Taking Things Too Seriously

As a teenager I know that we take some things way too seriously. There are days when I hear people stressing about the test that they’ve just written or about to write. Some people spend hours wondering if they said the right thing that day or if they will be able to achieve in the way they would like.

It’s that way of thinking that makes us become stressed and frustrated. This is why I try to remind myself that I probably won’t remember those embarrassing moments or slightly below average marks in ten years’ time. Or if we do then hopefully we’ll either laugh at the memory or use it to become a better version of ourselves.

Let me give you an example:

One day when I was two years old I was playing in the garden with my one cousin. His sister (my older cousin) was flying home from Cape Town that day and I was really excited. After waiting for so long the two of us eventually decided to take action. I grabbed my new wheelbarrow, my doll and backpack and my cousin took my teddy bear before walking through the house to find my grandmother. ‘Can you open the gate please? We’re going to fetch Kayley from the airport.’ I told her not understanding that the airport was just less than 30 kilometres away from her house.

Of course, she didn’t let me go and at the time I must have been angry with her but now I laugh when she retells it. You see, though our problems may seem very huge now we will overcome them and become even stronger than we were before.

Why Perfection is Unattainable

A few days ago I received this note and it reminded me of a problem many teenagers face everyday. The problem: Striving for Perfection.

Hi Casperette,

Thanks for writing to me :)

I wish I could tell you all of the secrets to perfection but unfortunately I'm in the same position as you. There are days when I think I'm really close to being perfect yet I never seem to reach it.

Two months before I got your letter I was daydreaming in my garden. I wondered why my dogs were always so happy and carefree. They weren't constantly fretting whether they were wearing pretty clothes or worrying if they were going to pass their exams. As I thought about it more and more I realized that I lived a completely different life to my dogs (and this is not just because I'm not covered in fur and crazy about dog biscuits). Whilst they spent hours enjoying life I was either worrying or too busy to think. To be honest, I was jealous that my life was so hectic and there's was not. But I couldn't think of anything to do about it so I simply picked up a stick and threw it for them.

My thoughts moved on over the next few days but I never forgot that moment and a week later I realized what was wrong with my life. Before I say it I must admit, I'm a really lucky girl. I have a lovely family. I have awesome friends, I go to an amazing school and I know that God is watching over me. However, when you strive for perfection you don't always appreciate the things you have with you. This is exactly what happened to me. And along with that, I was worrying about attaining perfection.

Ever since I realized this I stopped striving towards perfection, and honestly, I now know that I would rather be imperfect than perfect. Because perfection is different in everyone's eyes and as a result it is unattainable, and when something is unattainable then striving for it will only make you sad, frustrated and angry. So, do what I did, love your uniqueness, embrace your imperfection and I promise your worries will soon fade away.

Smiles,
Kirsten A. Everett

PS: Write again soon :)

World Environment Day

So as most of you know the 5th of June was World Environment Day. I wanted to do something special but because I spent most of it at school and did homework when I got home I decided that I would rather do something on the closest Saturday (the 7th of June). 

When the sun rose on this day I got dressed in my informal school uniform and headed down to the Braamfontein Spruit with my mom and sister. There were many Brescia House School girls there and together we armed ourselves with rubber gloves, gumboots and dustbin bags and began to clean up all of the litter. I’m not going to lie and say that it was easy because it wasn’t. We waded through the river to rescue floating bottles or deodorant cans. We tugged and tugged at all sorts of objects, as we tried to free them from the river bed. All in all, we worked hard and managed to remove different parts of a printer, a carpet, a blanket, many cables, wire and lots of plastic bottles from the river.

I hope everyone had as much fun as I did by being outside and participating in various activities to help clean up our environment. Remember, we are all mighty Eco Warriors and together we can make our world a better place.

