“Ningi” is a Zulu word which loosely translates to Abundant.
This word, this one little word, has helped to shape who I was, who I am and who I strive to be.
My dad was killed in a horrific car accident when I was young, our mum became an innovative and fierce protector, breadwinner, and strategist. Her lessons taught my sister and I that survival, freedom and independence come from being determined, working smart, being loyal and having loving relationships.
I married at 21 and after 7 years of infertility treatment, I began to recognise these traits in myself and starting to trust in my own ability to overcome anything. I was winning and losing in life and in business. Through building this resilience I began to see the world, not as a place in which to do battle, but as a glorious collection of victories and failures which all go to determine the true measure of the type of woman you will be become.
Failure then, meant only that I had tried and would need to try again.
I realise now, as I approach 55 years, that today’s crises are tomorrow’s faintest memories, that loving well, being loved well and sharing love, has immeasurable power to create an abundant life. Living your truth and sharing whatever wisdom one may have gained along the way, allows you to be an eternal scholar, to keep evolving, adapting, and reaching for more.
As a wife of over 30 years, a mother to 3 incredible humans, a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a business owner, I’m celebrating the evolution – the striving for “Ningi”, for Abundance, and living each day as it was intended, filled with love, gratitude, faith and a willingness to learn, to innovate and to share. If I could advise my 21-year-old self, I would say, attitude, belief and values will shape your reality. Enjoy the Ride, you are Woman, you are Invincible.
Find your voice, live your truth, search for abundance in all that you do. Be guided by faith and enjoy the ride, all to soon it may be over and you want to know that you have lived and lived it well!
Today I work for myself, choosing contracts which give me joy, which reflect my values and which support my business to be profitable and support me to be fulfilled.