What If You’re Better Than They Told You?

 

A reflection on writing, hidden talents, failure, self-doubt, and the courage to become the person you were always capable of becoming.

I Am a Writer

Hello and greetings,

I am Zahra, and I am a writer.

Not because I have published countless books. In fact, I haven’t published a single book yet. So, what gives me the courage to call myself a writer?

Perhaps it is the way I see the world.

I don't simply witness an incident and move on. I observe it. I notice what happens behind the scene, the emotions hidden between words, the silence that says more than a conversation, and the little details that most people overlook.

Give me an ordinary moment, and my mind starts turning it into a story.

Give me an emotion, and I want to put it into poetry.

Give me an experience, and somewhere inside me, words begin forming.

That is why I write.

I write prose. I write poetry. I write because something inside me refuses to remain unwritten.

And yes, I dream of being known one day because of my writing. I dream of seeing my name on the cover of a book and having someone, somewhere, say, “I read Zahra's work.”

But I know I have a long road ahead.

And perhaps that is okay.

Because every journey begins long before anyone notices you are walking.

What If You Are Better Than They Told You?

I want to say something to anyone who has ever been belittled because of a talent, a dream, or a quality they possessed.

Listen carefully.

Give yourself a chance.

Explore yourself.

Maybe you are good at cooking. Maybe painting makes your heart come alive. Maybe you have an eye for makeup, photography, storytelling, designing, singing, teaching, gardening, baking, or something you haven't even discovered yet.

Why not dive into that creativity?

Why not polish that little spark instead of allowing someone else to convince you that it is worthless?

You don't have to become the best in the world.

You simply have to become better than the version of yourself who was too afraid to try.

And who knows?

Perhaps one day, the world will recognize you as one of the best in your field.

Maybe not first.

Maybe not second.

But somewhere on that list of people who dared to become what they were capable of becoming.

And isn't that worth trying for?

Stop Daydreaming About Defeat

I am not asking you to live in fantasy.

I am asking you to dream about possibilities.

You have spent enough time imagining everything that could go wrong.

What if I fail?

What if people laugh?

What if I am not good enough?

What if someone else is better?

But tell me honestly, what did all that negative thinking give you?

Did it build your confidence?

Did it bring your dream closer?

Did it teach you a new skill?

Did it put your name on anything?

Probably not.

Sometimes our vision becomes so clouded by the opinions of people around us that we begin seeing ourselves through their eyes instead of our own.

And bullies? Let me tell you something.

I have started feeling more sorry for them than intimidated by them.

Because people who constantly need to make others feel small are often revealing how insecure they are themselves.

Ask them for a fair competition.

Give them an opportunity to prove themselves without insults, connections, manipulation, or pulling someone else down.

You may be surprised by how quickly some of them disappear from the race.

And if someone defeats you fairly?

So what?

One defeat does not make you a failure.

Two defeats don't either.

Even ten failures cannot define the entirety of your story.

Sometimes defeat is not the end of a journey.

Sometimes it is the unexpected doorway to another one.

And perhaps that second journey will be far more magnificent than the first.

Why Do We Take Tests?

You might be wondering how I can simply sprout these thoughts.

Well, think about examinations.

Think about a test.

Think about a competition, an audition, a skill assessment, or even a difficult challenge at work.

Why do we put ourselves through these things?

To discover where we stand.

To sharpen our skills.

To identify our weaknesses.

To improve.

A test isn't supposed to whisper, “You are worthless.”

It is supposed to tell you, “Here is where you can grow.”

So why do we allow one failed examination, one rejected application, one unsuccessful competition, one criticism, or one person's cruel opinion to become a permanent label on our forehead?

Why do we turn a single chapter into the title of the entire book?

Don't.

You are still writing.

So, What Will You Do?

The next time someone belittles you, don't immediately try to prove them wrong.

Do something much more powerful.

Prove yourself right.

Quietly.

Learn the skill.

Write the story.

Paint the canvas.

Start the business.

Take the course.

Send the application.

Enter the competition.

Publish the poem.

Bake the cake.

Pick up the camera.

Open the notebook.

Try again.

And if you fail?

Learn.

If you are rejected?

Improve.

If someone laughs?

Let them.

If someone tells you that you cannot?

Smile and keep walking.

Because you don't need everyone's permission to become yourself.

And perhaps one day, the very thing someone once mocked will become the thing people remember you for.

As for me?

I am Zahra.

I am a writer.

Not because I have already achieved everything I dream about.

But because I have decided to begin.

And maybe that's what being a writer, an artist, a dreamer, or simply a human being is really about.

You don't wait for the world to give you a title.

You begin becoming the person worthy of it.

So, tell me...

What is the one thing you have always wanted to try, but someone convinced you that you weren't good enough to do?