The answers lie within and only with you.
I’ve heard a lot of banter about women’s day, and being a woman myself, for years, I’ve always wondered, “what’s the fuss about?”.
Probably because I have grown up surrounded by men and women in my life who have always encouraged me to do whatever I aspired to do without any boundaries.
I was born in a family with philanthropic routes, encouraging and investing in girl education to help wider communities and society.
You may think this is not very different to several families in today’s day and age; however, the only difference here was that no women in my family had ever worked in the corporate world for generations. And, this was by choice.
My older sister was probably one of the first women in the family to begin working in the corporate world rather than joining the family business. I believe this could’ve been due to a combination of a couple of things. Firstly, coming from a strong patriarchal business legacy, women in the family didn’t need to earn that extra living. Secondly, maybe because my family evolved from an old-fashioned, conservative Muslim upbringing, venturing into the corporate world to make a living wasn’t really considered a priority.
Having said that, I certainly do have a lineage of strong women in my family revered with stature and recognized across the globe for their contributions to society while building flourishing communities for the greater good.
“Whatever you do, do it with passion and integrity. Only then you will do it well!”. Growing up, this was the advice I received from my father.
Today, I dedicate my achievements to him, who always encouraged me by saying, “Be true to yourself, and everything else will follow because that’s the only way you will recognize your potential”.
I can count several times in my life when I’ve been at crossroads and struggled to make life-changing decisions. And in most of those crucial moments, I sought the advice of the strongest and the most practical woman in my life, who guided me and encouraged me to move forward with the words, “you deserve better!”. Yep! I’m referring to my mother!
I am also blessed to have a partner who pushes me every day (or at least when I need it the most) and helps me break the stereotypes, reminding me of all those significant moments I’ve achieved success. Evoking memories of the peaks when I didn’t care about what people would think and forged ahead without letting such trivial concerns influence me.
These concrete pillars are the ones who’ve taught me well and continue to do so.
Whenever I’m flummoxed, wondering “what I may be doing wrong?”… I now know to believe that “the answers lie within and only with me!”
This piece is a toast to all my mentors along the way who’ve helped me recognize & acknowledge that I am better than the best!
Happy Women’s day to you too!
#HappyWomensDay #IWD2021 #inthisdigitalage
