Is It Really New?

We tend to say Happy New Year, every time the calendar changes to January 1st. But is the year really new? What makes a year new to you? Is it the additional numbers on the calendar, from 2023 to 2024? Is it the energy in the atmosphere? Is it you? Have you renewed your mind now that you've had a chance to live for 365 days on earth and have allowed yourself to learn,  heal and do better, so that the next 366 days of 2024 will yield the results you've been wanting to see?  

What is really new for you in 2024?

What Are You Thankful For?

Often times we find ourselves complaining, wining and seeing life from "our cup is half full" perspective. We live in a bubble that allows us to think and believe we are short-changed. We do practice gratitude, but here and there. Every now and then. And perhaps when something major happens and we realized just how blessed we are. 

However, this shouldn't be the case. We ought to be thankful more often. Thanksgiving should be on our daily routine. When we wake up we can be;

Thankful we are awake

Thankful we can eat

Thankful we can talk

Thankful we can write 

Thankful we can drink

Thankful we can see

Thankful we can hear

Thankful we have in our lives (regardless of how they may be towards us sometimes)

Thankful for that job

Thankful for that spouse / fiancé(e)

Thankful for a roof over our heads

Thankful for the children we have and those we never got to have

Thankful for the rain

Thankful for the sun

Thankful for the clothes we get to wear

Thankful for God's favor, mercy and grace

Thankful in the midst of that trial and tribulation 

We don't have to wait until Thanksgiving to remind ourselves of the things we ought to be thankful for. We are to be grateful in all things and for all things, period!

Take a look at your life and start practicing gratitude, you never know what's just around the corner! 

Xoxo

Mamatembo Safari

Faith It Till You Make It

I was reading the Bible recently and I had a strange thought. Remember when the children of Israel would win battles in the days of Joshua when they entered the promise land, not because they were stronger than every other army, but because God would say, don't be afraid, go fight them and I will give you victory over them. Then it got me thinking. When I go to church and a Pastor says, 'increase your faith,' I failed to recognize that whatever it was that I wanted to see happen or changed in my life, was not for me to do it but for God to do it. So, I thought, the issue was not me believing in me, the issue was me not believing God can solve it. What a light bulb moment. Now, my resolution for the remainder of the year is, "Faith it till you make it." Have faith that God will do it because HE CAN, and watch it come to manifest! Whoop Whoop!! XOXO MamatemboSafari

Silence

Is it just me, or do we get to embrace peace, silence and calmness when we get older? I mean come on, who wants to be at a club on weekends? Who wants to hear nagging friends, kids (I joke), family members, co-workers, neighbors? Don't you just want to be in a place where you get to spend more time with your thoughts? Do some self reflecting, get to figure things out, pray and do whatever you wanna do? I mean, you can watch Netflix, or cuddle with boo (to each their own). But I really mean it, is it just me or is everyone in their mid thirties onwards just want to have more time in silence than anything else? It's one thing to have silence, but it's another thing to let your mind wander towards the negative thoughts. Our brains know how to gravitate towards the things that hurt us, the pain, the sadness and everything bad that's ever happened to us. Who can relate? (anyone??? don't leave me hanging!!) I know I sometimes catch myself having those thoughts like, why did they do this to me? Why did I let myself do or go through that? And it takes a second to jump from being present and sober-minded, to living in the past and being a victim. I hate that. So,these days, I make sure I have my headset on, when I catch myself having negative thoughts, I immediately divert to things that make me happy, that can be some good old-school music, funny reels, a nice movie on Netflix / Prime Video or my most favorite, listening to the Bible on the Bible App. Silence is fun, silence is good, silence is scary, but through silence is when we get to really face ourselves. But we need to know when to stop negative thoughts that creep in when we are doing "SILENCE" xoxo Mamatembo

What Are You Wishing For?

If wishes do come true, what are you wishing for? If wishes come true, only when you put effort into bringing them to life, what action would you take? If your actions required you to look within yourself, to change the things about you that are causing you not to move forward, are you willing to work on yourself? All things are possible, but the question is, are you willing to face the real enemy within?

