Or as they say, with growth comes change...
A year ago, I posted a blog about a similar topic. The First Chapter of 2024. This year, things may be a little different now that I look back.
I spoke a lot about growth. I may not have used those exact words, but the crux of it IS about growth. Evolving. Becoming the person you say you want to be. Engulfing every aspect of that person, and living it into your reality. Whether it was a personal, physical, spiritual or mental journey.
After experiencing this for myself, what I can pass on to you is try and understand who you are. Ask yourself what do you love about yourself? Or what don't you love? What can you enhance? Either strengthen or change those characteristics.
We always say we want to make a change in our lives, but how often do we really make that change? It ends up being pushed to the farrrrrrrrrr back of our brains, underneath a million other things we want to do.
What I've learnt is.... slow down.
Life is happening one way or the other, until it isn't. Why do we rush? Why are we always racing to do or achieve something. Do we not already know that good things take time? Can you have the perfect body over night? No. Can you become a millionaire over night? No. Do you see where I'm going with this...
Practice makes perfect. And woweeee how we tend to lose sight of the most basic rules of life. We live in a society that's constantly jumping on the next best thing. Or the next trend. Or the next product. Do we ever really appreciate what we had? Do we appreciate what we have? Gratitude and contentment seem to be lost in between all these things, making us feel less happy, sometimes even depressed.
If we learn to slow down, take each day as it comes and actually take the time to process the things we do and the long, LONG way we've come. I believe we'd be much more grateful people. But it's so hard to even see these accomplishments when we're always focused on achieving one thing. I say this to myself before anyone. 2024 was my breakthrough of realising how many things I actually have accomplished, and how I've been grateful to none of it. I was too focused on wanting other things that I wasn't acknowledging the things I had in the moment.
Count the blessings you have in your life. Things we take for granted such as a roof over our head, food to eat or clean water to drink and shower. These are all major blessings we don't actually even consider sometimes. The fact that we're healthy and in one piece. Have you ever been so sick you felt like your whole life was slipping away and started to feel so grateful for the times you were healthy?
These are all blessings.
Alhamdulillah, Allah (swt) has blessed us with so much, we forget to appreciate it all. The fact that we have Islam as our religion is a blessing in itself. How lucky are we to believe in Allah (swt)? To pray to Him and to have the opportunity to ask for whatever we want? To have the ability to fast in Ramadan and ask for mercy and forgiveness? Are we not already so lucky?
This is growth. Through education, through experience, through outbreaks. This is how we grow. By coming to terms with things we never really even considered. By acknowledging things we may have been in denial about. And until that happens, you will start to find success.
If I wanted to look back at 2024 with the same mindset I had then, compared to the one I have now. I'll tell you I accomplished nothing. I'll tell you I've come nowhere and haven't achieved a single thing on my list. But now...
Now, all I can say is Alhamdulillah.
Without Allah (swt), we have nothing. No matter how many 'achievements' one can tick of the list. Believe me, you'll only be seeking more.
So this year, 2025, learn to slow down.
Learn to be grateful. To be content. To want to continue to learn.
We may think we know everything. But believe me we don't. There's so much we don't know. Go out there and seek it. Whatever it is. Seeking knowledge is a part of our religion and what brings us to where we want to be in life. If you truly want to make a change, be successful and live the life you want, seek knowledge. Apply it. Grow. That's where true growth comes from.
Although I still have so many dreams I want to make my reality, I've learnt to appreciate the journey. Because it's the journey that helps you grow. Not the destination.
I hope you guys have an amazing year this year. No matter what that looks like for you.
Happy New Year! 
You can find me on Instagram posting a lot more glamorous content
@lama.dweik
