All posts tagged courage

Happy Birthday Mumchic.

Sisters are amazing. I don’t talk much about mine here on Mumchic but quite honestly, I would be lost without her. She is my biggest and most honest reality check.

Sometime back in early February of 2012, clearly under the influence of some delicious meal I had cooked for her, she said

“You have such great recipes, why don’t you start a blog?”

“But I had a blog, remember?”

“Err yeaah in 2006 or something?”

That came with the look that spells “wtf” in not so many words…. it’s a special wordless exchange that happens between sisters, you won’t understand.

Anywho back to the blog suggestion , I have a feeling she had wind of my floundering ways and thought I was wasting too much important brain space on watching melodramatic Pakistani plays and needed to do something constructive with the little free time I had.

You see, this isn’t the first time someone has suggested writing again but this time around the idea stuck with me. Longer than usual.

And thus out of a random conversation with my little sister, Mumchic was born. Once I had decided that that I was going to start a blog, we agonised  over the theme and a name for weeks eventually deciding on Mum Chic – a hub of all things delicious and chic for but not restricted to mums.

And this little baby is exactly a year old today!

Happy Birthday Mumchic.

Nothing worth having comes easy

Nothing worth having comes easy.

What a journey it has been.The highs, the lows, the joy of creation. If there is one thing I have learnt this past year, it is this. When you love what you do, when you are passionate about what you are building, no hour in the night is too late, no dream futile, no vision too big. Yes it takes courage to do something out of the box and a lot of willpower because as with any uncharted path, there are tests.But that is when you persevere, that is when you give it your best shot.The results might just astound you.

I started blogging as a complete rookie, I had the words but I also had a lot to learn about the game I was playing. Scheduling posts, linkies, PR, coneferences, social media… you name it! So much to take in, I felt overwhelmed. As my readership grew, my goals changed too – I now had plans for this blog but I also had a pressing need to understand the space better.  The trouble with the business of blogging is, the bigger it grows, the bigger you want it to grow. I reached out to people asking for mentorship. Some were extremely gracious and generous, some not so much but I learnt from it, either way.

But having said all of that, my greatest take away of all  from the past year has been the beautiful bloggy friendships I have found along the way and all the mind blowing stories I have been able to read. I feel previleged to have been able to share mine with you.

And last but not the least, the love and untiring support of everyone out there : fellow bloggers, readers, followers, family and friends – Mumchic would not have been here without your support :) . Thankyou for putting up with me for a whole year, I promise as I did at the start of the year to bring you better and more exciting things in the year to come.

And before I forget, a special thank you to the person who waved her magic wand and made it all happen!

Thank you little sister. Love you.

P.S I still watch above mentioned melodramatic Pakistani plays, only difference is nowadays the usually play in the background while I write. A girl’s gotta keep up with her plays right?

P.P.S I am writing this post past 1am under a heavy influence of chocolate. If it seems to sappy tomorrow morning, you may blame the chocolate, or the clock or both.

Have you reached a blogging milestone? How did you celebrate?’

Is there something you would like to see more of here on Mumchic over the coming year?

Linking up with the wonderful Grace at With Some Grace for FYBF.

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A Courageous Path.

Never allow yourself to be bullied.

Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Mumchic Picks – Today’s Top 9 Quotes By Khalil Jibran.

Mumchic Picks – Today’s Top 9 Quotes By Khalil Jibran

Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.

Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution.

Hearts united in pain and sorrow
will not be separated by joy and happiness.
Bonds that are woven in sadness
are stronger than the ties of joy and pleasure.
Love that is washed by tears
will remain eternally pure and faithful.

When you love you should not think you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.

We wanderers, ever seeking the lonelier way, begin no day where we have ended another, and no sunrise finds us where left by sunset. Even while the earth sleeps we travel. We are the seeds of that tenacious plant, and it is in our ripeness and our fullness of heart.There is a space between man’s imagination and man’s attainment that may only be traversed by his longing. that we are given to the wind to be scattered.

There is a space between man’s imagination and man’s attainment that may only be traversed by his longing.

To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved, but at what he aspires to do.

One may not reach the dawn save by the path of the night.

Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.

Over to you ; what quotes have been on your mind this week?

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steve-jobs-quote-i-want-to-put-a-ding-in-the-universe

I want to put a ding in the universe !

 I love quotes , I love how so much wisdom can sometimes be condensed in a few sentences. I love how a few words, put articulately can strike a chord with me on so many inexplicable levels.Words that awaken, inspire, enlighten me.

And I love sharing these words with you, with the hope that in some small way, I might have made you think twice, take notice, change something! That I may have inspired you to harbour hope, believe and pluck the courage to pursue your dreams.That I may have encouraged you to Think Different.

