My Positive Reflection
Coming into Amal Academy, I was a person looking for purpose.
I’m still looking for it, but with a whole new perspective.
My journey with Amal has been amazing uptil now. But at the same time, it has not been easy one to accommodate. It is challenging and it will test you.
There were many outstanding, life changing lessons learnt. From understanding Jobs/Careers to figuring out how a person’s small act could change another’s life (lollipop moments). From going the extra mile to developing a Growth mindset. Meeting awesome new people, finding new friends in Amal Fellows and collaborating/interacting with them.
Probably the moment that I would always remember and which made the most impact on me — was the Letter to Myself activity. I always wanted to do something like this, but I never got around to it in my life until that particular activity. It was surprisingly very emotional for me and I learned to appreciate a lot what I’ve done and tried to stop putting myself down for not doing enough. I learned how different life has been with the Covid Pandemic and how it has affected people both mentally and physically.
Also another important lesson I learned — specifically for Amal Academy. That anything worth doing, is worth doing poorly. Due to my current schedules and struggles, I was getting behind on my project works and me being a perfectionist — never submitted work until I was happy with it. However, as the work piled up, it became a sort of worn-out train that was due to derail. But with the help of Program Managers, I soon started to change my behavior towards this quote and started afresh. Although I did lose significant percentage marks, I shifted my focus towards learning what was being thought instead of focusing on the grades. I started submitting work regardless if I was not 100% happy with it because I knew that was the only time I had from my schedule and it was the best I could do in that circumstance.
Moreover, I think a lot of that behavior was also influenced by other members of the Amal Family. I knew that almost everyone was struggling in some way. Some had exams, some had places to be, some had full-time jobs, while some even had families to take care of. But regardless of that, people took out time and did tasks; even if they didn’t know how to do it properly. At least they gave it a shot.
If I was my old self, I’d probably still be filled with anxiety not knowing how to structure my life and my priorities. I’ve learned how to put up with things bit my bit — and I think I’m now ready to give my own shot at LIFE.