The 4am Routine That Changed Her Life // The Happiness Blueprint e013

Yara from Rockhurst Univ. SAB shares how she’s enjoyed her move from Egypt, what motivates her to work so hard & how swimming affects her life!

0:00 Yara from Rockhurst Univ.
0:24 Adjusting from Egypt
5:48 Understanding Yara’s Drive
7:30 4am Daily Wake Up
10:33 How Yara Found Home in a New Place
16:53 Advice for Past Self
18:51 What Makes Yara Happy?

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is the Happiness Blueprint, the podcast where we uncover how people build happier lives.

SPEAKER_01 0:06

Peter, I'm here with the Happiness Blueprint Podcast. I'm here with Yara. Yara, thanks for joining us. What campus are you coming from today?

SPEAKER_02 0:12

I'm coming from Rockers University. It's in Kansas State, Missouri.

SPEAKER_01 0:16

Beautiful. Beautiful. Awesome. So I know you've seen an athlete on campus. I know you're involved in the ISA. Help me understand like your role on campus. What are you involved in on campus?

SPEAKER_02 0:25

This is my junior year. So I've been in Rockers for almost two years, and that's the third year. I wasn't very involved at the beginning in my freshman year. I'm international students. So I spent my freshman year just trying to figure out the culture, the language, and everything. And I start stepping in in my sophomore year just to be a member of a multiple organization. I always have a goal to be on board and to have a leadership role, but I never thought it would be that quick. Swimming is a it's it's a very hard sport. It requires a lot of workouts, early mornings, afternoons, and not just practice, but you also have to take care of yourself outside.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

All the dry land training that I already was talking about of like being in the pool is one part of it, and you don't realize how much outside of the pool goes into it.

SPEAKER_02 1:26

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 1:27

I'm curious, we all talk a lot about building community on campus here. And I just had a student on who's an international student as well. And she mentioned how coming to the US was tough because she was forced to start an entirely new community. She lost a lot of the connections, and hopefully, we're still in touch with them. Of course, with phones these days, we can still be in touch, but it's very different physically not being in your home country anymore and coming to the new place here. Uh, what was it like first venturing into the US and trying to start a new community and find new friends and new routines and your new favorite restaurant and all the different comforts that we attach onto? What was that process like at first?

SPEAKER_02 1:57

So uh Rockers definitely helped me to do so because uh Rockers is a private Catholic school, so we are a small community. Um and since day one, I can tell how everyone works on that point that tried to make you feel home and uh all organizations or like a student uh residence lives are is making like they always care about you and if they have uh like international people, they make sure to follow up on their occasions and to celebrate them and always like uh regular regular regular check uh check in if they need anything. Um, so I would give the full credit to my rockers college because they definitely I mean I think you you have as a person to put some effort to get used to the new culture, new country, a new language. But uh I would say um the environment it's has a bigger impact in you.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

It's incredible. Yeah, it sounds like you found a great home to be a part of, and it sounds that they welcomed you with open arms, which is a beautiful thing. Um I think it's a very hard thing also for campuses to welcome people from all over because we don't know all of the Egyptian cultures, all the different norms, all the different things that make you so happy and that you're used to at home. Uh what's something that stands out to you that the cult that Brockers really did to make you feel comfortable? Like was there a specific action, a specific conversation someone had with you? Was there advice you got, uh an event they had for you? Like, what is something that stands out as a specific moment where you went, okay, I think I can do this, I think I can be at home. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:37

It's actually that's a hard question because there is a lot of good moments um that stand out, but I would say opportunities, because I'm always a part I'm always a kind of person who seek to have uh leadership opportunities, and I found myself every time I asked to join a new board for a new organization, there is always a space for me. There is always um a door open for me. I don't think I ever um like asked any person in rockers for something, and they said no, sorry, we can't help you. I don't think so.

