Loving Life Now: Embracing the Present and Finding Purpose

I’m feeling incredibly excited about life right now. For a long time, I struggled with questions about my purpose. I wondered what I was meant to do with my life, and I yearned to create something meaningful and impactful. When the answers didn’t come easily, I settled into a routine that didn’t fulfill me, distracting myself with endless TV shows, movies, and Hollywood gossips.

But everything changed when I started my journey of self-discovery. At first, it felt like I was wandering in the dark, unsure of where I was headed. I was investing a lot in myself—buying courses, attending masterclasses, reading books, and listening to podcasts. I was spending a lot of time and money, but I wasn’t sure if it was making a difference. However, by staying the course and being consistent, I started to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

One piece of advice from a mentor truly was a game changer, he said: "Go back to your childhood to remember who you were before the world told you who you should be." So, I did just that.

Going back to that time, I remembered that as a child, I was captivated by stories. Bedtime stories were my absolute favorite—I couldn’t wait for the evening to come to hear them. I remembered laying wide awake, long after my mother and aunties finished telling me stories. I was that child who could not sleep at night. Those stories fueled my imagination, and still stories have this effect on me. I heard about countries and cities so far away from Dakar. Stories were my gateway to experiencing emotions for the first time—joy, sadness, inspiration, and laughter. I loved translating movies from French to our mother tongue for my aunt, who didn’t speak French, just so she could enjoy them too.

That love for storytelling followed me into my teenage years, where I would write stories and share them at school. My friends would gather around, hanging on my every word, as I pretended these tales came from books when they were actually my own creations.

Now, as I look back, I realize that storytelling was my first love—and it’s what I’m meant to do. When I started blogging and putting myself out there, I felt alive and free for the first time in a long while. When I’m inspired to write, I genuinely believe I can fly.

Today, I’m excited about life because I’m finally aligned with my purpose. Tomorrow isn’t promised, but every day that I wake up, I’m committed to working toward my goal. I’ve started journaling about this with a friend, and together we’re supporting each other as we pursue our dreams.

I’m no longer motivated by things that don’t matter to me. While I’m grateful for my current job, it doesn’t bring me joy. I’m choosing a different path, one that leads to reclaiming my freedom.

In the last years, I watched a lot of roundtable discussions with actors and directors. Hearing them talk about their craft with such passion, I said to myself that I wanted also to do something that I love so much that it never feels like work. I wanted to talk about my craft with such enthusiasm that others can feel the love I have for it.

What I refuse is to reach the end of my life with regrets. I won’t let limiting beliefs hold me back and right now all I am hearing is:

“You can’t do it.”

“You don’t know anything about that industry.”

“It’ll require a lot of money.”

“You have no connections.”

Yes, all of these are true at this moment, but I’m going to do it anyway. I’ll figure it out as I go.

For the first time in a long time, I feel joy, I feel alive, and I have clarity about my purpose. Going back to my childhood reminded me of the things that brought me pure joy—reading stories, watching movies, losing myself in words and poetry.  Words were my world and I want to spend the rest of my life telling stories that matter in all ways possible, especially our African stories, which are often lost with each generation.

I want to inspire young Africans to love themselves through stories, to see themselves reflected in their own stories. Our communities are filled with incredible stories, and I want to be part of the movement to bring them to the world stage.

I don’t want to just be inspired by others—I want to inspire myself and others with my own story. I want to make my dad proud. Though he’s no longer with us, I know he’s watching over me. He used to call me the light of his life, and I know he’d be thrilled to see that I’ve found my purpose and am making the most of this divine gift called life.

The last time I saw my dad was when I surprised my parents with a visit after being away in Malaysia. It was around 3 a.m. when I arrived. My dad was sitting on the bed wondering what the commotion was about, why my mum was opening doors so late in the evening, and when I entered their bedroom and he saw me, his eyes lit up literally with pure joy and love—pure gold, in my mind. That’s why the color of love for me is gold, remembering the color of my dad’s eyes that night. He looked at me and asked, almost in disbelief, “Is it my baby?” We hugged and kissed, and I felt home, safe, and loved, just like when I was a child.

That’s what I wanted to share with you all today. Let’s be excited about today, make the most of the present, by planting the seeds for tomorrow. Love life through the process of being in the now.

To those of you feeling lost or dreading the future—I’ve been there. My advice is to follow your curiosity and go back to your childhood. Remember who you were before the world told you who to be. That child inside of you is the seed God planted in the world the day He created you. Your story started there, and everything you need to become your most successful self is within that child.

PS: The above exists in a podcast format, click on my podcast to access to the audio format if you rather be listening.

With all my heart,

Salima