Journey to make dreams come true!

Hi Everyone,

While it’s time to say Goodbye to 2018 and warmly welcome 2019, it’s time for me to pen down all my thoughts.

Year 2018 has been quite happening and wonderful for my career and so is for my life ALHUMDULLIAH & MASHA-ALLAH. Because I don’t see career and life as two independent things. Both goes hands in hands. I work what I am PASSIONATE about and it makes me CONTENTED & GRATEFUL.

There are specific reasons why I am writing this article,

1)     There are many people who contact me on LinkedIn, and get inspiration that how brilliant my profile is, and how many achievements, I have earned. And how they can be successful. They are the ones who are eager to LEARN & GROW, and I am happy to counsel them, train them and mentor them.

2)     I want to pay back to society, and leave a legacy of Goodwill, Positivity and Empowerment.

3)     I want to say thanks for all respect and trust, I gained via this LINKEDIN network. Via my role as Trainer, Mentor, Consultant and someone who is happily willing to facilitate you, even when it’s not my work domain. I will do my best to connect you with right and relevant professionals, and mentors.

4)     While, some people think, it is OVER NIGHT SUCCESS, but I must tell that it is OVER THE TIME SUCCESS and lot of STRUGGLE is made along this journey. 

??Please note I am all humble, and I don’t want to brag about my success but I want to talk about HARD WORK done to MAKE THE DREAMS COME TRUE. I am blessed and thankful to Allah Almighty for everything, and to my Family, Friends and Colleagues and my LinkedIn connections ??

I would like to put a recap to my last 1- 1.5 years journey, since I came back to Pakistan from Norway in Aug 2017.

Aug 2017 – Jan 2018:

When 2018 started, I was so UNCERTAIN hence WORRIED that how this year will turn for my career. Because I knew, I might leave Telenor by 31 Jan,2018. Then, I left Telenor for all good reasons. My department was dissolved, and I still had the option to stay with same employer if I am willing to work in different domain other than Project Management. However, since my PASSION is my PROFESSION i.e. PROJECT MANAGEMENT, so I took a TOUGH decision to leave one of the BEST EMPLOYER of PAKISTAN.

I want to say thanks to all my team there, who understood my decision, and believed in my skills to offer me to apply for Norway assignment and I was fortunate to be selected.

Feb – April 2018 :

I took leap of faith and to start focusing on my career journey to be a PM trainer, as I had been doing it passively since 2012. But I knew, I wanted to still work as Project Management Personnel with some key employer, where I can LEARN & GROW.

STRUGGLE was REAL and so was the STRESS. But then it was test of my PATIENCE, because this job searching didn’t start in Feb 2018, after leaving Telenor, but it started by Aug 2017 for reason listed above. It was a Constant tension and Consistent effort for 10- Ten months i.e. 300 days and now let’s count the hours within 300 days!

It was NOT easy to live in uncertainty, but I had FAITH in me, in my skills, in my PASSION, in PRAYERS and in GOD. When you work hard for the right things, you will get REWARD in some form for sure and someday, be it sooner or later, but it will be the day. So I had to stay FOCUSED, and not let any negative depressing thoughts take my POSITIVITY and my smile away….

Interestingly, I contacted many renowned people /trainers to give me the opportunity to work with them ,so that I can learn from them, while working with them and utilize my time. I even mentioned that if there are limitations of salary, I am willing to work without salary. But no one replied as a YES ,and some went silent! They are still around me, and now they appreciate each of my “success” and yes, I am still kind and nice to them and all others, because my success didn’t make me Proud, or Superior ,or UNWILLING TO HELP or SHARE my knowledge with the ones who seeks for it.

I was kind and I will stay kind because KINDNESS IS MAGIC as one of my inspiration says this.

??I still didn’t lose the hope after seeing bitter realities hidden in those big famous branded trainers, CEOs, Founders, and others. Even during this journey, I was exposed with reality of people I thought they were the friends or well-wishers. It was bit saddening, but that is how real life is. Not everything is dreamy here, or as good as shown in reel life. So no regrets at all. Tough times are lessons learnt. Well, my Faith made me stronger, I kept working as Pro-bono consultant at my own and with support of some fellows - whom I call angels. ??

