So I was packing up some house items ready for the big move. I came across an old photo of my sister Monique, my brother Mwansa and I. That photo was taken when I was 11 years old.
I sat down and looked at the photos and remembered the little town of Solwezi we lived in for 18 months.
Solwezi was a great lovely town with a few open markets and shops. But what I loved most about this little town was the beautiful climate and the picturesque surroundings.
The land place was beautiful with its many waterfalls and massive green fields. Staring at the photo in my hand, I looked up to see my reflection in the bedroom mirror. I asked myself: “What conversation would I have with my 11-year-old self? What would she think of me? Have I stayed true to myself and did I do everything I said I would do and experience the life I wanted to experience?
We often forget to live in the moment; we worry about the future and look back at what could have been. The truth is that you are enough for yourself, for your family and for your friends. You are more than enough. You will be fine and you have always been fine.
Going back to my 11-year-old self, I’m very sure she would ask about the coffee and cheese in Paris and what the food was like at the 58 Eiffel Tour Restaurant. Remember this was a girl with big dreams who wanted to travel the world and work for herself. She wanted to continue speaking and teaching people. I would tell her that I am living the dream, that some of my dreams didn’t come true and that some of the best things that happened weren’t the ones planned. I would tell her that she will be fine, that she has to continue to dream big and put efforts into turning those dreams into reality.
We often worry about who likes us and who doesn’t, who loves us and who should love us. We worry about who said what and who didn’t, but none of that matters. What matters the most is how you treat people, how you love yourself and what you do.
In life you have to remember that some things will go according to plan and others will not. It’s how you respond to those situations that will separate you from the rest of the crowd. Are you creating your own path, or simply following the trend?
Remember that your 11-year-old self wants you to be enough, wants you to live life to the fullest and wants you to realize your dreams. She wants you to love her unconditionally, no matter what she has or hasn’t done. Because that 11-year-old self loves you and she is 100% counting you on you.
So who’s dream are you living?
You want to ask yourself, did I do everything I could with what I was given?
You want the answer to be ‘Yes, I gave it my all’.
