The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 5-20
Marcus Aurelius suggests that obstacles or hindrances can actually propel us forward. When faced with challenges or barriers, taking action becomes even more necessary and urgent. Difficulties can serve as catalysts for growth, prompting individuals to push themselves and find innovative solutions. Instead of being discouraged or deterred, one should view obstacles as opportunities to develop resilience and overcome limitations.
The very things blocking our progress can often lead us to the desired outcome. Rather than trying to avoid or circumvent obstacles, embracing them and finding a way to transform them into pathways forward. By reframing challenges as integral parts of the journey, one can tap into their potential for personal and professional development.
We must view obstacles not as setbacks but as necessary elements in the pursuit of success by seeing problems as “pathways”, rather than “roadblocks” By adopting this perspective, one can cultivate a sense of empowerment, embrace challenges with a resilient and proactive mindset and use adversity as a springboard for growth.
We encountered numerous challenges on the way when embarked on the journey to establish a world class skills training centre in Pakistan. Refusing to let barriers to deter our mission, each hurdle became an opportunity to innovate and to transform setbacks into stepping stones towards the accomplishment of our goals which are to provide education and skills based training to girls who live in a part of the world where where access to education remains a distant dream for many.
The challenges we have faced are nothing in comparison to what the girls face in Pakistan on a daily basis;
- Gender inequality
- Limited access and infrastructure
- Poverty and economic constraints
- Early and forced marriages
- Security concerns and safety
- Cultural and social norms
- Lack of female role models
As part of our mission, we will empower the girls from the underprivileged backgrounds to seize the opportunity and to take action in order to find solutions in a world that is becoming more global. Through this action, they will embark on a transformative journey that will alter their thoughts, behaviors, and choices.
What was once seen as a “problem” will becomes a catalyst that propels them towards realising the life they deserve which is free from poverty and subjugation.
We will empower and demand the best from our students who will be supported in pushing beyond the boundaries of their comfort zones, and in the process opening doors to new possibilities.