The Amal Journey
The memory is still fresh in my mind than fresh flowers, when I set my laptop properly on my desk, making sure a not too cheesy background, dressed my best, and brought out my new and favorite notebook — all to attend THE ORIENTATION of THE AMAL CAREER FELLOWSHIP WINTER 2020. The first question asked, “What is an ice breaker?” and I, who never answers in a class, answered, maybe it was the Amal Magic that had already started doing its work, or a faith of positive change. Whatever it was, It felt brilliant.
I know I’m one of the luckiest people to have been selected for this program, and I cannot recommend it enough to every other fellow I am acquainted with or can come across through social media. THIS FELLOWSHIP IS BRILLIANT is what I keep saying. Although, this is not what felt at the very start of the journey. After I received the happy email of being selected and to start a new Amal of almost everything, I was taken aback with mixed feelings.
The “gap-shap” session was my initial introduction to our Program Associate — Sir Ahmed Ali, and a few other fellows who now feel closer than ever. He made me feel very welcoming in the batch. When I started our very first weekly project, it was related to self discovery. Who you are, how you became what you are, and what you can become. The incredible thing is that it was not designed in a way of lecture or teaching. It was a practice. A practice that I had never done before, or seen before. To be honest, I used to run away from self identification, but it is after all, the root of our success in any path of life. The success that Amal Academy, in all its might will make sure you achieve.
As I mentioned earlier, the feelings were not always this positive. The main reason in my case was — the change. Change of my routine, managing it alongside my university, having busy schedules, and leaving my comfort zone behind. When you are habitual to a certain cycle of living, change definitely does not feel good. But it is one the many many things I’ve learned from this fellowship that change is difficult but it will always bring you good. Stand your ground, do not make quick judgments, allow things to settle for a while, prove its worth, only then you can see the real breakthrough. The real change. I am also very grateful to my friends, fellows and in particular I remember the guest alumni from our orientation session, don’t remember her good name, but her words echoed in my mind whenever things used to get overwhelming. She told us that things will get difficult to manage sometimes with university, final year projects, and Amal projects. She mentioned that one might think of quitting but she also said that, “DO NOT QUIT. IT WILL BE WORTH IT”
And this is exactly what I am most proud of, “I DID NOT QUIT IT, I MADE IT TO THE END AND IT REALLY IS WORTH IT”.
As we come to the last station, it is mandatory to reflect back on ourselves, appreciate our growth and resilience through this journey. A few things I have felt more confident and comfortable with are:
- First of all, I learned how to talk to a stranger and feel connected instantly;
- I learnt respect and gratitude with no reason or benefit, as a natural deed;
- Anyone can be a leader and own responsibility;
- We are capable of doing much more than we give ourselves credit for;
- I now take feedback as a way of life;
- I can learn new things, manage difficult situations, set a goal and not procrastinate (HOW SUPERIOR DOES THAT FEEL);
- And last but not the least, It’s not that bad to step out of our comfort zone!
- And of course the secret, superhero recipes to ace the corporate world — for which you definitely have to enroll and discover yourself ;)
In the end, I’m most thankful to my close friend for introducing me to this Fellowship; all the people who helped me accept and get along with this change; amazing fellows who were on the same boat as me and were always appreciative of each others’ growth. I’ve learnt a great deal from their insights and feedback the most; our most wonderful and respected facilitators; Ms. Iman with her positive outlook on life and our mentor on a personal level, Sir Ahmed with his exciting presence, who kept the learning energetic and fun for us; special thanks to our guest facilitator Mr. Ghazi, who had a way of bringing the best out of everyone; the CEO of Amal Academy Mr. Ali Siddiq for sharing his exceptional journey with us and last but not the least, the entire team behind the Amal Magic for making it happen. It has been an absolute blessing to be part of the Amal Family. An absolute pleasure!
