Breaking Free - Reflections of the Year that Was..

A fresh start. A new chapter in life waiting to be written. New questions to be asked, embraced, and loved. Answers to be discovered and then lived in this transformative year of delight and self-discovery. Today carve out a quiet interlude for yourself in which to dream, pen in hand. Only dreams give birth to change.

I echo the words of Sarah Ban Breathnach

Looking Back

Amazing how time flies, days turn into weeks, months and years. One moment we are infants the next we are adults. It’s been a while since I last posted on my blog, for a reason or 2 it’s been difficult just finding that space, quiet and some good music for this. I’m hoping this will change with time though.

Back to the agenda…

As I read from the script of my life; we have moved forward to a new year, I can’t help but reflect on the year that was. The year 2014 began, as most do, with a lot of expectations, hope for the best and anxiety for the future. It’s been a year of a kind; tears, laughter, surprises, milestones and breaking free.

If the value of a person’s life is measured by their experience, and whether they've lived their life to fulfillment. I think I’ll give 2014 a pass; I can summarize my culmination of 2014 in two simple words “Breaking Free” free from my comfort zone, to explore and discover the newness of life.

2014 was the year I made several marks in my career, made tough decisions, treaded on fiery grounds, I simply out did myself! And not to forget that this is the year I achieved a milestone in my years of existence – thanks to God, I celebrated my silver anniversary! And honestly it was the best feeling and the most memorable moment for the year – my silver lining. I am pleased I have been patient, after all that is one of the toughest things to do, but being patient has allowed me to learn and grow as an individual and hopefully 2015 will be a reflection of my sacrifice and input over the past 2 years.

But it hasn’t all been sunny days; dark days were experienced too it has been a tough year. I’ve had a lot on my plate and at times it has taken its toll. I’ve felt like running away more times this year that I’d care to admit. The feeling of being pulled in so many directions when my heart simply wants to go one way has been tough. At times I’ve felt selfish, at times I’ve had my patience fail and been horribly overwhelmed. But my resilience has been outstanding I’m here and I made it when there were certainly moments I thought I wouldn’t.

It doesn’t go without mention though that as each year passes by we come across angels in our lives and moments that take our breath away. I would like to appreciate my friends and family for the special moments we shared in the past year.

This year I managed to not only find myself but make peace with myself. On a deeper level, that has been the most personal of journeys for the year and one I am proud of.

I believe in living life the way that you want to live it every day, and if you do that, you don’t really need to have New Year’s resolutions. 

– Tom Ford

Each year is a gift, filled with profound opportunities for growth and enlightenment. If there was one lesson that was most significant in 2014, it would be resilience, sacrifice, determination to act on what I believe in, that after all has been said and done I have me, my future to build on.

Once upon a time, 2015 sounded so futuristic. Now it’s here. It’s the year of new beginnings and discoveries. My horoscope says… Go for what you believe in, explore, discover and live life to the fullest!

Break Free!

Written By:

Dorcas Waringa

1/01/2015

SAVE OR SPLURGE..?

Just how much is too much? Who’s the Judge when it comes to an individual’s spending?

I recently had a discussion with a friend after watching this one particular episode of “My Dream Wedding” that featured a couple that was so determined to realize their dream wedding regardless of what it would take and how much it would cost.

The catch was, their budget; it cost them a whooping 136,596 dollars to finance the event this translates to about Kshs.12 million. While some of us were left intrigued, others were in awe and the rest holding their chins in thought wondering if they had a chunk of the moolah they would invest it elsewhere! As some would share in the same sentiments I feel otherwise. 

Here’s my perspective:

Most of us if not all have luxury goods/activities that drive us into a frenzy and regardless of their expensive nature we would go rushing to the bank, right? Could be your dream car, house, vacation or like the couple your dream wedding.

One would argue that a wedding is just a one day affair and so you really don’t need to spend that much. They might have a point, but look at it this way… you probably might never have a second opportunity to make it happen. What if that was the last thing you had to celebrate together? I believe in living a fulfilling life within your means though, if your dream is big then the more you’ll have to part with/the more sacrifices you’ll have to make to realize it and if you have the cash and resources, why not? Of course by the time you are spending that much you definitely will have sorted out the other key areas of your life. You don’t want to walk out of a celebration broke!

