Latest update March 28th, 2024 12:59 AM
Mar 11, 2019 News
By Tiana Cole
Lindener, Setra O’Selmo recently marked 12 years since her life changed, and according to her, for the better. On March 3, 2007, O’Selmo was involved in an accident, which left her paralyzed from her waist down.
In recognizing this milestone, O’Selmo did a photo shoot, which proved that her condition did not stop her from making a name for herself in the make-up industry.
The 31-year-old began her career in the beauty industry when she was on the brink of committing suicide, after thinking that all her dreams were shattered.
Before that mishap, the striking beauty enjoyed dancing, baking, modelling and all sorts of sports activities.
“I didn’t choose my profession… it chose me. I sustained a spinal cord injury in 2007 and make-up was the only thing that brought me a lot of joy, love, peace, motivation, innovation, challenges and most of all satisfaction. That was the birth of Setra O’Selmo.”
At first, Setra said she could not bear to look herself in the mirror anymore.
“I thought I was ugly, worthless, unimportant, not loved and a waste of being a woman.”
She recounted that growing up, she always had a love for make-up, but because of her cultural background, she was kept from it.
According to her, she secretly kept neutral tone lip-gloss, face powder and mascara in her possession. “One day, I glimpsed at myself in the mirror after years and I decided to apply make-up on my face. After that, I regained my confidence, because I realized that I was still so beautiful,” Setra reflected.
After regaining her self-esteem, Setra recalled that she saw an advertisement on the television about cosmetology courses, and from thereon, her career blossomed. While undertaking the classes, Setra said that she realized that doing make-up was her passion over the other areas in cosmetology.
There and then, she said, she decided to elevate herself and be more open-minded in the knowledge of make-up artistry.
“Knowing that make-up helped heal me from my depression, using the art of make-up means the world to me. Knowing that I can help other persons heal the way I did is wonderful and that is what I live for.”
O’Selmo, in recapping on the 12 years that she has been paraplegic, stated that the past 12 years has been very challenging, yet amazing.
“I have overcome, achieved and touched lives in a way more than I expected and for this reason I am very much grateful for life and all the lessons I learnt through this process.”
She added that since her accident, she has been living with valuable lessons, which she learnt during her journey with living as a paraplegic.
“I hope it gives someone hope and encouragement to accept change. Even though it might not be what they expected, it is always for the good.”
For each year living as a paraplegic, O’Selmo has shared her 12 most valuable lessons.
The first lesson O’Selmo lives by is TRUST IN THE CREATOR- with Him, all things are possible. “He blesses us with a second chance to be better (seek and do better).”
CHERISH YOUR FAMILY- “These are the ones that stood and surrounded me through it all (the good and bad times, even when I wasn’t feeling loved and was angry most of the time); they are my biggest fans and supporters. Never sacrifice family because they are everything.”
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF- “It is your own responsibility to believe in yourself, your strength, uniqueness, innate passion and also weakness. Only I know my worth and have the ability to remove any negative thought that I have in my mind. Only I can speak positivity over myself. Believing in yourself is empowering, it gives you self-confidence but you have to have faith and patience.”
ACCEPT CHALLANGES AS PART OF LIFE- “It helps us to discover some hidden potentials that even you didn’t know was there, it provides endless possibilities. This can come in all form and sometimes suddenly. Some of these challenges can be personal, professional, health, financial or even relationship wise. To accept a challenge is to acknowledge the problem and choosing how to deal with the situation. “
ACCEPTING PROBLEMS AS PART OF LIFE- “Problems are always there. It is up to us to determine the outcome. This can motivate us, also adapt to changes and try to make things work for the better of those who are involved.
Always remember that nothing lasts forever and every problem teaches us a valuable lesson for life. What you accomplish at the destination is not as important as the individual you become through the process. Our purpose is to become better than whom we were before. “
FIGHT THE EMEMY WITHIN- “Start every day with a positive spirit and the will to conquer every situation or thought that makes us think any less of ourselves. Stop wasting your energy on things that you will not benefit from in the long run and invest in yourself. You can never reach your ideal destination if you keep tearing yourself down with negative thoughts.”
NEVER LET ANYONE SPEAK THEIR VERSION OF REALITY INTO YOUR LIFE- “I was told that I would have to be in bed until I die; that I couldn’t work or do anything for myself. I was told that I will have to be dependent all my life from henceforth but look at me today.”
8. STOP HOLDING ON TO YOUR PAST- “Let go of all the hurt and pain that you cannot change and instead welcome some new adventures and just allow yourself to grow by testing your limits. Grow through your challenges.
SMILING- It not only reduces stress but it makes you look and feel good about yourself and brighten someone’s day. It calms your nervous system, sends oxygen to the brain and most of all, it is very contagious.”
SERVE OTHERS- “Making the most out of every situation because you never know what others are going through and the depth in which you can touch their lives in a positive way. From the art of sharing, giving and mentorship, not because things are not working out for you the way you want doesn’t mean you cannot help someone achieve great things.”
DISCIPLINE – “This is everything. It takes a lot of investing in yourself when it comes to health (eating well, exercising, mediating, enough sleep, quality family time and exploring new ideas for the development of my business)”
GRATITUDE – “This is having respect for myself and others, give compliments, be very thoughtful, volunteer, being a role model to everyone I come into contact with during my rollercoaster journey. Magic happens when satisfaction is met in sharing, giving and helping each other.
“I still have a long way to go… and as always I love sprinkling my glitters on everyone I meet.”
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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