Book Birthday

Over the past few weeks I have spoken to hundreds of people about the journey I undertook to become an author as well as my two books. So, I don’t want this post to simply be about me repeating all of those speeches, yet, I want you guys to really learn something about me today. That’s why I’ve decided to show you guys this picture:

http://booksdirect.tumblr.com/post/79238656893/readers-are-often-fans-of-authors-but-i-myself-am-a-fan


It sounds cool but I bet you’re wondering why I inserted this image instead of a photograph of a rhino or One Direction or something like that. Well, I think that this quote sums up one of the most important things I’ve realized ever since I began writing; without a reader your book will just be a pile of words. And that is what Janae Mitchell is talking about when she says that she’s a fan of readers. So, I want you guys to know that I’m a fan of you and I know that without you all I wouldn’t have sold a single copy of my book. I think you deserve a round of applause.


So dearest readers, thank you for reading! And if you haven’t yet read my book I hope you’ll consider it:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Kirsten.%20A.%20Everett

Dreams

This week I've spent numerous hours speaking to people and telling them about my journey to reaching my dream. At first when I realized how hectic this week was going to be I was really nervous. In fact, by the time I reached Monday I was already dreading the three talks, partly because I had a cold so my voice was weird, and partly because I didn't know what I was going to say.

But as the week flew by I tried not to worry about the words, then I eventually realized that I couldn't put it off any longer. I HAD to start planning my speech. So, one evening whilst sitting in my room I let my mind wonder about my journey. I remembered all of the hard work I had put into writing my stories when I was eight years old. I remembered the long afternoons I had spent in front of the computer as I typed my books up one letter at a time.

As I sat there lost in thought I realized just how much I had matured over the years. At first my ideas were about fairies or princesses and my plots were only a few sentences long, but after a while my characters became more interesting and I came up with a few twists and turns for my plot.

My books now contained lessons that would teach my readers more about themselves as well as more about the world. I now used stronger words, and my grammar was much better. Another thing that had changed over time was my writing voice/tone, I was no longer the shy little girl that used to hide behind her mom when she was scared, I had matured into a teenager who was willing to stand up for what she believed in.

So as my eyelids started drooping and my mom told me it was time for bed I smiled, pleased I had come up with a few ideas for what I was going to tell everyone. After all, the best way to inspire someone to chase their dream is by telling them that it's possible because you've achieved yours :)

And I have, thanks to everyone who helped me along the way.

Rhino SA at Yebo Gogga Wits Exhibition

"Everyone is inspired by different things. For some people it is the sun that kisses the morning sky with rays that shine light into all of our lives. For others it is an adventure that they didn’t expect but neither of those things inspired me to write my two books.

In order for you to understand I’m going to take you back in time to December 2012 where a younger version of me was sitting on a game vehicle surrounded by my family. It was half past five in the morning and my eyelids kept drooping as I tried to scan the surrounding area for some animals. I looked and looked but the only thing I managed to spot was a wild dog’s ear which actually turned out to be a rock.

So, being a thirteen year old girl I eventually gave up searching and closed my eyes. My sister whispered a joke and my aunt laughed but I barely heard them. I was snuggled inside my fluffy jacket slowly drifting into dreamland.

But then the game vehicle shuddered to a halt. I opened my eyes and saw two of the most beautiful animals in the world. A rhino mother and her calf posed in front of us completely oblivious to the fact that their species was quickly going extinct. To be honest with you, it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. And more than that I couldn’t help but wonder why these animals deserved to live such short lives. It wasn’t their fault that horns grew from their heads. I racked my brain for an answer but I couldn’t find one. That was when I realized there wasn’t one. These animals didn’t deserve to die and I was determined to make sure that the world knew that. In that moment whilst I watched the rhinos in their natural habitat I decided that I was going to find a way to help save this species and a few seconds later I came up with three words which blossomed into two books.

You see, it was because of those two rhinos that I was inspired to write my books and it was because of them that I started blogging for Nikela. They were the ones who lead me to Rhino SA, an organisation that believes in the same thing that I do, that by educating the youth we can save this species and prevent other animals from landing up in the same situation. 

Me at the Rhino SA stand (I hope you enjoyed reading my speech )

So, let me just introduce myself I’m Kirsten A. Everett, a South African teenager who believes the youth of this country have the power to make a difference through spreading the word about the truth of the rhino horn, and thus I believe there is hope for the rhino species."

