It’s extremely important to know who you are and what you stand for because when times get difficult not only will your sense of self get tested, but your values too. Knowing yourself blocks out all the unnecessary noise and reminds you of who you are without the doubt, failures and rejection. It creates a compass for when you need to pick yourself up and try again or move on to something else.

My level up journey began when I was going through a difficult time in my life. Although I had a very clear vision of the woman I wanted to be, I really felt like I was faced with so many obstacles at each turn that prevented me from being that phenomenal woman. Whenever I was hit with rejection or an obstacle, I would wallow in self pity for a few hours, maybe cry or do the ‘why me’ shout. But then I’d stop myself, I only had a few hours to feel bad then its back to the drawing board. This is a natural part of my character and I understand it may be more difficult for some. To make this process easier, cry, scream, shout or take a walk, do what you have to do to release your frustrations then meditate, pray or just take a nap. I mean it. When you feel overwhelmed, sometimes all you need to do is just sleep and yes, you will wake up with your problems still there waiting for you but sleep will calm you down.

Now here’s the important part, after you’re awake, remind yourself who the f you are. Remind yourself of all the obstacles you’ve overcome, all the badass moves you’ve ever made. I, like many others, believe in God, the Universe, a higher power. You’ve been guided through all these scary times so what changes now? While your mood is feeling somewhat lifted, this is the time to remind yourself of the goals you are trying to reach. You know deep down you can do it because when you made the goals you believed you could, if you didn’t you would have forgotten about them by now and living a very basic life and definitely not reading this level up blog. So give yourself, your guardian angels and God some credit! Revisit those goals, envision yourself again and again, you will smile because your goals will start to feel in your reach.

When it comes to knowing yourself, please understand that others may not share the same visions for your life as you do, so the thoughts, visions and goals you will have about your life may seem crazy, unrealistic or plain stupid to them. Remember, it’s not their goal to reach, it’s yours. Your plans for your life are personal, only for you so don’t expect someone else to see things the way you see things, it’s just simply not their plans. When you share your ideas always be prepare to be swayed and told to reach lower. Knowing yourself allows you to stand firm in who you are and the goals you intend to reach. When you face setbacks, you will want to share with the same people as they may be your family or friends who genuinely care for you and again be prepared to be told to give up or reach for lower goals that do not point you in the direction of who you want to become. I’ve had times when I’ve received a rejection letter for a really good job that would do wonders for my career and instead of my friend or family to tell me to apply for similar jobs elsewhere they would ask me to apply for a ridiculously lower position and that would leave me wondering if that’s actually how they view me and if that’s where they think I’m suited to be in life. But I don’t take things like that to heart, they are only trying to help after all. Just be thankful and do what you think is best for you, trust me they will be waiting to see the results.

 As an individual, if you do not know who you are, your values, your goals and what you stand for in this world, you will be swayed in any direction. You will find yourself living the life you never wanted and years will go by and you will see you’re nowhere near reaching your goals. It’s so important to constantly remind yourself of your value, your strength and your wins so that when times get rough you may feel sad but you will not be moved to change your direction or lower your goals. The only way is up darhlings!

Love Nothando x