Taking Up Space

Receiving the above nomination from the National Arts Merit Awards was the highlight of my week!

Writing is in itself a long journey and self-publishing adds an extra dimension around being the business brain, marketing director and public representative of the work that has been created. While not an easy road, it is one that has made me very intentional about where I want my work to have impact and collaborating with organisations that share my passion. My goal with writing is bigger than selling books. What I really want is to help positively shape the next generation across Africa.

I have been fortunate to receive regular positive feedback from my readers about the strong impact my book has had on them as young people or as parents and counsellors to young people. This nomination hit different though. It feels like an invitation to take up space beyond the circles I can easily reach, and to think bigger. I believe this to be true regardless of whether I win.

In life, we will encounter opportunities that seem insignificant at face value or unlikely to work out in our favour. There are rooms we want to be in but they seem crowded, causing us to question if what we have to offer is sufficiently distinctive.

Apply despite your reservations.

Show up and speak up.

Take up space anyway.

In case you missed it:

You can read my

Daily Maverick feature: Dealing with Uncertainty ;

News 24 feature: Reflect, refresh, reset ; or

Listen to my 702 interview here