...for throwing off the cold and dark spots of life"
Happy June!
What a busy month it has been so far...I have been delighted to spend time near the sea, and the space and quiet has allowed me to consider how individual we all are, and the importance of staying true to ourselves. When you take the time to sit by the sea and hear the crashing of the waves onto the rocks or sand, it allows you to feel connected with a sense of the universe as a whole, rather than an individual human being looking out onto water. June presents the opportunity for us all to cast away the darker times and look towards the light, and this is why I have chosen to focus this month's blog on the importance of being true to yourself.
“Always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody says distract you from your goals”
Michelle Obama's words demonstrate the importance of our individualism and how we should embrace our individualism. Not only was Michelle the first African-American woman to serve as first lady, but she worked hard to support her husband during his time as President of the US. She was keen to appear as a role model for women and worked as an advocate for: education, poverty awareness, nutrition, physical activity, and healthy eating.
Michelle's success in staying true to herself can be noted. Her memoir "Becoming' was one of the bestselling books of the decade with sales over 10 million. She won the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word album. She has featured on the cover of Vogue three times, in 2009, 2013 and 2016, portraying how she is comfortable in how she appears, no matter what others think. She has also been named as TIME Woman of the Year in 2008.
Michelle is an example of an individual who stayed true to herself and wasn't afraid to do so...
The Oxford Dictionary defines truth as "that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality".
When truth is viewed with this definition, it can help us to understand that being true to yourself is subjective instead of being a list of rules that you can adhere to. You are the only person who can know what living in a way that means you’re able to be true to yourself looks like. To help us consider further the importance of staying true to ourselves, I am going to examine some lyrics from a current pop song...not before we enjoy a photograph which I took of the clouds seen on a walk out on Nature which was a joy to behold...the serenity yet lack of uniformity in the skies reminded me how every human being on Earth is different and that this fact should be celebrated...
'Cause the person they all see
Doesn't matter much to me
Already know that you're a star
But I just wanna get to who you are
These are lyrics from the song "Who you are" by Craig David and MNEK...they speak to us and demonstrate the power of staying authentic and true to yourself. I particularly appreciate the song as it says "you're a star" and my name actually means "shining star"...
What is more, we all have a little voice inside of us that tries to lead us to the things that are really meant for us in everyday life. Your intuition can be your best friend but only if you let it! Many of us have become quite comfortable with ignoring our inner voice because the noise of the world and the opinions of others are extremely loud...
There are constant advertisements, songs and other forms of media that can be distracting and suggest that we are not perfect right now, and need to buy this or that product to get closer to that perfection...
Staying true to ourselves is not easy, but it will allow us to:
-discover what we really want out of life
-do what really matters to us
-embrace new opportunities
-meet like-minded people
-let go of comparisons with others
-be happy :)
Taking time for yourself and immersing yourself in Nature can often provide the time and space required for you to consider who you are and what really matters to you. The more that you can stay true to yourself and be confident in your own individuality, the more you will get out of life experience. I have found that over the past month, there have been plenty of opportunities for me to practise staying true to myself, and the more often that you try, the easier it will feel.
And if you're struggling, perhaps try listening to one of my podcast snippets as shown below...
I am delighted to say that I have continued with more episodes of my own mini podcast-type series @snippetswithsitara which featured stars from every walk of life, talking about their own life experiences, how they deal with their challenges and their advice for future generations…recently there has been the story of an inspiriing individual who challenged himself to raise £50,000 in the fight against cancer, by sailing around all of the islands of England and Wales...
I am always looking for new individuals to feature in this series, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any suggestions!
Thank you for all your continued support for the foodie brand Instagram account. Here are some photographs from a recent tasting menu that I enjoyed at a wonderful place in Cambridge.…thank you for all your continued engagement with the posts and do let me know if you have any creative ideas that you would like me to try!
After a lovely photograph of Trinity College, Cambridge which I took after enjoying their May Ball earlier this month, I conclude this blog of June with the following quote:
“Above all, be true to yourself and if you cannot put your heart in it, take yourself out of it”
Lots of love and remember who you are,
Sitara xxxx
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