By working together we can make a positive global change

How a constant support from your father or any particular person inevitable in your journey?

I am very fortunate that I have constant support from my father and mother, I view this as a blessing. Despite our physical distance, I know that when I require support from my parents despite night or day, they will always be there to support me. I believe that it is through their prayers, that I am with you all today.   I was supported by my father from a young age to carry out community service, excel in my education and pursue work in the media.  The love my parents have for me is unconditionally and they understand my pure intentions to serve the world.  My parents have always trusted me to make the right decisions in my endeavours, they appreciate me as a person and my goals in life. This element touches my heart, because my parents will only support truth and justice. With the knowledge that my parents are always there to support me, provides me with the strength to embark on my journey to achieve my goals with happiness and immense motivation.

How did that constant motivation give you the courage to fight against all odds and achieve your dream?

The constant loving motivation that I have been fortunate to receive through my parent’s support, has created firm  self-belief and confidence.  This in turn has facilitated my progress onto achieving goals that seemed impossible to me. When I underwent serious health battles in my life, my parents never gave up hope.  This fuelled my motivation and progression towards recovery, together with my faith, positivity and self-belief.  Through this traumatic experience I learnt the true value and preciousness of my life through a different perspective.  Currently, I feel very blessed to have been given the opportunity to rise every morning and transcend towards my dream of serving mankind.  I spend every waking minute expressing gratitude for this wonderful gift that we call life. This reminds me of a quote by Aga Khan III, that my beloved father-in-law used to motivate me with ‘struggle is the meaning of life.’  This quote has created an imprint in my heart helping my motivation when I encounter struggles. It has provided me with the realisation that every individual faces struggles every day within our lives, but this struggle makes us stronger.  This realisation is enough to provide me with the motivation to fight against the odds in life and ‘serve mankind until my last breath’ which is my dream and biggest achievement.

Your personal bonding with your father or anyone in particular?

I view the personal bonding with my father as very special and unique. He is not only my father, but he is my friend and biggest supporter, just as I am his. We have the type of bond where we can guide and inspire each other.  I was the long awaited first daughter in my family, after a whole generation of boys. I think an automatic special bond was formed from my birth, that was filled with deep love and affection flourishing to present day .  I am truly blessed to share this amazing father daughter bond; each moment is precious in life therefore I cherish it.

Any lesson which you u have embedded in yourself which makes you a good citizen of your country?

I feel that it is imperative to live by good ethics and values; being respectful, trustworthy, honest, compassionate and responsible. I believe that it is our duty to provide service to humanity and give back to society.  This can be achieved through voluntary work within our capacity and obey the law. These are qualities that I have embedded within myself with the aim of being a good citizen.  I feel that every individual can aspire to be the best citizen, who can be attained through adhering to the notion of: Always treat others how you wish to be treated.  Together with abiding by these mentioned principles, I seek to understand diverse viewpoints and aim to build bridges between communities, cultivate tolerance, peace and harmony. We should remember that there is strength in diversity, therefore always treat others with respect. I have personally ensured that I do not forget my culture and heritage as this is a vital component of who I am.  Residing within a multicultural society, has allowed easy integration and acceptance within society globally. If we all aspire to be good role models and help each other, through our good intentions and actions identified through, proper behavior, trust and understanding; we can aim to live in a world filled with peace and happiness.

Being a daughter how do you support your father when he is not in his positive frame of mind / dilemma?

Both my father and father-in-law are generally positive individuals. They always strive to turn every negative situation into a positive.  However, we are human, and I cannot expect both my father and father-in-law to be positive all the time.  This is because, the world that we live in is ever changing and the challenges that we encounter in life alter. Therefore, I gently remind them both, that they are both worried about the future consequences of an event, something that has not happened yet.  If something has not happened yet, then why do we worry about it? Yes, we can discuss contingency plans, if we know that something may affect our future, but that is positive.  I also remind both that the past has gone, and we cannot change it, thus possessing a negative mindset is futile. We can learn from our past experiences and from it create a better future. I feel that by creating positive energy around my father and my father-in-law during his difficult times; by being cheerful and positive; the distressing task of solving a dilemma or transforming negative mindsets becomes easier for both of them.

One lesson of his which you will never forget though out your life?

There are many lessons that my father and my father-in-law have taught me that I will never forget. They have taught me to never give up hope and always keep my faith. As the eldest child, from a young age I have observed struggles endured by my father.  I have seen how hard he has worked to overcome life’s challenges and provide for the family. Through the value systems he upholds, he has educated myself and my siblings to work hard in our occupations and help society. Therefore, when I was younger, my father constantly encouraged me and supported my decision to fulfil voluntary service within the community. To express of his support and trust my father bought me a scooter enabling flexible travel to different places so that I could work and carry out community work. Therefore, I was able to lead a variety of initiatives from a young age within the community. He has always been generous with resources catering to our every need, providing it was within his reach. Therefore, I have learnt that: If something is within our capacity, living by good ethics and principles, particularly in the service of others, then we should proceed and accomplish.  As a result, a flourishing seed has grown within me from a young age,that has grown which has enabled me to actively help different communities around the world, in my own capacity. I have been fortunate to receive the same support from my father-in-law and he has motivated me to continue my service to mankind after marriage.

