The 10 year challenge… Of course that craze is dead and gone but it got me thinking about how far I’ve come in the past 10 years. To say I’ve made significant changes is an understatement.
I remember when I was 20. I had to take a year out of university because I failed my first year whilst spending too much time partying 🍷🥃🍾 and not enough time going to lectures 😕. So instead of being in my second and final year of university, I took a full time job whilst studying for the modules I’d failed. That was a wake up call for me in terms of uni and my degree because I’m naturally pretty smart and I had always sailed through my education without having to work too hard. I made the mistake of thinking I could do the same with my degree. So after my failure, it brought me back to reality. I can’t say I partied a lot less after that but I definitely put my degree higher on the priority list and worked as hard as I could. In a way, I’m glad that things happened the way they did because there’s no way I would’ve started to work harder and come out with excellent accomplishments if I had passed my first year, living that life.
Fast forward 10 years and I have made some significant changes in my life to be where and how I am today. Turning that leaf after failing my first year at university meant I completed my undergraduate degree to a great level. I went on to gain a Masters as well as some other certifications on the side. All that aside, I only really made my turning point years later when first and foremost, I finally embraced Islam ☪️ . Although I was born Muslim, I fought against it for 26 years. When I finally realised (after many “oh heck, not again” moments) how I was living did not benefit me at all and I was doing things detrimental to myself, embracing my faith was the first change I made. That faith led me to such amazing things for myself and those around me and I can’t thank God enough for that 🙏🏾. Today, I have a great career under my belt. I’m married to a great man. I’m living a healthier lifestyle. I’ve moved 5,000 to live in a different country. Although it’s been tough leaving my home, family and friends to move across the pond to be with my husband and start my life all over again, I am so happy with how far I’ve come. I honestly never thought I’d be where I am today. I never saw this for my life but it’s better than I could have hoped.
Looking forward to seeing how far the next 10 takes me…
Azieta 