Rameen was an average teen. She went to school, she had friends and she had average grades. When she was free, she would mindlessly scroll through her phone. Her world was grey.

One day while flipping through websites on the internet, she came across a story. It was about a seven-year-old girl who could speak eight different languages.

“That’s impressive,” Rameen thought. “I wish I could do something like this.”

But Rameen knew better. When she was young, she tried different skills but every time she tried something new, she would fail, very badly. In the end, she stopped trying all together.

She sighed and got out if bed. She went to the living room where her mother and grandmother were talking to each other and sat down next to them.

Seeing her granddaughter upset, her grandmother spoke, “Rameen dear, what’s wrong?”

“Can I ask both of you a question?” Rameen answered with a question.

“What is it?”

“Can I be special? Both my sister and brother can do anything they like, but when I try, I always fail,” Rameen finished with tears in her eyes.

Her mother patted her head and smiled softly, “It’s because you’re going in the wrong direction. Yes, you try new things, but you do them because others are good at it, not because you like it.”

“Oh!” Rameen thought. Her mother was right. The things that she had tried were what her siblings were doing, not what she actually wanted to do.

Her grandmother continued, “It’s good to look up to others, but it’s also good to be unique. Tell me Rameen dear, what do you like?”

“Well … I like baking.”

“Then go on and try it.”

The next day Rameen tried to bake a cake. It was a success at her very first try and everyone loved it. After that, she opened her own online bakery which became a huge success in a matter of months.

Rameen had never been happier. Now, whenever somebody asks her for advice, the only thing she says is, “Be unique! Be you!”

Published in Dawn, Young World, May 13th, 2021