Winter is coming...

Winter is coming.

Some who see that sentence or phrase automatically think of George R.R Martin's patriarchal character Ned Stark from HBO’s hit show Game of Thrones (if you have any complaints about how the show ended, please message me privately; we can console each other). The Stark House used the now highly popularised quote as their motto. Other houses in the show likewise have mottos. The wealthiest house, House Lannister, has the Motto “Hear Me Roar” to underline the power, strength and ferocity they want to project. House Velaryon uses the words “The Old, The True, The Brave” to boast about their valour and history.?“Winter Is Coming” is used by the Starks in reference to their vigilance. It is an expression that means one should always be prepared. They see it as a duty always to be ready for anything that could happen—and eventually, something will. Thus, winter is coming.

In South Africa, we are lucky to have topography, ocean currents, and atmospheric pressure patterns contributing to our pleasant weather conditions. I'm sure my fellow South Africans reading this have friends, family or colleagues who work and live overseas that ask you to turn your phone or laptop camera out of the window so that they can get a slight sight of the African sun. Of course, they can get cold, but in truth, even our winters are beautiful in that the average temperatures do not drop too far down. Having just recently spent some time in Norway, skiing is fun, but I'll take our dry, moderately cold winters any day.

Winter in the Southern Hemisphere is on the way, and we can cope with the weather change just fine. However, another winter could be said to be on the way. As a country, we haven’t had the best start to the year as we quickly approach the middle of it. Unemployment levels are still high. Political and economic uncertainty is rife. The bow around that is that load shedding continues to cut the lights. Reading those problems back, I retract my previous statement. Winter isn't coming; it could arguably be said to have been here for an extended period.

The Stark House motto struck a chord with me because they deemed it right for their motto to be active in the pursuit of security and steadfastness by always looking for an opportunity to prepare and be ready. A cliche today goes like this:” Luck is what happens when opportunity meets preparation”. Although a cliché may be, it still is poignant. As a country already in a figurative winter, operating in a globalised marketplace where opportunities only come to fruition when one is prepared and lucky means one must be ready at all times, not just for oneself, but to uplift the family, friends and fellow South Africans that make up the general community.

Crises are a doorway to adventure. The bigger the crises, the more inspirational and, let's face it, cooler the story will be once we overcome it. For example, no one is interested in how you had a perfect drive to work. The better story is how your tire burst, the spare rolled down the street, and you had to chase it like a madman, spanner in one hand, tie flapping in the wind to get it back, but still did your presentation and closed the sale.

This is a thematic thread throughout these posts. We have the opportunity to be the reshapers of our nation. The best way to do it is to be like the Starks. Always be ready and vigilant to take up opportunities to uplift yourself and your community. Winter is here. The outcome as to whether we thrive in it is in our hands.

Yours in entrepreneurship

Muzi Mtshali

CEO - Entreprenerdy South Africa

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