Let's Talk: Youth Day🇿🇦 + Father's Day: A dual celebration?

Good morning/afternoon/

evening, you beautiful people! 

It is a chilly winter evening as I write to you all on June 16th. Today is a dual holiday as, it is Youth Day and Father's Day. 

I absolutely adore Youth Day, as it reminds me that the freedom that I enjoy as a black youth was fought for. It gives me courage in moments when I lack it. It reminds me that I am my ancestors' wildest dreams and I need to keep going. I take my daily life in with more awe and respect because people, my people died for me to be able to do what I do with such ease. I absolutely am grateful for Youth Day and the ripple effect that it has had in South Africa. Their sacrifices were not in vein. The sung and unsung heroes of my rainbow nation have helped me to become the woman that I am. I am forever grateful to them. Because of them I am able to enjoy my homeland. 🇿🇦🙏

On the other hand, it is Father's Day. A day that I have come to dislike greatly. It reminds me of what I do not have and it has always been such a bitter holiday. I come back to this post. 

A post that I wrote about Father's Day in 2020

I honestly can't lie and say that it gets better because I am honestly not there yet. What I do know is the importance of honesty. It important not to look at your relationship with your father through rose coloured glasses. If it's not good for health to be a relationship with them, then don't entertain the idea because of pressure. If all you have with him is a surface level relationship with him, then that's okay too. Do what is best for you, remembering that a relationship is a two-way street. Based on mutual love, trust and respect. Noting that respect is earned, trust can be broken and love is so much more than a feeling. 

Honour yourself and your father to the best of your ability! If you have a healthy relationship with your father. You are one of the lucky ones, go give your ol' man a hug! 

In future, be extremely picky who you decide to procreate with should you decide to become a parent, remembering that it is a choice. Become the kind of father that you needed, choose the kind of man who help you break the cycle of broken girls and boys. 

Remembering that many fathers who create daddy issues have daddy issues. Let's all work on ourselves and learn from our broken fathers, instead of just moping about their inexcusable behaviour. 

It's also my birthday, this upcoming Tuesday and I am so excited and extremely blessed to be turning 22💞! 

Question of the week: What do Youth Day and Father's Day mean to you?

All my love❤️

Ruthy 

May Reflections

Good morning/afternoon/

evening, you beautiful people!

In honour of the month that was and looking towards the beautiful month that now is. I am delighted to share with you all my monthly reflections and lessons. It feels as though winter has come out of nowhere! Stay warm, Friends! ❤️

Do it for love, not the glory or outcome 

In life, we all have passions and we hope to be rewarded, seen and validated. While this is completely normal, healthy, even to a certain degree. It is important to remember to enjoy the journey, to enjoy the present moment, more than anything else. Do what you do because you enjoy it and let any other thing gained be a surplus. The month of May taught me to just enjoy doing what I love, even if nothing else comes out of it. The fact that I was able to spend so much time doing something I love is a memory that I will cherish and hold dear, for years to come. Follow your passions out of love, not because you simply wish to be seen. It will make whatever you spend your time doing more meaningful💞. If you like it, if it matters to you, if you enjoy it then that is all that matters. 

It's okay to ask God for confirmation 

It's okay to be like Gideon. It's okay to ask God for confirmation. It does not make you any less of a believer or a Child of God. When I ask God for confirmation, I become very specific, as Gideon was. I ask for a very specific thing to happen or for someone to say something and I tell no one else of what I have asked God to confirm until I have received my confirmation. This puts me at ease when I make a decision that I need clarity on. If you do not know, it's more than okay to ask our Heavenly Father for counsel, support and confirmation. 

May was Mental health awareness month and for anyone who is struggling or going through it. I see you, I hear you, I honour your courage to keep on, keeping on. 🙏Life comes and goes in waves, one day it will feel better. It's okay if today isn't that day, tomorrow may be better. 

All my love❤️

Ruthy 

Let's Talk: Voting for the first time and the problem with elections 🇿🇦

Good morning/afternoon/ evening, you beautiful people! 

It's my birthday month! 🎂I am turning 22 on the 18th of this month and it's a new and exciting era as I am getting deeper into my twenties and I am thinking about the adult that I would like to become. The month of May, well I did not journal as often as I should have and I don't remember much about the month. Or rather I do not wish too🧐, I need to journal about this! 😂

The month of June is always a month that I take with such earnesty and reflection. June is Youth month in South Africa, which is a month to commemorate the slaughtered youth of our country who paved the way for the freedom that we, as black people experience daily. 

