Today, I am a month away from turning 30 years old. I have to admit that my twenties were a roller-coaster ride, and yet, I don’t feel that I’ve accomplished a lot, so I decided to start my “30 Days of Happiness” list before turning 30, to count my blessings of the past thirty years and to try new things.
The first item on the list is to write about turning thirty and to describe how I feel about it. I would’ve never thought of writing a blog as I was never good at writing long articles, but since I am the foremost authority on my thoughts and my own journey, I decided to write this myself.
Thank God I had the perfect childhood and the ultimate support and love from my parents; they taught me how to love unconditionally and to give. They had my back each time I failed; they are convinced that no matter what happens, family should come first and as long as we stick together, everything will pass smoothly. I remember I wasn’t allowed to travel alone with my friends when I was a teenager because they were very protective and I never complained about that. I was totally aware that this came out of love and care. Although it wasn’t the right decision to make, we were very tight and close that we could do anything together and it would be fun. I could do anything as long as I was under their protection. So, I was allowed to hang out with friends, but couldn’t stay over or travel alone…
My first rebellious decision was that I insisted on learning how to drive against my dad’s will. I remember that on my 18th birthday, I registered for driving lessons. I take my birthday very seriously. My dad was afraid at first, but he got used to it.
I was lucky enough to study what I wanted and I what I thought I was good at, PR. I really enjoyed my college years, but when I graduated, I thought I would start my own business before turning 25, with a big, loud laugh…ha ha ha! Guess the joke’s on me.
I started working in marketing at a big corporation. I enjoyed the fact that I was a grown-up worker, but I didn’t find myself till I ran into Bassem Youssef who gave me the chance to be on his team. It was a big step in my career. So, I took the decision to leave my steady job and search for another, along with Bassem. It was hard for me because I had to commit to enjoying my social life and hanging out with my friends each day, and attend every single event I was invited to, without any excuses. It served me well because this is what I like to do: see and meet new people.
I was thinking of doing my master’s degree to complete my postgraduate studies abroad, but the Egyptian revolution took my dream away, so I didn’t care that much as I felt I would do it when the time was right.
Three years ago, my life was turned upside down as I faced a family tragedy and it felt like the world stopped. I figured out that I had taken everything around me for granted, as if nothing would change and my life would keep going the way I wanted it to, with no room for anything to go wrong. When it did, I wondered if my life could ever be normal again, but the answer was no.
I fought hard to get it back; I thought I could control my surroundings if I tried hard enough, but I lost my balance as everything seemed vague and fictional. I remember waking up at night thinking that this was just a dream. I finally woke up because I remembered that the only constant thing in life is change. I realised that I would never get my life back and that I had to deal with it!
It took a lot for me to understand what was going on, as I was fighting alone; even though, I had my friends’ support, and I really appreciate how much they were there for me. They made me understand the true meaning of friendship and the real purpose behind it. There were a few who sold me out, and I never thought I would be one of those people who would lose a friend like that. They might’ve been a few, but it hurt me a lot because I had always supported them and never let them down, but we all have that one friend who is self-centred and is followed by a bunch of judgemental morons.
Anyway, I might’ve started to lose hope and faith in everything around me, but I never lost faith in God and I never asked him: why me? For deep inside, I knew very well that that had happened for a reason, but as a human being, this was unbearable and awful to handle and to admit, so I was extremely depressed and stopped doing anything in my life: I stopped answering phone calls, watching movies, reading , hanging out and above all, working. I spent a year of my life doing nothing and sleeping for 20 hours a day. Of course, I sought help. In fact, it is because of the help I received from my friends, especially the close ones, that I fought depression and quickly pulled myself back together, accepting my destiny and ignoring all the rage and anger I had held inside. Soon after, I started at a temporary job, so I had the chance to start my master’s and got hired afterwards at a permanent job, where I could work in the PR field, which made me trust myself again and think of life differently as that negative incident had made me more persistent and determined.
I believe that I was born for a purpose; it sounds pretentious, but this is how I really feel. Everyone was born for a purpose, and I would rather spend my whole life searching for it than give up on it. So until I find the answer, I will keep treating people well and spreading hope to those who need it. That’s why I am starting my “30 Days of Happiness” program till I turn 30 years old; I will count my blessings and do something worthy every day. Here’s what I plan to do in the upcoming days:
- Write a blog about turning 30 (done!)
- Start a new tradition.
- Make someone else’s wish come true.
- Write a message in a bottle for someone to pick it up one day and read it.
- Make something by hand.
- Meditate.
- Volunteer where I am needed.
- Feed a dog.
- Play with a child, like a child.
- Cook a new dish.
- Take a long ride on a bike.
- Leave a funny note in a library book to make someone smile.
- Donate to charity.
- Tell 10 people I admire something about them.
- Buy flowers for my mom.
- Try something new.
- Draw something.
- Watch the sunrise or sunset.
- Call an old friend.
- Buy a new book.
- Laugh a lot.
- Watch “The Godfather” movie (Yes, I have never watched it).
- Pray in a big mosque.
- Watch a new movie.
- Buy a cupcake for a coworker.
- Walk in the rain (Yes, it will be my first time).
- Play a new instrument.
- Lose at least 2 kilos.
- Stay offline for one day.
- Make sure to do all of the above.
I will make sure to document each item on the list as I do it, and post it…so, stay tuned!