Setting Boundaries

Kat Kinsman – CNN once stated that, “It's easy to get caught up in a nuptial excitement. At every turn, family members, friends, experts, magazines, blogs are there to offer inspiration and instill panic. A bride or groom's "nice-to-have" is inevitably someone else's essential ("You can't possibly get married without a DJ, champagne toast, church full of flowers, fill-in-the-blank!").”

At the end of it all the couple still remains married regardless, your car doesn’t seize being a car because someone else has a more expensive one.

Growing up, I learned all kinds of money lessons from my influencers, but one thing that stuck was the fact that after a hard day’s job after considering investing my money on what I deem necessary, there’s me to reward.

You want that expensive car, go for it! You want that expensive house, go for it! You want to go on an expensive vacation… do it! Do it within your means, set the boundaries! Once in a while it’s always good to reward yourself. I have interacted with people who are extremely frugal, it is good to save but at the same time you don’t want to miss out on the exciting bit of life. 

Who’s the judge?

More often we usually judge other people’s spending and chances are, we’re usually right. Yet each time we judge others’ spending, we’re less likely to actually look at our own spending and do something about it. And just as we think someone else probably overspends on “ridiculous” things, so do we.

I’m a believer of spending extravagantly on the things I love, while cutting costs on the things that really don’t matter as much to me.

It’s clear, that after all’s said and done you are the ultimate boss when it comes to your spending, search deeply within your conscience and if at peace… make the decision.

There are so many things that we want out of life, but only a limited time on earth to accomplish them. All these are possible, but we need to do it within our means and let you be your own judge.

Could be you are about to take that pricey stride down the aisle, to the car dealer, on a vacation to the Maldives, or you are yet to undertake on a pricey project; think critically,,, be your own judge!

Written By: 

 

Dorcas Waringa

1st August, 2014

***Snippets of my life after campus; (Part V)

 The Key lies within...

It’s been a journey that’s worth while a lot to be experienced, many lessons to be learnt and quite a number of wrongs to be made right. The excitement of looking for a job fades, when you realize that there’s a big difference between the picture in mind and the one in reality.

It becomes a struggle to accept the fact that it takes a while before all you had hoped for in school to manifest in reality.

The search for employment in our country has proved to be a daunting task that has persisted over the centuries and cannot be blamed solely on the economic downturn like many of us have often done.

To some extent it is true that our economy is failing to provide suitable jobs for young graduates at wages that they can actually live on and our leaders are slavishly adhering to a suicidal globalization agenda. Instead of dealing with this problem the unemployed, young graduates have resorted to destructive & corrupt tactics of survival.

However, instead of focusing so much on what the government can do for us, why can’t we do it on our own? The solution lies with us and not until we realize this, then we’ve got a long way to go.

Back to my experience; In as much I haven’t given up on my dreams, I decided enough is enough and tried to focus my energies on what I could do for myself rather than waste my energies and time looking for a huge career package. Life is a learning experience and with time we realize that having an open mind could be the key and plays a big role in the decisions we make, it is very important to embrace this so as to avoid frustrating one’s self and leading a stagnant life.

An opportunity presented itself; in as much as I was working then, I wouldn’t say it was what I had envisioned for myself. One Sunday afternoon while going through the newspapers I come across this advert on an innovations award by the United Nations Development Programme targeting youth between the ages of 18-24years.

My passion for writing was the key, in the midst of a busy schedule I embarked on a journey of research, writing and coming up with a whole essay package that fit the requirements. Due to limited time, I did what I could though I wouldn’t say I was very much confident that I gave my best shot and as I submitted my work I didn’t really expect much to come out of it.

God decided to surprise me though when I least expected it; several months later I receive a mail from UNDP informing me that my essay (Topic: In what ways we can use our cultural diversity to not only unify us as a people but to help us achieve our MDGs) had emerged among the best top 3 countrywide. This was going to be a launch of more surprises to come!

