Learned Abilities
As-salāmu ʿalaykum
Hi Everyone!
Hope you're all doing okay. 😃
If you're not, it is okay. It is okay to have rough days, what matters is you'll bounce back again at the end of the day and start a new day fresh. Promise?
Where was I again? A new post, huh?
Sooooo.. This post is all about my hobbies, the skills I've acquired, and my passion.
Growing up, I was a girl with many dreams. Although I might seem shy and withdrawn, but I for one was born with lots of guts. At least that was what my parents have been saying all the time. I wanted to try everything I within my sight, everything I knew of under the sun. You say it, most probably it has came across my mind once. It is certainly a trait I am proud to have even now. However, I would say it has brought me down a number of times. But that is okay. That is life. You can never be perfect. Sure, you can strive for perfection but not at the expense of affecting your well being. Take my word for it.
Having parents who are both full-time professionals, my siblings and I were put in schools pretty much right away. There we learned languages (four languages to be exact), reading, counting, and even played the piano. Although I really wished I had opted for the violin instead, but piano is just as fun. I find piano very relaxing and therapeutic such that I even thought of buying a small keyboard to be placed in my mahallah. Well, to be frank, I actually bought one but for some reason, I had to let it go. I was fine, instrumentals and classical music will do for now. :')
There, I discovered my love for sciences. We would have science experiments and I had a lot of fun. Right off the bat, I knew I wanted to be a doctor which well did not turn out that way. So, my mum would enroll me into science camps every year. We would watch the eclipse whenever that happens, learn about the phenomenon which also develops my fascination for the moon. Such a science nerd.
Looks cool, right?
Ouh, and besides sciences, my hobby which I try to make it happen every year is travelling. I love travelling. Travelling is definitely one of the things I wish everyone could do. It opens minds. It makes you see things in a different perspective. It instills empathy and it exposes you to different cultures and lifestyles. This world that Allah has created is so beautiful. SubhanAllah. Witnessing the majestic mountains, the vast lands and the magnificent skies is one of the most humbling moments.
Well, travelling does not mean you must go to the touristy places, splurge unreasonable amounts of money on shopping and entertainment.
Travelling, to me, is getting out of the environment I am so used to, and go to places that challenge myself yet enrich the mind and the soul then return with a fresher self and a new perspective. It could be anywhere domestic even.
Surely, Islam has encouraged travelling for it has countless benefits.
Do they then not travel through the Earth, so that their minds gain wisdom and their ears thus learn to hear? For surely it is not the eyes that are blind, but blind are the minds which are in the foremost. Al-Hajj:46
Just like how travel is highly encouraged in Islam, so is sports too. The Prophet peace be upon him urged Muslims to participate in sports. Alhamdulillah for me, sports happen to be one of the things I am super passionate about. I could still remember one of the rare times my dad brought me to Toys R Us and he let me choose my present as a gift for being the 1st in class. I was only 7 then. He thought I would choose a toy or a doll but I went to the sports section instead and opted for a pair of inline skates. The following weeks were endless long lessons on skating. I fell many times and every time I fell, my dad would pick me up and told me to try again. I remember having bruises and cuts all over from all those falls but managed to master it eventually. Looking back, I can't help but adore the relentless passion I had that I would never thought of giving up.
Nonetheless, I continued participating in sports. I was put in swimming lessons since I was very young, graduated swimming with a gold certification. I got into track and field throughout schooling life. There's an undeniable sense of satisfaction knowing I am healthy and working out.
Those were the days. :')
Well, by now, I am sure you would already have some assumptions about me. You might think this girl must have her life all sorted out or maybe, she has control over her life and so on.
But I can assure you that is not the case.
Not long after, I left all that behind. I began struggling with all these expectations I had for myself. I wanted perfection. That perfectionism soon consumed me and before I knew it, I had anxiety.
Having anxiety was hard. Having to convince myself to settle for a lower more realistic goal for myself was even harder because deep down I knew I had a lot of potential and I knew if I worked hard enough I could get to that high expectation I had.
You might be asking why would I bring up anxiety in this post on learned abilities?
Here's why.
The ability to finally change and decide to overcome this anxiety is a pivotal point in my life. The lessons and skills I learned while overcoming anxiety are valuable life lessons.
Lessons that helps my adolescent self grow to be a young adult.
I learned the meaning of Syukr (gratitude).
I learned the meaning of Tawakkal (trusting in Allah's plan)
I learned the meaning of Barakah (blessings)
And I learned the meaning of humility.
Most importantly, no matter how competent you are, no matter how good of an athlete you are, no matter how intelligent you are, no matter how much resources you have, at the end of the day, it is with the will of Allah that everything happens.
Hence, as much as I want to succeed and strive for excellence, it is just as important to have perfect trust in Allah and reliance in Him alone that whatever is bestowed upon me is what is best for me after which it is followed by gratitude and humility as a servant of Allah. The sweetness of the blessings comes at the end of everything, when I learn to accept.
May we all continue to strive to become the best versions of ourselves. In Shaa Allah 💕
Signing off,
Azzah
Hi Everyone!
