Visualizing Your Experience
It was a peaceful evening, and I was in my university. While I was waiting for my sister so that we can leave for home, I received a call from an unknown number. I picked up the call and on the other side was a person who started with “ Aslamualaikum! Mateen. How are you?” We talked a bit, and I came to know that he was Adnan, my Program Manager at Amal Academy. Our conversation was cut short by the signal distortion, but I felt that the person was very friendly, and it felt we knew each other since long time. I felt curios at that moment, and I contact Sir Adnan as soon as I got home.
The first two weeks, like others, at Amal were full of learning and fun. I remember seeing the view in the above picture and I was excited but nervous at the same time. My mind was full of questions like ‘What kind of people would be they? How would the classes proceed? Will I be able to fit in? What kind of things will be taught here?’ etc. I have been studying in the university since the last 3 years, but I have never been to CAS before. In my mind the impression that it was for international conferences or high-level research, and I cannot go there (at that moment :)).
Whenever I come here it reminds me about how the journey started. I felt a bit uncomfortable at the start, getting in touch, memorizing the information, and saving the contacts of 60 new people was not an easy thing for me. I have never been the people person and never had I interacted with this many people ever in my life. I used to have only 4–5 friends. I still remember I sat with Zia in the first session, and I felt a boost of confidence running in me because he and the facilitators were super friendly.
Get Muhammad Mateen Tajammal’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
The story behind your name activity was interesting activity and I started to enjoy the session. I enjoyed the stories behind the fellows’ names (particularly the story behind Usama Madni’s name i.e., Usama bin Laden), and I came to know that although I never thought about it, but I also had a story behind my name. Thus started the journey of my professional, personal, and mental growth.
The first major thing that I learned that day came after the Marshmallow activity. We were divided into groups, and we were supposed to build a long tower with help of Spaghettis. My group failed to make a standing tower. I would always remember the feedback and the lesson that I learned when Sir Adnan said that our group spent all of our time in the planning, and we would have succeeded if we had just started building the actual tower.
I learned that most of us are not much different. We may be individuals coming from diverse backgrounds, but we all have almost same kind of problems. I learned to interact with people no matter what gender, background, and place they are from. I came to know my strengths and my areas of improvement which was very helpful in defining my goals. I learned the importance of time and how to effectively manage it.
Another major learning that I had during the first two weeks was importance of teamwork. I used to be among those individuals who used to enjoy working alone and I still do. However, at that time I never considered the option to work in teams and nor I was aware of how important it is. The fellows and my circle members were amazing, and I felt comfortable around them in no time. One of my fellows Hadia left me with a suggestion which said “You should try to speak and share your viewpoint. Your ideas are often good” which was very helpful in me opening up and sharing my thoughts on topics. Being the leader of Circle 2 I learnt the difference between a boss and a leader.
One line by Jacqueline Novogratz, the CEO of Acumen, that was very powerful and helped me accept myself was “Your job is not to be perfect; your job is only to be a human.” I also learnt the importance of communication in any relation of life especially during the professional setting. In the end, I would like to say that I learned to accept my emotions, and setting a way forward towards my goals. I am glad and proud of myself that not only I joined Amal but also took responsibility of my learning while helping others at the same time.
