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Cape Town - In an honest and heartfelt letter to her younger self, local TV personality Nomzamo Mbatha reflects on the opportunities she had let slip and the impact those decisions had on her life.
She starts off by asking herself the question: "If you had the chance to turn back time, what would you tell your younger self?"
The Tell Me Sweet Something actress then asks the questions: "Would you wish that you were a lot braver? That you wouldn't think twice about seizing every opportunity that came your way? Would you have wanted to invest more time in yourself or in the relationships with others around you? Would you have told yourself to work a lot harder or would you have hoped to have more fun?"
"My experience as the face of Audi South Africa's Q Range television commercial got me thinking about this question and I wondered what opportunities I had let slip by when I was younger."
"The message of the commercial touched on the themes of personal freedom, personal progress and forging ahead in life and this inspired me to reflect on my own personal journey. I thought about what all of this actually means to me, at this current moment in my life," she writes.
In the letter the 27-year-old talks about the different roles she plays in her daily life, saying: "For me, personal freedom reinforces my gratitude towards my struggles and the obstacles that I was faced with in life. They taught me that through dedication, hard work and commitment, I could overcome it all and continue ahead."
"My challenges helped me to grow and through it all, I feel stronger. Personal progress and personal freedom means that you must be brave enough to give yourself the choice! When obstacles arise, don't change your decision but rather change your direction to reach your goal, she adds."
She goes on to say: "I often reflect back on my life choices and decisions when I was younger and if I have to recall back on one specific challenge that I was faced with while growing up, I actually cannot place my thoughts on a specific memory. Instead my motivation is to embrace those missed opportunities and challenges as they have led me to a greater sense of self-realisation."
The recent UCT graduate end off her letter with the following words: "To the youth of South Africa, my advice is to live now and always remain authentic to you. Remember that disappointment, failure and the resultant tears are not a sign of weakness, it's your soul calling for the rainbow in you to come out."