May 2018:

In May 2018, I landed the dream job with my dream employer- one of the best in Pakistan and in the world, MASHA ALLAH & ALLHUMDULLIAH. And here it’s a twist and another bigger & tougher decision. The job was out of my home city. I had to leave my city Lahore, and yes I did, because I wanted to follow my passion. But as it is being said, when you work hard, God works best for you. Situation changed and within 1 week of my joining, I got the opportunity to shift back to my city Lahore and work. I am all thankful to the team of said employer.

June – July 2018:

Everything was so cool, I recently joined my dream employer to work with and I had been excited. But there was something else written in my fate. I was affected by a seasonal disease, and it made me hospitalized for few days. All I remember, lot of painful syringes and injections, which made my arms swelled and blue. And then 20 days without a single piece of food. And then next 30 days with limited food.

It was hardest time of year, and I felt like things getting apart again. I was advised the full rest and no work, while I wanted to cherish each moment at my new workplace. My team supported me Alhamdulillah.

I survived! And I was there for the ones on LinkedIn, who didn’t know about my temporarily poor health but were expecting to hear from me to help them and mentor them.

August 2018:

My health was still bad, but I signed up in April 2018 for CSM exam due in Aug. I somehow managed the energy to take 2 days training and later attempting exam and passing it. Alhumdulliah. Again, it was my passion which helped me to gain all energy.

Later some month, I joined PASE (volunteer role) to foster agile community.

Sep - Dec 2018:

People started realizing my work, my passion, my positivity, appreciating it and respecting it. Lots of messages, recommendations, feedback, kudos and above all prayers & good sincere wishes are received. I am over-whelmed, and all humbled.

In Oct 2018, I joined PMI Islamabad chapter (volunteer role).

And then December 2018 has been best and happiest Masha Allah , where I got the opportunity to represent my country Pakistan at international level as a speaker. 

??P.S: I feel I am blessed that I got opportunity to work with all best employers and to nourish a positive culture there around me. As it is always two ways.

??P.P.S: All work which I do as Pro-bono consultant is independent of my full-time employment with my respected employers.

I would like to close this long-awaited article by saying “thanks” to those who have contributed their role in my career, with their kind deeds, encouraging messages, constant support and guidance and also offering me the platforms to represent my work. You people were there , when I asked for it, and some of you were there, before even I asked for it. I am highly obliged and will cherish it forever.

1)     Thank you Saket Bansal, Zeshan Ilyas, Khuram Bhatti, Prakash Aryal for giving me the major breakthrough career opportunities.

2)     Thank you Rahul Sharma for believing in me and sharing the success. One of its kind.

3)     Thank you Oliver Yarbrough, I am grateful for reassurance you gave me to live my passion and how to excel in my career by taking right steps.

4)     Thank you Adeel Naeem for entrusting me to mentor PPA clients as external consultant and to initiate the trainings.

5)     Thank you Mohammed Rowther for guiding me for best career path.

6)     Thank you Hasan Daudpota, your kind note is highly appreciated, as I am admirer of your brilliant work

7)     Thank you Shigrif Khan for a constant support during ups and downs of my career life.

8)     Thank You Tashfeen Riaz for endorsing my passion for Project Management, being part of PMI was one of my dreams. Thanks for step by step guidance.

9)     Thank you Hira Javed,for Foster Learning panel talk invitation.

10)  Thanks to this LinkedIn, I got some new friends and like-minded people to work with. Amrozish Mushtaq, Manahil Qureshi, Hira Javed, Eesha Arshad, Ayesha Sattar, Ali Asharaf, Taha Sajid, Osama Yasar, Shaf Younas and Shahan Ali.

11)  Thank you Asim Mughal and Farhan Akber for helping me fostering agile community of PASE.

12)  Thank you Naeem Iqbal for being agreed to guide me for trainings career.

13)  Thank you Muhammad Husayn and Arsalan Humayun for all honourable mentions and tags in your posts, and appreciating my work.

14)  Thank you Ahmad Jawad Butt, for being the best manager I got ever think to have or everyone should have a manager like you, and thank you for making me to explore new perspectives of life and career. 

Happy New Year 2019, May the goodness prevail around us and we all stay safe, successful, and happy in our careers and in our lives. Ameen