Heartaches

Hello dear reader, welcome to Monday. The day where you get to read the wise words that flow from my brain and into this blog. You lucky thing, you. 

So, now that I have finished with my travel blogs it is time for me to move the focus back on the book and other issues that emerge from it. 

On the book front, my line editing process is FINISHED! Woot, woot! Which means we can FINALLY move on to the cover of the book and I can get a definite date to you guys. Eek! I am stoked! Can you tell I'm stoked? I am so, so, so stoked! Who wouldn't be stoked if their dream was actualizing in front of them?

Everybody. 

Everybody who has ever had a dream. It's kind of insane how precious dreams are. I mean, on the surface they are this pretty shiny thing, giving us hope, wonder, and stars, but deep down, they are something more. 

I've been getting messages from people, everyday people, telling me that they are so happy that I am actually doing something about my dream. They are so excited that I am making it come alive for me and I could not be more touched by their selflessness. 

But you know what I have noticed? Every story that I receive and every story that is shared with me has a little bit of heartache. A little bit of pain and a little bit of regret. Because everyone has their own life, with their own problems, their own heartaches and their own dreams. There is one thing or the other that is stopping them, delaying them or even pushing them away from actualizing their dreams. 

When someone shares a piece of their heart with you, it is really easy to give them advice and to tell them to overcome their obstacles. But, its another thing to help them out of it. 

That is a whole new level. 

When you are advising someone on their situation you are doing the bare minimum. When you are giving them suggestions you are doing nothing more than scratching the surface. What we need to do, dear reader, is invest in that person. To spend time with the individual, to actively become involved in solving their issues and to step away from judgmental image you have of them. 

Now when you read this you will ask me why? Why should I do any of that? What's in it for me? What about me?

Look carefully into those questions, dear reader, and you will find the answer.  

It is because you are so involved with the self that you have no concept left of giving selflessly, of investing in someone else or caring for someone other than you. Some people are happy and excited about my dreams becoming a reality while others sit there and wonder, "What has she done to deserve it?"

And that becomes dangerous, dear reader. Not because you're hurting my heart, but because you are hurting your own. In fact, you are losing your heart. You are losing compassion. And you are losing humanity.

When these individuals message me to congratulate me, express their excitement for my dreams and promise a bright future for me, it makes me happy. It makes me want to dream bigger and do more. It encourages me to take bigger risks and to climb higher than I had ever dreamed of. 

And this is just by the support of anonymous messages that I receive.  Imagine if you connected with someone on a personal level, doing something for them without expecting anything in return. Imaging what you would be doing for them.

Crazy isn't it? But it works and it shows the beauty in how humans can be as constructive as we are destructive and hazardous to one another. 

Be constructive. Get out there and help someone with something for their sake. Try to understand their heartaches, their dreams, and their perspective and put yourself on the back burner. 

The results of your selflessness, your compassion and your love will be nothing short of amazing. The media and the world today does nothing more than feed our soul with the promise of "you, you, you," and you cannot help but indulge in that theory. 

That is not the way to go. Trust me, dear reader, that is NOT the way to go. Try my way. Invest in a family member, in your wife, in your neighbour, in your friend, in a stranger, in a homeless person and so on and so on. Invest selflessly and then watch the good it does for you. 

Try it, dear reader, and then let me know what your heart feels like. 

Until next time, smiles up and doubts down. 

isheeza

Turkey and it's smooth moves!

Hello dear reader and welcome to the MOST awaited country of my Europe trip. I’ve been getting Facebook messages, tweets, and Instagram comments all of which outline your impatience because you are all SO excited for this country.

The Blue Mosque and all of its 6 pillars! 

Now before I get into this wonderful city I have to admit something to you guys. You know how we all have a list of place that outline where we want to travel in the world? Well, guess which city didn't make it on mine. 

Guess.

If you gasped and made a “you-did-not” face, you guessed it. Istanbul was NEVER on my list. The city didn’t even occur to me. I know most of you are horrified right now, a few of my friends even threatened to disown me, so, I don’t blame you. But, for some odd reason the city didn’t ever cross my mind. 

Is that weird? 

Anyways, because Istanbul wasn’t on my list I wasn’t very enthusiastic about it. It was the last stop in my trip and Switzerland had already given me everything I wanted so Istanbul was just a city where I would enjoy my few days in the sun before returning to the confused Canadian weather.

I managed to land in Istanbul around 6:00 pm, which meant that I could sneak some of the city in the evening, but, unfortunately for me, Istanbul had other plans. 

It was raining really hard and the traffic was absolutely horrible! My flight to Istanbul was shorter than my drive to the hotel. (I think Istanbul saw my travel list and decided that it wanted revenge).

It was crazy.

Nonetheless, after FINALLY getting to my hotel, I decided to be a good sport and went out to lift my dampened spirits with some hot Turkish food. And, oh my god, dear reader. The food.

THE FOOD.

So good. So very, very, very good!

I ate like I had been on a diet my entire life and my 10 pounds magically transformed into 30. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit, but you should be used to this by now. It’s me.

