Proud Moments
The way being an introvert has affected me in my everyday life has always bothered me. But there had been little that I could do to fix it. I have known for it be a problem for as long as I can remember but never thought of doing anything as of course, it is my comfort zone. I could see potential downsides of it, but all those were at my expense. The only person getting affected was me and I was okay with it because I thought that’s how I am wired. So, whatever has to come my way, has to come without me being social.
My condition has been so bad that I cannot even post on social media platforms, because I overthink about how people will perceive that post. Would you believe if I said that I have never posted on Facebook or updated my story on WhatsApp or Instagram, ever?! Yeah, I don’t even know how it is done.
But then came Amal Academy’s Career-Prep Fellowship. In the courses and the sessions again, I kept living in my comfort zone as much as I could but then once we had a project. We were asked to raise funds for the Edhi foundation, a well-known welfare foundation that has helped millions of people and is still striving to be there for the people who need them. But with the unfortunate demise of Edhi sahab, they have been facing financial issues.
We were asked to collect funds for this noble cause. Due to COVID-19, we couldn’t get out of our houses to collect money, and so we were asked to do this through the social media platforms. At first, I was very hesitant to post in my social groups about this or this as my story. But then came the moment of enlightenment when I realized that I was missing out on the opportunity to help someone. Here, I wasn’t the one being affected, here many needy people will suffer if I don’t act. I realized that due to my foolish condition, there may be people who want to help and there are definitely people who are in need of help, and I am the one who would connect the two and make this possible.
And then, I kept my insecurities aside and spread the message extensively across all social media platforms. I received great response from people. There were some WhatsApp groups where I had sent a message for the first time ever. I also got this inspiration from my group members. All my circle members were pulling all the stops for this noble cause. They were bringing in funds from all corners and that gave us a great turnout. They were also individually asking people, which was a great tip for me as well. And that made me think that this is all that matters that we need to help someone.
Looking back, I would have not wasted any time at all and would have spread the message since the first day so as to collect maximum funds. But some lessons are very necessary to be learnt by making mistakes. Now, I am able to occasionally post on Facebook, that I believe may help someone, without any hesitation and I am so glad that this change has been incorporated in me. Thanks to Amal Academy!