For you what’s the exact definition of father – daughter bonding? 

The bond shared between a father and daughter is very special and it is irreplaceable.  My father was the first man that I ever knew, therefore I set my father as a benchmark to compare everybody else that entered my life.  I understood the meaning of unconditional love, trust and security from my father that was fed through this bond.  But through me, my father learnt the meaning of fatherhood and love of his first daughter. The bond that developed between my father and myself allowed approachability for good moral advice, implicit trust, sharing of open and honest emotions. I felt that the advice given by my father influenced my self-esteem and confidence, thus I have been fortunate that my father has always given me positive advice that has enabled me to progress.  I am very fortunate that by nurturing the father-daughter bond I can openly speak to my father and offer him advice on various matters, just as he does to me.   The unique bond shared between a father and daughter will remain ever present, it is an unspoken bond that speaks volumes.

According to you what’s the definition of perfect daughter?

Daughters are precious to their fathers, to their countries and to the world.  Therefore, I believe that every daughter in the world is a perfect daughter. We love our parents unconditionally and we always strive to be the best person that they envisioned for us. We are perfect to the father that raised us, we respect their instilled good moral and ethical values that they have taught us.  Our desire to see our parents happy also makes them happy.  When we understand that we are a perfect daughter to our parents, we will understand our true role in society, because we will realise that every parent in society is our parent and we are their daughter. By showing infinite love and respect, honesty and kindness, and doing the little things that bring smiles to their faces we are always perfect in their eyes.  We should also aim to be proud daughters of the country and help society through service to all our father’s around the world.

How has a particular person has showed belief in you, in what you are today?

It is said that when we believe in someone, we create a platform upon which we can facilitate personal growth and change perceptions, to create positive mindsets within individuals. My father and my father-in-law have both illustrated belief in me.  This has created a strong energy within me and radiated, allowing me to understand that I can achieve anything, to help society. This belief has aided me to overcome any self-doubts that appeared and provided me with a focus to concentrate on my goals in life. I cultivated a positive outlook on life, concentrating on achievements to help global society. I learnt that self- belief has stemmed from the manifestation of my vivid thoughts, which I then turned into action.  I have experienced that this is the true power of belief, and this has helped me to become the person I am today. It is through faith, hope and belief that I aspire to be a better version of myself tomorrow, than I am today and continue evolving with the intention of serving global society.

What are your future plans in the years to come?

‘My aim in life is to serve mankind until my last breath’ which is my first moto. I have a goal to continue and expand the work that I am currently carrying out. I aim to promote diversity in a pluralistic society and continue to build bridges through sharing education between different communities and a variety of governmental and non-governmental institutions. Through my experiences, travelling to a multitude of countries globally, my background in education, writing, motivational speaking and work within the media, I aim to utilising my expertise and skill set to aid societal development and facilitate positive global change, to a world full of peace and harmony in an ever-changing world. I am currently in the process of writing two books that are due to be published.  We must remember the youth are our future leaders and by investing time and resources in them, despite ethnicity, race, religion, social status or background we are all one and we can make a difference. This brings me to my second moto in life: ‘I believe that by working together that we can make a positive global change’.

Key points which you always keep in your mind while working professionally… Any tips you would like to share with us?

I always strive to work hard and do my best, keeping my ethical values and principles in my heart. I believe that whatever we put into the world will come back to us, as this is the universal law. Therefore, work ethically and properly, despite working in a professional or personal capacity. I believe that everything in life happens for a reason, even if we cannot currently understand what that reason is, we should have faith. Therefore, believe in yourself remember that nothing in life is constant. Follow your instincts and make sure you endeavour to do the right things. Be happy in your life and choose the profession that motivates you. By keeping yourself happy and keeping good ethics and values in mind this will ensure, you will enjoy not only your professional life but also your personal life.  Therefore, I live by three wise statements: 1. Believe in yourself. 2. Follow your true instincts 3. Build bridges.   I am hopeful that by following my three pieces of advice they will help you the way that they have helped me.

Any message to universal daughters?

Every female is a special daughter, not only to parents, but we are the daughter of our country and the whole world.  Therefore, we should live everyday endeavoring to be the best version of ourselves.  Live life to the maximum, because life is very short, and each breath is a blessing. Be kind, humble, generous, fair and help each other through acts of kindness towards each other in society. Seek to build bridges and work in unity, because essentially, we are all ONE. Look after your health, because that is our true wealth. Show mutual understanding and do not judge anybody, because we should recognise our own downfalls before we look at others. I will leave you will three key messages: 1. Always be positive 2. Seek the strength from inside yourself and 3. Respect each other.  Always be happy and stay blessed and remember that “By working together we can make a positive global change”. Happy Universal Daughter’s Day.