VIDEO: Self-help book to lift those with no hope
"Losing my job was the hardest thing that I had to go through - even harder than accepting my being disabled."
Emilie Olifant could have given up on life the day she lost the ability to walk after a horrific accident in 2012, but the former JSE employee, who spent most of her life building up an impressive corporate resume, did not let her disability stand in her way.
Instead, Emilie found more strength and courage to do things she never thought capable of, like writing a book.
“I can’t ask myself why this happened to me and why not someone else. What I ended up asking myself was what should I do to impact the lives of other people,” she said.
Emilie had been an active child growing up in Mamelodi and took part in sports and athletic activities while growing up. She said she learned a lot about her disability which, with the support of her family, never became a daunting task.
“My mother helped me to adjust and to find my way. It was not easy, but with her being around and helping me, life was not bad… it could not have been bad,” said Emilie.
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Since the accident, Emilie had been without a job.
“Losing that job was the hardest thing that I had to go through – even harder than accepting my being disabled,” she said.
After returning from rehab, she started collecting the diaries in which she used to write about how she felt about what was happening to her.
“Even before the accident, I had always been a writer. I kept notebooks and diaries which I filled with my thoughts and feelings. There was no question about it when I decided to turn the notes into a book,” she said.
She said the book, My Life Climax, was not about disability.
“It is a self-help book that any person can read and learn from,” she said.
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“It is about overcoming any situation, especially bad ones, and facing adversity as it comes while remaining strong,” she said.
Emilie said she hopes the book, which was not easy to write as it required her to visit some painful memories, will inspire other people to become the best they can be.
“I am a motivational speaker and a published author. I run my own NGO and didn’t let my disability stand in my way,” said Emilie.
“I want people to become their true best selves. This book will motivate people with no hope.”
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