By Ahmed Kidwai
Growing up I have been kicked, pushed, sworn at and much more.
The thing that sets me apart though is that I get back up. Not only that but I get back up and use these negatives as a fire to succeed. This typically happened in school, in terms of academics.
Growing up I was always fascinated and exceled at Science, Math, P.E but nothing really artsy – however my teachers always looked at this as a negative. Constantly being put down because I used both hands to write, I could barely read, and my French was not good (they teach French as a complementary to English where I am from).
When I hit 3rd grade I just couldn’t take it anymore.
In 3rd grade they decided they’d split up the class into groups to work during free time. One group was the “smart kids” the other was the kids who were a little slower. I was so offended by this even in third grade that I exploded.
I told myself I’d do anything and everything to become the best and from then on I’ve been on cruise control to success.
Believe in yourself!
“A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” - David Brinkley
So many times I see people giving up because someone else has told them, “You aren’t good enough.”
Who cares what anyone else says!
It is your life.
Make it the best you can, push yourself to the farthest limits and at the end of the day you can at least know you worked harder than anyone who told you that you could not do it!
To me it takes more to do something then say something.
An example of this was when I was talking to a former high school teacher and I was telling them my aspiration to go into medicine. They looked at me a little strange and said “hope you’re smart enough.” I smiled and prompted to respond politely, but in my mind I took it offensive. That night I studied as hard as I could for my upcoming finals, negative comments just drive me to do better.
Stay organized!
“Action is the foundational key to all success.” - Pablo Picasso
I don’t even know where to start about organization!
It is absolutely necessary to do well in whatever you want to succeed in! You need to remember important dates, papers you need for a meeting, maybe a pencil for class and so much more.
You need to be on the ball.
How exactly do you think things will work if you are spending hours trying to find the date of a dentist appointment when you have to write a business plan, or make notes for class!? These sorts of things cut into YOUR valuable time.
Optimize the 24 hours you have in a day by staying organized!
An example of this that has happened to me recently is trying to locate my physics notes to study for my Physics final. I was very careless about keeping my notes together and now I am missing key things. Going back to my textbook to make notes is so tedious and time consuming! I honestly believe I’d have been better off keeping my notes in order.
As of now I will never make this sort of mistake again, it is so costly!
Concluding, I can not reiterate more: believe and stay organized and not only will you succeed but you will be more than satisfied with your life!
"You’re such a smart boy!" were his first accolades heard. So, it’s no wonder that this phrase became the title of his business, Smart Boy Designs.