IN HER THOUGHTS

📸Elijah O'Donnell Reflecting on life, isn’t it an interesting thing? We all get equal chances to be new to the world and have a name tag on us. People celebrate the addition of a new member, empty yet full of life and a bright future. The journey of building your own brand begins with just your Name. That choice by your loved ones and the creation of an extraordinary image you build compliments the name.  My name is Ishvi and it means to be equal. My name appeared to be an alien to thyself either but, I gave myself time to understand what it really means and how it molds my true personality of the Brand Ishvi . Common sense with a bit of sanity kicked in and then I got motivated to write and design my own brand. It's full of good deeds, resilience and hard work for the Brand Ishvi to equal Success. I understand some of us don’t even know what their names mean. My case was different I have a name that gives a directive to be complete but the most important thing h

Going into the working environment is exciting and intriguing. The first time I was initiated into the club I had beaming hopes of how I was going to conquer the world. In my mind I thought what could really go wrong, it is just waking up and working right? But a thrilling horror awaited me, I realized that passing school, landing a job and being punctual to work was not going to cut it for me to last a day. Just like driving a car, the most dangerous thing to look out for is other drivers surrounding you. Meaning no matter how good of a driver you are, if you don't look out for those around you, you are good as dead. The same applies to the corporate world, you have to face whatever that is thrown at you. From different toxic characters or workmates, being taken advantage of, own self-destruction or other unexpected challenges are thrown at you daily. Well, I have had my fair share and it's highly likely I will keep on having fist wars until I'm five foot under. A

The art of listening is yet to be mastered by many people. We walk with placards on our heads that literally say, 'hear me, but I really don't care what you have to say'. Many leaders, individuals and even our bosses lack that. The moment they get into a room it is all about what they expect and usually, everything is already laid out. But then again, how do you expect an open conversation when there are already strict guidelines on what to talk about?  There is a huge difference between giving direction and taking over the whole narrative. Sometimes approaches prove having a position doesn't make someone a leader . The moment you state out ' what is ' and 'what is not' you have already taken the power out of their tongue and replaced it with ' Can this interrogation be over already '. Oh well, that's wrong, it should be a conversation, an exchange, not completely one-sided. Once one person dominates, it's no longer one and y

Often times than most, we seek easy gratification to our untiring hunger. Simple and clear 1 2 3 instructions, still some find it hard to just sit down, read, process and then act. Because of our need to fast track things we skip the important insights in the rush to get it over with. There is a difference between getting over with something and a great finish. It doesn't make sense to rush things through and do substandard work all in the name of wanting to be done with it. The difference is in the execution, it is key! Whether it's laziness or it's just not caring enough to do work thoroughly, only you would know. I'm in this employment group, many or at least a considerable amount of job opportunities pour in. That's a good thing. We are flourishing.  Whoop whoop! But, yes there is but, it troubles me how come there are still many people who join the group. One day it dawned me. As usual, people forwarded new opportunities, and people feast with a hop

The new decade is finally here and it makes you feel really old when you realise you're living in your third decade. The recklessness and free spirit of your quarter life years is fading and the middle ages are fast approaching. If you could turn back the clock or fast forward it you'd realise every stage of life comes with it's own challenges. So the year is a new one but the challenges are old because there's nothing new under the sun. You'd think social media is new but it's really just a mode of communication and communication has been there for the longest. And since people could communicate they would lie, cheat, pretend they're doing better than they actually are and spread toxic gossip. We might be young and living online but we're doing well. Those who came before us started world wars after all. I know a lot of people like me have resolutions and some don't subscribe to that notion which is fair and fine. Often taking differ

Please stop robbing yourself from what you know! I freeze I tremble  I blackout Expectation vs reality I see myself acing it but reality slaps the daydream off my face "I would love to travel the world but I really don't know." "I don't like it when you undermine my opinions and contributions but well I don't know hey." "I really like this guy, the only problem he is inconsistent. I don't know, I guess will see how it goes." Statements or compromised situations we subject our selves to. It's so funny how a few words can change our perception. It is true what they say: it's not about how you start but how you finish . More often than the usual, many ends a sentence with a few consonants keys, a soothing beat to make our mistakes enjoyable. We have know judgment so well we deprive ourselves of expressing fully. Ending with an 'I don't know' or 'I guess' waters down the pos

They say inner beauty is more attractive because it comes from within. But then why do we find ourselves feeling insecure about our bodies.  Whether it’s due to acne, cellulite, excess weight, not being able to gain weight, accidents, feeling too tall, having a weird smile or being too pale, we all face our own insecurities. We look at our bodies and nit-pick at every little thing that doesn’t seem to measure up to “perfection.” The term simply stems from the word Body image which simply means a person's subjective perceptions of the aesthetics or sexual attractiveness of their own body. It involves how a person sees themselves, compared to the standards that have been set by society. Hence, the issue of body shaming or body dissatisfaction. Body insecurity is a sensitive and controversial topic. It’s either the perpetrator lacks awareness of the damage or has no ounce of remorse or people normalize bullying or victims have double standards on what should be regarded as i

