Let’s get up and go, St. Vincent

Let me just say it’s good to be home and thank you for the support of my events thus far. I appreciate it. I’ve had a chance to talk to quite a few people in the last week, and I must say SVG is ready. This is the time for SVG to really adopt a get up and go attitude because so many people are feeling it but are too scared, too shy or simply too tired from being beat down verbally. Enough!{{more}} We need to build an island that is globally competitive.

Yes, I recognize that like any other country, St. Vincent has its issues and some of them are quite ugly and yes, it may seem sometimes hopeless when we look at the magnitude of the things that need to be changed, but no country has ever moved forward without its citizens first adopting a mindset that says, “In spite of the circumstances, we will move forward.”

My passion is seeing a workforce that can rival any other country, and although we are not there yet and there are many issues that need to be addressed, I firmly believe that we should start by focusing on the small pockets of people who get it and use that as a catalyst to make small but significant changes in the coming months. Before you dismiss this and say I have no clue how hard it is here in St. Vincent, all I am asking is for you, the person reading this, to make the change in yourself first and little by little it will become contagious. So where can you start?

1. DECIDE now to stop using foul language. My ears burn every time I walk through Kingstown and am bombarded by the obscenities that come out of the mouths of children and adults. When did we get like this, St. Vincent? If you hear children in your family repeating such words, correct them, but please do not “bark” at them. Simply encourage them with a smile and say, “You are better than that.” A world-class workforce cannot be built with foul-mouthed people.

2. WATCH the negative talk. Quite frankly, too many people now feel beat down and hopeless. The wind has been knocked out of their sails so when they talk it’s a long conversation about what’s wrong. Yes, those conversations are needed to vent frustration but not every day. Make it your business EVERY DAY to compliment someone. Are your words cutting people up and pulling them down or are you encouraging them? Watch your words, especially with your children.

3. EXTEND a hand to someone. Coming home has reminded me that no one makes it on their own. My neighbors and friends make sure I have an ample supply of mangoes, breadfruit and other fruits to enjoy to my heart’s content and I am thankful. Although that is a simple example, we are caring people and it’s time for us to strengthen that part of us that says we take care of our own. Does your neighbor need help? If you can, help them. Can you help a young person who has a dream and encourage them to achieve it? We have to look out for each other.

4. FOCUS on making us better. There are too many distractions that are keeping us as Vincentians from concentrating on what is truly important. We spend so much time cutting each other up and looking at our differences that the world is passing us by and we are still stuck arguing over insignificant things that have been elevated to a critical status. We are a family of people on an island that is so inwardly focused that we are beginning to cannibalize ourselves. Let’s look at ways that will unite us and push us towards a better future. Come on, Vincentians, we are better than that.

5. SMILE. Life here has drained the smiles off our faces and broken too many spirits. So smile – not because your life is perfect but because you woke up this morning, you live on an island where the weather is warm, you have access to fruit trees, you have friends. Find 10 things to be thankful for. Do it every day and adopt an attitude of gratitude and watch how your life changes. Smile because you refuse to let anything or anyone break your spirit and steal your joy.

Life and death are in the power of the tongue so today and every day going forward, speak life over our island, over our families, our children. I am rolling up my sleeves and doing my part to get up and get going by bringing four educational events to SVG in 2013: Man Rising Summit; Phenomenal Woman Conference; Teen Success Institute and Business Forum. Will you join me?

Karen Hinds is “The Workplace Success Expert.” For a FREE SPECIAL REPORT on Avoiding Career Killers in the Workplace, send an email to info@workplacesuccess.com
Visit online at www.workplacesuccess.com