Last night, Zozibini Tunzi, Miss South Africa was crowned Miss Universe 2019! What an extremely powerful moment curved in history forever!
“Tonight a door was opened and I could not be more grateful to have been the one to have walked through it.” – Zozibini Tunzi
Opportunities will arise, and sometimes it’s just a crack in the door. The door may not be fully open for you to walk through, but I encourage you to put your foot in that opening, dig your nails into the door, pull it open and take up space and let them know that you have arrived and do not apologize for it!
It’s beautiful and powerful to see a brown girl from Africa, wearing her natural short hair be crowned among so many other beautiful ladies, miss universe. This is such a great reminder that Black Is Beautiful; and that we must embrace our true genuine beauty.
“I think the most important thing we should be teaching young girls today is leadership. It’s something that has been lacking in young girls and women for a very long time, not because we don’t want to, but because of what society has labeled women to be. I think we are the most powerful beings in the world and we should be given every opportunity,” she answered. (@cnn)
Zozibini is here to remind us that when doors open, even slightly, kick them in and take up space!
It’s been quite a minute. I believe this is the longest I have been away from the blog, but I’m finally getting back to planning and shooting content.
I took a long and much needed break, not necessarily because I wanted to, but because unforeseen life events have forced me to. I lost my dear mother on August 15th of this year, and it’s been very heartbreaking to say the least.
I’m still struggling with this loss, but I pray every day for strength and peace in the tough times that my family and I are going through; and I’m grateful to being able to bounce back one day at the time.
I read something similar to these words: “The pressure will either fold you or mold you; and it’s up to you to choose…”; and as for me, I’m choosing for this pain to mold me into a better version of myself!
The truth of the matter is, pain is inevitable, but suffering is a choice. Debatable? Maybe so, but I’m choosing to live a life my dear mother would’ve been proud of me for. She may be gone, but her spirit lives within us, and her legacy will be carried on.
We all have wounds, but we can’t allow that to be an excuse to sit on the sidelines. For everyone who might have lost a loved one or feel some type of deep pain, I pray for healing and hope that you don’t let this pain eat you up. Please get up and live! Live right and live well! Live on your terms only… after all, tomorrow isn’t promised.
My heartfelt thanks to all of you who have truly supported me from near or afar in this difficult time of my life. Anyone can show up for you when things are alright, but the ones that stay by your side no matter what, when your heart falls apart, are the ones that truly care about you; and from the bottom of my heart, I say THANK YOU!!!
For you, my virtual friends who have reached out and showed me compassion, support, and love, I’m sincerely grateful. I’m also thankful for friends who pray for me, pray with me, and pray over me, so that when I smile like this, I can truly mean it.
So, here’s to me bouncing back one day at the time! I’m glad to be back and I’m excited about the great changes ahead! 🙂
Love & Light,
Edwige
Message me if you’d like to buy this blue ensemble. It also comes in other colors.
That feeling of new beginnings is in the air… Can you feel it? 5 years ago today, I took a leap of faith and hit the “Publish” button for the very first time on my very first blog post. It was a very nerve-wracking yet exciting start. For so many reasons, I have tried to talk myself out of starting a blog; but eventually, I started it and I never looked back.
It hasn’t been easy; but easy has never been promised. I’m excited to see where this new milestone takes me; but I’ve also learned to trust the process and enjoy the journey as challenging it may be.
So you may be wondering what’s next? Well, there’s no big announcement or exciting news today; but what I can tell you is that if you stay the course with me, you may just enjoy the ride and appreciate the experience. Most importantly, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to you all. 💗
I wish I had a blog anniversary post, or visual to share with you all, but this throwback will have to do for now.🙂 I have been extremely busy in the last month working towards a dear goal of mine and creating content just hasn’t been easy; but I’m working on it.
What I’m trying to say is, with all new starts, fear may creep in, you may need to step out of your comfort zone, you may face criticism and challenges, you may lose friends (and gain new ones along the way), you may realize that it’s not as easy as you thought it would be; the thought of quitting may even entice you… but this is all normal and part of your new chapter and your new growth. It’s all meant to be; and if your desire to make your life learning journey a life-changing one is strong enough, you may become the absolute best version of yourself in every possible way.
The resounding “No’s” are one step closer to a big yes or many “yesses”. The temporary defeats are not failures. They are setbacks for a greater comeback; and failure will never overtake you, if your determination to succeed is strong enough. If you will take anything away from this post, remember to greet each day with love in your heart, for that is the greatest secret of all success in all ventures. Cheers to a happy and prosperous August!
I hope you’re having a great start to the new week.
One of my goals in 2019 is to practice a lot of self-care and reclaim my health.
Most of the time, when we hear self-care, we ultimately think of the day at a spa, a good massage, a great manicure-pedicure… all of which are really important for any women’s sanity.
However, for me, self-care is also making sure I’m reading at least once a day. Self-care is following through my commitment of saving more money. Self-care is giving myself permission to have some alone time, during the day, to reflect, pray, meditate, or to just quiet my mind… And last but not least, self-care is taking good care of my body, my mind, and my soul.
Our health is more important than anything on this earth; and if we don’t take care of our body, treat it like a temple, our health will certainly deteriorate.
