Motivation Nation

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘
A generational narrative is the collection of stories, beliefs, values, behaviours, and patterns that are passed down through generations within a family, community, or culture. These narratives often shape the way individuals perceive their place in the world, their potential, and what’s considered possible for them.

𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐎𝐟 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬?
*𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐬:: "𝘞𝘦'𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺." - This may create a belief that financial success is out of reach.

*𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬: "𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺."- Leading to the belief that certain diseases are inevitable.

*𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬: "𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴." - Normalizing unhealthy emotional responses.

*𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: "𝘕𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺." - Creating a mindset that education is not attainable in certain families.

*𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐃𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐬: "𝘋𝘺𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺." - Normalizing unhealthy relationship patterns.

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐈𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲!
Every family has a backstory — a generational narrative that’s been passed down through the years. But it’s up to you to rewrite yours. When they say: "It runs in your family," look them dead in the eye and respond, "Not anymore." This is where it stops. This is where it runs out — it ends with ME.

When they tell you: “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶,” remind them that what’s inside you is stronger than any inherited struggle or generational pattern. You are stronger than generational stronghold and destined for more. It’s time to rise above limitations, redefine the rules, and change the game.

On this day of your life, at this moment in time, my dear friend, I want you to know, that: You are the one to break the negative cycle in your bloodline. No generational stronghold can hold you down. A new generation starts with YOU.

Yes, you are the one who will say, “𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘮. 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢 𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳. 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘦.” It’s time to show the world what you are made of. It’s time to break the chains, shatter the mould, and break the cycle. This is your legacy to rewrite. It’s time to change the generational story. Sending out Light. Sending out Positive Energy. Sending out Positive Vibes.

𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 (𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟭)

It’s the start of a brand-new day and the end of another week. This week’s post's is inspired by an unexpected encounter with a childhood friend, earlier this week, who’s currently experiencing a mental health issue. So, this bright Friday, morning, I’m kick starting a 2-part series titled: “𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵.”

Over the years, as an advocate in the mental health space as well as a mental health survivor, I have learnt that:

☐ Mental Health concerns everyone.
☐ Anyone can experience mental health problems.
☐ Individuals, organizations and communities can take positive steps to promote mental health.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵?
Mental health is an expression we use every day. But, the term ‘Mental Health’ is frequently misunderstood by many. 𝘔𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 is often used as a substitute for mental health conditions – such as depression, anxiety conditions, schizophrenia, and others. Mental health is much more than a diagnosis or the absence of a mental illness. It’s overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel about our self, act, respond, make choices, and interact with others. Our mental health is what determines how we handle stress or conflict.

𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 isn’t about mental illness. It’s also about 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. It’s about coping with day-to-day life stresses, it’s about being involved in your community, it’s about living your life in a free and satisfying way.

𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝘀 𝗡𝗢𝗧:
 Living life without problems. *{A problem- free life does not exist. if your life has no issues or problems, you are not truly alive. and that's a Big Problem).*
 Feeling jolly and happy 100 percent all the time.
 Always having positive thoughts.
 Being perfect.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻?
This is a tricky question. There’s no "𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵" example of good mental health because good mental health will look different for each person. However, there are a few characteristics such as:

 The ability to learn.
 The ability to feel, express and manage a range of positive and negative emotions.
 The ability to form and maintain good relationships with other people.
 The ability to care for physical and emotional health.
 The ability to cope and manage change, pressure, uncertainty, challenges and life’s low moments.

Positive or good mental health isn’t about the absence of mental illness, it’s about being able to cope and push on when life throws you a curve ball. Having good mental health enables us to thrive, succeed and lead the life of our dreams. We can bounce back from setbacks more easily, connect with family and friends, perform better at work, and relish moments of fun and joy.

Next week, I will conclude this series by sharing tips on how you can maintain good mental health and how to find the right balance in your life in the midst of stressors, pressure and challenges.

For me, I’m looking forward to a super-fun weekend. I hope you are too! Remember this: A life without issues does not exist. You are not truly living if there are no difficulties in your life. If there isn’t any difficulties in your life. 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧'𝗦 𝗔 𝗕𝗜𝗚 𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗨𝗘! Make having a good mental health your priority. Have the courage to ask for help. There is no need to face life's stressors and challenges alone. There are over 7 billion people in the world. There’s a loving tribe out there ready to hold your hands and walk with you. You are not alone.

“𝘞𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴, 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵; 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺." ~ 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗯𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝘂𝘁𝘂

𝗨𝗕𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗨 : I Am Because We Are.

“𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘌𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘴, 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳.” – 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗮 𝗠𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗷𝗮𝗻𝗶

Last month, I was invited to speak to some secondary school kids. I was somewhat bored on the way to school. I made the decision to take up a book and read in order to pass the time. I came across this heartwarming tale from South Africa in one of the chapters.

“𝘈𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯. 𝘏𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 100 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘵. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 ‘𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺’ 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘨𝘰!...

Do You Know What These Children Did?
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦, 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘰, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥…..”𝘜𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘶.” 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 – “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘥?” 𝘜𝘉𝘜𝘕𝘛𝘜 𝘪𝘯 𝘟𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴: “𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦.”

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗨𝗯𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘂?
𝗨𝗯𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘂 is a Nguni Bantu language word meaning "𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺". It is sometimes translated as "𝘐 𝘈𝘮 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘞𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘦” or "𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴."

We all have a lot to learn from this beautiful southern African philosophy. ‘𝗨𝗯𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘂’ is essentially about togetherness, unity, and how all of our actions have an impact on others and our society.

“𝘜𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘶 𝘕𝘨𝘶𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘶 𝘕𝘨𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘶”or “𝘐 𝘈𝘮, 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘈𝘳𝘦”
is the belief in the universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity. It emphasizes that we are all connected and that we can only grow and make progress through the growth and progress of others. It’s all about love, inner goodness, truth, peace, happiness and optimism. 𝗨𝗯𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘂 is the essence of a human being, the divine spark of goodness inherent within each and every one of us.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗗𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗨𝗯𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘂 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗜𝘁 𝗔 𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗔𝗰𝘁 𝗜𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲?

“𝘞𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴, 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵; 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺." ~ 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗯𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝘂𝘁𝘂

The global world would be a better and happier place if many of us could actually live and breathe Ubuntu and put it into practice on a daily basis. There is a oneness to humanity. We are all bound together in ways that are invisible to the eyes. Let’s live "𝙐𝘽𝙐𝙉𝙏𝙐" in our daily life. As we start a new week today, let’s spread happiness everywhere we go. Do your little bit of good wherever you are. It’s those little bits of good put together that change the world. 𝗜 𝗔𝗠 𝗕𝗘𝗖𝗔𝗨𝗦𝗘 𝗪𝗘 𝗔𝗥𝗘.

“Your Mess Can Inspire The World If You Have The Courage To Flip It And The Determination To Grind It Out.’ ~ Akin Adelakun