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Zozibini Tunzi’s top 5 tips to being fearless

Image: Suplied

South Africa’s pride and joy, Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi, is no stranger to high-pressure environments.

It’s no exaggeration to deem her a national icon at this point: Tunzi embodies the kind of unapologetically strong, outspoken, self-empowered womanhood that so many of us aspire towards.

Of course, being  — or even just seeming to be — fearless is no small feat for women, since, frankly, we have quite a bit to worry about, our physical safety included.

At times, the manifold pressures on women – the pressure to keep safe at the same time as we try to make our voices heard – can be overwhelming.

In recognition of Women’s Month, Tunzi has partnered with female-focused insurance company 1st for Women, with the aim of imparting some of her wisdom onto the legions of young South African women who look up to her.

After all, as Tunzi points out, women have vast reserves of resilience and inner power at their disposal, in spite of the myriad threats we have to contend with. 

“We persevere and thrive through fears both seen, and unseen,” Tunzi remarks, “and yet, we are often our own harshest critics - we fight an internal dialogue about our worth. We hold back in case we are wrong. We want women to start asking themselves “what would you do if you were fearless?”

It’s not easy to feel fearless overnight, however; here are Zozibini Tunzi’s top five tips on conquering your fears, just to get you started.

1. “Learn to understand what your fear is and embrace it. Only then will you be able to push through it.”

2. “Write down your fears so that you can look at them face to face. When you are one facing them, prove them wrong.”

3. “It's not as bad you think. These are words I always recite to myself. We always imagine the worst, and most of the time the reality is not as scary as how we imagine it.”

4. “Be optimistic! Always try to change fear into a challenge.”

5. “Give yourself positive affirmations.”

“When women fear less, they become fearless,” concludes Tunzi. “Then they can do what they thought they couldn’t and say what they thought they shouldn’t. It’s a choice with the ultimate reward – true freedom.”