Hope you're all doing okay. 😃
If you're not, it is okay. It is okay to have rough days, what matters is you'll bounce back again at the end of the day and start a new day fresh. Promise?
Where was I again? A new post, huh?
Sooooo.. This post is all about my hobbies, the skills I've acquired, and my passion.
Growing up, I was a girl with many dreams. Although I might seem shy and withdrawn, but I for one was born with lots of guts. At least that was what my parents have been saying all the time. I wanted to try everything I within my sight, everything I knew of under the sun. You say it, most probably it has came across my mind once. It is certainly a trait I am proud to have even now. However, I would say it has brought me down a number of times. But that is okay. That is life. You can never be perfect. Sure, you can strive for perfection but not at the expense of affecting your well being. Take my word for it.
Having parents who are both full-time professionals, my siblings and I were put in schools pretty much right away. There we learned languages (four languages to be exact), reading, counting, and even played the piano. Although I really wished I had opted for the violin instead, but piano is just as fun. I find piano very relaxing and therapeutic such that I even thought of buying a small keyboard to be placed in my mahallah. Well, to be frank, I actually bought one but for some reason, I had to let it go. I was fine, instrumentals and classical music will do for now. :')
There, I discovered my love for sciences. We would have science experiments and I had a lot of fun. Right off the bat, I knew I wanted to be a doctor which well did not turn out that way. So, my mum would enroll me into science camps every year. We would watch the eclipse whenever that happens, learn about the phenomenon which also develops my fascination for the moon. Such a science nerd.
Looks cool, right?
Ouh, and besides sciences, my hobby which I try to make it happen every year is travelling. I love travelling. Travelling is definitely one of the things I wish everyone could do. It opens minds. It makes you see things in a different perspective. It instills empathy and it exposes you to different cultures and lifestyles. This world that Allah has created is so beautiful. SubhanAllah. Witnessing the majestic mountains, the vast lands and the magnificent skies is one of the most humbling moments.
Well, travelling does not mean you must go to the touristy places, splurge unreasonable amounts of money on shopping and entertainment.
Travelling, to me, is getting out of the environment I am so used to, and go to places that challenge myself yet enrich the mind and the soul then return with a fresher self and a new perspective. It could be anywhere domestic even.
Surely, Islam has encouraged travelling for it has countless benefits.
Do they then not travel through the Earth, so that their minds gain wisdom and their ears thus learn to hear? For surely it is not the eyes that are blind, but blind are the minds which are in the foremost. Al-Hajj:46
Just like how travel is highly encouraged in Islam, so is sports too. The Prophet peace be upon him urged Muslims to participate in sports. Alhamdulillah for me, sports happen to be one of the things I am super passionate about. I could still remember one of the rare times my dad brought me to Toys R Us and he let me choose my present as a gift for being the 1st in class. I was only 7 then. He thought I would choose a toy or a doll but I went to the sports section instead and opted for a pair of inline skates. The following weeks were endless long lessons on skating. I fell many times and every time I fell, my dad would pick me up and told me to try again. I remember having bruises and cuts all over from all those falls but managed to master it eventually. Looking back, I can't help but adore the relentless passion I had that I would never thought of giving up.
Nonetheless, I continued participating in sports. I was put in swimming lessons since I was very young, graduated swimming with a gold certification. I got into track and field throughout schooling life. There's an undeniable sense of satisfaction knowing I am healthy and working out.
Those were the days. :')
Well, by now, I am sure you would already have some assumptions about me. You might think this girl must have her life all sorted out or maybe, she has control over her life and so on.
But I can assure you that is not the case.
Not long after, I left all that behind. I began struggling with all these expectations I had for myself. I wanted perfection. That perfectionism soon consumed me and before I knew it, I had anxiety.
Having anxiety was hard. Having to convince myself to settle for a lower more realistic goal for myself was even harder because deep down I knew I had a lot of potential and I knew if I worked hard enough I could get to that high expectation I had.
You might be asking why would I bring up anxiety in this post on learned abilities?
Here's why.
The ability to finally change and decide to overcome this anxiety is a pivotal point in my life. The lessons and skills I learned while overcoming anxiety are valuable life lessons.
Lessons that helps my adolescent self grow to be a young adult.
I learned the meaning of Syukr (gratitude).
I learned the meaning of Tawakkal (trusting in Allah's plan)
I learned the meaning of Barakah (blessings)
And I learned the meaning of humility.
Most importantly, no matter how competent you are, no matter how good of an athlete you are, no matter how intelligent you are, no matter how much resources you have, at the end of the day, it is with the will of Allah that everything happens.
Hence, as much as I want to succeed and strive for excellence, it is just as important to have perfect trust in Allah and reliance in Him alone that whatever is bestowed upon me is what is best for me after which it is followed by gratitude and humility as a servant of Allah. The sweetness of the blessings comes at the end of everything, when I learn to accept.
May we all continue to strive to become the best versions of ourselves. In Shaa Allah 💕
Signing off,
Azzah
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