Her name was Noor. She was a dreamer who was finally living her dream. Her journey was a long turbulent one, despite all the bumps along the way, the view was still beautiful. She had constantly reminded herself about how fortunate she was to be on this journey. This reminder was in the form of the night sky, full of stars that were also on their own course. She felt connected to the universe when she looked up at the moon and stars that shined above her, showing her she was not alone. There were so many dreamers out there, and she wanted to reach out to them. She dreamed of connecting with others and her own self through art, music, and writing her stories. These dreams gave her a reason to live. She would look up at the night sky, and was reminded that not only did she live inside this vast universe, but the universe was alive inside of her, and with the help of this powerful, ever-expanding force she gained strength and guidance.

Noor knew how important connections were, she realized that we are all connected, and this made her want to reach out to more people and try and help, inspire, or encourage them. She felt that was her purpose, and she wanted to do this through her music, writings, and art. She believed that everyone had a purpose and that everyone was unique and gifted, they just had to discover their true self in order to find that purpose and their true potential. Noor knew she was only able to find herself, because of all the people that had been there for her and acted as her compass, she wanted to do the same for others. 

Noor was now on a plane, she loved the feeling of being midair. She felt at home with the clouds by her side. The plane took off and she could see her entire city from above. It looked beautiful, and it reminded her of the importance of perspective and how the view is much clearer from afar, as it is in life. As long as we don’t look at a problem or a challenge too closely, but see it from a universal perspective, life would be much clearer. Life is not to be taken too seriously, so just enjoy the ride, she said to herself. Deep down, she was anxious, excited but nervous. She had always been socially awkward, but recently she had a newfound sense of confidence that came with doing what needed to be done to achieve her dreams. On arrival, she would have to meet with one of her favorite artists, who had really inspired her. Although the idea filled her with joy, it also brought unwelcome thoughts suggesting he may not take a liking toward her or her ideas, or that something would go wrong, and her ultimate dream would go crashing down. 

Was Noor ready or was she just fooling herself? All these questions started clouding her judgment. She recognized these feelings all too well to be misled by them all over again. Noor decided this was too important. She opened her journal and tried to overcome these feelings the only way she knew how to, by writing about them. Thus she scribbled down:

I will let the stars within me shine,
not going to let their light escape
Despite this fear, anxiety, and darkness that I feel a part of me,
I know there is more to my own cosmos than just black holes 
The dominant force in this universe is energy  
that breeds love and harmony 
I’m going to let this energy make me feel at peace
so, I’m going to let my fears be 
and just be free, by exploring the infinite inside of me
I’m going to let myself be,
no judgment, no labels attached,
I’m going to let myself be,
a conscious being with infinity flowing within me

After poring it all out on paper, Noor realized her purpose was greater than her fears. Writing is magical that way, sometimes it seems to be a means through which the soul communicates. Noor had come a long way in her personal journey, but she still had some doubt left inside of her. Her doubt continued to whisper to her, saying things like she was not good enough. Her doubt had its ways of sneaking up on her, and making her feel worthless. The only difference was that now she stopped paying much attention to it, and when she did she wrote about it. The fact that some of her favorite artists and other amazing people out there had liked and connected to her music, made her feel ecstatic, and it reassured her that she was on course.

As the plane approached New York, the skies became clear, much like Noor’s own state of mind. She was no longer anxious, because she knew her purpose led her here, and she had learned to trust what the universe had planned for her.

She made her way to the recording studio. As she went up the elevator, her anxiety started kicking in which made her feel nauseous. It would be over soon, she thought, and then a little frustrated she quickly reassured herself that she was about to meet her favorite artist. That she was going to enjoy this day and cherish each moment. With that thought the elevator door opened. Standing in front of her was Jon Bellion, her greatest musical inspiration, his love for the art of music combined with his talent, is what made her look up to him. Noor could hardly believe she was about to work with him, without much time to process all of this information and emotion, she went up to him. Mustering up the confidence to speak, she finally introduced herself. He greeted her warmly, and from that moment onward Noor had the time of her life. Working with him and getting to connect over their love of music was more than Noor hoped for. At last she was living the dream. Noor felt free in that moment, doing what she loved with someone she had always admired. Without any fear, she was doing what she had always dreamed of. She learned so much, and as the day was coming to an end, they had finished working on a track.

Coming back to the hotel, Noor felt more alive than ever. She experienced the power of connection and felt she had conquered her anxiety, at least in that moment. It was a liberating experience. The first thing she did upon returning to her hotel room was take out her binoculars that she carried with her everywhere, just as people take their sunglasses. She stood in the balcony and observed the full moon amid twinkling stars. At this very moment the words of Rumi, “Stop acting so small, you are the universe in ecstatic motion,” came to her mind, and she began to dream.

—By Noor Z., 17, Pakistan