August Review

image via www.garancedore.fr/en

I've never been one to set goals or intentions for the year, week, month etc. I am strong beliver in going with the flow and taking each day and opportunity as it comes along, because thats when the real magic happens, but lately I have been setting little goals for myself, things I want t accomplish in the week/month/year etc. Things big and small but things that in the end make me happy. For starters, I am a huge believer in hard work, but since coming back from our trip (stories to come soon I promise) I have been not so well, low on energy and just tired mentally and physically, hence I thought it a good time to start setting myself goals, things I want to do and accomplish to help me get to the next day/week/month/year/ten years etc. and things which will hopefully give me more focus, intention and a reason to crawl out of bed as the temperature drops and we reach the final stretch of the year. For August my intentions are as clear as day, I have some business ventures up my sleeve, some things I want to try and some things I want to stop doing, so what are these grande (and not so grande) intentions for the month? Well here is what I want to achieve for the month of August.

1. Start production on Rebranding HIV merchandise (this is something I have wanted to do for some time now and the timing couldn't feel more right). If things go as planned, I will have the prototypes by September 1st (anniversary of my diagnosis, pretty symbolic no?)

2. Get going on O.A.K. (a new business venture the boyfriend and I are working on)

3. Write the first chapter of my new memoir....

4. Start working out again (healthy mind, healthy body right?)

5. Dance more (something I used to do a lot of but with work loads, family, friends, boyfriends etc, I have forgotten how to have fun by myself)

Whats on your August list?

And so it begins...

I can't believe that we are FINALLY launching. You must understand dear readers, that this has been one of my passion projects for the past few months now after a friend pitched the idea to me. In her words, she felt like there weren't enough spaces to talk about some of the important issues that young people like you and I are facing today, and no, whilst we would like to, we are not talking about ending world hunger or creating world peace, but rather how to deal with the every day issues and realities of living in South Africa and form part of a greater collective as citizens of the world. The idea behind naming this project the positive diaries came about from my personal experience as a young woman living with HIV and often being reduced to a number, an idea, a misconception, of which for the most part I have no control over. As such, the "The Positive Diaries" were born, as a method to debunk those myths and give you the real facts, as I am sure you will give me you're truths, insights and so on on the issues you are facing.

Now before you move on to the next page I want to reiterate that whilst I will be posting mainly from the perspective of a young positive, "The positive diaries" are about more than just HIV and AIDS they are about living an creating a healthy lifestyle for yourself, whether that be by eating well, working out, taking care of your mental health etc. "The positive diaries" hope to be reflective of every young person reading this, a personal diary if you will, that deals will the things that affect us all and whilst the "The positive diaries" are an extension of some of the ideals of Rebranding HIV, a company I founded what seems like many moons ago, it is not a Rebranding HIV project but rather a personal endeavor, one which, as previously mentioned has been created with help from my closest friends. This project has been a labor of love and I am grateful that I have been able to get as many of my friends involved as possible because at the end of the day, this is more than just about sharing my personal stories but sharing the stories of all of you.

As we continue on this new and exciting journey I hope that all the content that we produce here is relevant for you as a young person whether you are living with HIV or not, because at the end of the day we could all benefit from living and leading a positive life, one in which all of our holistic needs are taken care of. From food to fashion, to debunking some of the myths around HIV/AIDS and overall sexual health, we hope to create an interactive and relevant platform for all that will help you to live your Positive life.