We look for change and fear it, we dream about it and don't plan for it, do we go on our way and wait for it to surprise us? Why do we resist it? What prevents us? Is it the past or painful past experiences? How do we take the first step and when?
Before 2011, there was no program dedicated to helping Arab women discover themselves. Only Hala Kazim, an Emirati consultant with an accredited certificate in consulting and training from City University in London, initiated a change program called "Journey of Change" that guides Arab women towards self-discovery through walking, contact with nature and workshops.
The program has been an outstanding success in the UAE and the Gulf, and Hala Kazem was awarded the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Businesswoman of the Year Award in 2013. She also won the Emirates Innovation Award in 2014 in the field of community service. She was selected as a social media influencer in the Arab world.
In an exclusive interview with Moujer Al Arabiya, full of positive energy, Hala Kazem answers our questions about change:
Studies have confirmed that the best way for humans to do counseling, self-improvement and self-development is through walking
**Many of us are looking for positive change but we don't know where to start, what is the first step on the road to change?
The first step is to realize that we have an issue, weakness or something missing, which is known as "Self Realization" or self-awareness, we find the gap that we need to address, then it is important to understand that change in the end is a search journey that is not short, which requires going to lectures and consulting trips, and I always say that it is necessary for a person to find a Life Coach or Life Coach who takes his hand to overcome what prevents him from changing and guides him on how to help himself.
**Freud says that the past determines our behavior and that humans are naturally resistant to change, even if it's for the better. How do we break free from the past?
Every human being is part of a group of things, genes and experiences from the past and present that formed our personalities, we all have previous painful experiences, the past affects us, but it cannot hinder us or impose a life on us if we really want to change, we are the ones who decide that we want a better life, we all go through severe sorrows and pain, how do some succeed in overcoming them and changing? Those of us who refuse to allow these experiences to stand in the way of achieving success succeed.
**The Journey of Change program aims to help women make a positive change in their lives through diverse and inspiring activities. Has the Journey of Change program achieved its goals and how is it evolving from year to year?
I was expecting good results in the long term, but the results of the trips exceeded my expectations. Most of the women participating in the change program have come a long way in their lives and achieved overwhelming successes that I could not have imagined.
As for the evolution of the program, we add new trips and various activities, for example, meditation was not part of the program before and we added spa visits, massages, and many different and inspiring workshops.
**The "Journey of Change" program includes walking. Why is walking important in improving a person's psychological state?
Studies have confirmed that the best way for a person to conduct consultations and improve and develop himself is by practicing walking, as it enhances blood circulation in the body and helps generate positive energy when we practice it in nature. When we walk, we only focus on the goal of reaching and moving forward, and this directs our minds to the need to move forward without looking at the past.
**During your meetings with women in sessions, trips and consultations, what are the biggest fears of Arab women looking for change, and do some customs and traditions prevent them from achieving it?
What we fear is the unknown, and not knowing the consequences of this change. As for customs and traditions, the UAE is a country of positive change, which is why we have reached globalization, and society itself is changing because we realized that we cannot stay in our place and that it is inevitable.
**A final piece of advice for every woman looking for change
I tell her to recognize your voice or find your voice, and the voice here is not shouting or imposing an opinion, but finding a voice for your being and personality and knowing when to say "no" and when to say "yes" to be just you.
