18: I Feel Blessed

Learning

In early 2020, my company Festoon Signs in Dubai was ready and raring to go – we had planned to increase our revenue by a minimum of 2x, our team was in place and all systems were a go! We started off well and the first two months of the year were awesome. Then came March and everything came to a standstill. Ongoing jobs were cancelled; future jobs were put on hold. Within a few weeks, the entire pipeline of jobs disappeared.

Someone said that an entrepreneur cannot cry. If he does, his clients will not trust him. If he sheds tears, his employees will lose confidence. As I wept inside, I continued to look for ways to sustain my business. Banks would not loan what I needed because of the situation. In the end, I called my employees together and told them exactly what the situation of the company was. I was deeply touched by their response – they supported my decisions fully. We gave our gratitude to Allah for bringing us together.

Caring

In the months that followed, it was tough but the friends in my network helped me build and maintain a positive mindset. They were there to advise, inspire, ideate and motivate. Sometimes it was just a phone call that would help me feel instantly better. Together, we created a complete personal and business roadmap that would help all of us come out much better than before. I was truly blessed to have each one of these friends in the most difficult of times. As we moved forward with confidence, things began to get better.

Blessing

I was blessed to spend time with my family. Normally, I give more priority and time to family than anything else in my life, but with the complete Covid shutdown I was able to truly experience the power and joy of togetherness.

That day, when my son surprised me by leading our entire family in prayer is one that I can never forget. I shed tears of happiness as he did so, with my father, brother and myself following him. It was a dream come true and I was closer to Allah than ever before. In the midst of everything that was happening, Allah was blessing us with family, happiness and health.

I feel blessed every day.

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