PEPFAR @20 Documentary

I am excited to share a documentary that I produced for PEPFAR's 20th anniversary in Tanzania, under Alchemist Media and the guidance of Tanzania's very own Filmmaker Seko Shamte (check out her film BINTI on Netflix).

Love Didn't Fail You

Photo by Innoh Khumbuza

How often do we blame love when human beings fail us? 

Do you remember the thoughts and words that came out of you when your ex broke your heart? Do you remember that feeling you felt? Maybe you hated all men / women. Maybe you thought love failed you because you believed in it yet a relationship didn't last. You obviously felt rejected, and lost all hope of ever falling in love again. But wait, was it love that failed you? How many times before did you fall in love? How many times before did you fall in love and swore it won't happen again, but then it did? 

Listen, often times, we fail to recognize that we are our own enemies, we the human race. You played a part in the death of your relationship and so did your ex. You hoped he or she would change, you hoped you would live happily ever after. You envisioned a life more beautiful than a Disney movie. But alas! things didn't turn out the way you expected or hoped. But love never failed you. He / she failed you. If love failed you, then there would be no one else in this world that loves you. So why blame love when you have more people that love you, fight for you and wish you well, compared to that one person who broke your heart? 

Love never failed you. A human being did. Embrace love in whatever form it comes, accept the heartbreak and work on your healing. Love loves to love you.

Xoxo

Mamatembosafari

Whose Job Is It Anyway

Repeat after me,

I am responsible for my own happiness 

I take full responsibility for my actions 

I am aware of my weaknesses and strengths 

I am not perfect therefore I do not expect others to be perfect 

Lack of perfection doesn't give me or others an excuse to be sloppy, mean, or do the bare minimum 

I receive what I put out

I am a product of what I allow into my body and mind

Sometimes, seeing things the way they really are, without assigning them an excuse, will help you live a better life. A meaningful life, where you take your actions seriously, you work on your boundaries, you say what you mean and mean what you say. Besides, it's your job to make your life work! 

Xoxo

Mamatembosafari

Your Mental Health Matters

Photo by Lucxama Sylvain

 Happy February everyone!

I recently came to appreciate 'Mental Health' conversations that I am seeing on social media platforms, especially from public figures. I truly believe it's necessary to have these talks and make sure they get the amount of attention needed to reach everyone. I for one needed a mental health break two years ago, and I was eager to start seeing someone about it to help me put things into perspective. I am not ashamed to say, I do see a therapist whenever I feel the need to unstuck.

As much as social media is to blame for a good amount of our mental health issues in the recent years, mental health is among the consistent issue regardless of age group.  There is no shame in talking about it! There is no shame in seeking help. As a matter of fact, we ought to be more supportive of those who put themselves out there to seek for help. 

I did an interview with someone and she said, - She knew she was not crazy, she was just depressed because she was homeless, she lived in her car with her kids, she was not able to provide for them, she felt stuck. - I applauded her for knowing that she was depressed and the reasons behind her depression, and for seeking help which ultimately enabled her come to a place where she and her kids are no longer depressed and they are able to meet their needs and live a safe life. 

You don't have to be wearing socks and pajamas to work to know you are in need of help. You could be going to work and doing life as usual like any other person, but deep down you feel stuck. You feel stuck because you are in a miserable job, but you need to keep the job because you need the health insurance, you have to pay rent and other bills. You could be feeling stuck in a marriage that isn't going anywhere, you are miserable but can't leave because you are not financially able to provide for the kids on your own or you just feel bad for separating the kids from a two parent household. Or maybe you are not ready to let go of the dream you always had of having a marriage and raising your kids with your spouse. You might also be feeling stuck because each year you clock a new age but no major developments can be seen, you don't have your own place, you don't have a job that can help you live on your own, you are not married, you don't have kids, you don't have that dream career, you can't seem to overcome a health challenge. 

Whatever your "STUCK" is, it's okay to seek help! Speak to someone who will help you put things into perspective and navigate your way through this mind game, because truth be told, there is always a way out!