Kondwera: Uncertainty and its uncommon beauty, if you are willing to find it.
Today was rather cool; I got to hold an emu egg! It was different, much heavier than I expected, and with its etchings and rich color... beautiful. But more on the egg later. First, let me ask: Are any of you fellow Mindvalley fans? Vishen Lakhiani isn’t paying me for this mention (and he doesn’t need to). Since age 11, I have been drawn to resources that help me "find (and remember) my power." Mindvalley has been one such resource. Right now, I am retaking the "Unshakeable: From Self-Doubt to Self-Determination" program by Shadé Zahrai MBA LLB and Fayçal Sekkouah. This quest is packed with amazing tools for building resilience, grounding ourselves, and taking back control when life feels... well, shaky.
Now, back to that egg! I’d seen an ostrich egg in Zambia, but this was my first emu egg encounter (special thanks to my former colleague). It looked like the perfect oval avocado! It also looked like something Captain Janeway and the USS Voyager might encounter in the Delta Quadrant, don't you think? "Eggscept" it was neither. I decided that some quick research was in order.
Here are my findings:
🔹 Emus hold deep historical and cultural significance for Aboriginal Australians (multiple sources).
🔹 A century ago, Australia went to "war" with emus and lost. Yes, really! Emus were considered pests to farmlands. Wildlife management efforts failed because these sturdy birds were even harder to eradicate in flocks. The emus ultimately "won" and today, their important role in the ecosystem is noted (National Geographic). Therein lies a metaphor.
🔹 The emu is on the Australian Coat of Arms because, like the kangaroo, it can’t walk backwards, and, therefore, both creatures symbolize the nation's forward progress (Australian government).
With what I learned, holding that egg from a creature hailing from across the world now felt symbolic. It meshed with my Mindvalley Unshakeable quest: a reminder to stay grounded, move through the challenges, and OWN my power each chance I get AND take.
The egg brought to mind three truths about current uncertainty:
1) It’s different from what we have known.
2) The times are heavier than most of us imagined possible... and at a sometimes disheartening scale.
3) But there's still uncommon beauty. We can "choose to find joy in the little things," as my mum used to say. Like, there I was, reconnecting with former colleagues over lunch, and an unexpected egg stole the show.
Hi, I’m Tondi Mondoloka, a fellow human encouraging you to find your power in the shakiest of moments, even in the seemingly simplest of ways. Let’s keep holding on and lifting each other up.
And, dear Mindvalley, my audacious dream is to one day land on your platform. But for now, I’ll settle for scoring a Mindvalley t-shirt. Half-joking, but truly, thank you for helping so many of us expand our existence.
Oval emu egg with etchings on the shell.
I shared a version of this on my LinkedIn.