Anyways, after the amazing food was a day jam-packed (that’s right, I said jam-packed!) with history, culture, and religion.

I was blown away, dear reader, by the abundance of historical entities and by the measures that were taken to preserve them.

As a Muslim living in Canada I had never really had a chance to look at Islamic history from such proximity. Turkey changed it all for me. 

I got to see canonical buildings, artifacts, and institutions that were a strong part of the Turkish history. I want to bore you with facts, dear reader, fact and dates and stories that belong to Turkey.

I want to teach you Turkish History 101: The awesomeness that is the history of Turkey.

I am still that excited. But you’re going to have to check my Facebook page for pictures and facts about the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, The Ottoman Empire, and Basilica Cistern. They are indeed as epic as they sound.

What I’m going to focus on instead, dear reader, is what experiencing the history of Turkey meant for me. 

As I mentioned earlier that this was the first time I ever felt such a connection to my religion and to the history of my religion. This connection sparked something inside of me. It made me conscious about my life decisions and my priorities.

The Turks developed their city by focusing their attention on religion and education. They used their times wisely and purposefully, always thinking about the future of their people. For example, the Basilica Cistern was built in the 6^th century during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor. 

Why?

 Because the Emperor didn’t want his people to die from a drought. So, he built a huge underground water source covering 9800 square meters and filled it with barrels of water.

The Ottoman Empire, on the other hand, made sure that every single person under their rule was educated in every subject, thus resulting in multiple ground breaking inventions. For example, the Hagia Sophia was destroyed and rebuilt three times because of the constant earth quakes in the country. The architect in charge of the building understood the land’s nature and decided to add additional columns in such a way that the building survived every earth quake after that.

What I mean to point out with all of these examples is the ideals, the principles and the goals that a nation like that had. Turkey was a highly successful country under their reign. Why? Because I believe that they had the right formula. Their use of education allowed them to compete, and even beat, the leading nations of their time. Individuals understood the significance of time, purpose and knowledge and were able to use these factor in ways that were revolutionary.

I think, dear reader, that we need to take a good hard look at ourselves in the mirror and ask ourselves, “Do I embody the morals, the principles, and the qualities of an individual who is capable of revolutionary accomplishments? Am I passing this information on to the next generation? Do I do right by others by keeping justice and integrity in mind or do I wrong individuals based on my own short comings?”

We cannot hope to be a successful generation, dear reader, if we don’t understand the factors that matter. We give too much importance to things that are temporary and, to a certain extent, useless. We have to move past selfies, whiter teeth, abs, and competing for the most likes on our latest Instagram photos. Do we want to be more than a plastic collage of selfies? Is that the history we want our nation to have OR do we want to inspire, educate, encourage and motivate individuals to think openly, act righteous, practice justice and embrace diversity ?

The choice is yours, dear reader, and for further dramatic effect in the infamous words of V.Roth I say to you: “choose wisely.”

Until next time, smiles up and doubts down. 

isheeza

Switzerland: My Fairy Tale

Hello dear reader. I hope you had yourself a great week. If not, then I hope that my post will paint a small smile on your face and that this week turns out a whole lot better than last week.

Also, before I go any further, I just want to say thank you to those readers who message me and express their gratitude, excitement, and love for my blog posts. You guys have NO idea what your support means to me. Especially, at this point when my career is fairly new and exciting.

Don't worry, updates regarding the book will be coming your way very soon! *cue starry eyes and hysterical giggling*

Now onto Switzerland! First of all, dear reader, it is very important for you to know that this place snuck itself into my heart and settled into the deepest corner it could possibly find.

I am head over heels in love with this place and there are multiple reasons as to why I feel this way about the country of Switzerland.

This country is SO beautiful and not just some areas of it, all of it is consistently and constantly beautiful. Everywhere you look there is a majestic scene waiting for you too gush over. I am not exaggerating and if you don't believe me please avert your eyes towards Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Exhibit C:

I could go on and on and present you with numerous exhibits because let's face it I literally spent all of my pictures on Switzerland, but I won't (check my Facebook page for updates all week) instead I am going to tell you all about it and let you make your own decision. 

Now, apart from its staggering beauty there are other reasons why I fell for Switzerland (I'm not that shallow, guys. Personality matters too). 

Another reason why I love the country is because of its picturesque, fairy tale charm. This kind of setting and natural beauty makes my imagination run wild. Random characters start appearing in front of me telling me their story. I can see the actions scenes taking place in front of me and maybe a few happily ever afters?

To me, Switzerland looked like a place that had jumped out of some fairy tale and I couldn't help but indulge myself in it. Everything about it was perfect. The sun was shining warmly, the sky was the perfect blue and the hills seems to sing with beauty. I guess I lost myself in every author's fantasy and found a place where stories gave birth to themselves without any reserve. 

And also the famous novel Heidi and Peter was written in those hills by Johanna Spyri. 