SPEAKER_01 4:12

That's incredible. Yeah, I think that's a really powerful testament to rockers and about making a community where I think it's also important for you that you went out and asked and tried all these things, right? I think it's so easy to get stuck in our dorms, and even for me, it's like sometimes I just want to be home. Sometimes it's scary to go out and take a chance and ask for help and to try and enjoy things. Uh it sounds like you did a really good job of reaching out and being a part of these things. Uh, is that always something that you've been that's been easy for you? Is it ever hard for you to reach out and try and join new clubs and find new ways to get involved? Or do you feel like that's something that you are good at?

SPEAKER_02 4:42

I feel like that's something I'm good at. Um I do believe that every person uh or every human being has uh skills, and um that trick here is you figure out what skills you you are good skills you have so you can develop yourself. And I found myself uh one of the good skills that I have is leadership development. Uh so I yeah, I started from there. Uh I first joined one organization and then I joined Senate, Student Senate, it's a government organization, and then I on the same year, which is this year, I should I joined the board of SAB Student Activities Board, which we are here today, NACA. And then I being part of the SAC student athlete activities, uh as being a student athlete, and then another one's called MSPE as a uh that's Missouri Society of Professional Engineers uh for uh the Rockers chapter. And then lately I started the ISA International Student Association, and yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:49

You've got an incredible drive too. It seems like you're involved in so much on such an incredible trait. Uh, I assume a lot of this comes from swimming. We're swimming, of course, is an independent sport. You're in the pool by yourself, and there are coaches, there are people trying to get you to go faster, but ultimately it's on you to put the most into the practice time to making sure that you're swimming as fast as you can, working out off or out of the pool as hard as you can. Uh, would you give that credit for a lot of your work? Is that ethics comes from swimming, that work ethic, that determinations comes from swimming?

SPEAKER_02 6:16

Uh I'm not gonna lie, swimming is definitely like taught me a lot of good things. Um, growing up as an athlete, it teaches you a lot of things. Uh that's one one of the good things teach you is to be in dependence, yeah. Uh time management as well. Uh prioritizing your time, uh being engaged or involved in a new community. I yeah, and honestly, I don't think if I can imagine how it would be my life if I didn't grow up as an athlete. Uh, I don't know if I would be able and capable to do what I'm doing now or now.

SPEAKER_01 6:52

Yeah. You mentioned time management, I think you're right. That is a universal problem. And of course, as a collegiate person, or a college student, a student athlete involved in many clubs, like that is uh a complicated challenge for you, especially. But certainly everyone else, right? Everyone else has their job and their work life and their home life, and they want to go to the gym and they want to go out with their friends, or they have kids, or they have whatever responsibilities going on here. How do you kind of manage all these different things pulling you in so many different directions? How do you uh kind of structure to manage the time?

SPEAKER_02 7:18

Uh it's tough. It's it's very hard. Um I just I I don't know I don't know where to start, but I uh I work very hard. Like people don't see behind the scenes. Um like people don't know that I wake up every day at four in the morning.

SPEAKER_01 7:38

It's unbelievable.

SPEAKER_02 7:40

Just just to get my things done, just to uh the only time that I can study the early mornings because um during the day I either have practice or like uh meetings for organizations or like uh work on campus or like yeah, I um I think you have to be uh disciplined and you have to believe in yourself that you can do anything, and I I think it's more mentally than it's more physically, or yeah, so what motivates you to get up at four?

SPEAKER_01 8:10

So I think for me 7 a.m. When I say I'm getting up early, it means I got my alarm at 6:30, I'm out of bed at 7 or so. I guess uh I often work nights with events, so I'll give myself a little bit of credit here that 4 a.m. might not be realistic if I'm not home till 2 a.m. But 4 a.m. certainly is an incredible time to get up, and I think to get up and study, like if you're getting up for practice, then there's other people holding you accountable. If you're getting up just to study, that's on you. That is your own drive retardation, like that's a very admirable trait. What motivates you to get up at four? How do you get out of bed when I'm sure you're tired from practice, you're tired from all the different things draining your battery? What motivates you to stay up and get in motion?