I voted for the first time on Wednesday and it was quite the experience. I knew exactly who I wanted to vote for and why I wanted to vote for them and that made all the difference.

 I realize that there is a huge shaming culture when it comes to those who do not vote in South Africa. I am firmly against this because I believe that everyone has the right to vote or to abstain. Freedom is a basic human right and being bullied into doing something that you do not feel ready for, is what I believe to an abuse of this right of freedom of choice. I believe that anyone who is a citizen of this country has the right to complain, critic and praise our politicians. That's what freedom is, it is having choices and not being bullied when the choice does not favour a particular cause. Looking at statistics, those did not vote did not even register. Which does not come as a surprise because not enough was done actively, on the ground to encourage registration and make the process smooth and easy for citizens. 

Many people need to understand who they are voting for and that process does not begin 3-6 months before elections. What are the marketing teams of these political groups doing? Citizens have lost trust in them, the most basic thing to do would be to work on earning it back, throughout the 5 years. Then ensuring that citizens understand the importance of registering.

In my opinion, what's missing most in our country is education but not just education but a method of informing all of our citizens. A job that I would gladly take on! A middleman whose job is to hold the government accountable, whilst thoroughly informing our citizens of their rights, privileges and responsibilities. 

Question of the week: How long do you think Eskom will hold out for before bringing back loadshedding? 

What changes would you like to see in our country 🇿🇦? 

All my love ❤️

Ruthy 

Let's Talk: Voting🇿🇦 +Mental Health Awareness Month 💚

Good morning/afternoon/ evening, you beautiful people!

As I write to you all on this chilly Autumn evening, it feels more like winter each and every day. This next week is so crucial for my country of South Africa as on Wednesday, the 29th of May 2024, it will a day for my country to choose it's next leader. This is also significant for me, as this is the first year that I will be eligible to vote.

 It's exciting yet nerve-wracking because I don't fully believe in anyone's message as I don't feel that any political party truly cares, so it is like being put between a rock and a hard place. Contrary to popular belief, I believe that you as a citizen have the freedom to vote or to abstain. The choices is completely yours and I want you to own it and not feel pressured by society to make a decision in order to "better" the country yet not choosing someone that you believe in. 

For me, the month of May has been incredibly tumultuous and my mental health has not been the best. Each day I have to remind myself that I am still giving my best even when I am not on 100% because considering everything happening in my life on any particular day, that 40% that I gave was my best. I am learning to extend compassion to all versions of myself. I am also learning to stop comparing myself to any other versions of myself and focus on this one. I learning to take each day as it comes and to let that be enough for me. To fully present and give my concerns and bare my heart to Jesus in prayer. 

I want you to prioritise yourself and your mental health this decisive May and to keep on keeping on because life is so much better with you in it❣️💞

All my love ❤️

Ruthy 

A Marketing Student's Analysis on: The Telkom Network Outage in South Africa

Good morning/afternoon/

evening, you beautiful people! 

A little midweek update, writing on one of my favourite topics. A marketing analysis! There was a national outage of network in South Africa for those who were using the connection network, Telkom and the network's response to the outage really struck my interest and this post was born.

 Happy reading❣️

I started using Telkom in 2016 due to it's WhatsApp data bundle and I have been a customer since then. 

There's a term in my field of work that I just learned called, "gilde to leg", and this situation seemed to fit perfectly. They just apologised and gave me data and went on with their regular activities and these actions hold great gravity for me as I value communication and understanding what's going on. 

In order to sell something, a product or a brand, you need the trust of your audience. Most people have no clear idea of why the outage happened and what will be done to prevent it in future. Many people hate being unreachable because of the job that they do or just because of FOMO. As a company that sells the idea of connectivity, this looks horrible. 

The 1GB data that was given only lasted for one day and not the two days that they claimed it would. Either way, I believe that two days is not proper compensation, especially if a customer is not going to use it to binge watch a series. For some of us 1GB can last about two weeks, possibly longer. I believe they should have made the data valid for two weeks. It will make the consumers see Telkom in a better light, as they use the data over an extended period of time, remembering that this data was freely given by the company as a form of goodwill and public relations, it will help recreate the image of the company. It will also help to make up for the disappointment that consumers have felt and experienced because of the company. 

I felt so rushed to finish the data before it expired because I hate wasting anything. 1GB is a lot of data and I do not understand why it claimed to expire the following day, Wednesday, 15 May 2024, which is today and not even the promised 2 days, which would then be tommorrow, Thursday, 16 May 2024. Trust has been fractured as a result of this error or perhaps deceit. 

