But it’s wonderful to have programmes like this, where we can openly talk about it. So it’s not just airy fairy, it’s not just the feeling. It’s actually practical – it brings results, lifestyle changes, great fulfilment, health, relationships, opportunities, travelling. You name it, it’s all there.
that shoot. The pace is insane and things go wrong. I get frustrated, I get angry, but I find that if I filled myself up in the morning, things don’t affect me as adversely and I feel I’m more balanced and calm to take on the stress and strain of the day. One of my favourite mantras is, “Things always work out.” It could be serious chaos and I just sit there, look around and remind myself, “Things always work out. After this storm, it’s going to calm down and when you come out on the other side, it’s going to be okay.”
MYD: Do you have any tips on how to know that you’re in the right space? L: It’s actually simpler than we think. The first thing I would recommend is to write down what you love, what you like or what makes you happy. Write it all down and then endeavour to make time for those things on a daily basis. I often say that we spend time on things that we don’t really want to do. Start recognising where you dishonour yourself by wanting to please others. Often we delegate our time to everyone else. You are a mother, you are a wife, an employee, something at church, but you don’t make time for yourself. Recognise that you have time but you just don’t dedicate it to yourself – so in your schedule you need to schedule ‘Self’. In that list include the things that make you feel good. Now do this on a daily basis. It’s a good practice – it makes you sensitive to yourself again. It connects you with yourself, your god, your soul, your sense of joy. You become fulfilled again, just by making that little effort. This is the kind of stuff that’ll sustain you through difficulty. When it becomes a habit, you will be amazed at how many opportunities will start opening up. You’ll start meeting the right people, you’ll attract the right ‘tribe’, as it were – people who are likeminded. Things seem to line up to assist you and that’s natural. MYD: Do you believe that everybody has a creative side that needs to be expressed? L: Absolutely – I think it’s part of human nature to be creative. Being creative doesn’t mean that it’s just art. We can be analytical but we always have a side to us that needs to create, that needs to express ourselves, and that makes for a healthy human being. You will be able to identify these things when you write down that list of things that make you happy, things that you love. You can be a lawyer, a teacher and whatever else that is deemed a real career, but somewhere in there is something you’d love to do just for the sake of it. You need to nurture that because that will balance you out so beautifully. MYD: What’s your take on our need to create balance in our lives? L: It’s essential. It’s taken me most of my career to achieve balance, but it’s so important. I think it’s also about understanding that life is cyclical. It goes up, it goes down, it goes over there, it goes over here, and that’s just the flow of it. How I cope with it now is to include as much ‘life’ as I can in every day. What I mean by that is: I know I’m going to face challenges every day, but if I spent time nurturing myself, it’ll be easier. I like to wake up, listen to the birds, the most random, simplest things, being ‘with joy’, spending time with my husband, and we make breakfast, and we eat, and I will listen to audio books. It’s slow but, as soon as the day starts, I am running, driving all over the place, doing this interview,
MYD: Lira, who inspires you? L: My late great-grandmother is my biggest inspiration. She had standard 2 education. She wrote like a toddler but she was a businesswoman, a street vendor, and she built the biggest house in our neighbourhood. As you walked down our street, you’d see this monstrosity on the corner. She was brilliant with her money and she just loved education. She collected people. There were thirteen people in the house and I discovered when I was older that not even half of them were our family, but she wanted to give people an opportunity. I am so much like her – I even physically look like her. She made me realise that where you come from does not define where you end up, and life is really what you make it. You are not defined by your past. She did her best with what she was given and she didn’t make excuses. I love that. Her lessons are very deep in me so, she’s really inspired me to be all I can be. She passed away when I was sixteen, but I think she would be super, super proud if she was here. MYD: I am very sure she would be. I have no doubt.
“She made me realise that where you come from does not define where you end up, and life is really what you make it. You are not defined by your past.” 52