Sometimes, we even neglect our own health in the effort of taking care of our loved ones and the people we are serving; but before we can do that to its full extend, we must take care of ourselves first; because we just can’t pour from an empty cup, as it would only lead to our ruin.
One way I decide to take care of me this year, is to invest in a safe and beneficial nutrition line that will help me boost my energy and cleanse my gut while choosing the right food to put inside my body.
Trust me, I’ve done a lot of cleanses, diet programs, you name it! Some were a total waste of time and money. Some of them did work to the extent of only reaching a plateau weight. However, after the many trials and errors and some extensive research, I’ve discovered a new healthy living lifestyle program that is amazing; and I’ve decided to share it with the world!
So the first of April, next week, some amazing women have decided to trust and join me on a 30-days cleansing and healthy eating challenge.
We are reclaiming our health by investing time, knowledge, money, and intentional actions in ourselves. And if you ask me, no amount of any of these is truly worth our health!
While most people think of healthy eating and cleansing as the solution to a weight gain, that is only partially true.
The right cleansing program and products will detox and cleanse your body from toxins and impurities; but it will also help you get your mind right. It basically gives you more clarity, more energy, a clear vision, better sleep, a brighter and tighter skin, a better digestive system, a better performing liver… and the list goes on! If that isn’t a huge step toward a healthier and happier you, I don’t know what that is!
As I mentioned earlier, one of my biggest goals this year is not only to commit myself to a healthier lifestyle all around, but to also empower and help other women to do the same. I can’t tell you enough about the awesome feeling that I have knowing that I can or I am actually doing that.
I’m super excited to have these incredible and amazing women joining me on this journey; and my mission is to inspire and help as many women as possible (and men too) to reclaim and build their health, to invest in their personal and career growth and to see themselves transformed into their absolutely fabulous and best selves!
It all starts with making the decision to make a change, and to bet on yourself.
I can’t tell you enough, how proud I am of these amazing ladies that are joining me, for loving themselves enough to say “yes” to this 30 days -and beyond- journey to a healthier lifestyle!
It may not be easy, but we know that together, we can do it, and we are looking forward to the amazing transformations. – I will document mine here – We’re giving ourselves the power to love and improve ourselves because we are worthy of a healthy life.
Would you join my tribe? Would you commit to a healthier lifestyle? Would you let me help you? Send me an e-mail at hypnozglam@gmail.com and I will be more than happy to assist you. Remember, it starts with YOU!
Unless you have been living under a rock or you actually use social media to market, sell or promote your products or services, you are well aware that Instagram , Facebook AND What’s app have shut down earlier last week.
Nothing, from feeds down to Insta stories, was refreshing or uploading; and let’s just say it was like an online apocalypse. Though temporary, this shut down has created a huge outrage! Business owners, influencers, and entrepreneurs were really mad, because, well you know what that means for their profits. We are all glad that our accounts are up and running again, but I would like to share my two cents on the matter. I have had this conversation in the past with some of my clients and it was an eye-opener for most of them… If Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat, or any of these social media channels shuts down today, what will become of your business marketing?
These platforms are rented entities. Meaning we do not own them. I have friends who have had their Instagram and Facebook account deleted in the past… Gone, just like that for one reason or the other. And there was nothing they could do or could’ve done about it, because these platforms do not belong to them.
I’m not saying by any means that social media is not a great place to market or promote your business or services; in fact it’s important and it’s needed. However this shouldn’t be your only avenue. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Here’s what you should do today to prevent the madness (at least on your side), the next time Instagram or Facebook shuts down 🙂
1- Create a website or a blog:
Like I said earlier, social media marketing is great, but professionals only use social media accounts to support what they own online. The only way to own your slice of the internet is to buy a domain name and set up your website or blog on it.
I hear people say that blogs are dead, because of social media, but that cannot be farther from the truth. Social media may be trending right now, but websites and blogs will remain the digital real estates that professionals own unless you stop paying for your hosting upon renewal or decide to suspend your ownership… but that’s the price of doing real business online, right?
2- Start Building An E-mail List.
Just like your website, you own your e-mail list, but we cannot say the same for your social media accounts. Your e-mail list is the bread and butter of your business as an online entrepreneur, and here’s why:
Beside you having100%ownership of your e-mail list, you also have complete control over your content. Your content isn’t being filtered or restricted by social media company guidelines and you don’t have to worry about your content being taken down, or your account being suspended and/or removed at a moment’s notice without your discretion.
Knowing that you connect directly and intentionally with people that actually gave you the permission to do so isreassuring.
These people are YOUR tribe and are actually inviting you into their gated community; and statically, less than 6% of your followers on social media actually see the content you post as opposed to 100% of your subscribers who receive your e-mails, and upwards of 60% of them who will open them. And oh, 91% of people check their emails daily, so in my opinion, as an entrepreneur, you need to put more emphasis on your e-mail list because that’s where “the money is.” 😉
That been said, have you subscribed to my newsletter? go ahead and do that now. I promise not to spam you. 🙂
3- Create your own app.
Though, creating your own app may sound like a big investment, in my opinion it’s worth it. At least it will serve a good purpose of having users having access to your content directly from them phones, no matter what.
I hope this post helps you realize how important it is not to only rely on social media to run and promote your business. What are your thoughts on this matter? Share them with me.
