I’m a freelance writer based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
I started writing when I was 9. I wrote a story about a tiger and proudly handed it in to be graded. When it came back, the first thing I noticed was a big red line drawn across the page. According to my teacher, there was no way I could have written it. She reckoned it was too good to be true and gave me zero.
That moment sparked something in me. Instead of shrinking in shame, my tummy fizzed. Perhaps I do have magic in me, I thought. So I wrote some more and sure enough, the more I leaned in to what I was good at, the better I became and the more the magic flowed. And the more my tummy fizzed.
I now run a business writing for a living!
Photo by Leah Kelley
I also teach people about that magic and nothing gives me bigger pleasure than watching people and brands come alive when they find the right WORDS to use strategically in order to achieve their unique objectives.
Because let’s face it, we are ALL creative beings at heart. We ALL have a story that only we can tell and deep within we ALL have a desire to leave our unique creative imprint on this world.
I lucked out with that zero. Without it, who knows where I would have been.
If you’d like to buy my book, read my blogs or connect with me regarding one of your creative writing projects, my website is the best place to start. www.leemayimele.com
I encourage you to make your creative mark on the world. I’m looking out for it.
As a recovering yes-girl, every single time I do this, I still get goosebumps. No, honestly.
Just last week I said no to doing the social media content for a campaign to help find jobs for people who had lost theirs because of Covid-19. The organisers wanted the job seekers to hold up placards describing their plight and to pose for pictures. The placard captions were to read Hungry. 2 Kids. No Foodetc. I knew for sure that not one of the people – who by virtue of the way the dice had fallen in this lifetime – would have been prepared to hold up such a placard (nor would I), and so I walked away.
I just love this photo by Arfa Talib from Pexels. Isn’t it wonderful?
Then, I also said no to a bully in the family recently. Now, if you know anything about families, no is the ultimate swear word! Don’t you think? But, I was willing to take my chances. This time, I was guided by the fact that my little people are watching and learning and that if I want them to learn how to assert themselves, affirm their boundaries and stand their ground, I am going to have to walk the talk!
Perhaps you’re battling a little bit in this arena too? If you are, here are a couple of things to remember:
You teach people how to treat you
No is a complete sentence
You get what you tolerate
The only people who get upset when you assert your boundaries are the ones who benefit from you not having any
I wish you love, my friends. And the courage to say NO!
A couple of years ago, I sat at my desk, staring at a pile of papers for hours.
I was required to do a recon of expenses for the company I was working for at the time, but because I had been running on empty for months, I just sat there unable to move.
My doctor called it “adrenal fatigue and burnout” but I knew that there was more. But, like so many a corporate animal, I limped along from one deadline to the next trying to prove that I was invincible when in fact the ground was giving way beneath my feet.
I won’t tell you exactly how that chapter ended because you’ll have to wait to buy my second book. (SURPRISE SURPRISE! Yes, that’s what I’ve been doing all this time. I’ve been writing. Sorry if you’ve missed my weekly stories I had to put my head down and focus. I’ve also written about why I could not blog during this time of writing my book. It was a “spiritual” directive)
Back to the story of the ADRENAL FATIGUE,
Yes, I was drained by my work because it was not aligned to my PURPOSE. I kept getting this nagging feeling that I had to make more time for my “inner work”.
Why couldn’t I just fast forward to the part where I get the new role in the new life I wanted?
Frustrated at first, I began to make time for what I believed to be the INNER WORK. Daily meditation, prayer, study, study. I consulted with my guides, teachers, coaches, mentors and spent many hours in prayer and solitude.
Still, something was missing. Until one morning, just as I stepped out of my cold shower (Get your mind out of the gutter! I’ve been taking cold showers for over 20 years for their circulation and immune boosting benefits!)
Ahaaaaa! I felt a voice say in answer to my repeated question about how to inject more purpose and magic into my life in order to grow and prosper. The answer was quite simple: PLAY! LAUGH! DANCE! CONNECT!
That’s it, I thought. That’s exactly what was missing. Those words described me so well but why was I not committing to those things in the same way as I was to the other “important” things in my life?
Exactly! Following my BLISS is now my “inner work” and I am very committed to it.
Lee Mayimele - Writer 