Written by: Gabriel Ramsey, Charlene Wang, and Ryan Yeo
A Royal Visit
“My all time advice is believe in yourself. Do not listen to anyone else but yourself. If you feel that you have a talent, try it. if you feel that you want to try something, you want to do something, try it.” This was what the Princess of Bahrain, Her Highness, Shaikha Jawaher Bint Khalifa Al Khalifa, had to say when asked what advice she had for the young women of today.
The princess was in Singapore and attended an Orchid Naming Ceremony at Gardens By The Bay. There, she spoke to Stories & Co. about how youths can be empowered to lead, among other topics.
Shaikha Jawaher is a number of things. She’s an entrepreneur, changemaker, advocate for women’s rights, and an avid supporter of youth empowerment. She’s been featured in Forbes, and listed as one of the Top 50 inspiring Women Business Leaders by Arabian Business. She’s also the founder and chairperson of Green Aventurine Holding L.L.C FZ, as well as the co-founder of Knowledge Wealth Management.
While this may seem like a long list of accolades for one so young, Shaikha Jawaher shared that her foray into the world of business was unexpected.
Her Highness’s Highs and Lows
“Basically, the world of entrepreneurship is something that I went to, and (it was) by coincidence, it wasn’t planned for. I was very successful because I found my talent, and my talent is people,” the young royal shared. “I took that talent and I put it into a business model, and that’s how I was able to become an entrepreneur.”
The journey that Shaikha Jawaher had taken towards her entrepreneurial endeavours and embracing her position as royalty was not a smooth one. Her Highness had stressed that she had experienced failure in many different aspects of her life, which shaped her into the leader and influential figure she is today.
“You have to understand, first of all, that it’s okay to feel sad. It’s okay to fail; it’s okay if you didn’t do good. It’s okay if you have to redo everything from zero, or from scratch.”, said Her Highness.
“Going back to square one is not a bad thing,” she added. “It’s okay if you need to change your major, because you’re young. You still have time, right?”
With a warm smile, she urged young people to identify their own strengths and embrace their talents, as starting at a young age allows for learning and growth experiences.
“That’s what I want to spread out for youths and young people, find your talent and try to transform it into a business model where you can benefit out of it.”
Amidst the negative media portrayals of Generation Z, Shaikha Jawaher shared her admiration for the driven youths, and recognised the dedication of today’s youths. She also highlighted the importance of starting young and embracing mistakes as stepping stones to success.
Said Her Highness: “Starting from a young age is really important. I’ve started from a very young age, so it allows you to make mistakes, and it gives you space to learn. If you make mistakes and learn early on, then you will be able to achieve much more than other people, because if you just wait and wait and wait, you’d be too old, too lazy to start achieving or to tolerate even making mistakes. But this is the right time to start achieving your goals and pursuing your dreams, and I really respect that.”
Advice for youths
Even royals were young adults once, and having gone through the process of growing up, Shaikha Jawaher was full of empathy towards youths.
“Allow yourself to do these things for a reason. It’s for you to become much better in what you would eventually be doing. You can even build your self-confidence by going through all of this,” shared Her Highness, regarding failure, academic pursuits and the hardships of life as a teenager.
“So you just need to know that it’s okay. Every bad day will always pass. If you don’t have someone close to you that can comfort you or get you out of that storm, you can help yourself, or at least try.”
Her Highness also specifically addressed the young women of today, sharing some wise words on becoming empowered as a female in today’s society.
“If you realise that you are good at something, and you want to pursue that, go ahead. Don’t listen to other people. Listen only to yourself. Believe in yourself. Love yourself, most importantly. Because if you don’t love yourself, if you don’t believe in yourself, you won’t be able to achieve anything.”
