A letter to my daughter on graduation day
Pay attention to who you are and know yourself, writes Fariha Naqvi-Mohamed.
Today was a momentous day, one that will find itself tucked into your life reel of memories. What you wore, how the sun shone bright in your eyes as you watched your friends giggle around you, all of you dressed to the nines. The feel of the school gymnasium decorated for your enjoyment.
Your dreams for the future feel fresh for the picking and so I pray they always remain.
The world is your oyster, my love, so pick wisely.
Know that the path to success is paved with hard work, early mornings, late nights and sacrifices to achieve your goals. Know that despite the First World country of your birth, your gender preordained you to have to work harder for the same jobs and hopefully one day the same pay as your male classmates. Know that being a visible minority means you will need to work even harder, and as a Muslim woman, harder yet, my love.
Know that the hills will be steep but the journey magnificent. Know that with every glass ceiling you smash, another one will likely present itself. Know it, yet keep smashing them nonetheless.
Know that sometimes your faith, values or beliefs will make you stand out, and they may even make you think twice. Think as many times as you need to, but hold tight nonetheless. Who you are in your core is the only person you need to impress. Validation comes from within.
Focus not on what others can do for you but what you can do for others. Focus not on who owes you what but rather on what you owe to others. Focus on what you owe those who came
Ask yourself what the world needs most. Then set out to fulfil that. Don’t take your time on this earth for granted.
before you and sacrificed and strived so you could excel. Focus on those who have died so you can live the life you live. Show gratitude always for what you have and try not to complain about what you have not.
Know that there will always be those richer, more powerful, more beautiful and more famous. Don’t pay attention to that. Pay attention to who you are. Know yourself. Be the best version of yourself and always remain unapologetically you.
Allow yourself to grow into the woman you needed when you were young.
Ask yourself what the world needs most. Then set out to fulfil that. Don’t take your time on this earth for granted. Be thankful for your every breath, your every dream, your every blessing.
Do this and have faith. Have faith that love will always trump evil. Have faith that despite the most horrendous of occurrences, humanity will prevail.
Have faith that a few bad apples do not mean the orchard is rotten.
Be just as kind to the janitor as the CEO. You do so because of who you are, not because of who they are.
Honour your word. It is what will define you. Honour yourself. Unless you do, few others will.
Love immeasurably, forgive abundantly, but learn from both. Do not lose yourself in either. Do not forget.
You will meet many people who have their own agendas. Their actions and words, even if directed at you, will not be about you. Recognize them for what they are and govern yourself accordingly.
Your relationship with someone in the past does not dictate the place they will have in your future.
Some people come into our lives at a specific time for a specific reason. If that no longer remains, let them go. You cannot move forward while staring into a rear-view mirror.
Life is short. The days may seem long, the to-do list never-ending, but before you know it, you might just find yourself penning a letter to your own daughter one day upon her graduation from elementary school. And when you do, what will you share?