With all the things you know now, what would you tell yourself as a younger person, if you could? Would it be a word of encouragement through hardship? Or would you warn yourself away from choices you can now see the problems in? Pride reader, blog write and poet Azza Gasim looks back at her own younger self, and tells her to let go of her fears, and chase her dreams.
Dear Azza,
Your journey to happiness is a beautiful thing full of trials and tribulations. But on your way there, there are a few things I want you to remember.
You have a smile that can fill up the sky. Keep it and embrace it. The people around you will either take it for granted or uplift you; you just have to trust your gut and have faith in finding the right people to share it with.
Dream big and go for it. You have such a beautiful gift of creativity and you need to share it with the world. Some people may not understand it or see it, but this just means you have to work ten times harder to make them see it. Just don’t give up and if you have an idea in mind, go for it and don’t look back.
Never forget where you come from. There may be times when you are scared to share where your origins are or the type of religion you uphold. Don’t shy away from it – celebrate it and educate the people around you. Your parents and the family around you will always continue to share stories and you have to weed out the right ones that will motivate you.
You are a social bumblebee. A delicate, creative bee that is able to fly from hive to hive, discovering new people in new spaces around the world. Each person you have connected with has a purpose, good or bad. Some will stay for a season; some will stay for a lifetime. But you must remember: the ones you have kept close to heart will always be there for you.
Become fearless. Be fearless with confronting what terrifies you the most. Be fearless with accepting change and moving on. Be fearless with putting yourself first. Be fearless and unapologetic with your identity. Be fearless with asking for help and accepting criticisms.
Azza, I want you to trust your gut at all times, as it has rarely steered you wrong. If it has, it’s a life lesson that you will always remember for life. When you feel like all hope is lost, remember to go back to your principles and you’ll know what to do: you will always stand up for what is right.
Most importantly, I want you to have faith that everything happens for a reason. If you see something that doesn’t feel right, don’t stay silent. Speak up and voice your truth.
You are an inspiration. Your journey to do what you want to do has inspired many others around you. Stay focused, stay true to yourself and share your knowledge with whoever is willing to learn from you.
It might be a long winding road, but soon you will see that all your hard work will pay off – and I promise you, it will be worth it. I know this a lot to remember, but as long as you surround yourself with family and friends, who will help guide you to the right path, you will become the strong, gifted, beautiful woman that I know you can be.
Yours sincerely,
Azza.
Follow Azza on social media – @azza_urbanista – and head to her website for more: azzaurbanista.blogspot.com
