‘I want to see myself to become my own boss’

Country’s leading and popular news portal, risingbd, is publishing stories on persons who have succeeded in various fields.  As part of its efforts, Nabila Nowshin is now writing stories under the banner ‘in series #30days30souls’. Recently, she had a conversation with Sameena Tun Noor who an artist, fitness fanatic and health enthusiast. In the conversation, Sameena Tun Noor talked about her experiences, busy schedules, upcoming plans and more which are given below.

Hello, how are you?
Hello, I am fine thank you.

What is your nickname?  
I don’t really have one, but my parents call me Sami, if that counts.

From where did you complete your S.S.C and H.S.C?  
I did my S.S.S from Faizur Rahman Ideal Institute and H.S.C from Dhaka City College.

Tell us about your university life! and which subject you are studying in?  
I am studying English law. So far it has been an interesting journey.

Where did you used to live during your childhood? Tell us one memorable story from your childhood! 
I have lived my whole life here in Dhaka. One of my favorite memories from my childhood is when I became the champion on the sports day of my school. This was very memorable because the previous year I didn’t get any prizes and I remember, I was crying for that. So when the following year I got the championship it was really special for me.
 

Do you want to give any advice to a 17 years old-yourself?  
I would advise my 17 years old self that don’t be so hard on yourself and don’t be scared to take any risks. Things will fall into places when the right time arrives.

Is there anything that you wanted to achieve from your childhood and now you have got it? If yes, then what is this and how do you achieve this?  
As a child, growing up I always wanted to earn respect from people. When you are a kid people don’t really give respect to you so I wanted to make sure that when I grow up people respect me and now I have got a lot of love and respect from a lot of people. To achieve respect or whatever you want in life you have to work hard, there is no alternative to that. I just did what I loved and believed in by working hard to make myself capable enough for the respect and love from people. I am still working on that everyday.

In this moment we all know we have got some precious free time. So, what are you doing with this time? Are you doing something productive? Then share it with us! We would love to know your activities.  
Sadly I have very little free time during this quarantine period as being the only child I have a family to take care of. So mostly, I am working all day to take care of the whole house and take care of my ailing old parents and two schizophrenic aunts who live with us. But still when I get a bit of free time I try to get some workouts done or watch a movie or new recipe videos. Cooking new recipes has been my favorite thing to do during this lockdown, before all this I could barely manage any time to cook for my family but now I do and I count that as a blessing.

What is your dream job?  
My dream job is actually to become a contemporary dancer. Ever since I was a kid this form of dance really fascinated me. And if I ever get a chance I will definitely learn this dance form.

I have noticed that in 2014, you were a student and you were into painting and arts. I must say you are really good at this. Since when you started to draw? Do you still practice them oftentimes?  
I have been drawing my whole life, since I was just a kid. Art has been a very big part of my life and it will always be. I still draw whenever I get some free time because you need to keep practicing to keep this talent sharp.
 

So, you are a fitness and health conscious person. As a woman this is very rare in our country. So, I must appreciate you. When and why do you think that you should go and build up yourself?  
It is actually not so rare anymore but it used to be and it’s absolutely amazing to see more women become conscious about their health and fitness. One should always be active and do some kind physical activity regularly and also maintain a healthy diet to lead a healthy life. This is very important to build up a healthy lifestyle otherwise unwanted diseases or depression can take away our spirit of life. There is no certain age to start working out, although there are different methods for different kinds of people to be active. From a child to an old woman everyone can do some sort of physical activity to lead a healthy lifestyle.

As a woman you are doing this very greatly. But did you face any negativity? If yes, then how did you fight against them?  
Negativity is a part of our society and day to day life. Everyone faces it and so have I. Whatever work I have ever invested my time in has been criticized by many. I had to go through a lot of negative comments from known to unknown people but that didn’t stop me from doing what I love. I believe if you love doing something and it doesn’t harm anyone then no matter what, keep doing what you love and eventually the world will see your good intentions. But it wasn’t easy, I had breakdowns because of the negative comments and cruel words from the people around me but I am someone who always fights for what she loves. So I fought and I am still fighting for the things I love. It’s easy to say don’t care about what negative people say. But it’s not easy to just ignore the negativity, you can only break through this by believing in yourself and in your work.

Do you have any plans to open a Gym Studio in the future?
I do have some plans for the future. I just don’t want to open up another gym studio, I wish to create a platform where anyone can find a method of physical activity to help themselves individually. But everything is still uncertain. I just hope for the best.

After 10 years where do you want to see yourself?    
I want to see myself become my own boss, where I am financially independent, where one day I can spend my whole day drawing new paintings and on the next day I can sing all day or learn to play new instruments and do so much more. I am just working my way to see where life takes me.
 

In your journey who were always beside you and whom you want to say thanks the most?  
In my journey my mother and some of my close friends were always beside me, they always appreciated and encouraged me. But I will surely say thanks to my mother the most because she is someone who struggled her whole life for me, who would go against all the odds to help me fulfill my dreams. I can never repay her for everything she has done for me.

So, in series #30days30souls you are one of those 30 people. How do feel to take part in this?  I am really honored to be a part of this series. Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to share my story with you all.

And also, there are 29 more people like you who are passionate about their work and doing great for the world. Do you want to give any message to them?
My message to the 29 more people like me who are passionate about their work is that thank you for trying to make this world a better place, just keep doing what you are doing and never lose hope. Life can get tough sometimes and it can feel like the end of the world but it isn’t. When you do something with all your heart the universe gets back to you with a reward sooner or later.

Dhaka/Mukul