I have heard the tale of colonization over and over again. In different words. Different angles. But just the same storyline from different voices. But yes, they colonized us... what’s next? Yes, the education system is westernized, but what’s next? Yes, they gave us the bible, but are the papa’s and fake prophets spouting today their fault too? Trust me when I did history, I was hot mad that they made our forefather Lobengula believe a whole nation was worth a packet of sugar. Yes, I got mad that they didn't only rule over the land but also programmed how we are ought to think. Okay, now that is over and done with. Does that make me African enough? Ranting is now being equated to your Africanness. But for how long will we sing this song of what they robbed us? How long will we dwell on the past and not see the bigger picture? After all this,  what’s the way forward? By now you should be thinking why she always asks questions? Well, the question should be why shouldn’t she

Why isn’t there training to deal with the work environment? Why isn’t there applauds for new ideas rather than experience? Why does it have to have been done for it to be considered as great or even good, to say the least? Beggars are not choosers, right? Following the wind and the crowd is being rewarded while new ideas are being reprimanded. All we  have become are a bunch of yes men and yes women, no room for expressing your ideas because there is already a written manual of how things go. If you by any chance divert you either incompetent or under-qualified for the job. So basically, if it’s hasn’t been done, haven’t been heard or just simply doesn’t make sense to them based on their experience, it’s not feasible or as plainly put "just not what we are looking for right now." Worse off if you so happen to be younger or not their agemate and present something foreign to their long-standing rehearsed terrain. But just because of those few zeros in your bank accou

Ever wondered why no matter how much you complained about things whether it is the economy, your job or your job you never take action? Well, for the most part, is either laziness, fear of the unknown or rather circumstances beyond your control. The economy has messed up with our brains so much that even the unhealthiest workplace is seen as a Calvary. No matter how we complain or disgruntled we feel we still woke up, clean up, wear our best clothes and show up. Not because you love it but because we have no choice as it is of means of survival. Best excuses I have heard so far: "Things might get better." "Everywhere else is just as bad." "Quitting my job will look bad on my CV." "I might not get another job."              Lately the Ministry of Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting reviewed minimum wages per month for domestic workers as follows:                               This outrageous revie

It been 2 weeks to be exact and had no idea of what to write next. A complete black out… These are rare but they often happen 2 x month and we must be ready. Do you mind? I applaud storytellers, any creatives and everyone who is holding it down. It takes a lot to piece together art, ideas or any entrepreneurial efforts. Guys. This changed my perspective and raised questions I hope you will help me answer. Okay, let’s dive right in it. No time to waste here. Whilst at it, let’s scare creative-block out of its gourd. Say it with me: Let the creative juices flow… You think this is weird, huh? Okay, okay I get it. Don’t mind me flexing for a minute I had missed writing. Well, I’m back and I feel like we need to talk through these things thoroughly, all in name of supporting creatives! If you think I’m going to talk about something else, click back or the x at the top of the page. Part one of my goal in storytelling = seeking lessons in every experience other than sulking, and di

For years’ motivational texts have been telling us to ‘get up when you fall down’ or ‘never let anyone snatch your gift of being alive’. Good messages and I admit when I started my blog I was all about getting the ball rolling but never once did I think of what causes the ball to lose its life or even how to deal with the lifelessness before pumping pressure which most highly it is not equipped for. In case you lost me on the metaphoric language that ball is you, and the pump is what culture, backgrounds or what we are exposing ourselves fills us with doctrines and metaphysics. So rather than looking into the problem, we run to the know-sense, a quick fix remedy instead of patching up ourselves permanently to retain the new knowledge. Instead of solving the problem it is just a moment of relief until the real problem creeps back in to suck out the life in us. The ultimate question is “ why we find it so hard to talk about things that matter .” We have become a generation of

“I want to be famous, loved and rich!” Sounds dreamy right? That ultimate goal we peg  for ourselves thinking only if we achieve this we will happy or let alone feel good about ourselves. The game we play most of the time trading what we love with what we think will make us happy, respected and recognized. Is it a burden hunched on our backs by societal expectations or a facade  to compensate for our insecurities? Well, I believe it starts from an early stage where it was engraved in our hearts with an hot iron that, “education is the key to success” and what to look forward to is a job. A well-articulated plan with a step by step guide... it is school, school and some more school which by the way teaches you to stay within the confinements of formulas, theories and fixed sitting arrangements. For what reason? That is another mystery I intend to uncover. Anyway after the series of tests to regurgitate what you know, the next huge step is getting a job. The ultimate last pi

What was! Where ‘the’ story began… “If you want to dispossess a people, the simplest way is to do is tell their story and start with, ‘secondly’. Start the story with the arrows of the Native Americans, and not with the arrival of the British, and you have an entirely different story. Start with the story with the failure of African state, and you haven entirely different story.” Mourid Barhouti There is nothing that is disruptive as telling a people the same thing over and over again, even if it isn’t true it becomes embedded in them. What I’m trying piece together is that the way we tell stories have a definitive stimuli. The narrative about African women or any women has been the same song with poetic and rhyme to justify the stereotype. A single story that have been told in different versions. For so many uncounted years woman were defined in terms of barriers rather than their triumph. Can it be changed? The imminent question that lurks over our shoulders. Is there s