LIFE HAPPENS FOR YOU NOT TO YOU

Finding True Purpose in a Storm

by Sylvie Tamanda

This is my IKIGAI…

LIFE threw me a curve ball in 2006. One that I didn’t expect.

Imagine going to bed on land and waking up in the middle of a deep blue sea full of sharks, ready to pound on your flesh.

That may sound metaphorical, but indeed the story of my life..

At only 16.. fresh and attractive to predatory men who wanted to suck the juice out of my youthfulness and spit me out at will, what was I supposed to do?!

You bet my survival instincts kicked in. Right on time. Some say my daddy was watching over me from from above.

Well I say God saw my struggles, discipline and willingness to survive without compromising all the values that my dad and mom had instilled in me, and God extended a strong arm of help out to me. ” My daughter, hold on tight” So did I..

You see, in life, things will happen for you not to you. Although I didn’t understand this when I was going through tough times, I eventually did when the storm was over.

My first son is only 9 years old but he has heard me tell my story so many times to young people that I coach.

And one day, out of the blue, he said to me ” mummy I think your daddy’s death led you to your purpose. That struck me right between the eyes and I became teary almost immediately.

He hugged me tight and said “mummy I love you, and you’re the best mummy in the whole wide world. I am so so proud of you and everything that you do for me and my brother and for all the young people.”

Read Higher suicide Rate in Poorer Countries. A case of poverty or ignorance?

Boyyy was he right… My dad’s tragic and painful death may have been the most traumatic event in my life, but it forced me to woman-up and to grow, and to develop resilience, tenacity and tack.

In fact, I was forced to device strategies that not only allowed me to live by the day, but to thrive.

Now, as a young woman in Africa, that was a really tough call. Navigating treacherous waters… (my young African women will relate immediately).

The good news however is that I made it to the shores alive. Though with bruises of brutal attempts to swallow me up, I survived!

And guess what, I didn’t dust myself up and walk away. Screaming thank God I made it alive, everyone else sort your self out…

Nope, I did not…

Although I wanted to leave my past behind me so badly, I was strongly convicted by the words of Dalai Lama “Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”

And Denzel Washington eloquently put it this way. ” We should not only aspire to live, but aspire to make a difference.”

So what then did Ms Syl do?
I turned around and walked right on back towards the sea.

It was time to save as many other people as possible from the evil sharks of this world.

Read The Grass is Greener Where You Water The Ground

And for me, the number one fundamental strategy was show them what their true potential was by

* Breaking their limiting beliefs
* Destroying their blame lists
* Embracing a success mindset
* Working towards their personal development and
* Gaining financial independence

These are the 5 things I did every single day to break free from victimhood, slavery mindset and the pain of dependence.

In an attempt to reach as many young people as possible, I created the youngandindependent.com blog, podcast and social media handles.

I started sharing everything I knew with anyone who cared to listen.
I really didn’t know what difference or impact I could make, until I started receiving testimonials of my teachings.

This evening, I got another one that moved me to tears.

There’s a power behind gratitude indeed!

And this right Whatsapp screenshot right here is my IKIGAI…

My purpose and raison d’etre. This is what crave to do for the rest of my life. To Set as many people free…

I want to help all young people. And most importantly, I want to help young women who are ;

– Struggling to find their voice.
– Who feel lost with motherhood
-Who feel stuck
-who want to earn their own

If that’s you, I invite you to join my private Facebook community https://www.facebook.com/groups/642342270695344/?ref=share ( Balanced Stay-At-Home Moms)

HAPPY A BLESSED WEEK AHEAD

#onelifeatatime
#findyourpurpose
#yoursucessisinyourhands
#ReceiveSense2022

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2 comments

Makia Jabea November 7, 2022 - 8:08 am

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a step, see how far you have come. One thing you should know is that winners never Quit no matter the struggle life goes on and time waits for nobody, so keep doing what you are doing even if it means preaching to the grass, take that as your audience after all the scripture says go preach to every living creature, it didn’t say every human.
More grace to your evangelism as you keep touching the lives of many who listens and are encouraged by your experiences.
Cheers to the future @Sylvie Tamanda @Youngandindependent.🥂

Reply
Sylvie Tamanda November 7, 2022 - 12:55 pm

ohhh my dear daddy J.. you have no idea how encouraging your words are. Thank you for giving me permission to match forward no matter what. I need to frame out this message and hang up where I shall read it ever single day. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Our day and time shall come!!!! One step at a time, and to the grass we shall preach if we must.

Reply

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