Today, as I was researching for a possible future post , I came across a piece of text  so powerful , I wanted to know more about where it originated, which is when I stumbled upon this video and could not believe that I had never seen it before. Released in 1997 ,you may have seen this or like me , you may not have heard of it until today , either way it is worth every second , here have a look :

Narrated by none other than Steve Jobs himself , here is the text to this ad campaign that marked the return of Apple Inc ;

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

How could I not have shared these most inspiring words with you ?

I too , like Steve want to put a ding in the universe , do you ?

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A Call To Courage.

Sometimes you capture a moment or read some lines and they resonate so loudly with you , there is no room left for much else to be said. Today , I have no words of my own , no stories to regale you with  - just a picture I shot and a few lines  I read.

Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplacable spark. In the hopeless swamps of the not quite, the not yet, and the not at all, do not let the hero in your soul perish and leave only frustration for the life you deserved, but never have been able to reach. The world you desire can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours.

-     Ayn Rand

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You Don’t Get What You Don’t Ask For – Part 1

After an unbelievably busy day, you decide to get takeaway , with the entire brood in tow ofcourse . Everyone is tired and hungry. You queue up ,  buy everyone’s favourite meals while the brood waits impatiently at a table nearby.You bring some food back FINALLY  and everyone tucks in.

What happens next is something that has happened to everyone. If this hasn’t ever happened to you , I’m sorry to be the one  breaking this to you but you don’t meet the criteria for normal. Trust me , you don’t ! Now that we have established the norms around normalcy , lets go back to the food . So everyone begins eating , there is an eerie air of silence around the table , the kind you usually associate with extremely hungry people.The brood is happy , you think as you take another bite of your fish burger and just then you hear a voice , to ” But where’s the sauce  ?” . You look up to see one of the brood ( usually an adult ) , pale faced and visibly upset .

You adopt an innocent and quizzical expression and say , ” Sauce ?” , hoping to pull it off. An interesting dialogue ensues :

” Yeah like tomato sauce , ketchup ? ” says the partner/child/sibling you are willing to disown right now , infact lets name them Disownable Family Member (DFM) for the purpose of this post.

You : ” I’m so sorry darling , I completely forgot . Can we do without sauce this time ? Look at the queue up there and we need to get home , there is ______________ ( insert relevant activities here) to do still”

DFM : ” This time ? THIS TIME ? , You always forget the sauce !”

DFM holds his/her head in disgust .

You feel a range of emotions from despair to anger to helplessness to feeling misunderstood but in the end , the more rational ( read ravenously hungry ) side wins and you continue to eat your meal which is now bordering on cold and stale , hoping that DFM will let it go this time.

But DFM is adamant , sauce or nothing !

You think , Why can’t DFM go and get it themselves . Dreading DFM’s wrath for what could seem like an eternity , you begrudgingly get up and walk over to the front counter , mentally willing the teenager at the checkout counter to be nice to you . You were tired , hungry,  frustrated and sauceless, the least you can expect is that a stranger be nice to you.After a painful 5 minute wait , it was finally your turn . The young girl smiled , ” What can I get you ?” , you mumble ( internally cursing the day DFM was born ) , ” umuuumum could I please umm get some umm tomato sauce” , ” Pardon me sir , I didn’t quite get that ” she says . ” Could I please have some tomato sauce ? ” you manage swiftly this time , somehow.

The girl breaks into a peal of laughter and you feel like a fool , 30 something , standing in a takeaway queue , asking for tomato sauce , How did life get so pear shaped   , ” Oh tomato sauce,ofcourse ! ” She bends down and brings out what looks like 10 sachets of tomato sauce , TEN ! You thank the girl profusely and walk back to your table enveloped in a strange sense of elation. You proudly plonk the tomato sauce sachets in DFM’s face who then has the audacity to patronise ,” See ! You don’t get what you don’t ask for “

You want to yell ” argh , if you knew that , why didn’t you get off your bottom and go get them youself ” , but wisdom prevails and you hold your peace…for now.

( Told you it was going to be the flag bearer of normal , if God forbid this hasn’t happened to you before , you have definitely done it to someone . Either way , this is normal )

Stay Tuned for Part 2 , which is being penned right now and is turning out to be a serious and thought provoking post on the same theme.

Image Courtesy : http://www.jjfoodservice.com/product.cfm/Heinz%20Tomato%20Ketchup%20Sachets-1×200/SAU070

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Dare To Dream

Came across this fantastic and very inspiring quote today…for those who believe in dreams …

It costs nothing to dream and everything not to..

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Go on..

Dare to dream !

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