Never say Never

Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. - Michael Jordan

As a school aged child I was often encouraged by my dear mother to strive hard and achieve my goals. No matter how tough a situation might seem, stubborn persistence and faith in Allah and in myself would get me through and the sweetness of success was well worth the effort. We had a motto – “Never say never. You can and you will” and when ever I would stumble and needed motivation I’d repeat it in my head until it made me confident and gave me renewed energy to complete the task at hand.

Now being a mother myself, I realise the impact this has had in my life and I am ever thankful to my mom for guiding me through and being the strong pillar of support at times when I needed her most. I must admit though that after having children I’ve let myself take a back seat and have put off many times what I want to do with my life but now I realise that if I want my children to succeed I need to show them how and the only way I can do that is by chasing my dreams and succeeding myself. Only then will I be able to arm them with the ammunition they require to excel in both this life and the next.

There are some simple rules I follow to help my children believe in themselves and stop them from being a quitter. I feel that this form of encouragement and support from the parents and caregivers should be practiced from a young impressionable age. Every task they embark upon should be taken as a challenge and they must endeavour to be successful. There are surely going to be times when they might fail, but ceaseless efforts will eventually make them a winner. As the saying goes,” A winner never quits and a quitter never wins.” Embedding in them the qualities of a winner and giving them the power to hold on despite the most adverse circumstances will help them easily overcome their obstacles and obtain desired results.

This holds true in matters both concerning this life and the next. Our ultimate goal is Jannah, and to attain the highest level of Jannah we need to put ourselves to the test and strive to be the best of Allah’s slaves. By incorporating qualities of a true winner such as optimism, determination, confidence, patience and above all faith in Allah (swt) we can be assured that we will be where we want to be, InshaAllah.

Life will often present to us situations that will throw us off track and make us feel like we cannot go on but at the end of the day what matters most is not what happens to us but how we react to it. Accepting change as a challenge will help lift our spirits and make life smooth sailing. There will be times when will be required to pick ourselves up, dust off and get back in the race and those who manage to achieve this are the true achievers.

I too have some goals I want to achieve and after procrastinating for the past few years I’ve realised that if I want something badly, I cannot expect it to come to my doorstep. I need to strive towards it and I know deep down that I do have the capabilities of accomplishing my goals. It’s only a matter of believing in my self and letting go of my comfort zone and stepping out in the open and tackling my fears head on.

This is a reminder for me more than anything else to go back to being a fighter. I can, I will and I have to…

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