Covidly Skilled, Coronally Acquired

“Those who traverse the unchartered are daring enough to explore new possibilities and forge pathways to a thriving and innovative world.”

— Emmanuel Apetsi

Hands akimbo, glaring eyes gazed on my computer’s screen, my mind calculating a plethora of possibilities, and quite befuddled, this was my exact reaction the moment I read the headline on a major news website that described the coronavirus. If I recall, the article vividly informed how the virus was gaining ground in the first discovered country.

Without a doubt, I was worried about what humanity was about to experience, for I knew every century, our planet resets. I had read “End of Days.” – a book by Sylvia Browne & Lindsay Harrison. The book, which is in three parts, gives an account of how the earth, our society’s landscape, and our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health have the tenacity to shape our decisions and future.

While Covid-19 was wreaking havoc, leading to total lockdown in several countries, deaths of millions, the collapse of businesses and economies, and the general well-being of individuals, I noticed I could harness something good out of it to hone my skills. 

Crossroads

As one of my frequent sayings goes, “Those who traverse the uncharted are those daring enough to explore new possibilities and forge pathways to a thriving and innovative world.” With this in mind, I became adept at adopting new strategies that enabled me to adapt to the pandemic’s change.

As a founder of two (2) NGOs, developer of three (3) unique world-class algorithms which are yet to be released, and over ten (10) unique startups, I tasked myself to invest in me. Why? This quote has been hitched to my thoughts, “Don’t be led astray. The best investment you can ever make is self-investment, and it pays the highest rewards. Invest now or regret later; it’s that simple.” To make my self-investment come to fruition, I read many good books on leadership, attitude, business, relationship, startups, and innovation.

To bootstrap some of my startups, I freelanced and worked remotely to develop blockchain, Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), Climate solutions for businesses, and so much more. I also took some online courses offered by Google developer skills for Africa, Coursera, Codeacademy, Edx, and Skillshare.

Amongst all the skills I acquired during this journey, one stood tall above them all, my BRADeTA training. Under the auspices of my school’s competent and futuristic dean at the University of Ghana and the Design Thinking Ghana team lead, I was positioned to look at problems and the world from a design thinking perspective, something I had not done before.

High-road Transfer

During this training, I carved my definition for design thinking: “Design thinking is an infinite process of user-centric innovation that comes from a designer’s perspective and toolset and unleashes creativity to help achieve targeted goals.”
It was a 40-week-long journey, and it paid off as I was well equipped to apply what I had learned to my numerous startups and was ceremoniously certified alongside other trainees.

While I was doing these, the wise saying of Socrates dawned on me “The more I know, the more I realize I know nothing.” Yes, Knowledge is limitless since knowing everything entails knowing everything about everything in the cosmos. However, the cosmos is endless.

One might ask, what do my startups aim to achieve? With a wide array of startups in my arsenal, they aim to tackle issues related to climate change, space exploration in Africa, and Automobiles. Robotics, cybernetic enhancement, fintech, agriculture, energy, IoT, entertainment, real estate, blockchain and cryptocurrencies, commerce, and software development are areas where I aim to reinvent and create jobs for millions. I have always believed that “fearlessness is the mother of reinvention.” —Huffington.

Forging the Innovation Pathway

My firm resolute has been to let technology inundate my heart and mind to enable me to unleash creativity to innovate since it’s the primary dispensation for the youths. The voices and hands that are to create a future for us are receding into oblivion; this is why we need to be technologically inclined and well-versed in world-changing tools to enable us to forge a new era.

Furthermore, let us not forget that we are at the bridge’s center, the bridge of life. We serve as a linkage between those entering this world (the young ones) and those leaving this world (the older ones); for this reason, the world’s weight rests on our shoulders, we, the youth. Here’s a nugget for everyone trying to make the world a better place, anyone whose shoulder the world’s challenges rest upon; “Don’t let the fear of failure stop you; The world needs your greatness.” —Emmanuel Apetsi.

Now you know I have been “covidly skilled and coronally acquired.” Cheers to a better future!