When I was in college, my friends gave me a nickname - Speedy.
I was not into sport cars, Formula One races or any motoring activities for that matter. In fact, I did not drive until I received my master's degree. But when it came to achieving my set of goals, I was on top of that race.
If I was assigned a project with a deadline one month away, I would be in the college's library that night researching it. When I decided to build a new dressing room, interior designers were measuring my room two hours later.
Not delaying any task often frightened my friends, who thought I should slow down. So you can imagine how much it bothers me when I hear my friends describe a personal set of situations that need to occur before they can move on to the next chapter in their lives.
"Once I get married, then I'll go to Haj." "Once I stop mourning my grandmother's death, then I will quit smoking." "Once I get married and have children, then I will write my novel."
What I hear are made-up excuses to procrastinate. They are just creating obstacles that do not exist, pointing their finger to an outside force that they will never be able to control, and choosing to let the days of waiting turn into years. What is even worse is one of my close friends who connects her perceived obstacles with her living situation, thus creating a trap that she will never escape, and thus never actually pursuing her dreams. "I can't start my business unless I leave my job, but how will I live without a steady income?" she says.
Then there are those classic others who complain about everything in life, and create obstacles from almost anything, even if it is not related to their dreams. They just rant about anything that causes them stress, but do nothing to stop it or fix their problems. They become so emotionally drained that they run towards the nearest exit and simply give up.
If I have learnt an important lesson about pursuing my dreams, it is that it is useless to wait for that "perfect time" to take that next step. Perfect timing does not exist. It is mythical.
It all hit me at the end of 2009, when I was writing my new year's resolutions. Ever since I graduated from university, in September of that same year, I had been thinking about the perfect time to start designing my fashion line, or to approach publishers with my writing samples. But as I was pencilling down my dreams that cold December night, I realised that if I postponed these goals for another year I would be creating more barriers that would delay me even further from achieving them.
There will never be a perfect time to leave the job you hate. There will never be a perfect time to marry the one you love. There will never be a perfect time to talk to your colleague about his irritating behavior.
The reason is that no matter when you decide to make these choices, there will always be a risk involved, and it is because of that risk that people put off these choices to another day.
What my friends often fail to realise is that they are not just waiting, they are stagnating. Just like a plant that is not watered, they stop growing and become dull, and their passion and talent often wither and die.
If you want to create change in your life, then stop waiting for the perfect time. Let go of your obstacles and fears. Once you have, you will regret not starting sooner.
Manar Al Hinai, an Emirati, is a fashion designer and writer based in Abu Dhabi. She was recently named an Arab Woman of the Year
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THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
One in four Americans don't plan to retire
Nearly a quarter of Americans say they never plan to retire, according to a poll that suggests a disconnection between individuals' retirement plans and the realities of ageing in the workforce.
Experts say illness, injury, layoffs and caregiving responsibilities often force older workers to leave their jobs sooner than they'd like.
According to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research, 23 per cent of workers, including nearly two in 10 of those over 50, don't expect to stop working. Roughly another quarter of Americans say they will continue working beyond their 65th birthday.
According to government data, about one in five people 65 and older was working or actively looking for a job in June. The study surveyed 1,423 adults in February this year.
For many, money has a lot to do with the decision to keep working.
"The average retirement age that we see in the data has gone up a little bit, but it hasn't gone up that much," says Anqi Chen, assistant director of savings research at the Centre for Retirement Research at Boston College. "So people have to live in retirement much longer, and they may not have enough assets to support themselves in retirement."
When asked how financially comfortable they feel about retirement, 14 per cent of Americans under the age of 50 and 29 per cent over 50 say they feel extremely or very prepared, according to the poll. About another four in 10 older adults say they do feel somewhat prepared, while just about one-third feel unprepared.
"One of the things about thinking about never retiring is that you didn't save a whole lot of money," says Ronni Bennett, 78, who was pushed out of her job as a New York City-based website editor at 63.
She searched for work in the immediate aftermath of her layoff, a process she describes as akin to "banging my head against a wall." Finding Manhattan too expensive without a steady stream of income, she eventually moved to Portland, Maine. A few years later, she moved again, to Lake Oswego, Oregon. "Sometimes I fantasise that if I win the lottery, I'd go back to New York," says Ms Bennett.
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Match info
Arsenal 0
Manchester City 2
Sterling (14'), Bernardo Silva (64')
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Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
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Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mobile phone packages comparison
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Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
Company name: Farmin
Date started: March 2019
Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: AgriTech
Initial investment: None to date
Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs