Zakeeya usually buys herself a ring to commemorate roles she’s awarded. Madame, I bought you this ring on your birthday for a couple of reasons: 1) you wanted it 🙂 and 2) you are the star of your own show - I want to give you this ring to commemorate that. I know the year ahead will be filled with meetings, scripts, auditions, rehearsals and many highs & lows as you vie for external validation and recognition of your talent. I respect and support you on this journey. But the truth is that you are the star of your own show. Not in a selfish and self-interested sense. The power lies in your hands, each and every day, cultivating your skills a successful performer, creative and producer of good outcomes.
There are 4 things I want to reflect on from the last year. I’m so proud of you for making it here to Los Angeles, for dreaming big, persevering and never giving up. There’s long road ahead to everything you want to achieve but you are tenacious and incredibly successful, which must be celebrated.
I’m proud of all the growth you’ve achieved in your relationships with family and friends leading up to leaving South African shores. You used challenging moments to develop your bonds, which will hold you in good stead.
I’m proud of you for standing up for what you believe in, rejecting some of the frivolous non-sense which consumes peoples minds and is projected onto us by media and society. You challenge the narrative, are prepared to put yourself out there and have conversations of substance, which will lead to even more growth in the future. Abe sometimes tells you not to swim up stream but in this instance I’m very glad to swim up stream with you.
I’m proud of you for taking the brave steps to create and produce your own content. You are such a powerful woman, with stories to tell and the skill to be a voice for others. Slowly slowly, you will find the ways to unleash this influence through your own content. It’s going to be a tough path to achieve the lofting goals that you set but the obstacles are the way. You have the determination to overcome each one of them and turn the challenges into successes.
It’s through these internal achievements and pushing yourself to grow as a person that you will continue to star in your own show in Hollywood. The rewards and recognition are mere formalities thereafter. I love you. Happy birthday!