Right now I'm sitting under a tree. I know this doesn't sound particularly profound, but it's not something I often do. I am not the most outdoorsy person, but even I cannot deny the beauty of a tree. As the wind blows, it gives small groans. It sound s like it's in pain. And the rustling leaves sounds like soft music. It's incredibly peaceful and awe inspiring... A tree is really strong. It's built to endure and survive. But it is also stunningly beautiful. How creative is God?! He designed the most beautiful and stable creation. And if He made a tree so strong and stunning, how much better didn't He make us? We also endure tough storms in our lives and have to fight through wind, rain and thunder. But we, like a tree, survive. We are undeniably strong and capable of amazing things. I have many scars, like a tree has flaws in its bark. The flaws are what makes the tree, and us, unique and lovely. It gives strength and character and is a reminder to keep f

Everyday I wake up, I have a routine. I drag myself to the kettle to make coffee, get back into bed and go on social media for a while, before actually looking in the mirror for the first time. Who else gets a fright? I mean, frizzy hair, makeup smudges and eye-bags aren't the most attractive features. It takes me about an hour to make myself appear presentable, before I head out for the day. This routine includes makeup, a ghd, changing my outfit multiple times and 'bathing' in perfume and spray on. I'm sure you have a routine too. But have you ever wanted to just...Be? No worries about how you look? No makeup, no hours of preparation. Just simply being. Life is stressful and it's easy to lose ourselves to routine. It gets so bad that we cannot leave our houses without at least an hour's notice, so that we can splash on products which we wash off at night. Does it really make sense? Today's post is not so much of a message as a challenge. I challenge you

What is your biggest fear? The future? The unknown? People? Death? We all have fear. As someone living with anxiety disorder, fear is something I live with daily. It's like a monster crouched on your shoulder, waiting for his chance to ruin your life and dictate your thoughts. He's always there. He controls you, your thoughts and your actions. He keeps you awake at night, and keeps you in bed in the morning. He destroys your life...if you let him. Fear is not something to be afraid of. This might sound unusual, but I have a fear of being afraid. And if I'm not afraid of something, my mind finds something to fear. It's an endless cycle. But it's your choice whether to break that cycle. How many times did fear stop you from doing something? How many times did he whisper in your ear? I challenge you to choose not to listen. It's not easy! Being afraid is easy. But being brave is where you find your strength. It's ok to be anxious now and then, but what's

Failure is something no one wants to deal with. It makes us feel hopeless, worthless and tired. So tired that when we fall, we stay down. Our spirit is too weak to stand up and try again, so we give up and fall down, defeated... What if I told you that people who have failed are the strongest and most successful people. People who fall down, and get back up, are MUCH stronger than people who never fell down at all. They gain a tenacious attitude and strike the world with fire. Yes, failing SUCKS. It puts out your spark, and that's ok. But when you stand up again, don't just stand with a spark, but with a whole damn fire. You are not your failures. You are your progress. And failure is a part of progress. It isn't a sign to give up, but rather to take a breath, get up and fight harder. Don't let your failures allow you to miss out on your destiny. To fail is not the opposite of to succeed. It just means that your journey will be prolonged. And isn't the journey th

It's easy to become what others say you are: that you are not good at what you do. That you are not worth being around. That you have made too many mistakes to be a good person. That you have failed too many times to be a success...They put you in a mold, and bending to shape is too easy. I used to drown in these thoughts. The lies that others tell you to put you down, so that they can lift themselves up. Trying to make you forget your worth. People can be cruel. It's so easy for others to make someone feel like they aren't worth anything. They create a mold around that person, and they just slip right into their shape. What's difficult is acknowledging the lies, standing your ground, and being strong through it all. Difficult as this is, it's also critical to valuing yourself. Don't accept the mold others put you in. Be strong and different enough to simply not fit. Why is it so easy to accept lies and reject the truth? When someone used to compliment me, a m

