Optimism, resilience and sustainability
Dear readers, while writing this editorial, the first words that came to my mind were inflation, gas crisis, shortage of material and skilled labor, followed by the generally poor prognoses for the 2023 construction sector. The Central Association of the German Construction Trades forecasts a decrease in turnover by around 7 %.
When I saw these words on my monitor, I quickly realized that what I was just about to write was exactly what I did not want to express. The year 2022 was difficult, as we all know. The year 2023 will also be a year full of challenges and of – I dare once again to enter the taboo word on my keyboard – crises. But that is exactly the reason why we must work on our optimism and resilience, in our jobs the same as in our private life. Optimism is not only an attitude – optimism is also a strategy for action. Optimists are not simpletons who close their eyes to the current state of affairs or to the world, or who gloss over the situation. On the contrary: optimists are ready to face up to any problem, and it is exactly this readiness, paired with the required resilience – the strength to resist stress – that I wish for all of us for 2023. We cannot solve all these problems, but we can all make a contribution to a livable future.
The topic “future” is inevitably tied to the topic of sustainability. A good reason for us to finally devote our own chapter to this subject - even if already frequently thematized as a general message or similar - also in BFT International (pp. 38 ff).
I wish you a healthy and strong 2023, full of hope and much enjoyment in reading your BFT International.
