Learn to Love- my story
Do I just have one story? No!
We are made of a multitude of stories, some good and some bad- but they all contribute to who we are. But we have to remember that our stories do not define us. Labels are put on us sometimes but that's not who we are ( I will have to tell you the story of a label that was put on me many years ago and that I dragged behind me for so long- but not today). It is up to us to control how we feel, it's up to us to decide what we want to put out, what we want to talk about, it is up to us to decide how we react.
For as long as I remember, I have been wanting to always be kind- kind to the people I love and kind to the people who are mean and jealous too. Luckily I haven't encountered many mean people but enough to know that I don't want to be like them. I can forgive them now but I don't need them in my life. I also remember not wanting to be like others, I never wanted to have the same dress as somebody else, the same things in my home- I just wanted the things that I loved- that arrested me.
It would be a total lie to say that I have always loved myself for how I look and for what I bring to the world. For a long time I couldn't see anything extraordinary, special or worth remembering about me. But then I realise I didn't have to- I could just be me and that was enough. I don't have anything I need to prove to others, I just want people to feel good about themselves, to cherish the connections and relationships that mean a lot to them and surround themselves with beauty (not perfection) and things that make them feel good. If I can make one person laugh, if I can make one person feel better, if I can help someone perfect their craft, if I can inspire then that's worth so much.
As we travel through life, events and stories change us and make us stronger if we choose, make us more aware if we choose, make us more able to see the good if we choose. The more we choose good I truly believe and send out positivity messages the more we can incite change.
When I had my photos taken by Nisha for her campaign Learn to Love, I decide to do it because I now feel ok about what I look like- but also to show that there is so much more than a face and body. I have had the chance to be surrounded by people who have helped me just be me, who inspire me to do better, who inspire me everyday. And I hope these pictures inspire you to be YOU- the Beautiful YOU.
By the way having your photograph taken is a wonderful experience- people don't see you the way you see yourself. I had to ask Nisha if she had retouched the pictures of me- she only retouched the background and played with the lighting - I am finally happy with being just me.
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