By Pastor Ubong Effiong
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 2 Peter 1:5 KJV
One of the subjects I enjoyed most while in school was Biology. Apart from learning about body parts, the big terminologies had a way of erupting a euphoric atmosphere. I mean, see a word like, “pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis”. I just hope you didn’t bite your tongue.
The short form is p45; it is an invented long word said to mean a lung disease caused by inhaling very fine ash and sand dust. But there were shorter ones like oligosaccharide, angiomyogenesis, and photosynthesis.
These words seemed big at that time. But the one I loved most was “Metamorphosis.” It was easy to pronounce and was often used to speak about the transformation that takes place in the life cycle of a butterfly.
Butterflies are very interesting creatures. I loved it because I once had an experience growing up as a kid. One beautiful morning, I went hunting around our compound. We used to hunt for anything huntable like lizards, rats, grasshoppers, crickets, butterflies, etc. Then I saw a cocoon of a butterfly on a leaf. There was a small opening and a butterfly was trying to come out of it.
The sight was captivating and in my curiosity, I decided to stand and watch. For several hours it tried to push itself out of the small opening. After a while, there was no more movement. I felt the butterfly was tired so I thought I needed to help.
I got a broomstick and tore open the cocoon so the butterfly could come. It indeed came out but fell to the ground with a swollen body and shriveled wings. I kept watching in the hope that the body will shrink while the wings will dry up and grow to enable it to fly. But it didn’t happen.
All it could do was crawl around, shortly afterward, it died. Although my intentions were good, I had hindered the growth of that butterfly. What I didn’t know was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening was nature’s way of forcing fluids from the body to the wings so it could fly once it leaves the cocoon.
To experience a metamorphosis, that is, change levels through personal transformation, there is a price to pay. There is always at least a tiny opening, a window of hope to get you out of a cocoon. But you will not transit to the next level unless you are properly developed for it. Nature’s pressure and personal struggle is the key to a breakthrough. One way to “struggle” is capacity building. You should be ready to learn, relearn and unlearn.
*What Are We Saying*
Capacity-building is about acquiring, developing, and strengthening the skills, instincts, abilities, processes, and resources that you need to survive, adapt, and thrive in a fast-changing world. It is about adding and equipping yourself to be responsible, relevant, and ready for the better things in life. You can become anything if you’ve got the capacity.
Skills You Should Acquire
To have an edge in our modern world, there are skills you should have. I am going to list them here. As much as you can, try to acquire them. If you already have them, then develop them.
1. *Digital Literacy*
These are skills you need to live, learn, and work in a society where communication and access to information are increasingly through digital technologies like internet platforms, social media, and mobile devices. Examples are Programming, Web and App development, Digital business analysis, digital designs, data visualization, digital project and product management, marketing, social media, data analytics, blockchain, cybersecurity, etc.
2. *Technical skills*
These are hard skills necessary for many jobs. Whatever field of career you pursue, learn the technical skills needed to thrive there. You can learn Video/Audio production, Video/audio editing, Video/audio recording, Copywriting, Content development, etc. There are simple things we neglect like changing car tires, doing minor servicing and checks in a car, putting on a generator, changing bulbs, doing laundry, repairs of electronics, playing an instrument, etc.
3. *Soft skills*
like critical thinking, leadership, team building, judgment and complex decision-making, problem-solving, emotional intelligence and empathy, creativity, communication, adaptability, cultural intelligence, and diversity consciousness. time management, languages, etc.
*Principles Of Capacity Building*
1. Constantly evaluate yourself, and eliminate what isn’t working.
2. Constantly research to know leading skills per time and update your skill set.
3. Develop a personal development target for yourself like building and updating your library with quality books. Attending quality conferences and workshops. Taking professional courses and so on. No day should get by without learning something new.
4. Associate yourself with people who are passionate about personal growth.
5. Be intentional about improving yourself by learning skills that improve your earning ability. Never stay on the same income level for more than a year.
TO CONTINUE…