SPEAKER_02 8:44

Uh that's a good question. A lot of things, honestly. Um I'm uh I'm so grateful for being here, um, being on a schoolership in the United States. Um what motivates me that I know my parents are waiting for to celebrate a success daughter. I'm I'm the oldest daughter. Awesome, okay. So I uh all the motivation is just me. Um I all I also see my young siblings uh for any small success I do, they always celebrate me. So I think they see me as a like a big sister. That's beautiful. Uh and to be honest, I don't look every single day I wake up, I don't look at about just today. I look at at the big picture and the biggest goal. And guess what? Like um it's actually make the goal comes faster. Like, no, for real. I was just talking about that to my friend this morning. Like, I was like, um, I never thought like success will reach will hit that fast. I never like things I was thinking about to achieve when I'm 25. I think I'm taking the first step right now, and uh I'm just 20. So I'm I'm so proud of myself, and I think I will keep uh lot of people who are also proud of you as well.

SPEAKER_01 10:07

That's cool. I think I think you're very right to be so proud of yourself, and you have done a lot both to come to a new place and get comfortable in a new place and to start new clubs. Like I think you've done a lot. Uh, what would you recommend to other folks who are coming to the country? And I think even if it's not a new country, right? A lot of college is a new town, a new city, a new place, and certainly a new continent is a whole nother level of that challenge. But we're all uncomfortable in college. We all have to go out and start start new places, find new routes. What would you recommend to other people who are starting that adventure? How would you recommend they find the same fulfillment that you are found?

SPEAKER_02 10:36

Honestly, I feel like unfortunately these days, I feel like there's not a lot of people who are like believing themselves. I I don't want to sound like uh down, but uh that's what I've seen in like in college. Like for me personally, I couldn't find like a personal like a person who has the same um routine or lifestyle that I have. Um so I can be like we can talk about the same goals and stuff. It's kinda hard to find this person. And uh I'm not I'm not saying that to sound school or something like that, but it actually makes me feel sad and bad for others because they don't know how much opportun like how many opportunities or how many networking that can come, how like many open doors can be open for them. Like, like for example, NACA. Like I that's my first time in NACA. When I first joined SAB, the student activities board, I never thought that I would qualify to represent my college and like uh hundreds of other colleges and to meet you today, and uh and I never thought about meeting um Poffy. Yes, I'm glad pronounced his name right. Yes, and he I'm like network with him, and he guess what he's an engineer as well, and he's uh he's doing that now because he's uh he was involved and he was uh very engaged with the campus and with all the campus activities and uh he got his pilot license. So yeah, that actually makes me happy, and this kind of stuff uh motivates me to keep going because I know like good people are exist. Like people with a good discipline and goals, they are they are living with us, like we are not angels, we are not miracles, right?

SPEAKER_01 12:30

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SPEAKER_02 14:57

Of course, and I um I would say, like, uh, of course, you need to bioretize your sleeve as well. Speaking of uh getting some sleeping hours, uh, when I say I wake up at four, I make sure I go to the early too, like 10, 11 max. So I make sure to take like my seven to eight hour sleep. Sometimes it's six, which is not very good, but trying to work on that.

SPEAKER_01 15:21

That's why if we're young, we can get away with a couple six-hour nights.

SPEAKER_02 15:24

Yeah, yeah. Um I would say also there is a lot of sacrifice you have to make a lot, like crazy a lot. You can't even imagine. Uh, for example, being here today in NACA, I had to um I had to get not to go to one of my friends' wedding. She got mad, she got married yesterday, and I wasn't able to go to be here today. Uh, that's just a small sacrifice, actually. That's not a big compared to the others. Uh, if you have a group of friends that are hanging out over weekends, which is pretty normal college life, I I never go out with them just because and I um when they ask me about the reason, I I don't be like, oh sorry, I have to wake up early. I just say, Oh, I'm sorry guys, I I have other priorities. And then nobody really knows about my single life details until they see like the big achievement. And I kinda I work on that. Like uh I think uh I believe in the cook, fake it till you make it.

