddenly realise it’s not the end for you, you’ll know these tough times will not last forever, you’ll realise you’re coming out stronger, you’ll begin to see opportunities everywhere, you will inherit the good in the season and survive gracefully and in glory. The threat you’re facing right now is not meant to destroy you, it’s meant to challenge you to come up higher in your thinking, your capacity, abilities and productivity. It’s generally meant to improve you in worth and value.

Dear friend, review your person, your location, your contacts and your daily routine and make that decision to change your world. We all have different worlds though we all live on the same planet. My experience is different from yours based on what I know, what I do, where I am and who I connect with. Your own world, not the whole world determines your happiness in life.

Stop chasing money, start thinking solutions to all our problems in this environment and once you have a good solution, money will start chasing you.

Change your focus, change what you think; change how you think. Be positive and expectant and eventually, you will come out stronger.

Dear friend, this storm will not sink you, you will overcome it; it’s all in your hands. Join the solution thinking people, let’s all move forward it’s the way out now.