There is an African quote that, says “when there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do no harm” when you create a strong mind, no other will defeat you with their words or judgments. When you believe in you, you need no other to believe in you.

This is because others will have no say in what you will become, only you have that say. The greatest challenge and the greatest obstacle any human will face is their own doubts and their own fears. If you want to live the way you like it, then you will have to fight for it, no matter what stops you and what falls your way, you can get through it. These will be the greatest battles of your life and what you get is what you dream. People who don’t believe in you or put you down, you will battle that external and intimate enemy. But the worst enemy of all is your internal enemy. You have to battle something that is like an army in your head. Army of doubt, army that fears of failure, lack of belief. And the voices you hear in your head saying that I am not good enough, I can’t, I am hopeless, I have tried everything, you will have to fight for it. Only you can decide what you want to become. There is no greater pain the world can inflicted on you except your own internal mind. It is an enemy, a poison to your dreams. Your thoughts will cause you more pain than anyone or anything in this universe can give you. This little box of fears and doubts in your head needs to be kept under control to work for you not against you. I remember just a few weeks ago when I was piled with homework. Math 2 exercises, English don’t ask and French maybe 3 pages of the reader. I, still stuck with the first sum of the first exercise in math, I hear a voice saying ‘Rayhaan, forget it, instead of finding x, you can find a great excuse for the teacher. You are a smart child and she will understand you’ I had thought for a while. Maybe that would be the right choice and I started preparing excuses. ‘dog died’, ‘India trip’, medical issues’. But it didn’t work out. I had to find x. so I started again, forgetting what my mind says. I kept remembering this quote “be a warrior not a worrier” but by the end of the holidays, I had found x. I had to overcome my internal enemy in order to anything that is possible. Just like that, you need your mind to support you and you get it by creating a compelling future. A future, you will be proud to achieve.

You do this not by having goals but by having meaningful goals. Goals that get you excited and goals that make you wake up every morning.

In conclusion, your mind is what controls you but mostly not in a positive manner. If you work for those goals daily, you can quiet that voice in your head. You can feel good enough because you are good enough. Empower yourself to push through boundaries. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls when I stand here, my mind is what says ‘rayhaan why are you doing this, you are going to stammer people will laugh at you, they might throw anything on your face at the end because your speech is not good enough, you can't although you want to, but forgetting that I actually need to stop doubting myself and so should you. As me, forgetting the biggest enemy who kills my dreams, I am pretty sure that people with bear with me, they will understand me and they will give a standing ovation when you finish your speech because all of us are good enough.