Sometimes I wonder what little Abby would think…

When you grow up and begin to question what truly inspires you or what allows you to create and where your ideas even come from, you start to realise how much your environment has shaped you. It plays a huge role in your growth, confidence and your willingness to evolve.

Learning how to adapt and how to shift your mindset can completely change the way you see yourself and the world around you. In those moments, you begin to grow into new versions of yourself, feeling encouraged to become who you already know you are deep down. You start to believe that you’re going somewhere and that belief alone does wonders.

For me, aside from the usual influences like my family and friends, there have been significant moments in my life where my environment deeply and positively impacted me. Anything I take part in I try to give my all to it. I always aim to leave with something, doesn’t matter how small. Even the smallest lesson can hold meaning if you’re truly present. To me, that means I was attentive and that the experience I endured truly mattered to me in some way.

During one of the hardest seasons of my life everything changed when I joined a programme called 20/20 levels. I was in a very dark place truly a bad season but I was still showing up, even though I didn’t have the strength to be myself at all. I felt disconnected from who I was, unsure of my voice and exhausted emotionally. During the programme, one of our tasks was to talk about things that inspire us and not long before it began, I had come across ‘Hayley Mulenda Records’ channel (Check her out!).

Listening to her felt like someone finally speaking to a part of me I had been ignoring. She reminded me that you can share your story and still remain yourself. That you can be going through the worst moments of your life and still deserve to be heard. She showed me that pain doesn’t disqualify you from having a voice it actually powers it. Nothing we go through is ever easy but what matters most is perspective. How we choose to see our situation can be more powerful than the situation itself.

The way programmes like this have helped me evolve and shift my thought process is what I love most. The encouragement I gained from the lessons and the understanding gave me something solid to hold onto. 

Everything was done in spirit and it showed. It proved how being inspired by just one person can completely change your outlook on life and open doors creatively that you never thought were possible.

Hayley taught me that no matter what situation I’m in, my voice is the most important thing I carry. In seasons where negativity tries to drown you, it becomes even more important to protect your voice to not let it feel weak, silenced or empty. Your voice holds truth, strength and purpose, even when you don’t feel strong yourself.

Our voice is the most powerful tool we have and if we learn how to truly connect our mind with our voice in the right way, we become unstoppable. It’s never about who you are on the outside, it’s about what you’re capable of. You are far more than just a person. You are a blessing, you are grace and your voice matters more than you will ever realise.

Always remember to make every opportunity YOURS! – AK