Keabe Mautla
Inspiration

Yes?

I vowed to make the time to read more books and less tweets this year. I have this habit of purchasing books then not actually getting around to reading them. Shonda Rhimes’ Year of Yes was my March read. Saying I’m obsessed with Shonda is an understatement. Look up #BlackGirlMagic and you’ll see Shonda smiling back you. She’s smart, funny and she successfully creates worlds for us to get lost in for a few hours every week. She’s breaking down barriers in her career, while being a single Mom to 2 kids. She’s the definition of #BlackGirlMagic. If you don’t believe me, stop reading now, follow this link to her TED Talk then you can come back and let me know what you think. I know I already live for her story writing abilities to the point where I feel personally invested in Olivia, Fitz & Jake’s well being on Scandal and I find myself taking notes from Professor Annalise Keating in HTGAWM. I was eager to read her story and discover who she was. What I got was a humorous, entertaining story which inspired me to do something similar. After reading Year of Yes I decided I wanted to, no HAD to start saying yes more often. Now it’s not like I’m getting invited to glitzy Hollywood awards shows, shooting the cover of Entertainment Weekly or being asked to address 1000s of students at my alma mater (all things the old Shonda would have said no to, but ended up doing and most importantly LOVING) but I figured I could adapt a similar approach to my life. On a much smaller scale. Just opening up myself to new experiences spurred me on. For every opportunity I get offered I ask myself three questions; Will this get me closer to my dream? Does this excite me and make me happy? Does this scare me? If the answer yes to any one of these questions, I’m doing it. 
 
yes. yes. yes. yes. yes. yes. yes. yes. yes. yes. yes. yes. yes. yes. yes. yes. yes. yes. yes. yes. 
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In the short space of time I’ve started accepting more I’ve found myself in situations and/or doing things I wouldn’t have dreamt of doing before. Instead of worrying about what we’d speak about over a 3 course meal and wine, I accepted an invite to dinner with someone I normally wouldn’t hang out with and ended up having the most informative and interesting conversation I’ve had in a while. Instead of putting myself down and thinking I have nothing to give, I accepted an offer and now I’m writing about things I love on my own terms for a paycheque. Instead of focusing on my body insecurities and worrying about what people might think of me, I’ve bared my (not so perfect) tummy and flat chest on multiple posts for my website. 

I’ve even found myself in a strip club for the first and probably last time in my life. Ha! All things I would have easily turned down in a heartbeat. I realised that the root of most, if not all, of my No’s was a feeling of fear. I couldn’t dare ask for that, I couldn’t dare dream of this, what would person ABC think of me or what would we even speak about? Fear has an uncanny way of planting a tiny seed which makes you question yourself, which then manifests into doubt. Fear and doubt are dangerous dream killers and I was done giving up on things before I even tried. I dared to say yes. In a small way, that first Yes felt like a risk. A leap if you will. Looking back now it seems so insignificant but that first yes allowed me to start saying yes more, which led me to bigger things. Taking baby crawls towards my dreams started with a YES. Dare to say Yes.

Top - Country Road

Skirt - ZARA

Sandals - Steve Madden

Bomber - Superbalist

 

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Photographed - Greg Carlin

**Post Sponsored by LUX She Who Dares **

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6 Comments

  1. Kef
    May 24, 2016 / 12:24 PM

    Love!!

  2. Jacqueline Modise
    July 11, 2016 / 2:15 PM

    WOW! you look BEAUTIFUL…

    • Keabe Mautla
      Author
      July 11, 2016 / 6:34 PM

      Thank you! 💋

  3. Princess
    July 20, 2016 / 4:27 PM

    Wow! I like YOU a loooooot after reading this. Gee I’m a flat chested girl myself and fill up with padded bras I think I’m just going to stop that altogether and just be my fabulous flat chested self:)
    I also went to a strip club and boy I know I satisfied the curiosity and I’m never gonna be seen there again…..except if it’s a ladies club(males) hahah
    I’m on a journey to redefine myself and the voice that ridicules me is getting smaller by day…I’m getting to that self confident space one step at a time.
    thank you for sharing everything….XoXo

    • Keabe Mautla
      Author
      July 21, 2016 / 8:53 AM

      Thank you Princess!!
      I love how people think flat chested girls have it easy because we don’t “HAVE” to wear bras, which is true but we end up wearing bras not to support our boobies but to actually give us boobies! We’re never happy!
      Good Luck on your journey on self discovery. Reaching the point in your life where you are happy and content with you who are feels like the greatest victory. I’m constantly working towards it but I’m happy to say I’ve made progress. I may not be where I want to be, but I sure as hell am not where I was before!