I write this, to encourage somebody somewhere who’s been frustrated by life, you don’t seem to get the job you hoped for. Sometimes the key lies within; it could be your talent, your ability to lead or your passion. Look deep inside and realize that you’ve got more to present to the world than you think and before you know it, all you’ve always hoped for will begin to fall into place one by one. It may take a while, but there’s always a start for everything!

On the night of the Awards Gala, I emerged first place and as I walked on stage to receive my award; my eyes and mind opened. It is possible, it doesn’t matter what, when, where and how you get there. I learnt that opportunities lie in the little things we take for granted, it is likely impossible that successful people hard a great start and if there is, it is a very small percentage.

Go for what you believe in, you never know! Do not underestimate the power within; you’ve got the key... use it!

Written By:

                  Dorcas Waringa

                  2nd September, 2013

>>.. Walked a mile in the shoes of a Kenyan Voter: My first, 2013>>

 <.. got a long way to go..>

We all get excited or anxious when we have to experience a first of some nature. It wasn’t any different at all on this particular day for me; as an act of patriotism I prepared myself for the day to decide a part of my future , the leadership of this country. Against all odds that most of us encountered on that particular day we braved our way to the ballot box and one by one each vote was cast.

 

 If there’s one thing that really amazed me, it was the passion exhibited by Kenyans during the whole process despite its complexity: the large numbers that turned out to participate in the process reflected it all! The same applied to the number of candidates vying for different positions across the country leaving us with tough choices to make.

The day was done and as expected it was time sit back relax and wait for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to announce the results. Some spent sleepless nights keeping vigil, analyzing, reporting and recording. We waited so patiently filled with so much anxiety and uncertainty going by the occurrences of the previous elections. We longed for normalcy; it was like for a moment everything was at a stand still! The date we all had been waiting for finally presented itself, with both parties hoping their respective candidates had won the coveted position after months of serious campaigning. The president elect was announced…finally.

I would like to commend Kenyans for the fact that we chose to conduct ourselves in a more civilized manner and with no blood sheds after the elections.

I write this with a heavy heart though, seems like we got the definition of peace all wrong! The results were announced and as some were busy celebrating, others were hurting deep inside. It is just normal for humanity to celebrate over victory and cringe or get heartbroken over the lack of it.

We all wished our preferred candidates would win; otherwise we wouldn’t have wasted our time queuing to go cast our votes. We have received and shared peace messages with one another, but without peace within our inner selves. These elections acted as an eye opener; I have witnessed a different side of humanity I have never seen before, it only took a few minutes and our hearts were overwhelmed by the wave of tribalism and resentment towards each other. Humanity against humanity, tribe against tribe has been the order of the day on social media; friendships have been compromised in the process. Is it really worth it?

As we feel good about ourselves for proving to the rest of the world at how peaceful we are; think twice we are not at peace at all! Prove me wrong, most if not all at this hour have logged in to the social media waiting for an opportunity to attack at the slightest provocation.

It is so nerve wracking to browse through the social networks and the atmosphere is filled with so much bitterness and insults. It’s just dawned on us that the fight against tribalism and regional discrimination in Kenya is far from over. It’s like what we are witnessing is something that had been enclosed within our hearts and minds for so long waiting for the opportune time to be unleashed.

That said; I thank the Almighty for the opportunity to participate and experience how it feels like to be a voter. I take it as a learning experience; I have learnt quite a lot but unfortunately decided it’s going to be my first and probably the last; I’ve got my reservations.

I am watching my country from a distance, as the events unfold with the hope that every sacrifice made by it’s people will count as for now the vision is blurred so much confusion in the air.

A few lessons I got from this:

v Never to involve my emotions into matters politics; only my brain.

v  Politics isn’t for the faint hearted, if you can’t handle it quit!

v  Always be prepared for any outcome, things don‘t always seem as they are.

v  Be ready and willing to embrace the opposing side when the situation calls for it, it’s never that serious after all!

v  After all has been said and done, life has to go on.

That’s it..! Have a fun-filled week!

 

Written by: Dorcas Waringa

                     12th March, 2013