Who has truly gained here? It feels like only Telkom's competitors are rejoicing as some people have hastily switched to other mobile connection companies. When all they had to do was communicate early on. Address consumers by sms and email and give them data that would only expire after two weeks. Then possibly run a small, extentive campaign on how they have improved, after they actually have improved and work on winning consumers' trust and securing brand loyalty. Reminding customers why they have chosen Telkom and why exactly, " Tomorrow starts today". 

It's not that hard, because now I feel so unvalued as a customer. This is not how a customer should feel.  Before you sell a product or a service, you sell a feeling. You sell the sizzle, not the bacon first. You need to make what you are selling and advertising relate to the needs and wants of your market by making them feel something. That's what I have noticed with good, reputable companies and their products. 

Now this will barely affect their market share but it honestly will still make them lose their competitive edge because all they had to do was explain. After conducting thorough research a.k.a. a five minute Google search, I found out that there is actually a reasonable reason for the Internet Outage. Two subsea internet cables, experienced a fault on the East Coast of the African continent, affecting several countries, South Africa included. 

Why didn't they formally inform their customers? As a customer it is not my job to find out why a service that I pay for is no longer being delivered. It is my job as a marketer to conduct research, so I did. As a consumer, I would have assumed absolute nonsense and just thought that Telkom couldn't be bothered to let me know what's going on and how this issue will avoided in future. 

Having a valid reason is not excuse for lack of communication. In fact, it's all the more reason to keep your consumers informed. 

These are just my thoughts, personally as a customer and professional as a marketer. 

What are yours?

A/N: This week was so busy that I didn't think that I would be able to have an update but this issue came up and I just had to write about it, lack of sleep or not! 

I update every Sunday, 23:00 CAT!

All my love❤️

Ruthy

Choosing college over completing high school

Good morning/afternoon/evening, you beautiful people! 

Choosing the National Certificate Vocational program over going back to high school was not an easy choice to make. I do not think that there is anything that I can say that can make this decision completely pain free and seemless. I believe that for most people, the dream of completing high school conventionally is very important to achieve. 

The blazer, tie, special jacket or jersey given to senior students in their last year of school is something that most look forward to. Yet, here you are, heavily considering smashing these dreams. Or you have had these dreams crushed and now you look at college as a potential alternative.

I am a level 4 marketing student at Tshwane North College and I absolutely love what I do! Truly, it excites me and I cannot wait to work within my field and apply my knowledge and gain so much more!

It was not always this way though and at times, when I am tired, stressed and overwhelmed, I remind myself of 19-year-old Ruthy who deserves to see me graduate. The me who deserves to get through this because at the end of day, this is all she dreamed about. 

I want you to know that your sadness is so valid. It is more than okay to be disappointed and sad. This is normal in fact, please know this. It is a tough decision to make because once made you cannot go back. It is the opening of a door whilst closing another and closing a chapter in life sometimes hurts. 

I want you to think about yourself in 5 years time. How will you feel if you make this decision? Where would you be if you make this decision? For me, I knew that I would thank myself. I knew that I was scared and that I was hurting but when faced with attempting to redo the high school route or trying college, college felt right. I also want to emphasise the fact that I chose a course that I truly liked and had an interest in and that interest grew into passion and love. Please do not just choose a course that you hate in order to please your parents or to get a quick buck. Money matters, let no one lie to you but try to pick what you genuinely have an interest in, not what will satisfy others. 

I knew that financially it was tight and the NSFAS program was very appealing but also scary as I would have to work very hard to maintain it because I knew that I would need it throughout all three years of my NCV program, in addition to university. It almost felt like a risk but then I realized that life comes with no guarantee.

There was and still is so much stigma when it comes to college, especially with the NCV program. Mainly because it is equivalent to a level 4/ grade 12 and honestly I have mixed feelings about this. As we do learn the basics with this program but the knowledge and experience that we gain is far superior than someone who is fresh out of high school. 

I am all for college because it has worked for me and I want you to choose what will work for you too, whatever that maybe but as you look for potential alternatives, don't be quick to discard college education, no matter your age. 

All my love

Ruthy ❤️

April Reflections

Good morning/afternoon/evening, you beautiful people! 

