Category Archives: True Stories

When Life Gives you Lemons

May 10, 2017 By in Lifestyle, True Stories Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , 32 Comments

When life gives you lemon, make lemonade! That has been one of my mottos for as long as I can remember now, and it resonated with me so much in the last few days.

These last few days have been very hard. But I am a born fighter, it is in my DNA, so I usually get right back to business as usual, as soon as I can.

 

lemon-2252186_1280

 

But I must confess, these last couple of days have been so draining. I have been drained emotionally and physically, which is why I have been unable to write as much I use to, which is very unlike me. I was still writing every day with newborn twins, and I thought nothing else could be as hard as that, but I was so wrong! But hey, when life gives you lemon, you make lemonade right?

Without going into too much detail, last week was full of stress from start to finish. From dealing with the most annoying blogger ever in my outreach world, to chasing late payments, and to dealing with even more stress at home with the kiddies. I started the week stressed and I ended it even more stressed.

Fashionista Image

 

But I am here! I have bounced back from last week’s stress, and gradually going back to my usual work routine and feeling myself again.

So how exactly did I make lemonade out of the lemons life gave me? Well, one way is in my outlook of life. These ups and downs help me appreciate life and the little things like waking up everyday and feeling well enough to get out of bed and jump in the shower. It is amazing how many of us take these things for granted, thinking it is our birthright!

This stressful time also made me trust my intuition even more because I kind of daydreamed it all coming, only for it to start happening, if that makes sense.

This experience has made me trust my instincts and listen to that inner voice a lot more. They are yet to fail me.

Another thing I have learnt is to just sit back and relax when life becomes crazy, which is what I did.  If we recharged ourselves as often as we recharged our gadgets, we won’t have a problem. I have learnt to just go with the flow, and take things easy.

How do you make lemonade from the lemons life gives you? Please drop a comment in the comments section below. You might be saving a life.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

The Ugly Side of Freelancing

March 31, 2017 By in Freelancing/Self-employed, True Stories Tags: , , , , , 50 Comments
Hey friends. It feels like it’s been ages I wrote a post straight from heart, and it feels great writing this. Believe it or not, I drafted this post on my iPhone whilst feeding my kids dinner and listening to my African playlist on Spotify. Yes I like to multitask like that!
Life has been busy. From dealing with endless cold symptoms, stress, annoying clients, and everything else in between. These last 3 months has been one hell of a rollercoaster in the dark. I have hardly had the time to write as much I would love to. If you have noticed, I have only been managing to post once a day which is unlike my usual schedule, but what can I say, life happened.
I have now decided to get rid of anything and anyone that would put me under unnecessary stress, I don’t have to deal with. Life is too short to spend the time stressing. The first quarter of 2017 is almost over, and I feel like it has just passed me by, which is kind of frustrating. I have spent more time sorting other people’s business, and I let mine to fall behind.
One thing I have discovered is that there is definitely a very thin line between love and hate, and I am crazy in love with my life and working conditions, I won’t let anyone make me hate it. Which is clearly what I see happening if I continue dealing with some of the clients I am working with. Some of them are just impossible to please.
Without giving too much away, the main issue I have with these people is that I manage their expectations a bit too much. So I won’t let them build castles in the air, or let their expectations exceed their reality, or allow them to expect to get more than they should, if that makes sense, and that is where our worlds collide. Some people are happy leaving in a fantasy world, and expecting everything for nothing, but I am unable to function that way.
However when it comes down to it, the ball is in my court. I have to decide who I am happy to work with and what conditions I am willing to accept, and stick to it. I also need to avoid using certain websites to source for jobs. The crazies all seem to be on certain platforms, so they are best avoided.
I guess that is the ugly side of freelancing no one tells you about. The great expectations from clients looking to pay the bare minimum for the job that needs doing. The chasing of invoice is another annoying part of being a freelancer but I think it all comes down to the client. Some clients are just very difficult to work with, and are best avoided, while some are truly amazing!
My advice to any newbie freelancer would be to try as much as possible to cut out the middleman websites. The cuts they take are a lot and the clients you find on there are usually not worth the hassle. You could get lucky but I am yet to see any good in them. Instead, make the most of social media, word of mouth and offline recommendations if possible.
Do you freelance? How are you finding it?

World Glaucoma Week

March 15, 2017 By in True Stories Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , 26 Comments

If you have been reading Fashion and Style Police for a while now, you would know all about my outfit posts, and how much I love having my sunglasses on. Apart from the fact that I believe sunglasses are so stylish, and have the power to give an outfit the ‘WOW’ factor, I also like to have them on because it stops me from squirting and blinking endlessly.

 

 

For those who do not know, I am short-sighted, and have been for many years. I was diagnosed very early in life which was great. I was struggling to read what was written on the board at school, and all members of my immediate family were short-sighted so it was a no brainer really. I was introduced to the world of spectacles, which I hated, but they made my life easier, so I had to get on with it until contact lenses came around, and I became old enough to manage them.

I now wear contact lenses which I prefer, but I still find myself falling back on my glasses every now and again.

My experience with my eye sight has made me appreciate the little things many people take for granted, like just being able to read and see clearly with any help. That’s why I encourage everyone to get their eyes checked regularly, especially parents and their children who may need kids glasses from an early age.

 

 

This week is World Glaucoma Week, and it has got me thinking a lot more about my eye health, and the many people I know affected by Glaucoma. Many of us tend to take the health of our eyes for granted, I know I do. I always have to be reminded to book my yearly routine eye checks, and most times, I take these eye checks for granted. I consider them just ‘routine’, but these ‘routine’ checks can save sight, can save lives!

In support of World Glaucoma Week 2017, NRS Healthcare has put together an informative guide, infographic and interview, to raise awareness around glaucoma in support of World Glaucoma Week 2017.

 

 

Here are 5 facts you need to know about Glaucoma –

  • Glaucoma is an eye condition where the optic nerve, which connects your eye to your brain, becomes damaged. It can lead to loss of vision if not detected and treated early on.
  • Glaucoma is a common condition, but 1 in 2 people are unaware they have this condition at first because it has no symptoms in the early stages.
  • It can affect people of all ages, including babies and young children.
  • Regular eye tests are very important as an eye test can detect Glaucoma.
  • Without treatment, it can lead to blindness.

 

Are you or anyone you know affected by Glaucoma? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below, and please remember to share this as well to help raise some awareness. Thank you.

 

*Collaborative Post.

 

error: Content is protected !!