Life can be what we want it to be if we create it the way we want it to be. These words sum up the word reinvention and encapsulate Slondile Nene.
A woman who has taken hardships that cripple so many women and painful experiences that define how women go through life and turned these two things into the fuel behind her change.
A woman who has reinvented herself into exactly who and what she wants for herself. Ladies, we bring you a dialogue about self-reinvention with Slondile Nene a woman with a story you need to hear.
Tribal Fit: Tell us about yourself?
**Slondile:**Hi there I am Slondile, Slondile Nene. I am 27 years old and I am a professional fitness trainer and Journalist from Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal.
**Tribal Fit:**Would you say you have improved yourself?
**Slondile:**I have improved myself in different ways. It has been quite an interesting journey. I have discovered some interesting facts about myself. I have learned a lot. Just like most people, there are still things to improve on but I am confident that I have done great for myself.
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**Tribal Fit:**In your own words how would you define self-improvement?
**Slondile:**Self-improvement is normalizing self-inspection. Discovering your own strengths and weaknesses and working towards being a better version of yourself. It's changing your perception about yourself, about other people, and about the world. The moment you start seeing the good in things is the very moment your whole mindset shifts. It's when you start getting motivated to do good and to be good. Self-improvement is learning every day, it's studying, and it’s acquiring more skills. It’s doing all the good things that you like, that interests you.
**Tribal Fit:**What did it take for you to change and reinvent yourself?
**Slondile:**Change takes time. And in order to become the person that you aspire to be you have to work towards being that person every day. That's me. I have worked on every aspect of my life every day. Bettering my skills, bettering myself, working on my body, working on myself esteem, and working on all the things that I knew I would improve on. I just wanted to be a better person, I wanted to look good, to spread positivity, and be positive about things and about life. No one wants to deal with people who always feel sorry for themselves. If there is something that you don't like about yourself or about your life, change it! 😅
**Tribal Fit:**What kind of negative/hurtful things did people use to say to you?
Slondile:"You are fat. You are too dark. You are ugly. Are you sure you are from South Africa?" Those are the things that broke me when I was young...the same things that I would laugh at as an adult because they have no effect on me, I know who I am and it would take quite a lot of work, probably a lifetime for someone to convince me otherwise about myself. I ain't bothered anymore. As I grew older and wiser I learned to love my curves, to love my big brown eyes, to love my dark, flawless skin. I am completely beautiful and no one would ever convince me otherwise about who I am and about what I stand for.
Some people still confuse women's skin tone with their beauty. It's quite a shame but that's the society that we live in. Being dark or too dark never makes a person ugly. Know who you are, be yourself and the world will never convince you otherwise about the person that you are. The universe always needs to adapt to who you are.
**Tribal Fit:**How did you get over all the negative/hurtful things people use to say to you daily?
**Slondile:**A person who always seeks validation from other people is always uncertain about what they want, how to look, and how to live. As I grew older, as I spent more time with myself I grew so much of self-love and so much of self-understanding. I believe that it's ok for other people to say whatever they feel about you but you should not ever let their opinions determine who you are. Being true to yourself, to your values, and knowing who you are is very important.
**Tribal Fit:**What keeps you so driven and consistent?
**Slondile:**I am a very positive person. I wake up with such great energy every day. Your mood determines your day. How you look at things results in how you feel every day. I have such a great family, my mother and my aunt have been always supportive of every decision and of every path that I have taken in life. And I always want them to be proud of me. Self-affirmation every day!! 😂 that's me. "You are beautiful, you are sexy, and you are the light. Go kick ass today!"...that's me to me every day. You always have to be kind to yourself, you always have to be kind to others. That's me every day. And I am glad that I am making an impact and that a lot of women that I have worked with are inspired by me and they actually understand now that fitness isn't just about being skinny. It comes in different shapes and sizes. And we are meant to embrace whatever that we have.
**Tribal Fit:**Why do you keep improving yourself every day?
**Slondile:**The road to self-discovery leads to beautiful destinations. There is always a version of myself that can always be unfolded. I can always get better and better with time and knowledge. It’s fun, although it's tough to always improve because I am always honest with myself, I am always honest about reality. To be a better person, you always need to know your weaknesses, so that you work towards turning them into strengths.
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**Tribal Fit:**Will you ever stop improving yourself?
**Slondile:**No. I will never stop improving myself. It's a challenge yes, but it's worth it!
**Tribal Fit:**How do you know which areas need improvement in your life/body?
**Slondile:**I spend a lot of time with myself. Like most fitness people, I spend a lot of time in the mirror. Whenever something needs improvement, trust me I will know.
**Tribal Fit:**If you were to describe your progress to date in one word what would that be?
**Slondile:**Exceptional!
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