Be Encouraged, Smile, It’s Life
It’s the festive season again and with it comes that wonderful feeling that just seems to pervade the atmosphere and is in evidence in others, unlike any other time of year. I, for one, am having a whale of a time with my latest pet. A new website called smileitslife.com.
It may not have been one of the most productive years of my life but I can afford to smile and really take time to close my eyes and draw that extra breath of fresh air that leaves me feeling infused, enthused and transformed within.
My journey was neatly aided when I was directed to this website by someone close to me. It just seems to cover every topic relevant to living life at its fullest, overcoming major obstacles in your life, its scotch full of suggestions to financial and physical wellness and thereby peace. More interestingly, it was launched by a fairly young Jamaican professional woman who migrated to other shores.
I have been having a field day directing others there, hoping they will latch on to something that may address their personal situation and thereby feel boosted to push back. This website is all about sharing her journey in overcoming the odds and her hope that others will be inspired to likewise achieve.
Being Miss Curious that I am, I decided that this young woman deserved to be interviewed and put out there, so others can benefit from her journey to freedom. In my hour long official interview, I established that there are great and sound tips for every age group on how to roll with the punches and still laugh in the face of life, by notching up points on the winning side. There is no charge and we know good advice rarely comes cheap, or free.
Well, there was one hitch. This young lady is publicity shy and wants to remain anonymous. We don’t see that very often nowadays. It seems there is a war on out there for a piece of the spotlight.
After making me promise not to ‘out’ her identify, she calmly said, “I don’t see the need to advertise myself, or my name.” She described herself as being very private.
“All respect to the Kim Kardashians out there but it’s not for me.”
“This may very well change in the future but right now I am comfortable with how it is and the responses have told me that I am doing the right thing.”
This young professional claims to have seen misfortune and experienced hard knocks of just about every type, but learned to “make lemonade out of the lemons life served up” to her, rise in the face of adversity and smile again to face the world.
The domain name smileitslife.com says it best.
How did she arrive at this name? She says that growing up in Jamaica she “always heard old people say after an injury or misfortune, ‘a so it go. Suck it up and smile, a life!’”
There are tips on health, beauty, finances, adventure, family, food, time management etc. You name it, it’s there, and she has only just gotten started, she says. When asked, why blogging was her chosen vehicle to get this all out there, her quick answer was, “I am comfortable where I am right now and I am sharing my life, Yes, different aspects of my life.”
Miss Anonymous says she wants this spot to be “authentic.”
“I write things that affect me and that I am comfortable with,” she continued. “This is my personal choice,” with emphasis on ‘personal.’“I like blogging because you never know how you are going to impact people’s life.”“Many people have impacted mine in a positive way without even knowing that they have.”“I was thinking of myself and it pushed me because I have tried and failed financially and otherwise, but through trial and error I have bounced back.
On financial stuff, she said she listened to the financial experts and “they didn’t work for me, so I set out to find out how I could corner the market on my own.”
According to her, she made much greater headway without having to fork out mega fees to these “experts”, who many times are not any help and one ends up losing their shirt anyway. She stated also that most people can’t move from square one because they don’t even have money to pay fees. She stated a hope that her “organic” tips will inspire others to do likewise and carve out their own independent road to success..
“They, like I was, are stuck in a vicious cycle because where I grew up in Jamaica parents didn’t know or think much about teaching their girl children how to make money, and preparing for the outside world. This site is for all women everywhere.” She considers this site’s content to be organic thinking from her.
She admits to juggling her job as a health care professional with her forays in the finance world and her all important personal life.
Being mother of two daughters, a rare gem of a 21 year old and a loving but rambunctious 2 year-old has been a major challenge but one she says she would not change for anything. Miss Anonymous speaks of how she formulated plans in order not to skip a beat in administering and attending to the age related, diverse needs of each of them..
“Having my first daughter was very challenging because I was a teenaged mom and in college, but it has helped make me who I am. My children motivate me to succeed.”
“I became a healthcare professional, which is my day job, because my health, the health of my family, loved ones and those around me means a lot to me”
In her own words, she comes into contact with death every day in a disease compromised society, and time spent with people and family is important because tomorrow is not promised to anyone.
“My health and the health of the people around me have made me very committed.
She credits her drive for life to prayers. When asked about her coping mechanisms she put it down to a single word, “PRAYER.”
Not given to much religiosity, she declares, “I am a Christian. I want to make that clear. I am a TRYING Christian. If you look at my life you will see how very imperfect I am but I trust in God and I pray every day.”
Miss Anonymous at thirteen years old back home in Jamaica, was seen as a hope for the young people by deceased Jamaican journalists Hugh Crosskilll and Jimmy Carnegie and Bobby Fray who is yet with us. They admired her eloquence, focus and poise and toyed with the idea of making her the youngest broadcaster in the region, but she migrated before that came into being.
In our interview I mentioned that I thought she had a passion for the homeless, after hearing how she sneaks out at night when others are sleeping, to give food and gift packs to the homeless. I heard from others how much the homeless look forward to seeing her, because her care packages carry quality stuff for them. Not things you would give to the destitute but gifts and foodstuff that one would give to a good friend.
She teared up, then after sobbing quietly, answered “homelessness.” After taking a time out she continued. “People are hungry, people are struggling. Many served their country and come back to nothing, discarded by government and society. I myself could be discarded tomorrow. It breaks my heart but still it’s not a passion.”
“I have always been a highly sensitive person and I have always had these sentiments.” She continued to say a whole lot more about it and how it could be resolved, and promised to address it in more detail on her site one day soon. I know many will be looking forward to that entry. She continued, “The topic breaks my heart but so does babies being born and dying.”
My favourite place on the site is her highlight of the people to avoid. People she refers to as “toxic.” Wow! That accounted for just about eighty percent of the people I know and am associated with. Some very, very close. So now I am in the process of load shedding. I almost died laughing after reading that entry. There is so much here and so very applicable and interesting that I find myself going back often enough to find out what sub topics have been added under the headings Family, Career, Food financial, Health and Beauty, Adventures. It’s hard to cram an hour long interview into one small article but I invite everyone to take a trip over and grow with smileitslife.com I promise you won’t regret it. There is an email address attached to the site.
“Since I have gotten older I have gotten a lot more confident in myself and I realise I should not be influenced by what other think, but to go for it anyway, if it’s right for you.” We parted on those words.
Smile it’s life is an inspiration right from the moment of opening.
It’s a WOW!! Yes. There is always a zinger moment
This is just another brawta from a dawta from Yaad, doing her thing to lift others up.
May you all have a great and prosperous 2020 and y’all remember to smile, it’s life!
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