How do you think the story of Princess Jasmine and Aladdin from 1001 Arabian Nights would have ended had she agreed to wed Prince Ahmed and not run off from the palace and bump into Aladdin in the market and fall in love with him?
Most likely the story would have ended something like this: "And so Princess Jasmine and Prince Ahmed got married, and Aladdin still lives on a roof dreaming of living in the Royal Palace one day." The story would also probably be a couple of pages long and not turned into one of Disney's most popular movies.
Instead the author portrayed Jasmine as a curious young lady who wanted to know if there was more to life than the palace's walls. She was adventurous and a risk-taker and did not agree to follow a life path drawn for her before she was even born. Jasmine's spirit is no different than that of an entrepreneur. I am not kidding. I promise.
Just like Jasmine, entrepreneurs have an intense hunger for adventure, and following a path that no one set foot on before. A path that is not necessarily predictable or safe. In fact, they know that there is risk involved, and that they could lose whatever they put into this. Entrepreneurs have the courage to make their own choices, and not wait for approvals from those around them. In the story, Jasmine was determined in what she wanted in life, and that is why even after hearing advice from her father that her current life as a princess and marrying Prince Ahmed was the best choice, she still made up her own mind.
This is no different when it comes to managing a business. Seeking advice from financial advisers and experienced friends is great, do not take me wrong, but their roles are to "advise", and not impose their opinions on you. At the end you are the only person who should take the final decision when it boils down to your business.
This takes us to finding your own path, or calling in life. In the story of Aladdin, Jasmine knew she wanted to fall in love before getting married. She wanted to explore the real world, and that is the path she followed as she ran away from her father's palace that night. But do you know what you want to do? If you are planning to start your own business do you have an image of how it will be? How your life will be affected by it? And if you do have an established business, what are your future goals? Are you willing to expand?
If you belong in the first category and you are about to launch your business, now is the time to start visualising how it will be. Create a visual in your mind of how you see it. Where will your office be located? Will you have staff? How much do you want to earn every year? Include as many details in that visual as possible. Once you have all the particulars, you will know exactly where you are standing now, and what you need to do to reach your goal, and how much effort you need to put in to reach that goal.
If you belong in the second category and you do have an established business but you are still do not see yourself where you desire to be, then you need to assess the reasons that are holding you back from reaching your goals. Are you afraid of taking risks? Or did you get too comfortable at how things are working out and are not putting as much effort in as you used to? When you have those questions answered it is important to set new short-term goals every once in a while to reach your desired long-term goals faster. Keep reviewing your objectives once a week, so that you do not get too comfortable or forget about them.
Last but not least, stay focused on your goals and do not be distracted by the opinions and negativities of those around you. Take time to evaluate if their opinions/advice aligns with your goals. Or will they steer you off track?
Anything is possible if you set your mind to it. All it takes is a little extra effort and a pinch of patience.
Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati writer and fashion designer based in Abu Dhabi. Follow her on Twitter:@manar_alhinai
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Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
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- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
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Famous left-handers
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- David Bowie
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- Albert Einstein
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- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
