When the going gets tough…..

naomi kabura
Jul 24, 2017 · 3 min read

Hello, my good friends? Today I will be talking about change. Change is part and parcel of our lives. Many are the times we are faced with changing situations, and we just do not know how to react to them. It should be noted that changes can be both positive and negative. But how we handle these changes define the overall outcome. Our reaction to change can either make us better people or in a worst case scenario ruin our lives. I’ll give you an example of a real life change. Imagine a family moving from the city to the countryside. What are some of the changes and challenges they would face in their lives? An example of such a change would be access to electricity and water supply. While in the city the family was used to power which is probably not available in the remote areas of the countryside. The family would, therefore, have to face some challenges adapting to the new environment. Thriving in the village would rely on their response towards addressing the situation. Therefore, to finally come to terms with their situation it would require a lot of determination and a positive mind. Anyway, you all know what I am talking about when I say change and adaptability. Well, today I will give you my story.
Some times back I told you about the Andela self-learning remote week’s project. For the first three days of the week, I felt like I would breakdown. I had a lot of learning to do, deadlines to meet and the pressure was all over me. At times the negative inner voice would discourage me, and I felt like giving up. I felt like I lacked enough intelligence to do such programming tasks. Sometimes the negative mind would even convince me of how poor I was at programming compared to my friends. This was a challenging issue to deal with. I had to sit down and search my soul. In my heart, all I saw was how badly I wanted to become this great software developer who solves problems in the society (I still want to be). I want to build intelligent software and technologies that will make digital forensics investigations more efficient and provide cyber security solutions. But again my mind would challenge my heart. “But how could that be possible? you lack the skills.” Dealing with personal conflicts is harder than you think. You first have to fight the negative thoughts which of course could be a difficult task and challenge yourself to come up with some coping strategies. At first, it can be hard to solve the problem, but with time and dedication, you eventually find a way. I am a witness to that. Personally, I found a way to cope with my challenges. First, I decided to challenge my self to create some classes to my bucket list project. Although I may have missed a couple of things, I was happy I had made progress. That was a plus for me, and I once again got in control of my thoughts. So, controlling my way of thinking and challenging the problem was one way of adapting to the situation. I also coped with the situation by seeking support from friends. I listened to their problems and realized everyone struggles although at different levels. Now, I am adapting to changes and challenges by focusing on the good side of every situation. Besides, I can comfortably work under pressure. “my Friends, If you have no faith in yourself, other people will also lose faith in you. Today marks the beginning of another week of the boot camp, and we are working on site. Having not finished my last’s week project, I have to first finish before proceeding to the next challenge. Well, it is still challenging considering its all new to me. I am however happy and amazed at how fast I am learning. I believe at the end of this process I will be a better programmer and will keep of furthering my programming skills. Friends, let me get back to work, I will be updating you on the progress I will have made in my learning. See you soon.