April has been a month of many lows and a few highs and this is what the month that is now drawing to close has taught me❤️

Let go of the need to be right and seen and heard for the wrong reasons 

This is such a difficult ask. I, myself know just how painful it can be to do something just because it is the right thing to do. To just want to be of service and to watch someone who is doing the exact opposite get all the validation and praise. But remember that we apply the golden rule. We treat others as we want to be treated, remembering that life is a wheel. One day it will turn. What you are doing to or for others has already been done to you. So, if you have/are experiencing this, focus on your why and if you realize that maybe you are not doing it for the right reasons, you can always take a step back and reevaluate. ❤️

You can let go of something that you truly want if it is not working, even if it's difficult, it's doerable 

I know that many people don't start anything with an expiry date in mind. I know that I didn't! I strongly valued the fact that I saw things through no matter how difficult. I later realized, after seeking council, just how foolish I was. Working myself to the ground and wanting to fight battles that God did not send to fight and win is asking for trouble. In light of this, know that's more than okay to walk away from something that is not working, even if you love it. Even though you came in with the right intentions and a pure heart. Don't make yourself the sacrificial lamb, let it go! It will be painful but nothing hurts more than seeing something fall apart and watching yourself fall apart along with it because you didn't walk away sooner, yet you could have. So, take this as a sign to walk away from something that isn't working, especially if you have tried. It's time to put all that energy into yourself. 

It's okay to let someone go (even if you still love them and wish that things were different)

It's important to face the truth about someone and how they see and value you. I know first-hand how painful this can be. It hurts so much realizing that someone does not love you in the way that you need to be loved. It hurts to realise that despite everyone's voice, as an adult making our own choices are our responsibility and if  that's a future without them in it, then it's okay. It's more okay to make this choice because you matter, your health matters, your sanity matters and your future matters. Does this person truly value any of these important things in the way that they should? 

It's okay to quit 

It's okay to walk away. Choosing yourself is not selfish, it's self-care. 

Never leave the alter 

What I mean by this is to never stop praying. Even if it looks like what you want from the Messiah is like asking for a long lost train that has left the station. Keep on, keeping on. With your mustard seen faith, never leave the alter.

You have to fight self-sabotage, there's no other way but through 

I have struggled and still do struggle with self-sabotage. I tend to leave things before they leave me. I don't give things a proper chance to fail or succeed organically. I realized this when I wanted to quit choir and go home for the weekend. I was unsure if I would make the cut, to be chosen as a chorister and that feeling was scary. I wanted to run so badly, to make the 'safe' decision and quit. It put me back in control of the situation. I realized that I do this with many other situations. I want to feel safe and I want to feel in control, so I make premature decisions in order to feel better, in order to feel stable. I know that whether I make the final cut or not, this experience would have nurtured and grown me, regardless. I understand that I am safe, I have now begun to validate myself. One of the main things that I am trying to cultivate in myself is structure and telling myself that it's okay to put effort in something and give the rest to God. Even if it may not be my desired outcome, I owe it to myself to have full closure. I refuse to live with regret, so now I choose to see things through. It's not always easy but I am always so grateful. Where I fall short or lapse into old habits, I journal to figure out why and how it happened. I, then pray and do my best to continue on my journey of growth. When it comes to opportunities that I seemingly have blown, thanks to self-sabotage, I pray, if I cannot get it out of my head, if I cannot seem to move on. I pray and I ask God for closure, I ask God for help and for a second chance, if it is His Will for me. 

People can bottomless pits, there is nothing wrong with only doing what is required of you 

I used to think (when I say used to I mean two hours ago!) that it's such a noble thing to be the good Samaritan. Forever helping, giving people things that they never asked for, just anticipating people's needs and meeting them, just because it's "the right thing to do". What I didn't know was that people can be like bottomless pits. Coming out of nowhere to take what you don't have to give. Boundaries are so important! Honestly, boundaries should be the word of the year for me because I need to learn how to set and enforce them respectfully! It's okay to help those, who actually need you, but know that people who need help ask for it and are more than happy to meet you halfway. You won't have to work alone to pull someone else up. There's a saying that says, " You cannot help a cow stand up unless, she helps herself up". In the same way, you cannot help someone who makes you do all the work. Let people go and focus on yourself, and the half-baked task that you left hanging in order to help them. I truly am speaking to myself on this point because my lack of boundaries is not helping me at all. 

Question of the week: How was your first month of Autumn/Spring?

I absolutely loved it! It reminded me why it is my favourite season. It is the perfect blend of summer and winter. I like both seasons but I cannot stand either temperature for too long, so Autumn is the breath of fresh air that I need before bracing myself for winter. Will it feel like winter or summer tommorrow? Who knows, we'll just have to wait and see! 😂❤️

I pray that April was good to you, Friends! What has the month of April taught you? 

All my love

Ruthy ❤️