Hisham Abdulhalim on Turning 30
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” ~ Albert Einstein
This was the leading quote that assisted me in consolidating my thoughts while writing this post. It surely made me think about the life I had in my last three decades. Moreover, it sharpened my observation on different aspects of life. Baby Julan, who’s the first child of one of my closest friends, is stating it loud and clear, I’m officially exiting my twenties. Honestly, I’ve sincerely accepted this big milestone, especially since my fingers are poised above my keyboard, with the purpose of imparting some hard-won insights to the readers of this post, focusing on three of my favourite topics: People, Self-fulfillment and Personal growth.
People
Growing up, I always believed that technology will change the world. According to Thomas Friedman’s book “The World Is Flat”, the 21st century tech scene made the world flatter than it is. The power technology provides us, by accessing, reaching and impacting everyone and everywhere, makes the world flat. I’ve learned that technology doesn’t change the world, people do. I spent the last years experiencing different conditions of society. One thing I tell you about relationships with people, whether it is business, friendship or romantic, the ones that do not have an alignment of values, have an inevitable expiry date. These values reflect how you relate to other people in your life, be they friends, partners or colleagues. How you show up in your life and the principles you live by, will form your character and position your existence among others. These are the fundamentals that will guide your decisions.
I am a big advocate of personal responsibility. I am also a strong believer that having the right people surrounding us is a significant contributor to our success in everything. The right people will motivate you to become the finest version of yourself, just by being there. The right people will be busy pursuing their own dreams and therefore they will inspire you to follow your own. Others will make you lose faith in yourself and what you are capable of. Make sure you learn to differentiate between the two castes.
Growing up in multiple locations has taught me the importance of being open-minded and adjusting myself towards finding my place. It has also emphasized the greatness of diversity. Living with and embracing diversity not just as a goal to be aimed for but as a natural fact of the world is at the core of my upbringing and defines my approach to every minor and major sphere in my life. The way I see it, people are the most robust source of diversity. Their presence is power.
Self-fulfillment
The history of this concept can be traced to Ancient Greek philosophers and it still remains a notable concept in modern philosophy. Fulfillment is an ethos, and joy is found when you can reflect and find complacency.
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” ~ Steve Jobs
Starting off with a student position, I was 20 when I had first real job. Ever since my professional career evolved dramatically. In today’s world and modern occupations, how we manage our careers so that they constantly evolve our expertise and meet the value we seek, recognizes the need for a continuous development path that allows us to adapt to all types of dynamic environments.
Become multidimensional, be open to adding as many more perspectives to yourself. Identify what are the dimensions that you yourself are missing. The way we structure our problem solving approach is built on your past experience and knowledge. The more we have, the more tools you we have at our disposal to take on multifaceted challenges. It takes conscious effort to achieve the goal of self-fulfillment. For me, one of the most important fundamentals is finding the positives. This helps me in identifying the areas in my life where changes might be required and brings a sense of inner peace and happiness. The secret to a happy life is fulfillment and the secret to fulfillment is to know what makes us feel fulfilled.
Personal growth
“At the age of six I wanted to be a cook. At seven I wanted to be Napoleon. And my ambition has been growing steadily ever since.”
~ Salvador Dali“
Visualize success; Both personal and professional, and try to reverse engineer that road. Our own thoughts, ideas and considerations about things form our level of motivation. A forceful and current vision connects with our passions and desires. Regardless of what is going on outside of our zone, a vision helps us know what and why we are doing the things we are doing. A vision is a mental picture of the future. It is an idea of what the future can hold, but has not yet happened. This is what I call my north star.
Successful personal growth requires motivation, the will to improve, and the desire to make changes. If you want to be successful hang around with successful people; And make sure you learn and gain from them as much as you can. Overtime, I have had various experiences that bestowed to my personal growth. What I can tell you is that Truth, Integrity and Ownership are the most valuable assets for personal growth; These values drive us to becoming fully accountable for our experiences and fathers self-empowerment. This reinforces our experience of self-love and strengthens our trust in ourselves. Approach these values as a tool that can be used to reach that new level of personal growth, and promote your best judgment in making any kind of decision.
The great solution to all human problems is individual inner transformation ~Vernon Howard
Dedicated to my family, friends and loved ones. I’m grateful for everything you do.
