Positive Attitude to life especially as it concerns us women and our approach to it all. Until you experience it or find yourself in a helpless situation where no-one can help, you can’t understand how hard it can be for one to struggle to live positively in the midst of trials, challenges & difficulties such as vitiligo.

‘Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% what you make of it’

I am starting with my life experience and having been in contact with persons going through some sort of depression and low self esteem. Vitiligo is a very disfiguring, devastating condition which can affect anyone. In a world where physical appearance is celebrated you can feel helpless when your appearance is threatened.

I am talking about vitiligo because that’s one great challenge I had with my attitude and approach to life. I started thinking about what bothered me most about having vitiligo in 2006. After all, it is more of a cosmetic problem than anything else. Why worry about what other people think? When it has not changed who I am and the way God sees you who look at the heart and not the physical. Vitiligo may have knocked us down but it hasn’t knocked us out!

I just made up my mind to stop thinking of vitiligo, what people think or how they react. I realized I have enough potential willpower to do that if I really want to. When you are in control of your mind, you can have control over what gets you down or affects you. We do not fully comprehend what we can do with our emotions, when we control them, we have willpower. When they control us the results are often disastrous.

Vitiligo is not what I brought on myself; there is neither known cause, nor cure (let alone prevention). I prayed depressive thoughts out of my mind and started attacking the problem constructively.

I learnt to do what make me happy, wear what I am comfortable in and really suits, go out to any place I wish, I started dictating for vitiligo as it used to dictate to me when to go, what to wear, where to go, etc. IT WORKED!

I learnt to Love and Accept myself for me. What people think or feel about my look is the least of my worries now, I thank God I have something am doing that is keeping me busy and my mind occupied always. The truth is that I don’t remember Vitiligo often these days, am just concerned about majority out there living with this condition who is really finding it hard to live normal life especially the women.

I have learnt that Self Acceptance is key! Can you give what you don’t have? Can’t possibly worry myself anymore about what the next persons thinks about my look, funny enough I may just be far healthier than the person trying to make me uncomfortable with stares & comment.

People’s reaction to my looks is no longer an issue.

Remember that everything in life happens for a reason and that we never really know when the happenings are positive or negative. Sometimes events that are seen as negatives are simply lessons in disguise. Sometimes we need to learn these lessons in order to rise to a higher level of awareness.

Life is tough (full of ups and down), no doubt about that, but no toughness can be as tough as genuine hope. One of the toughest things in the world is a mind filled with hope and that we need more than any other!

One thing I will leave you with is that nothing can bring you down without your permission!

There is always a positive & negative side to that situation; you have the right to choose…..

I saw it from the Positive angle! I just learnt, how about you?

Hope this helps!

- Ogo Maduewesi