Associations!!

I grew up in my school understanding that my way to "acknowledgement" is through my "achievements" and that "education" is "painful", then I got exposed to society and became aware of the importance of "richness" to "happiness" and the causality of being "slim" to becoming "beautiful" and that being "popular" is my ticket to being "valued". And, as I was ready for my career, I found the advices everywhere; if you want to be "strong" you have to become "independent" and if you are determined to get ahead you must step on your "feminine" "emotions" and become "macho" like a "man", while through the journey of my career, I experienced the close relationship between "money" and "security".  When the time came for eventually realizing my "fantasy" and starting a  "relationship", I found myself "afraid" of "commitment". I decided I wanted more "freedom" so I became an "entrepreneur", I believed that my "dreams" are a continent away and I grew a passion for "traveling", I wanted to rebel from "obligations" and "responsibility" but I ended up "alone" and "lonely" so I wanted to go back to being "busy" to feel "important", but nothing satisfied me though. I decided to go back and revisit my life and see what could I fix, and I found out that I needed to fix my associations!! The associations that were installed by invisible hands in our systems long ago, associations that passed unfiltered and shaped our beliefs and left us confused in the middle of a very complex equation with misleading variables. Who said that the way to one's acknowledgement is how good an achiever he can become, not how good of a person he is, or that education is a painful journey that we strive to end, not a way of living! Who fabricated the lie that happiness is in materials and not a state of being, or that beauty has standards or that value is in crust and false flashlights. And who was disturbed enough to make women feel shameful for being emotional and oblige men to become macho and feelingless. What were the motives of the movie makers to create fantasies out of every relationship and make it such a false hope for everyone, a magical wand that would touch their lives and turn it into some sort of a Cinderella story!! And why do people sell their commitments as stories of suicide, attaching fear to every detail of it, leaving out the good ordeal to themselves!! In which chapter of success did you find freedom as a recipe!! And who started the naive idea that traveling is synonym to realizing dreams, when hard word, struggle and pain have always been..Yes, the world is so messed up but what is more messed up than the world is ourselves!!


 

The Purpose of You

At some point in your life you've probably heard the words 'purpose' or 'passion'. You spent so much time thinking what you want to do with your life, only to decide you're going to be just another one of the 'you's: you'll get a 'normal', sought for degree, get a job, and take the 'average' route from there.
You start believing that you've done nothing inspiring, that you'll never be able to change the world, and that you're no different than any person that got a 9-5 job.
But that's a lie. You're not just another you, and you aren't living and dying like just another somebody.
You're different.
You really are.
This life, it's like a building, and every one of us is a part, or a block, that is contributing in the process of setting this piece. If you think your part doesn't count, then whose does?
You may have not discovered the cure for cancer, or a new milky-way. Maybe you didn't save the Earth from global warming, or helped scientists stop pandas from extinction. Maybe it wasn't something remarkable, known or that changed the world. But you changed someone or something, and when you're gone, you'll have served your purpose. And that's enough.
اللهم استخدمنا ولا تستبدلنا.

Out of competition!!

In the pursuit of success and the making of a career, we learn something vital to our survival, something that becomes unconsciously integrated in our system and pattern; if you don't run as fast as you can, you probably won't get as much as you deserve..There is no time, no time to wait for a colleague to catch up, no time to do something outside your to do list, no time to pay forward something that won't return the favor, because we are in a RACE!! We are racing against a fierce competition, so standing for a moment to listen to your friend's applauses seems unaffordable, slowing down your pace for your family to be able to see you would waste your time, and stopping around the turns for an important conversation would definitely ruin your chances of success. And if that happens, if that happens, we would be so furious about the reasons that throttled our success and curse the incompetence of those who couldn't keep with our pace and hence lost us the race..A race that is so important to who we are because we are racing after the carrots that we deserve. But what we really need to learn in the process is to stop every once in a while and question if the carrots are really what we need?!! Because in the end, when we lose, we don't lose the carrots, we lose everything we thought the carrots meant to us...But then we would be out of competition, out of time!!

A tribute...

Nothing's more precious and long sought for like unconditional love, the kind of love that gives a lot and asks for no returns. One that balances the turbelance of our souls, and makes you feel safe to throw yourself in it's arms, for you know you will always be safely caught. A genuine love customized just for your needs, one that appreciate your flaws and sees deep beyond your words and into your meanings. An experience that elevates your soul and confirms your humanity, a love that connects you to a deeper dimension of existence. Such love is lived in a baby's first smile at you, a kid's helpless look seeking your reassurance, a mother's baked favourite just for you, a joyful jump of your dog at your sight, a warm hug from a horse who trusted your soul, a pur of a cat cuddling on your lap, a wholehearted worry from your loved ones, or a sincere prayer from your grandma in the beginning of your everyday. Whether it touched our soul for a moment or a lifetime, there was once another soul that rejoiced for the idea of our being, just our simple being without the extra add ons, improvements or changes. They appreciated the idea of who we are, not the possibility of who we could be and to them we pay a tribute..

Dark roasted

Nothing makes me happier than the aroma of a freshly opened jar of coffee. The strong brown grinds give me a taste of my own self. The distinguished intensity of coffee integrates smoothly with the fabrics of my soul, reminding me of how I should keep my own taste, and leave aside the voices that try to rub me from my flavor, or put me down for behaving different than the expectations.. Not everyone loves coffee, but there is something for everyone. Don't always expect that strength, self-sufficiency, determination and straightforwardness would be the choice of everyone. Neither would saying or doing what you believe is right always be applauded by the crowd. But would you stop boiling your water just because all you can find is ice tea?!! If you have set yourself to be of a strong taste then embrace your identity, for the dark roasted beans are usually the choice of the few...

A Spark of Something Different

As the Sun starts a new, yet similar, journey to the one it just finished, many aim to start a new, yet different, journey to the one they just ended.
So many different take-offs are about to be taken - but what have you decided to change on this 365-day period? What have you decided needs a cut, and what needs a start?
Have you drawn guidelines? Have you set rules? Have you REALLY decided to flip your life over and start a brand new 'you'? What were the things you decided you'll do to glimpse the spark of something new on this venture?
I know you think it's going to be hard to get over this bad habit, or to leave the bad influence. To start exercising and eating healthy; to end a toxic relationship; to quit smoking; to take that ONE step to Allah. But is any take-off EVER easy?
Just think about it: you're on a plane for the first time.
This time, though:
The sounds you're hearing, they are actually of the people letting you down.
And the pain you're feeling, that is about to be the reason you burst, is just temporary.
Because once you're up there, it's all over.
The screams die down, the pain is gone like it was never there, and you're filled with the pleasure of finally getting through this misery.
But, the real question is, are you ready for take-off? Or will the fear of the quickly-ending moment make you stand back forever?
Think. Breathe. Start over. Repeat, no matter how much you fall :)!
Have a good embark.