feb - 29 days of crashing out
shelly's feb '25 newsletter
Helloooo, it’s chelly !
I’ve been putting off writing this newsletter for a while.
I almost skipped feb’s newsletter entirely until I realised that every month is a mark of progress; the wins, the failures. There’s nothing to hide here so I hope you enjoy this candid update.
February arrives like a train and runs over the bones of January, and just like that- the death of a new year.
- Ritika Jyala, ‘The Flesh I Burned’
tl/dr;
I finished building the web-app 🎉
the reality of being 17 and having no idea what to do after highschool - it sucks
some things to be grateful for from feb 🫶
what’s coming up?
the community service web-app is finished 😝
I have beeeeeeeen working on this lil side project and now it is finally done and on the web !!
some context: I’m developing a web-app for my school to use to keep track of school and community service hours for students.
you can check it out here -
here’s some test login data you can play around with (if you notice any errors or have suggestions for improvements, please message me!)
Teacher:
✉️Email - teacher1@curro.co.za 🔑Password - test123
Student:
✉️Email: student1@curro.co.za 🔑Password: test123This is a video showing how the program works from the organisation side.
I learnt so much through this project from the importance of separating the frontend & backend to how basic encryption works.
I will write a medium article on how I built the web-app that should come out by the end of March.
what’s the next step?
a little bit more error testing
buying a domain name
adoption: explaining the system to the learners at my school and the external organisations.
possibly replicating this system for other schools to use
the reality of being 17 & having no idea what to do after high school
If I’m lucky enough, I’ll have the courage to leave and go wherever my beating heart tells me to go.
But how do I know where ‘my beating heart’ is telling me to go? 😭
For some reason, all adults think the most appropriate question to ask a grade 12 student is ‘what are your plans for university?’ ✨
This question haunts me EVERY SINGLE DAMN DAY.
If I were to answer this question with complete & utter honesty, I would say,
“I have no cooking clue, Karen. Please do not proceed to give me your advice. I’m so overwhelmed by everyone else’s opinions that I don’t even know what thoughts are MINE anymore.”
Of course, I don’t say that. It usually goes,
“I want to study engineering at Stellenbosch University, but I’m not 100% set on it yet, so we’ll see.”
Cue fake smile that masks the pain within 😊💀
I know I’m not alone in this. In fact, 61% of teenagers are unsure of what they want to do after high school. (I think the other 39% are just lying).
You see there’s this gap between what you’re good at, what’s expected of you, what you value, what you care about, and somehow through all of that figuring out what you want to do.
According to Myers Briggs I should be working in PR, human resources and project management. (I’m ENFJ - protagonist btw 💖)
According to my subject package, I should do engineering. 📚
According to a few of my strengths, I should do law ⚖️ or chartered accounting.
like bruh, how am I supposed to know what to do 🫠
(and that’s if I even study)
Because a gap year is also an option.
^insert sigh^
what I do know:
I don’t want a traditional job. I want to innovate, create and work in spaces where I’m not boxed in.
I don't want to be an engineer, or a lawyer or an accountant.
I want to use those skills developed from the academically rigorous course to make a dent in the universe and work on stuff that tangibly helps people.
I’m not motivated by a paycheck or the title ‘ceo’. 🤑
The world doesn’t need more AI productivity tools - it needs smart people working together on hard problems.
Explain to me how we can send people to the moon but not feed people on Earth. 🌍
It takes ambition to step outside of the lines drawn for you at school - and it’s scary. It’s so much easier and more comfortable to settle for mediocrity & comfort.
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. It is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
You are a child of God, your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We’re all born to manifest the glory of God within us. As we let our own light shine we unconciously give other people permission to do the same.
- Marianne Williamson⭐
What’s the point of being a light if you’re not prepared to go into darkness?
I think that’s why it’s easier to believe that I was not fearfully & wonderfully made and that I am incapable of living an extraordinary life. This self-limiting belief allows me to engage in mediocrity without feeling guilty.
How much are you willing to demand from life?
The other day someone mentioned the indescribable pain of stepping on Lego blocks. This random sentiment made me realise something quite profound;
Phases in your life are not puzzle pieces 🧩 that must fit together perfectly to create some predetermined picture. 🖼️
But instead they are Lego blocks you can build with. You can build anything you want, and when it comes to Lego, no piece cannot be used and incorporated somewhere.
It’s up to you what you want to build.
What do you want your life to look like?
As my parents always tell me: you are not a victim, what will you do to empower yourself in this situation?
basically what’s my game plan going forward…
have conversations with mentors & people who have achieved my vision of success.
calls scheduled for this upcoming week: Robyn Oates (UN executive), Damian Matheson (my tks director), Karen Muhwezi (she’s just super cool).journal every night - this really helps me understand and dissect my emotions, leading to greater insights about what is the right decision for my future 💡
spend 3 hours every weekend doing research as to what my options (so much seems to pass us by simply because we don’t know it exists)
don’t crash out. don’t psyche myself out about this. deep breathes. we will figure this out.
a few happy highlights from feb
visiting my sister at her uni 💗
on a lil weekend getaway to stellies I got to see my sister for the 1st time in her natural habitat - no sleep, a piling to-do list and a messy room with cookie dough in her air-fryer (university life ig 😂)
there’s no bond like the one between sisters, even when they’re 1585 km apart.
growing through life with you has been the greatest gift ever given to me.
i’m so proud of the people we’re becoming.
you have shown me I don’t have to face this world alone.
thank you for being the rock I can lean on.
school spirit 🤍💙
we’ve been trying to build GEES (Afrikaans word for spirit) in the school. Our first game day was super successful - getting teenagers to show up on a Saturday morning to watch some sport is unsurprisingly very challenging.
as you can see in the recap video posted below, it’s giving gees 📣
catch up call with the antarctica controcazzi gang ❤️🔥
I love these guys so much, they have to get a mention!
huge shoutout to Mukondi who's going to NASA in June - like what the heck gal.
looking ahead 👀
- Running a mile every day for 40 days 🏃🏃🏃
I’ve never really done Lent (40 days before Easter commemorating Jesus Christ's 40 days of fasting in the desert) but this year I wanted to challenge myself.
✅ A minimum of 1 mile per day
✅ A daily cold shower 🚿
funny enough, the hard part is not running the mile, it’s finding the time to do it.
I read a quote recently that said: It’s not about the goals we set but who we become in the pursuit of them.
This goal isn’t about running, it’s about being consistent and showing up every single day.
Anytime I need motivation to do something difficult, I put some headphones on and listen to this video (occasionally it’s giving toxic alpha male vibes, but trust me you feel inconquerable afterwards)
One of my favourite quotes in the video is
A focused fool can accomplish more than a distracted genius. Your most valuable asset is not your time, it is your attention.
I even made a group chat with all my friends also doing Lent where we send daily pics/videos of us doing our commitment as a fun way to stay motivated & accountable.
I always look like a tomato after my runs lolsies
- Other fun things in march
lesotho mission trip
grd 8 blazer ceremony
potentially posting the Antarctica vlog
KPI leadership updates 📊
It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.
- Charles Dickens, ‘Great Expectations’ (the book I’m currently reading)
🔗thank u for reading - let’s connect
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/l-chelle-bester-683463294/
Email: lchelle.best@gmail.com
I’d love to hear your thoughts - leave a comment :)
You’re making me tear up from 1585 km away 🥹 so trots op jou
Watching this space - you are going places my girl!! 🌍🛸☄️🚀🛸🌇🌅🌄