Among the organizations that were at this exhibition Rhino SA focused on educating the school children and other people, about rhinos, rhino midden, poisoning rhino horns as well as the current situation where poachers are targeting rhinos.

I learnt a lot as I listened to the speeches that Rhino SA gave. For instance, I didn't know that the rhino horns have to be redye every four to six years in order to make sure that the poachers know that the horns are poisoned. Hopefully the poison and the dye will save these rhinos from being brutally murdered.

There were many people who presented speeches for Rhino SA including Irene, Jolandie (an Askari Game Ranger), Godfrey and Bernard (two members of the Vlakfontein Community Programme) as well as myself. We all encouraged our listeners to do what they could to help save the species.

Girl Power!!

Over the years men have realized that they truly aren’t better than women and that’s why in most societies women are now seen as equal to men. They are able to vote (which they never used to be able to) and are now allowed to work in roles that were originally only for males. So, after years of proving ourselves to everyone us girls will still continue to be the best we can be. And here are some women who truly are/were amazing.

Margaret Thatcher

She was the first woman Prime Minister in Europe and she was also the longest serving British Prime Minister since 1827. Margaret served in this role for three terms and narrowly escaped death when a bomb was planted at the Conservative party conference in Brighton.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/people/margaret_thatcher

Florence Nightingale
Some think that Florence is the founder of modern nursing. She took thirty-eight women to the warfront where they cleaned up the conditions the soldiers were living in and thus it is suspected that she saved many lives.

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/nightingale/p/nightingale.htm

Amelia Earhart
This adventurous woman set many records by being the first women to fly across the Atlantic as a passenger and by being the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic. She set many speed records as well. She was determined to fly around the world but she never landed in her final destination.

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/earhartamelia/p/amelia_earhart.htm

Helen Keller
When she was young Helen lost both her sight and her hearing but a few years later (with the help of Anne Sullivan) she learnt the alphabet and Braille. Helen went to a school for deaf children and even graduated from college. After that she spent the rest of her life improving education for the deaf, blind and mute as well as working for women’s rights.

http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/kellerhelen/p/helen_keller.htm

Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa (her real name is Agnes) lost her father when she was young. Her family depended on their religion to get through their problems. When she was only 12 years old she heard a call from God for her to become a nun; so at the age of 17 she applied to an order of Irish nuns that did projects in India. It took her two years to become a Loreto nun and after that she received a call to help poor people by living amongst them. She began by teaching children and offering some medical help to their families when they needed it. Soon more nuns joined her and then the Pope granted her petition to form an order of nuns called the Missionaries of Charity.

http://history1900s.about.com/od/people/a/motherteresa.htm

Joan of Arc
This young Frenchwomen heard voices from divine sources when she was little and later went to the king and asked him for soldiers so she can help fight the English. Eventually he gave her what she wanted and she went into battle and the French finally defeated the English. She fought in some battles after that day she was wounded in one and then taken captive before being sold to the English. Joan was brave and refused to deny the voices she had heard so was burned at the stake. Years later she was canonized as a saint.

Marie Curie
As a young girl Marie had to deal with horrible things such as the loss of her sister and her mother to diseases. Though her family was struggling financially and she went through a stage when she felt too tired to do anything, she studied as hard as she could and later discovered two elements that she named “Radium” and “Polonium”. Marie also discovered radioactivity.

http://www.aip.org/history/curie/brief/


Marry Mother of Jesus
Many of us know the Nativity Story and we also know that it wouldn’t have been possible if Mary hadn’t loved God so on this special day I think it’s important to remember this lady as well. Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ in a stable in Bethlehem. From that moment on she supported her son and helped him throughout his life until he died on the cross many years later.

All of Our Mothers
All the ladies I have mentioned were amazing people and there are many, many more that I could’ve mentioned but I didn’t have the time to research every single one of them. So, this Mother’s Day I want to tell all of the mothers out there that we truly are grateful to have you and we wouldn’t be where we were without them. So THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU - AND HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!

www.bocatc.org

PS: If you want to read about 100 great women (including most of these) go to:

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/lists/tp/top_100_women.htm