Amal growth Totkay
By: Abeeha Saleem
Tags: Amal Fellowship, Growth, Learning

For me, the word growth also means the same, to expand my horizon and leave a small for a large one. When for the first time I heard the word growth, I didn’t know its literal meaning or its significance. It was used for a seedling that went to several stages to become a tree. Just like that seedling we become a seed, a shoot, and root, a plant, we grow flowers and leaves, we become a tree yet we keep on growing leaves and giving fruits. That’s what growth is to me-to become your true self and to help others.

For the past few weeks, the word Growth was used many times in our fellowship course. We learned a good MVTP helps people grow and a good leader grows out of traditional ideas. Growth is a process of learning and experiencing, it is observing your surroundings and expanding your wings accordingly. In this blog, I will talk about my personal growth and how I learned to spread my wings.

To change my mindset into a growth mindset I used basic tools, as:

Self-talk: I decided to talk to myself more positively and with kindness. Instead of saying “How will I do it?” or “I can’t do it” I have started saying “I can do it”. And honestly, it has brought a positive change in my attitude as well. I have started being patient with myself, the burden has reduced and I realized how much pressure I was putting on myself. I hope all of us learn to work on this habit because we are the ones we should treat with the most kindness.

2. Get out of your comfort zone: As a procrastinator, I have struggled with this the most, my comfort zone has restrained me from many activities and speaking up for myself. So to bring a change I have started taking challenges, I started doing activities that I fear and run away from. I have started speaking up and defining boundaries. I even completed a few tasks that were pending including an assignment from one of my university professors. The assignment wasn’t due soon but I feel less burdened as I have done it now.

3. Create new habits: I don’t usually start something new because I have a hard time developing a fondness for something new. But as I had made a pact with myself to grow I also had to do this. The first thing I did for this is making a list of what I can work on. I realized I am not very good at artworks or DIYs. So I started with basic coloring. It might sound lame but it was a big step for me as I have struggled with starting new things. In the picture below is a page from my coloring journal:

4. Ask people for help: This was the biggest change I had to experience due to this activity. I usually don’t ask people for help or discuss my problems with anyone. When I started this growth journey I tried to change my attitude in this regard. Upon asking for feedback one of my friends told me that she is very happy to see this new side for me. The side who takes challenges headfirst and who stands for herself. One of my sisters also told me that she was very glad to see me learning a new habit and changing myself for the better. I didn’t know simple words of encouragement could make such a difference but they did.

5. Fake it till you make it: This is something which I have been doing for quite some time now. I have always believed in a dialogue from one of my favorite show “Bojack horsemen”:

Even after writing this blog, I feel so contented with the changes I have made. I have changed my perspective to grow out of my mindset and I will keep growing because it is a never-ending process.

From these basic tips, I have learned a lot as I have started to change myself and my attitude. I have experienced new things and saw a new side of me. This perspective is very fresh and I hope I keep growing until I become the tree that gives shelter and fruits.