with anything that happens in life, everything happens for a reason. often times, things will not go your way or exactly as you wish, but every challenge and 'mishap' is an opportunity to leap forward and gain something greater and become someone you were meant to be. do not accept defeat when life gets hard. this is not the end. difficult challenges often reveal the flaws with which you must improve within yourself in order to get through it. while you have the luck of being alive, better yourself. there is purpose behind everything that happens. the highs and lows are always going upward. you are becoming who you are meant to be.

In this episode, I am joined with my resilient childhood friend, Myle Nguyen, who was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease at 15 years old. In season 3 episode 4, we talk about the life motto that has helped her turn oranges into orange juice no matter how many oranges (challenges) are thrown at her while growing up and growing into the world.

Resources mentioned:

🍒Change the world by being yourself. Chreasure IG: @youarechreasure

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this next chapter of your life will be better than the one you've just closed. every day gets better the more you live and learn. the hardships you've faced in the past don't define your future. especially because you can't control the future. use these experiences as knowledge and learning lessons to take with you moving forward. have hope. life changes. we don't have to have our entire life planned out either. ever. Allah SWT has a plan for us (the best plan). we can plan and put in effort and good intentions. God takes care of the results. life gets better every day. we will continue to live and learn every day to see that.

In this episode, I am joined with my high school peer leadership classmates and teacher, filled with juniors and (majority) seniors in high school on the brink of graduating, to play a mental health game called We're Not Really Strangers in season 3 episode 3. We also share some life advice in regards to having hope for our after-highschool future, letting go, and trusting that life gets better in every new chapter.

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you are already at destination happiness. the happiness you’re yearning for, as if its a destination you arrive at, can only be found within you.

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no matter what difficulty you are facing, there is always light within your heart you can rely on, and as you turn back to Allah (the Most Glorious and Most High), that light will grow greater and will guide you through. the stress and hardships teenagers face, from school work to the high school environment to family pressures, are so valid and it is very real. it is okay to not know where to go yet and what to do right now. by the will of Allah (SWT) you will figure everything out. you don't have to deal with it alone either. find a safe space. and WE ARE here for you. no one is ever alone.

In this episode, I am joined with Sabah and Avan, the co-hosts of the comfort advice-sharing teen Islamic podcast called Light Within A Muslim's Heart, to have a safe and relatable conversational interview in season 3 episode 2. This was recorded in October or November of 2022.

of course, listen to the Light Within A Muslim's Heart podcast yourself! instagram: @lightwithinamuslimsheartt

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24/7 mental health crisis US hotline: CALL OR TEXT 988

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i think it is so powerful to decide to get up and do what you know you want to do with your life instead of waiting for external circumstances to give you some sort of cue to be happy. life does not magically get easier. we just learn how to handle it better. dance in the eye of the storm by being grateful and doing your absolute best with what you've been given. there is ease in the hardship, and you can still see light shining before you reach the end of the tunnel. the sun can still shine during a rainstorm. if you're waiting or rushing for life to finally give you what you deserve, you will be waiting forever.

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you don't have to be happy to be positive. yes, you do tend to be happier when you are thinking positively and optimistically. but positivity is not always being chirpy and super cheery. being positive means to ask yourself "is there a new and better way I can think about this?" it is thinking beyond your current situation. it is believing everything's working in your favor, even if you don't feel particularly good. it is having trust in whatever is happening in your life. it is switching from a negative thought to a positive thought. YOUR MIND IS YOUR REALITY. whatever thoughts you believe and put energy into is what your reality becomes. put energy into positive thoughts even if they aren't super cheery, so that you can create a better life for yourself.

bonus episode

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RESOURCES/LINKS

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That's a wrap on season 2 of Dear Person Listening!!! Thank you for listening! Here's my little finale speech!! 🍊

SEASON 2 COMPLETE SPOTIFY PLAYLIST - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/23bHc48CmuRyTpRHetYMc3

INSTAGRAM PAGE - https://www.instagram.com/dearpersonlistening/?hl=en

(message me if you ever need advice or a friend)

OTHER LINKS - flow.page/dearpersonlistening

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Being happy & successful 101 is realizing that you have to be delusionally and optimistically yourself. Believe that you are capable of anything your mind dreams of despite how much you are criticized, disliked, and complete logical reasoning. A lot of times, people will trade being happily themselves for being liked as if it will fulfill them in the same or better way. But it won't. The most happy/successful people that are known have the ability to be eager, excited, uplifting, and optimistic with anything they pursue. Their only goal is to uplift others as they bring themselves up, be content with their life, and fight against their odds as well as others' negative opinions. This entire chapter of my life (aka season 2 of this podcast) has shown this message to me in bright shining lights. Be this person.

season II, episode XVI

recorded: May 20, 2022

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