Dreams

From Junior Masterchef Australia:

If you have a dream, go after your dream...

I think my previous posts were depressing for most people. So here I would like to write about something more positive - About chasing our dreams.

To quote Joan of Arc:

Every man gives his life for what he believes

Every woman gives her life for what she believes

Sometimes people believe in little or nothing

So, they give their lives to little or nothing...

Watching those young children cooking with their heart and soul made me realize some thing – you have to be passionate in whatever you want to do. If you do anything at all half heartedly then you won’t succeed in your chosen profession. I really admire Pierre and Cassidy. They said that they won’t stop cooking until they achieve their aspiration. In Malay, the quote that comes to mind is:

Kegagalan hanyalah suatu persimpangan (Failure is just a junction)

Dan bukan jalan mati (And not a dead end)

So all of you out there, in whatever you do, do your best.

Another quote: Doing the best at this moment, puts you in the best place for the next moment.

I was wrong in thinking that as long as I passed the exam without flying colours, then it’s ok. That’s not me. I should’ve never let myself be influenced. I am a perfectionist. It doesn’t matter that after the long twisted road that I’ve taken, I finally become a teacher. But I need to be an excellent one. Not a parasite to my school. Not someone who shirks her responsibilities. Have I given my best to my pupils? I think my headmaster’s speeches of being the best there is really turn me back into my old self - The one that put excellence first. But I must remember the concept of tawakkal.

Do you know what the concept of tawakkal is? Basically it’s about doing or giving your best in your endeavour and after you have worked hard/accordingly, then you pray to Allah the Almighty so that He will give you success. In my case, I believe that Allah knows best, thus, I have to be thankful for all His blessings. That reminds me of another quote:

In every cloud, there’s a silver lining.

In Islam, we need to believe, in fact, have faith that Allah would never condemn us. He knows what is best for us, so we have to accept our fate. Of course, we should never be complacent. We need to give our best, and only then, we could leave it to Allah. If it’s not meant to be, it won’t happen as we plan/hope. Don’t be disappointed if you met with failure!

Alangkah bertuahnya keadaan orang Mukmin (The Muslims are very fortunate)

Semua keadaan baginya adalah baik (Every situation is good for them)

Jika dapat kebaikan ia bersyukur (If they received a blessing, then they are thankful)

Maka itu menjadi satu kebaikan baginya (Thus, it become a good deed)

Dan jika ditimpa musibah ia bersabar (And should a misfortune befell him, he would be patient)

Maka itu menjadi satu kebaikan baginya (Thus, it become a good deed)

Dan ini hanya akan berlaku kepada orang Mukmin (And this only happens for the Muslims)

Don’t be afraid to dream. But, make sure it is followed by a sound plan. Dream big, but plan accordingly. Don’t forget to pray for ease from Allah. He knows best. Insya Allah, when we are sincere with ourselves, we won’t feel sad of something bad should occur.

As for the 4 young chefs who didn’t make it to the semi finals, I wish you all the best of luck. And for the contestants who are through, do your best! I am rooting for Sienna since she is the youngest of them all... I could Google for the result (the results are out, right?), but I’ve decided against it because I want to know by watching the show it self! Praying for the best!

I hope that this show has encouraged our youngsters to dream big. Not by limiting themselves to only become a singer or actor/actress. Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with the entertainment industry, I do watch all those tv shows and movies, but don’t you think it’s kind of cliché – jumping into the show biz to improve your family rank? It’s not my intention to ridicule those in the industry, but, watching this one reality show makes me wonder. Do the contestants realize that they have no talent (well, that’s harsh, but it’s the truth!) whatsoever and are just making a fool of themselves. They are better off searching for a much more suitable career/dream for themselves. And more fool that I am, I watched all those reality shows! I really should consider what I watch!

Back to the topic – dream. Don’t let anyone say you don’t deserve what you want, ‘cos at the end of the day, you have to live with your choices. Be firm with your decisions, but don’t be too arrogant for the advice from the wise people, and of course, from the Quran and Hadith!

Take care. Dream! Realize it!