by Lizl Naude, founder of Lilly Loompa

It was 12 September 2015, and I had hit rock bottom. I remember the day clearly. I was a visitor at a ladies church conference in Sandton, and with every speaker that took the stage I seemed to feel more and more confronted by my flaws. It was like they were speaking directly to me. These ladies were well rounded, well dressed, confident, and experts in their respective fields. It was their whole demeanour, paired with God’s message that actually gave me a wake-up call!

I never felt so low in my life! Up until then, my life was a roller coaster ride filled with more downs than ups. We had suffered many financial blows and I had tried for the longest time to keep it together…but I couldn’t any longer. I felt challenged on every level of my life and I made the shocking realisation that I was depressed. I was depressed over my marriage, angry at my husband for not being able to provide, angry at myself because I didn’t have all the things I desired and that I wasn’t living up to my full potential. I realised the events of past had finally caught up with me.

Going home, I felt confused, or inadequate in how to deal with my emotions. I was a mess. I retracted to my room and sulked there for days. Allowing myself to grieve over the past, I had to rethink the events. I had to let go and forgive my husband, and myself, in order to move on. I allowed God to do His work in my life. I opened my heart and allowed myself to be vulnerable.

A few days later, I started seeing the light. I started speaking to myself. I asked hard and uncomfortable questions:

Am I happy with my life?

Am I happy with my career?

How disciplined was I in achieving my goals?

Was my marriage well?

How is my spiritual well-being?

Was I making a positive difference in the lives of others?

I interrogated myself to the core. It wasn’t a nice process, but I realised it had to be done. I basically had a PEP talk with myself:

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary a pep talk is:

“A usually brief, intense and emotional talk designed to influence and encourage an audience or person”

I came face to face with my dark side…the lazy, ill-disciplined one who blamed the world for her misfortune. It was an intense tug of war. I am glad to say…the light won.

I made a decision that day in September that altered my life for the better. I realised I was my own worst enemy. I had to change. I made a promise to myself (the better self) that I would change my life over the next year. I promised myself that in September the following year, I will be a different person, on a higher level than before. For the next 365 days I made plans and worked hard towards that goal so that I would be satisfied with my own review.

It gives me great delight to say, on 12 September 2016, Lilly Loompa Eco Products was launched. Now, you do not have to be a spiritual person to understand the power of your words and thoughts. My words and thoughts of that day in September 2015 were manifesting! Did I plan the launch to the exact date? NO! But it was God’s way of showing off!

Do not postpone that pep talk because you are afraid of introspection. Train yourself to have regular pep talks with yourself. Each of us are gifted in different ways, but you cannot serve the world with your gift, if you aren’t a whole person.

I am certain each of us get a moment (or a few) in our lives where we have to make decisions that can either be beneficial or destructive to us…that one moment that define our lives. We are not born perfect with a knowing of our purpose in life. Life is hard, but we as women are strong. We absolutely have more than it takes. Keep pushing!

Lizl Naude is the founder of Lilly Loompa in South Africa, a company that creates beautiful and usable furniture pieces made with recycled material. Lilly Loompa's “Rubbish Range” is the result of Lizl's craving to deliver pieces that are completely "green". Lizl is a self taught designer and started designing and making furniture because she couldn’t afford to buy new pieces to furnish her home. She started to scout and source for budget material and quickly realised that most people discard of very usable materials. This led to her building and designing beautiful furniture items that she used in her home.