She said, "Be gentle with yourself"

So today I attended a school's awards ceremony. I have been to my fair share of prize givings and today I was prepared for a long few hours of talks and award presentations with a fully charged phone battery.

However I was forced to  put my blog reading aside not because I was told to but because of the alluring, inspirational words of the guest speaker - Dr. Alloter. She did not lecture, nor did she tell us about her rise in her career, rather she spoke to the entire congregation about OURSELVES!

It really hit home that I first need to figure out who I am... Who I truly am, not base myself in the IDEA of who I'm supposed to be or who others want me to be nor should I measure my life against others.

I've come to the point in my life where I don't want to tell people what I do and if I do it's usually followed up by what I planned on doing with my life. Listening to Dr. Allotor today made me realise that I am happy.  Yes,  I may not be working the life I had envisaged BUT I am HAPPY!

Often I scroll through social media and look at my high school and university mates living their lives with beautiful images as proof of their wonderful "dream come true" lives and I feel why not me?!  I've worked just as hard, if not harder - studying, not bunking and getting through everything with just a single attempt! I have realised that all I need to is say ALHAMDULILLAH for everything I have. 

Who knows what's truly behind the images? Why should I care? That feeling of pride when I feel I've imparted something to another mind is the most rewarding feeling to ever experience!  I am happy and that is what I have always wanted.

So, "Be gentle with yourself" is a statement that I will keep in mind henceforth. We spend so much time idealising what we should be and less time focusing on who we truly are and what actually makes us happy. We get so caught up in our daily activities and forget to take time out to focus on ourselves. 

As I've matured and been exposed to the big bad world I've begun to notice that the ideals I had as a bright eyed teenager no longer fit the individual that I've grown into.  Some of the basic ideals have remained the same but the contexts have changed so some of the frilly ideals would have to evolve and today I got told that IT'S OKAY! - IT'S NORMAL.

It may seem silly that I didn't realise this but being the strong headed taurean that I am, I guess I needed an "expert" to tell me that IT'S OKAY.

So I have to tell you this and may you take it in and use it as a tool of positive reinforcement for yourself-

YOU are the most important individual in your life.  Friends, family and dreams will come and go but all you'll ever have for certain is YOURSELF. So be gentle with yourself...

xxx 

Saudaa 😘

I am...

I was going to start this off and say what I'm not, but I'd rather start off on a positive note of what I am...

I am intelligent,

I am smart,

I am funny,

I am kind,

I am loving, 

I am considerate,

I am driven,

I am religious,

I am emotionally balanced (at times),

I am brown,

Yes,

I am weird

I am IMperfect...

BUT

I am "ME"

I am a woman.

And I'm worth it. The time,  effort and affection, not only from others but from myself as well. 

Being the month that celebrates women ♀ as well as the month in which we voted to make a positive impact, I felt it apt that I talk about us women.

So often the value of being female is overlooked not only by males but by ourselves as well. 

I love the image that says, "Women who aim to be equal to men lack ambition, because they are already so much more than what men will ever be".

Focus on your strengths rather than weaknesses, but acknowledge them and work on it. I've always thought I'm only as strong as my biggest weakness. It's difficult to do introspection and find those weaknesses because you have to be completely honest with yourself. With me my biggest weakness is the "fear of failure". However I often use it as a powering tool that drives me to succeed. 

Think about your strengths and weaknesses and who knows you may find that misplaced screw that's hindering you from reaching your optimum performance.

Nobody is perfect to another person, but you should be perfect for yourself. Love yourself, celebrate yourself - I know it's easier said than done but just remember people may come and go, they may hate or love, but you're stuck with yourself so like my pj's say "Put on your big girl panties and deal with it!". 

Happy Women's Month my Lovelies!

Never feel alone in the jungle of life, there is always someone else in the same the same boat as you are.

And just so I can leave you with a promised smile

This picture is for you!

xxx

Saudaa