One of my worst habits, which I would love to change, is being impatient. I dislike waiting for anything to happen. I want it here and now, if not sooner. But growing up, and experiencing different walks of life, I learnt that good things really do happen to those who wait, and so I tried to train myself to become more patient for the sake of my career.
However, when I look around, impatience is becoming a defining characteristic of young people within this generation, and compared with them my habit may not be so extreme. How so? A good friend of mine did not last in her new job more than a day, because she felt that this was not where she saw herself. She stayed only one day at her well-paying job, and did not think it was worth it to try it out for another day, or a month at least.
Another friend, with a great sense of fashion design and styling, spent a couple of months designing her debut collection, which could easily be mistaken for high-end designer work, only to quit a couple of weeks later because none of the boutiques she contacted responded to her inquiry about stocking her line.
"If I don't get promoted to a managerial level in the first year, then I know that it's a sign to change my job. I want to save as much money in 10 years before I retire and I can't afford to waste my time in the wrong place," said Fatima, a 23-year-old fresh graduate. I could not help but think that she was sabotaging a good career because of her impatience. Rarely does any fresh graduate get promoted in the first year to a managerial position, let alone be promoted, for that matter.
As whiny and spoilt as these people might seem, unfortunately this is a scene that I am often encountering: the bunch of 20something, ambitious, driven and intelligent individuals who all share a bad habit of not waiting, which hurts their careers and businesses.
If their phone screen broke because of a fall, they would not go fix it, but instead buy a new one. Why should they wait for it to get fixed when instead they could be on their way updating their Facebook page or liking their friends' pictures on Instagram instead?
Researchers attribute the development of this habit to modern technology and the effect it has on young people. Being hooked to their social media accounts, individuals then start to compare their lives and the time frame in which they should be receiving a response to that of the digital world. They tend to expect fast results, whether it is profit in their business, promotion in their job or response from business associates - like in the digital world when they receive on-the-spot likes for their posts or pictures.
In addition, the availability of numerous publications and information, in bookstores and online, that highlight the overnight success of entrepreneurs out there, and the rise of pop and reality TV stars, makes it seem that fast career success is closer and more available than ever.
But in the long run, slow success is better. We have a saying in Arabic that goes like this: "Whatever comes fast tends to leave fast." If you go up the ladder before building a good solid groundwork, you might be headed towards an unintended fall. And besides, you will be depriving yourself of the thrill of the chase - the anticipation and the wait for something of value and worth to happen.
When people tend to focus on achieving fast results in the shortest time frame, then they stop enjoying the process. Countless psychological studies and the famous law of attraction state that anticipating an end result, and the desire to achieve it, has a more positive effect on our lives and our being than the result itself.
Besides, since everyone is aiming to achieve results quickly, usually within three years, then aiming for results in a wider time frame, say seven to 10 years, it means there will be less competition, and you will have the chance to build a strong base. Why the rush?
Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati writer and fashion designer based in Abu Dhabi
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Diriyah project at a glance
- Diriyah’s 1.9km King Salman Boulevard, a Parisian Champs-Elysees-inspired avenue, is scheduled for completion in 2028
- The Royal Diriyah Opera House is expected to be completed in four years
- Diriyah’s first of 42 hotels, the Bab Samhan hotel, will open in the first quarter of 2024
- On completion in 2030, the Diriyah project is forecast to accommodate more than 100,000 people
- The $63.2 billion Diriyah project will contribute $7.2 billion to the kingdom’s GDP
- It will create more than 178,000 jobs and aims to attract more than 50 million visits a year
- About 2,000 people work for the Diriyah Company, with more than 86 per cent being Saudi citizens
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Name: Kinetic 7
Started: 2018
Founder: Rick Parish
Based: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Industry: Clean cooking
Funding: $10 million
Investors: Self-funded
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Company name: Happy Tenant
Started: January 2019
Co-founders: Joe Moufarrej and Umar Rana
Based: Dubai
Sector: Technology, real-estate
Initial investment: Dh2.5 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 4,000
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Company name: Klipit
Started: 2022
Founders: Venkat Reddy, Mohammed Al Bulooki, Bilal Merchant, Asif Ahmed, Ovais Merchant
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Digital receipts, finance, blockchain
Funding: $4 million
Investors: Privately/self-funded
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Healthcare spending to double to $2.2 trillion rupees
Launched a 641billion-rupee federal health scheme
Allotted 200 billion rupees for the recapitalisation of state-run banks
Around 1.75 trillion rupees allotted for privatisation and stake sales in state-owned assets
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Company Profile
Name: HyveGeo
Started: 2023
Founders: Abdulaziz bin Redha, Dr Samsurin Welch, Eva Morales and Dr Harjit Singh
Based: Cambridge and Dubai
Number of employees: 8
Industry: Sustainability & Environment
Funding: $200,000 plus undisclosed grant
Investors: Venture capital and government
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
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Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
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Company Profile
Company name: Hoopla
Date started: March 2023
Founder: Jacqueline Perrottet
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Investment required: $500,000
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
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On sale: September