Tag Archives: Persistence

Don’t Sleep on Yourself

Featured

Posted by in Dreams, Experiences, More Action, Motivation

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

I was looking through Instagram as you do and I came across the fabulous shoe designer Monika Chaing. After browsing through a few of her pictures, I was transported back to 2010 when I had aspirations of creating a shoe line that would represent all the different sides of me-I love shoes!

That same year I was at a club with Jon B (yes the Jon B) and he commented on how he loved my shoes and that his wife would love them too.  A tiny piece of me died inside, talk about missed opportunity. The shoes I was wearing at the time were not my own design, there were a pair of Kurt Geiger shoes, but just imagine if they were? Ugh.

Thing is I had been working on the shoe line but was yet to have a product in my hand. I thought to myself if only I had a little bit more time I could have passed on my details and the rest would have been history.

Needless to say that over time I became weary and stopped trying.

Looking through Monika Chaing’s feed reminded me of that and all the other ideas (there have been many) that I had started, made progress on and then shortly gave up on. Where would they have been now if I persisted? What could I have created within the last 10 years if I had stuck through all the obstacles that I would have faced? I don’t even want to think about it, but I do know there’s a high chance I wouldn’t be sitting behind my work desk typing this.

What I hadn’t realised at the time was that dreams do not manifest overnight. They are like babies, they have to be nurtured and attended to constantly. Did you hear me? Constantly!

Now I’m not about to be all self-deprecating after all I have blogged for 3 years and that for me is an accomplishment!

Do something now that your future self will thank you for. It could be in any area of your life, great or small. Start and persist with it and remember Rome was not built in a day.

You owe it to yourself to live out your dreams to the fullest.

Xo

Today, I wanted to give up

Featured

Posted by in Experiences, Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

A smile is not always an indication of good things but often a shield of something worse.

This is a little bit personal, a lot a bit personal even.

Today, I wanted to give up. I still do. Give up as in close up shop, kick the bucket, call it quits, permanently.
And no this is not a cry for help, more so an exorcism of the decaying thoughts that sometimes penetrate my mind.
I wanted to give up because these obstacles seemed too great for little ol’ 5’2″ me.
I try and try and try to do and be better, but the universe won’t let me be great and I’m tired.

Imagine you’re building a wall and every couple of layers you build, it breaks down and you have to start all over again. This is what 2016 has been like, thoroughly kicking my ass all over the place and today I thought, that’s it, I don’t want any parts of it anymore, I’m done.

Having such ‘thoughts’ has been with me since I was a child. Some people are more susceptible to it that others, I am one of the some people. Everyone has their demon and mine is currently dancing and causing havoc in my head.

You might think why write this Irene? Well, life isn’t always easy and a bed full of roses. I’d hate for someone out there to look at my life and think I have it made and that I don’t go through shit, nope, sorry, regular folk just like you. If my openness allows someone else to relate and not feel so alone, then I think that trumps my need for privacy. As Nina Simone says and I quote, “An Artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times” and as a writer, this, is one of those ‘times’ for me.

In my moment of bluergh-ness, I want to encourage someone else to not to give up. Hypocritical I know, hey, I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t sometimes tell you things that I myself don’t feel like doing.

Confide in the people you trust and ask them to support you. I had to do that today otherwise my last post may have been the last time you’d have heard from me. Not because I’d necessarily be 6 feet under but because I’d had given up on my purpose, like f*ckallthisshit kind of give up, shaveallmyhairandnotbath kind of give up, but thankfully my friends have literally poured into my life-Thank you. Oh, there goes my doorbell, no doubt, one of my friends, coming to check I’m alive. Yup, I was right…
The older you get, the more you understand Britney Spears episode, although to be honest, I got it then. I got it because I’d been dealing with difficult situations most of life.

Anyway back to me telling you to do what I don’t want to do. One of my friends shared something that she had been doing to get by and it honestly made so proud of them and secondly, inspired. They are doing ALL they can to not give up and create a better life for themselves, with the very bitter lemons they were served. If they can, I can, you can.

