No power, yay!

When our lives are upset by big changes we need time to vent, to rail against the unfairness of it. And then we need to move forward.

Loadshedding is one of those big changes that have turned our lives a bit upside down.

We’ve done plenty of moaning about Eskom and the Government that got us into this situation. Yes they stuffed up big time. And yes they haven’t really owned up to that. Things will eventually change because new power stations are coming on line as well as alternate contributors to the grid. All the complaining has possibly contributed to getting Eskom and the Government to take the situation seriously and make some changes. Now it is time to move forward.

Continuing to complain isn’t going to change the situation. Unless you are taking yourself off the grid completely you will be living with load shedding for another couple of years. So let’s stop wasting our energy on the venting phase and get onto moving forward.

There are three main steps for moving forward from any big change:

·         See the humour in it

·         Find the benefits

·         Make adjustments to align to the new reality

With respect to load shedding we have been seeing the humour for awhile. South Africans are generally very quick with that. I’m sure you’ve seen the one, "What did South Africa use before candles? Electricity."

And some companies are finding a way to make it work for them. "Blackouts? We'll introduce you to switched on candidates," apparently appears on a billboard for a recruitment agency.

Last weekend we had two nights in a row with no power from 6pm to 10.30pm. A friend messaged me on Whats App saying she quite enjoyed it as it “forced” her to relax. I asked on my personal FB page what advantages others perceive in being load shed, and someone commented on how beautiful the silence is without electrical background hum.

So with a view to moving ourselves forward what benefits can you find in being load shed? Get imaginative! Who can come up with the longest list?

Thoughts and pictures have power

A lot has been said and written about the London Olympics so I wasn’t going to say anything but there are just two wonderful stories from medal winners which I want to quickly share with you. They are fabulous examples of how we influence our own lives with our thoughts and drawings or scribbles.

 

“I want to say that I beat him. I want to go out there and beat the best. To be the best means racing the greatest that’s ever been.” said Chad le Clos prior to the Olympics. (I love his positive language and his focus.) About Phelps he said, "Ever since 2004 when he won six gold medals, he has been an inspiration and role model.” "I have all his major races on my computer, I think I have watched the 100m butterfly Beijing final, when he beat Cavic by 0.01 seconds, a million times. I have it in seven different languages."

Now years ago I was told if you want to be successful pick a person in your field that you admire, and feel what it is like to be them.

Here is what Chad said after he won the gold and beat Phelps, “I felt like him, swimming that last 50 I felt like I was Phelps,” “I always wanted to swim in an Olympic Games and I wanted to be like him.” It seems it worked for him!

And here is a story about the enormous power of putting your dreams and inspirations onto paper:  

Flexibility

A bit of recent good news made me think how easily the outcome could have been different.
 

A little over a year ago, a young 16 year old enthusiastically participated in pre season rugby training hoping to make the First team. But he wasn’t selected for the squad. This squad would later become the first and second teams for the season.

He was disappointed, but after a couple of days he asked the coach if he could please continue to train with the squad for the experience alone.

When the season began he was placed in the 3^rd team. After a few games a player in the Seconds was unfortunately injured. Our young player got an opportunity to take his place for the rest of the season.

This year he did make the cut for the first squad and was selected for the Firsts.

And just last week, the now 17 year old, was announced as Vice Captain for the Golden Lions Craven Week team (provincial school age rugby).

I wonder if he’d have got this far if he hadn’t pushed for the extra training a year before?

And one more quick story.

A second year dance student had her heart set on performing at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival last year. However she wasn’t cast in any of the three pieces. All those not in the cast were told they could still attend rehearsals if they wished, and a few chose to do so.

Our young dancer worked at all the dances, hoping to be an understudy. When the final touring cast, including understudies, was announced she wasn’t in it.

However she continued to attend rehearsals. A couple of weeks before the Festival one of the cast members pulled out and the young dancer was asked to take her place.

In the new Dance Season, which followed the tour, she got to perform not only the touring pieces but all the new ones as well.

How different would the year have been if she had given up after the first setback?

 

Most of us have experienced obstacles on the way to a goal. When that happens do you only see one blocked path? Do you give up?

Sometimes we need to be like the young people in the stories above - creative, flexible, give a bit more of ourselves without a guarantee of reward. And perhaps we can still reach that goal, all be it along a different path.

Adjusting to Less Power

It’s just after 8 am and I still have power so I can pretty comfortably expect to be okay for the next two hours.

A few weeks ago I had a “to do” list that I slotted in between appointments. Now I have a “to do” list that’s marked “PC”, “phone” or “think”. Next to all “phone” tasks are the numbers. When the power goes off I do “phone” and “think”. “PC” work is measured in two hour blocks!

What does this indicate? Adjustment to change - sudden, externally imposed change.
It hasn’t been comfortable and it still isn’t, but it’s getting much easier.

Human beings don’t enjoy too much change and we especially don’t enjoy sudden change, and change on which we haven’t been consulted!
The initial response is usually anger, resistance, denial. If the change doesn’t back off then we eventually realise we can’t keep banging our heads against a brick wall and we begin to make adjustments - to look for the most positive way forward.

If we look back on other changes that we have been through – starting school, finishing school, having children, using fax machines and computers, cell phones, e-mail, internet, petrol rationing in the 70’s, water shortages in the 80’s ... we see that life moved on, we got used to it and we have to think hard to remember how it used to be.

I in no way condone Eskom and the Governments’ lack of planning, action, leadership and communication. But I need to accept the reality of limited power for the near to mid term and adjust myself to best manage the situation and continue to enjoy my life.

Leo and myself have made a few changes at home and in our patterns and are planning others. I thought to share them with you.

o Battery powered clocks
o Charging my cell phone more frequently
o Keeping a spare cell phone battery charged
o Getting a car charger attachment
o Ordering a laptop
o Not procrastinating when the power is on
o Solar powered battery & inverter so I can choose to run some things
o Choosing my driving routes so as to cross the main roads rather than drive along them
o Allowing more time between appointments
o Listening to educational or thought provoking CD’s in the car
o Keeping a book in the cubbyhole for other waiting periods
o Sitting outside to do things in the early evening – there is plenty of light out there
o Exercising, meditating, reading when the powers down
o Permanently placing candles and oil lamps around the house
o Having a gas appliance handy for cooking
o A cheap LED, stick on, battery powered light above the hob to see what I am cooking

If you have some suggestions of your own to reduce reliance on electricity or ease our lives please post them here, to help us all get creative.