Week 21: Beauty Pageants and Festivities
Another very interesting week! My little baby niece who in fact is not a baby anymore (she is 18) is in second place as Miss Birmingham. If she wins this round she will be representing England in the 2020 Miss World Contest. I'm so proud of her, she is really blossoming into a beautiful and talented young lady. As part of her placement at Uni she wants to complete a year in the USA at either Yale or Stanford University. Oops can't remember what she's studying though….hehehe. But, it's America and it's so big and she’s so little. Would it be bad if I say ‘she doesn't make the grades’ Please don't roll your eyes! I am thinking about her safety. In her spare time she does cheerleading, ballet, training to be a pianist and nail art as a side hustle. I think it is good for kids to get involved in business early on. These are broad transferable skills that one can benefit from their entire life. I'm talking about sales, negotiations, communication and numbers.
Also with Ramadan coming to a halt this marks the end of the festivities. I do kinda feel sad as the Holy month of Ramadan had come and already gone but I feel I couldn’t take advantage of the gift & good tidings that come along with it. As we were in full on lock -down we couldn't perform the usual charitable deeds which would've been the norm during this month. For anyone who’s not quite sure what Ramadan entails. It's basically a 30 day period where a person is required to fast from sunrise to sunset which in the west can be extremely long days. There is a science behind it and it is very good for the body. As you're not eating & drinking or too busy digesting any foods the body’s mechanism can start to work on polishing up other systems making sure it's running at optimum levels. A bit like a car having a service haha! Some of the benefits are anti-aging, more energy, improved memory/cognitive functions, weight-loss, stronger body and naturally occurring human growth hormones (HGH).
There are spiritual benefits too. The act of fasting teaches you compassion, sympathy and empathy for those that are in deep poverty. By putting yourself in their shoes it allows one to feel what the less fortunate person is feeling so we can have a better understanding of those in need and help them out. It teaches us love towards the human race. During this month we are supposed to give charity help to those in need, especially the elderly, those sick, children, anyone basically that we can reach out to. It keeps you in tune with reality and what's important. Now for the fun part someone once asked me what is a typical day like during this auspicious month.
My reply: “imagine not being able to eat or drink all day then having a big Xmas dinner every day for 30 days”.….hahah
Eid marks the end of the sacred month where food is celebrated once again, (I know all that eating)! But you kinda feel smug for all your efforts and worship, a newer much reformed you. I know I wont be as wasteful as I normally am and try to be more helpful towards others. I am aware this week's blog is based more on spiritual teachings than business but, I firmly believe in order to succeed in life one needs to be a good person. A better version of themselves as religion and business are not that dissimilar! Both require you to be disciplined, patient, understanding and the knack to continue even in not so great times. Basically, you have a life outside of your professional domain and you have to learn to prioritise and master the balance. Religion keeps me grounded, gives me direction and the ability to stay focussed on my business. It's okay to fall off sometimes but it's not okay to stay there and certainly not easy to get back to the flow of things when you've taken a long detour but that's life and you just have to get better at it. Till next time be happy, stay blessed and hop on next week to witness the transition.