SPEAKER_01 16:23

That is my entire life motto. I think that has been the key to a lot of things I found uh success in. Is like I didn't know how to film a camera at some point, right? Now I'm very confident doing it. But if I show up with a camera and say, I don't know how to do this, no one's gonna let me work with them, right? At a certain point, like, yeah, I know exactly what I'm doing. And thankfully that became true over time, but it certainly wasn't true at the beginning of it. Uh and I think you're right. I think it's a very core motto and it's important to just, yeah, uh fake it till you make it. I think you're very right there. Um, I have two last questions here. I'd love to wrap off with. Uh, one is advice you would have for your past self. So you've gone through a lot in coming to the States and starting new cult clubs, getting swimming going, which I assume has only gotten harder as you get older, right? I think we tend to think that it, yeah, before it's starting, it's like, no, every year it gets more competitive. The new class of freshmen are even faster than the last class of freshmen, and there's just this constant pressure. Uh, you started, yeah, you've learned so much and started new clubs, inventing new cultures, finding a new home, new routine. Uh, what's some advice you would have for your past self that we might make your current self happier?

SPEAKER_02 17:20

Oh, wow, that's uh great question. I've been to a lot of good and bad experiences, and I would say the bad experience are the ones who made me now. Um maybe some of them were like more emotional, uh, and it's again it's all about the culture, and I don't understand like uh the jokes. Maybe I see the joke in my culture that doesn't apply here. Um but at the end of the day, I'm very proud of myself. Like um, I honestly sometimes me myself, I don't know how far I went when I first came here in just like two or three years, and and everything, yeah, like my mindset is totally different. Um that's beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 18:03

You should be very proud of that, and I think you're right that the the growth you've seen in two or three years is only gonna grow exponentially faster, right? Like I think it's uh uh you should be very proud of how far you've come and very excited about how far you've left to grow. I think that's the beautiful thing about this life is that the ceiling is kind of limitless, and there's gonna be bumps, there's gonna be another bad day, unfortunately. I wish I wish we could both sit here and say the rest of our lives are gonna be perfect and flawless, but I don't think I would gamble on that to be uh the realistic path. But it is beautiful to take pride in going, look how far I've come in two years. Who knows what two more years has for me? Who knows what 10, 15, 20 years? Like there's so much room to grow, and I think, yeah, that's an exciting prospect for you looking ahead with me. Uh my last question for you here is what's something that makes you happy? So this is the happiness boofer. We'll let's talk about our own happiness. Uh we talk about happiness through work, happiness through hard work, happiness through discipline, and those are all great. But once in a while there has to be a favorite meal, a favorite hobby, a favorite uh activity. Uh I don't know if you love painting, drawing, if there's a cook that you like to make, or food that you like to make. Uh what's something that makes you happy?

SPEAKER_02 18:59

Okay, uh, in like professional or just uh in life, in general.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

Yeah, I don't know if you're related to the top of the cupboards or okay.

SPEAKER_02 19:06

Um I like going to coffee shops. Awesome, yes. You'll find me in a different coffee places over a weekend.

SPEAKER_01 19:13

Yep. Um is it like one specific shop that you always go to? Do you love going out to explore new ones?

SPEAKER_02 19:18

Yeah, I like to go to explore other coffees. Um I don't know, maybe because I came from like a Middle East country that has like a good taste of coffee. So interesting.

SPEAKER_01 19:28

Does it compare here at all? Do we have any coffee that stands up to the home coffee?

SPEAKER_02 19:33

American coffee is good.

SPEAKER_01 19:37

I'll say it. It doesn't stack up to Egyptian coffee. I haven't had Egyptian coffee. I'm not a big coffee drinker myself, but uh I will say what you were too polite to say.

SPEAKER_02 19:45

I didn't say that. You said that.

SPEAKER_01 19:48

Fair enough. I will I will fall on that sword for us. Awesome. Well, thank you. I appreciate taking the time to come chat. Thanks for sharing the wisdom about all your journey so far. It's been a beautiful, beautiful time learning from you. Um thanks for sharing with everyone else, and I hope they all learned as well.

SPEAKER_02 19:59

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 20:00

Awesome.

SPEAKER_01 20:00

We'll talk very soon.

SPEAKER_00 20:01

Thank you. Bye. Thanks for listening to the happiness blueprint, powered by GBM6. It's about making people happy.