I must admit, when I first saw this quote, I did not fully grasp it or what it meant. I believe I once used it as a caption and the context was that of what I could see.I.e, the way I am and look as well as the way I am to others and how I was perceived. But the quote has brewed and evolved in my mind, just like I have grown and evolved as a woman. I realised that it did not only mean that. It also means that there is literally no one who is another, can be another or can even imagine being another person. I am uniquely designed and have a purpose to fulfill.

 

This purpose which is way bigger than me or what I can currently perceive grew its legs after a bout of growing pains in early 2020.

 

I am a woman of faith and so naturally everything I believe and stand for is driven by that faith! To harness that power inside me meant taking the time out to invest in myself. This involved looking deep within and paying attention to my thoughts & feels and understanding for instance, why I have a particular thought and why it makes me feel a certain way. It also involved taking the time out to learn and read for myself to understand why many things are, how they came to be and whether I co-sign them or not. It involved being intentional with every relationship I have decided to keep and cultivating it.

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Finally, it involved taking care of my health and my appearance so that I can always show up as my best self. This means, being in charge of how, and with whom I spend my time, getting enough sleep, eating well and exercising. Understanding my hair and my skin and giving it what it needs to flourish and putting my self in clothing that make me feel my most confident!
 

Doing all these have helped me establish boundaries that are non-negotiable. It has given me a lot of confidence in my thoughts and speech and in people around me. Practicing this has also given me the space to strive to live my truth everyday on this journey of self discovery.
The journey involves a lot of patience with yourself, discipline and sometimes breaking the‘rules’. I know this because I wake up everyday and choose this path regardless of what is going on around me.

 

As I pay attention, I realise that journaling and documenting my journey has been one of my biggest motivations because every time I look back on something I have written or recorded, I see so much growth that gives me a sense of inner peace that I am doing something or that something is working!
 

So, Adaaba ( A Woman Of Substance), has been created to document my journey and that of other women of substance, through fashion, lifestyle and mindfulness.

 

My goal is not only to start conversations about who we really are and encourage you to look inward, but also to dare you to debunk any idea that you should fit in a particular box created by our environment to be deemed acceptable.
My mission is to empower every young woman who comes across this community.
 

With this, I hope you leave inspired after every visit.

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