Naila Qazi

Tulips and Roses – A Reflection of My Life Journey

Last year, when I was working on my backyard, I decided to plant some tulips as they complemented the entire feel of the place. A lot of effort went into finding the perfect spot for the Tulips, planting and, nourishing them. The result was spectacular. They adorned the place this year, in March. However, little did I know that the life of tulips is as little as four weeks. All the effort and energy invested in the Tulips subsided as they wilted after finishing their course. It was depressing to see them going and creating empty space, but soon enough, beautiful roses and all other colorful annuals replaced the Tulips and looked stunning in my backyard. Being closely affiliated with the whole process, I found it so inspiring. Everything gets replaced by something better in life. Whatever circumstances that we go through pave the way for something better. We need to keep an eye on all possibilities and options. There is no dead-end if we have the motivation to move forward. All we need is the right attitude, and actions follow the attitude.

There was a time in my life when I thought I had reached a dead-end. I lived in Australia at the time. All my financial stability, personal life, and career jolted. I heard people telling me that it was time to give up on hope, live a mediocre life as it was unrealistic to expect something extraordinary out of such a bad-looking situation. But I didn’t want to give up. Something in me was not willing to surrender. Therefore, I decided to explore other possibilities, I moved to Canada and took a fresh start. It wasn’t easy, and nothing was fascinating about it. Starting life all over again is a huge challenge, but I was willing to work through it. Years of working, experience, and here I am living the dream. Professionally, personally, and in all other aspects of life, I have thrived.  It further emphasizes the point of roses replacing the Tulips. Doesn’t it?

Losing and gaining is a part of life. We have to embrace the loss to gain something good in life. You might be feeling suffocated in your professional life, you don’t see any growth in your career, the dissatisfaction of underperformance might be making you angry, your financial state might be unsatisfactory, or the work-life balance might be stressing you out; remember one thing: Nothing is permanent.

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