Remember to LOVE YOURSELF

In the quiet corners of our minds, there's a voice that tends to undermine and sow doubt - the inner critic. The negative one. The one who preys on our insecurities. Confirms our self doubts and attacks our confidence. It might sound like, 'you should', 'why didn’t you?', or 'what’s wrong with you?'

Recognising this internal dialogue is important because it so often shapes our actions and decisions. When we're too hard on ourselves, it messes with our confidence and blocks our creativity.

It's essential to name it, acknowledge its influence, and most importantly, not let it take the reins of our lives. Instead of allowing self-doubt to dictate our choices, we should strive to foster self-acceptance. By doing so, we empower ourselves to break free from the grip of the inner critic and embrace our authenticity.

Embracing our imperfections and celebrating our unique qualities empowers us to step into the fullness of who we are meant to be. And it brings with it a profound sense of inner peace, enabling us to navigate life's challenges with confidence and grace.

Filmed in Hermanus, South Africa.

All of our films are made possible through the generous support of our patrons.

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Who is Reflections of Life? We are Justine and Michael (previously known as Green Renaissance). We use our passion for filmmaking and our love of storytelling, to remind our audience of one simple truth – that we are all human. The more that we understand and believe in this interconnectedness, the more we will treat ourselves, one another, and planet earth with a greater sense of compassion.

Filming - by Michael
Editing - by Justine du Toit
Sound mix - by Tamryn Breakey

Music tracks used in this film:
I Propose a Toast - by Wings for Louise
Clair de Lune Debussy - by Ohad Ben Ari
First Morning - be sero
Light Waltz - by Mattia Vlad Morleo
Kurofune - by REW
Love You - by Yehezkel Raz
100 Stars Vanished - by Beneath the Mountain

A huge thank you to these guys, who gave so generously of their to time to help with translations, enabling us to provide subtitles in the following languages:
Bulgarian - by Polina Stoyanova
Cebuano/Bisaya (Filipino) - by Anna Peterson
Croatian - by Davor Bobanac
Czech - Khoa Tran Sy and Lea Sýkorová
Dutch - by Karla Greven
English - by Justine du Toit
French - by Amélie Macoin
Georgian - by Qeti Giorgadze
German - by Tanja Pütz
Greek - by Vicky Polychroni
Hungarian - by Zorka Evetovics
Italian - by Grazia Gironella
Macedonian - by Lidija Pusevska Markovska
Polish - by Anna Konieczna
Portuguese - by Sibylle Steinpass and Lucivani Valvassori
Romanian - by Anca Zaharia
Slovak - by Zuzana Beratsova
Slovenian - by Jasmina Kovačič
Spanish - by Paty Aguirre
Ukrainian - by Olha Yurchyk
Vietnamese - by Thi Le

[jimwalker]

I'm 75yoa, having a wonderful life, how come? I hear you ask, well I'll tell you, when I was about 50yoa I had a revelation, a light bulb moment if you like, I suddenly realised there was and still is a great deal of things I don't give a shit about, my decision, ohhhh life is so good, thank you, your welcome, Love and Peace to all you good people.

[sonialandry]

What a beautiful thing to wake up and find “Reflections of Life” has posted 🙏✨💝☺️

[joycefernandezbaham]

I am 63 years of age. I have found that as image I care less about the criticism or opinions of other people. I have learned how to accept and love myself. I only spend time with people who love me and avoid stress and drama.

[FRASERMCGREGOR]

This wonderful woman is bursting full of peace and love. 

I have never seen someone so full of light and joy. I hope she does sit and wonder at her physical self in the mirror and through every brush stroke come to an understanding of what we all see. A beautiful soul bringing such wonder and delight to the world as she passes through it.  

Thank you for continuing to bring these stories to our attention. Stunning. Just

[Sherry]

When I was a young woman I found myself beginning to think like my mother, critical of self and others. It felt so draining, and I did not want to become my mother. So one day something occurred to me. I could try to overcome it by replacing the dark thoughts with lighter ones. Committed from that moment on, for every dark thought that rose to my awareness I would match it with an equally light thought. I don’t recall when it happened because it was seamless but one day maybe several months later I found myself no longer replacing my thoughts and no longer having critical ones. Years later while in therapy I would learn this technique was much like CBT, which helped me to understand why it worked so amazingly 😊 ❤ Thank you for this beautifuly raw authentic story. Such a beautiful woman and spirit.

[jonathankipp]

Can you imagine that sparkly spirit, the eyes, the smile, the laugh contained in a tiny willowy body? I cannot. Such a small frame could not contain every lovely thing that this woman is. I'm going to bungle this but: An apple tree does not want to be a Sequoia. It's an apple tree. It's enough. If only we could all get there sooner, before it is too late. A universal story. I enjoyed every second of her...

[UCBerkeley_videos]

Thank you, Catherine, for sharing the light of your beautiful Self. And thank you Justine and Michael for capturing this Beauty with us. All of your video creations are laced with profound meaning and goodness. THANK YOU! 🙏

[carolnewlands]

Your joy is worth more then 10, 000 flat tummy's!!

[jcsrst]

I always come away from these videos with a desire to spend time with the person being filmed. They are so fascinating and impart some deep wisdom!

[kristinLB]

She is 67 and still has her mother!! What a blessing. I lost mine when I was 30. Seriously a blessing.

[tracyobrien]

I think the majority of us come to the realization of this.
Some of us are lucky to find out that earlier, than some. I was 54 and covid happened, I did self care and love. Within 3 years, forgave my past and just let it go.
Forgave and appreciated people who came and left my life.
At age 54 bashed my fears went zip line ng, hot air balloon ride and went on a 4 story water slide.
I've done a spiritual awakening and hiked 13 km in nature and did a hug a cow session. Nature is my temple, not a building with someone reinventing what they think God wants for us. Nature is where I pray, dream and hope. ❤

[kriola]

What a beautiful woman with a beautiful soul. Her eyes radiate kindness. Thank you for this testimony

[elodieleaf]

❤I needed to hear this beautiful message today. Beyond grateful🙏🏼💗

[alicedent]

Catherine is a beautiful woman and a very talented artist. Unfortunately, she suffers from what many of us have “self criticism “, and we are our worst enemy. It’s very hard to turn off our busy “monkey mind”! ☹️

[LifeattheCornerCastle]

Love this! At 67 my Papa use to say that the day you think you have figured out the meaning of your life….you aren’t living anymore or learning.

[LCLW]

Catharine you brought me to tears. Thank you for your openness and bearing your soul. I didn't realize how much I needed to hear

[jenniehalbroeder]

Interesting....before she continued to talk and only a few minutes in I thought how beautiful this lady is...her presence and also physically. That's how she appeared to me 😊

[newearth]

This woman! Her art! Heaven on earth. Thank you!

[cindygaudet]

I just turned 67 and sometimes I think these thoughts. Thank you for this video! As for our bodies, my friend and I still struggle and I said the other day, I am only thinking health now. I am going to be grateful and thankful and happy. Oh, and my sweet husband of 47 years says the same. I had breast cancer and one side is totally different, it bothered me for while. Now I still think it’s ugly but I know he doesn’t care and I also am thankful that I am alive and well.

[joanreid]

You beautiful, beautiful lady, you made tears come to my eyes. My pray is for you to see yourself as your creator sees you! ❤