Today we’d like to introduce you to Zahra Ali.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Why I decided to FINALLY start my blog!
I finally did it and it has been a long time coming! I always felt like I had so much to share with the world, and just generally knew so much useless information, that whenever anyone asked me for advice: an opinion about their outfit, social media questions, career question, etc., I knew what to say! And they kept coming back for more!
Growing up, when I didn’t know something I would just try and figure it out myself or research where I could figure out how to do it. Being the youngest, whenever I would ask a question, people would take FOREVER to give me an answer or would say, “Go ask Dad, go ask Mom, go ask your sisters, go ask…” You get the idea. So, I did it myself!
I started feeling a bit troubled with all the random information I had and felt like my brain would explode if I didn’t share with everyone in the world. I am the youngest of three, but my family still comes to ME for advice in all areas, whenever someone doesn’t know what to do, they’ll say, “Ask Zahra, she’ll know.”
After convincing myself over and over NOT to do put myself out there, not to start a blog, because why would anyone want to read what I have to say, my friends and family have finally convinced me to just start! I mean, whats the worst that could happen? (Inner me: OMG, EVERYTHING, I could be a failure, lose all sight of what is important, hate my life, have anxiety, become a terrible person… breathe).
Hope to share this journey with my followers and all my fellow 29ish “adults!”For the love of researching, I hope you can learn something useful! #ADULTING
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No road is completely smooth, there are always a few bumps and cracks along the way. I just wish I started the journey sooner, I don’t know what I was so afraid of!
This journey took a long time and there will always be struggles! It just depends on how bad you want to reach the finish line.
My advice for women would be, once you start, always remember how the end goal makes you feel. For example, when you really want to work out, but you get lazy. I find it helpful to think about how I feel as soon as I am done with my workout: strong, confident, accomplished. This helps me reach other goals too, whether it be blogging, working out, organizing your closet, cleaning, finishing a paper, etc. I find that this method helps me every time!
Also, a solid piece of advice that I got from my mom, “Just start.”
Please tell us about The Zahra Effect.
Well, let me just say, it has been quite a journey. I started off graduating college, (a long time ago), knowing exactly what I wanted to be, a teacher. I did that for about 5 years and felt like I just needed more of a creative outlet.
Long story short, I am still working full-time at an education company, but the best part is, I finally took my mom’s advice and just started what I really wanted to do. I can finally call myself a blogger. In a little over 2 months, I have managed to get over 500 followers and really enjoy spreading knowledge and adulting tips to my followers!
I feel like I have so much to share with the world! Now that I am a newlywed, on my own and about to turn the big 3-0, I’d thought I’d share my life to make adulting semi-easier for the rest of the world!
Growing up as a Muslim, born and raised in Texas, and the youngest of three meant I got to experience and learn A LOT! My family was a great influence in me creating this blog because they’ve always felt I have a lot of knowledge to share with the world. I have a love for research and it shows!
What advice would you give to someone at the start of her career?
Not all that glitters is gold. This is my favorite phrase because social media makes it seem as though all is right in the world, and everything is rainbows and butterflies. No one and I mean no one ever has it all figured out. Everyone has obstacles, and everyone goes through rough patches. You will and can get through it!
Spread kindness, positivity, love, and smiles. You will slowly begin to see everything fall into place!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thezahraeffect.com
- Email: thezahraeffect@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_zahra_effect_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheZahraEffectt/
Image Credit:
Ayaz Ali, Jin Kim, Kaylynn Krieg
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