Another reason why I absolutely fell in love with Switzerland was because of the peace and nature that surrounded it. Swiss people pride themselves on the natural beauty that encompasses their country. They work towards preserving the beauty and caring for the creatures that are a part of it. The Swiss do not cut themselves off from nature, instead they embrace it and do their part for caring for it. They understand its importance and its value, something that I feel that I had forgotten living in a city environment. 

Seeing the beauty and perfection of nature has motivated me to do a little bit of my part for nature. I want this beauty to last and for our future generations to experience it and I would like to ask you, dear reader, to come and help me in my tiny effort of doing my bit so that every single person can experience Switzerland in their own country. 

My reasons about loving Switzerland could go on and on, but I think I'm going to end my fairy tale on a high note and end this episode titled, "Future International Best-Selling Author in Switzerland!" Don't forget to check out my Facebook page: Sheeza Iqbal (Author) and my Instagram: @isheeza for pictures of this majestic place. You don't wanna miss it! 

Until next time, smiles up and doubts down. 

isheeza

Paris: The City of Love?

Hello, dear reader! I am back! Have I missed you guys? Yes. Have I missed home? Yes. Was travelling all that? YES!

Travelling really is an eye opener in so many ways once you get past the glamour of being a tourist. I highly recommend for all you to get yourself out there and travel! Once you are physically and financially stable of course. 

But for now let's talk about my adventure through Europe! So, as you know from my previous blog post I was away for two week travelling the following cities: Paris, Zurich, Venice and Istanbul.

And I am so happy to say that all of these countries were their own with their own culture, own lifestyle, own religion and own food (yum!). I may or may not have gained 10 pounds…

Throughout my trip I was thinking about the best way to communicate my adventure through Europe with you guys. There is SO much to see and do in one city and there is no way I can fit it all in one blog post. So, I came up with a brilliant idea, naturally. (Did you guys miss me and my egotistical self-compliments?)

I am going to share with you one major aspect of each city. A large and common factor that constantly circles the city in question. 

Make sense? 

The first city that I visited was Paris and so the major outlining factor that surrounds that city is l'amour. The myth about Paris being the city of love. 

Oh la la. And with that I have used up all the French that I learned during my four day stay in this fabulous city. 

So, here we are. Paris. 

Imagine yourself standing in a crowd full of people. The night sky is black and everywhere you look lights are glittering, but one light stands out as the brightest. 

It is the Eiffel Tower.

It is glowing like a large candle in the middle of the city, covering every inch of it with its romantic ambiance. Everything can’t help but look beautiful under its light and you can’t help but be seduced by its magic. 

When I first saw the tower I felt its magic working on me too. I couldn't help but feel the romance blooming inside me and that’s when I thought to myself, “Am I feeling romantic because Paris is romantic or am I feeling the romance because you're supposed to?”

Yes, I know. I have profound thoughts, which I expressed out loud in public and effectively creeped out everyone around me. 

The next logical step was to observe the city and its people, looking for signs that shouted, “Be romantic or else!” or “It’s Paris! The law demands that you make googly eyes at each other!” or “If you don’t hold her hand then we’ll chop the useless thing off.”

Unfortunately, there were no such signs, which totally sucked, but there were other hints that proved to me the Paris was indeed the city of love!

Here’s the breakdown, dear reader. The reason why Paris is romantic and full of love is because Parisians take the time out of their lives to express this beautiful emotion to one another frequently and leisurely.

Instead of talking on the phone people talk to one another. Instead of taking pictures to post up on Instagram or Facebook people chose to live in the moment and give their undivided attention to the person they are with. And instead of rushing through moments people choose to slow down and enjoy the moment they are currently in. 

I've seen people stroll hand in hand, without their phones, stopping to observe the scenery and exchanging a hug or a kiss. I've seen Parisians sitting by the Seine river having a picnic with their family or feeding the ducks with their kids instead of being preoccupied by worries and technology. 

It's like they understand that love is meant to shared, cherished, enjoyed and felt. Parisians know that love is personal and they keep it that way. No one knows what they were doing or who they are with because they don't check in on Facebook or post pictures of themselves on Instagram and that is okay with them. 

And for me that is how love is supposed to be, dear reader. 

Love should be cherished on a personal level more than it should be flaunted on a public level.

Some moments are meant for you and your loved one. Sometimes a gesture is supposed to be a sweet, memorable secret between you and your loved one(s). A moment that can be created at any given time or place and a moment that is special because of its exclusivity. 

That, dear reader, is the secret of Paris. That is why it is considered the "City of Love." 

So seize the moment and make it personal. Give your undivided attention to your loved one without the phone, without the public and without the stress. Make it so that he/she feels cherished and exclusive. Give that special someone a hug, a thank you or whatever you think will make their day. 

Turn your ordinary two minutes into a Parisian memory and bring the magic of the Eiffel Tower to you. 

Honore d'Urfe said it best: "The price of love is only love...one must love if one desires to be loved."

And all of Parisians live by that rule. It couldn't hurt to try it for ourselves, right? So, give it your best shot, dear reader, and let l'amour fill your day instead of social media notifications. 

Until next time, smiles up and doubts down. 

isheeza.

P.S: Keep checking my Facebook page for pictures of Paris this entire week!