They say it takes a month to break or start a habit. Just one month. 4 weeks. 30 days. It doesn't sound like a long time, but a lot can happen in a month. As someone with dermatophagia, I hurt myself a lot. However, it has been one month since I hurt myself in any way. It has been one month since I had a depressive spell. It has been one amazing month for me! In retrospect, it isn't a very long period of time. But it's enough to change your perspective. I started focusing on who I am, instead of the comparative 'who I want to be'. And I found that she's a pretty great person, not perfect, but unique. It took a month for me to find who I really am, what I love and who I not want to be, but have already been. I love what I found, and I can walk with a new found confidence and hope that I have never had before. And I didn't to anything particularly 'fancy'...I just took one month and devoted it to me. I encourage you to take a month. You do not have to

I am not a big fan of Tea. To me, it's a bit weak and boring. And the flavoured teas just try to mask the boringness of the drink. I much prefer coffee. Some might say I'm a tiny bit addicted to my coffee, but I don't mind. It just makes me happy. In fact, I'm writing this post with a cup in my hand. Most of my friends, however, enjoy tea. To them, it's their happy place, their morning wake up. I don't get their love for it, but I love them for it. Isn't it amazing that everyone is so uniquely different! So, what's my point? You are not everyone's cup of Tea. There are going to be people in this world who simply don't like you, and nothing you do or say will change that. Some people just prefer coffee, that's life. People are all different, with different tastes, opinions and interests. And sometimes, amongst two people, those things clash. However, you should never work overtime to please these people. You will lose the battle. Some people

In order for a wound to heal, you need to stop touching it... I have many wounds. More than I can count. Wounds of past mistakes, self harm, broken friendships, hatred...that's the worst one for me. HATRED. Hatred of myself to the point where I couldn't physically get up in the morning for fear of what others saw. I hated my being a slave to my mind, constantly thinking up new ways to hate, hurt, die. I hated my body, how it was never good enough or up to standard. I hated life. I hated me... I still have mornings where I stumble out of bed. Where I cringe when I look in the mirror. But my perspective has changed. Those wounds are healing, because I have decided not to touch them anymore. I have forgiven myself. I have come to terms with my life, and live it happily and healthily in ways I once didn't think were possible. I am not perfect, I never will be, and that fills me with the greatest joy. From my imperfections, strength can grow. I can fight stronger

Girls compete, women empower I am very ambitious, which is great. It makes me work hard, dream big and achieve my goals. But it also makes me ridiculously competitive. It's difficult when I don't 'win'. This sounds terrible, but it's a very real struggle for me and a few other people I know. When someone else succeeds, we feel that we have failed. This is so far from the truth, though! What I have had to learn, is that by celebrating another's success, you will not dampen your own. Another's success is not your failure. You should strive to EMpower others, not be IN power yourself. Empowering someone isn't always simple. Sometimes they will rub things in your face. Sometimes they will never let you hear the end of it. But the people worth empowering are those that empower you in return. Now, I'm not saying strive to be better than those who don't empower you, or be rude or catty. All I mean is that true friends empower one another.

I am not the world's definition of beautiful. I have big thighs, a double chin, large legs which are out of proportion, a tummy and hair which is frizzy beyond belief. I am not what you see in magazines or on TV. I am not petite or small. I am not society's model....but I am not ashamed.  See, society changes their minds a lot! One day, it's sexy to be skinny. The next, curves are the new infatuation. One can't keep up. However, one thing they succeed in every time is making girls feel inferior. And we fall for it.. What if we just didn't listen. What if we dictated what was beautiful instead of letting others tell us. What if we were confident regardless. We have to stop comparing ourselves to the ridiculous expectations presented to us. We have to stop comparing ourselves to the girl sitting beside us. We need to start defining our own beauty. Set your own standards! Confidence is the most beautiful thing you can have.  Do no

I was always academically inclined at school rather than sporty or popular. Of course, that put an instant target on my back. People mocked me, shunned me and refused to be seen with me. It felt horrible. The worst part was, though, that people looked down on my dream. See, from a young age I was incredibly ambitious. I knew I wasn't going to be an employee, but a boss. So I started working for it. But if you constantly hear that you will never achieve your dreams, you start believing it. My marks started to drop drastically in grades 9 to 11. Granted, I wasn't failing, but I wasn't achieving what I knew I could because I simply believed there to be no point to achieve. I had given up on my ambition. Things started to change in my Matric year. I got my tenacity back. The only explanation I have for this change is prayer and a God who never gave up on me, even when I gave up on myself. I ended up matriculating top of my class, and to be honest I still can't believe i