So what I’m saying to you is, I’m not giving up just yet, and that I will keep on trying and giving it my best, even when the bricks crumble. I hope that this very raw and melancholy sharing, will at least make you feel like you’re not alone and if not, hit me up, we can wallow in self pity together- Just kidding, I can’t encourage that, instead we’ll build this wall together quicker, stronger, longer.

XO

 

Ain’t too proud to beg…

Featured

Posted by in Experiences, Life, More Action, Thoughts in motion, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

I am about to be a hypocrite with what I say next, but this specific mission is a challenge for me too: It’s okay to ask for help.

Did I just lose a limb saying that? Nope, I survived.

I was raised by a very proud and strong-willed mother, so naturally I would have her traits-Go figure!

I find asking for help to be quite a task, because in some way I have been cultivated to see it as a sign of weakness. If someone offers help, I’ll be much more likely to accept it albeit with hesitation, but to ask for it? Oh boy.

I am here to declare today that asking for help will not kill you, instead you’ll have a better chance at succeeding. What’s the worst that could happen? They say no and then? You move on to the next person.

I was told once ‘No man is an island’ and this idiom is categorically true as we are all connected in one way or another.

When people say they are self-made, I laugh, because that ‘self-made’ individual was assisted by someone who believed in them, someone who saw value in them, without others to invest in us, where would we be?

Do not suffer in silence, ask for help if you need it. Do not let pride stop you from excelling.

Pause: I just asked for help and was rejected. I think the next half of this should be on rejection.

I asked a thriving business owner if I could shadow her while she worked, kind of like a one day internship. I mean what better way to become more informed than to follow someone’s work? Well I guess she thought otherwise and I was rejected for the one-millionth time in life lol. I can’t tell you how many times someone has said no to me in one capacity or other. Should I close up shop and call a day because they said no? HELL NO!

You dust yourself off, adjust your crown, and continue to knock on the doors, windows, and buildings of opportunity until there is a crack! It might not happen today but it will happen!

Nothing fuels me more than someone not believing in my abilities, if they don’t care for your life or business, there is someone out there who will!

Don’t give up, don’t give in, do keep trying, do keep learning, do keep evolving!

It’s a matter of time, its not ‘if ‘ its ‘when’. 

XO

P.s I think I used about 100 exclamations marks, I was passionate huh?

Candid moment: No bad situation is permanent.

27 Wednesday Jul 2016

Posted by in Experiences, Life, Thoughts in motion

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

Last night I was racking my brain on what to write for today’s blog, nothing came, I was uninspired.
Then I woke up this morning and was immediately faced with a hard decision, bingo! There was my subject matter.

The decision was of a financial nature and we all know how that goes. In fact, the past few months have been extremely trying. I have been performing magic tricks to make everything work and I’m not exaggerating! I didn’t know I was that talented. 

So this morning, whilst figuring out what my next trick would be, I repeatedly reminded myself that ‘this is temporary, I’ll be onto something better soon’. 

I’m not even going to front, there have been times where I have thought, I am so going to settle for mediocrity right now, and just give up the good fight, what is the point?! But the way my whole life is set up, that would never work. So I return to the drawing board, change my language and refocus.

When times are particularly challenging, it’s easy to think that you’ll be in this place forever, that it will never get better and there’s little to no hope, my life experiences however, have consistently shown me otherwise: there is more, there is better, and it can always happen to you. 

I believe that miracles are happening all the time and everywhere, I am living proof of that. If I told you some of things I have dealt with and overcome, you’d probably look at me funny from there on out, because I either could have been institutionalised or worse, dead. 

I want to encourage you to not let up, keep moving forward and continue to do the best you can, it will pay off! There is a season for everything, and if it’s hard for you right now (as it is me), consider this the germination stage.

Take solace in knowing that your current status is not permanent and better times are indeed, around the corner.

Write down some mantras and repeat them to yourself when you feel your energy and enthusiasm is beginning to wane. Refocus on the good things, if you have experienced good times before, you certainly will have them again, just believe. 

XO