Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Dreams come true...

One of the crucial ingredients to success is focus and sometimes to stay focused one has to be a bit obsessed
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It is not enough to dream, but there must be an element of visualisation and action in that direction no matter how small the step is.


The small steps add up and creates a path before we even realise it. A few days ago I would have thought I have just been inspired by some good words I read somewhere. But not this time.


It was in November 2018 when we went to a corporate function to celebrate the achievements and there I saw her - she was playing music on a white piano. She seemed to create a zone of her own. People have always fascinated me and it is like reading a new book. And here she was - amazingly comfortable in her own world. After all this was the world she had been seeking since she was three years old. It was soon an music organ and the white piano has been in her possession for three years, she had said in 2018 while interviewing her and the video of which you can still see @omanobserver.


She had explained how she was never trained professionally which meant she could not read the musical notes and learnt to play by the ear. But it had been her passion for the music that led her to stay dedicated practicing music and her family support that led her to become Zara the pianist from Oman.


In our interview she had said that she was gaining stages as she was a pianist and during the wedding celebrations organised for women there is a requirement for female musicians and this gave her opportunities.


Fast forward and the pandemic arrived unannounced and stayed long enough for people to get accustomed to loneliness, leave alone celebrations and gatherings and music. But one person continued to perform and she used the social media as her stage and now has 125,000 followers on her Instagram account @zara.pianist.


Today she is an international pianist, music producer and arranger. She is currently in Qatar performing, where the world spot is on with the Fifa World Cup round the corner. These are the success stories that make you believe in dreams.


One of the crucial ingredients to success they say is focus and sometimes to stay focused one has to be a bit obsessed. The talent is not enough, need to develop skills and only practice can get us to that stage and once there it is only focus that can keep us there, which by the way is a challenge because distractions are just too many. But you know what is interesting? Once again it is the mind that turns out to be the strength and weakness.


This goes on to prove how important is mental health. So when we do that extra push up and look at the extra calories that have gone into the food maybe it is time we thought of what’s on our mind and what we are thinking about.


MENTAL HEALTH


The 'Not Alone' campaign on mental health is on and the reason the team chose to do this month is because of the strong sense of belonging that has generated this month. When one does not have a sense of belonging can you imagine what the mind would be like?


There are people who live in conflict areas and still relate to the ancestral land just through songs. People who are now in tents at camps can only pass on to their children their memories about their original homes and land. These songs stir emotions and feelings even if they have not seen them and might never know if they will walk there again.


And the same only an expatriate will know the sentiments they have for a land where he/she has been for years and the memories and the love they have for the land they are in. These are sentiments many might never be able to acknowledge or know how to express. However, 'Not Alone' campaign has taken into consideration that sentiment and emotions and ensured that the other nationalities will also be part of the campaign on mental health.


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