Mujeeb Jaihoon urges the student community to embrace discomfort and discontent for releasing the true genie of creativity.
Introduction
Good morning, everyone.
As someone who has grown up in your neighborhood, I can truly relate to your experiences. Growing up, I was inspired by motivational speeches like the one I’m delivering today. Today, we will delve into the world of creativity and create extraordinary possibilities for ourselves and those around us.
The Importance of Authenticity
I planned a lot for this speech, but the most important message struck me just before I came onstage. We often hear that success has an elusive secret. But today, I want to share what I believe is the main reason for failure: trying to please others. I’m not here to sugarcoat things. In fact, I’m here to challenge you. True creativity can only flow from an unsettled mind, from discomfort. Remember, Comfort and the Couch are, in fact, ‘Gas Chambers’ for Creativity.
We need to embrace our authentic selves. Just like your institution’s name suggests, we need to be “royal.” Sadly, the sense of royalty, the sense of originality, has faded in many people’s minds. But we need to embrace our uniqueness. To be royal is not about status; it’s about being true to who you are. You are who you are, and that’s your strength.
Passion triumphs Pain
Today, we’ll explore a few “C’s.” Creativity is one, of course, but we won’t be discussing carrots! Instead, we’ll talk about creativity, consideration, caution, compassion, care, and even cars – if time permits.
Who doesn’t like cars? I’m sure most of you boys do, but I’ve seen many girls who are passionate about cars as well.
Let me tell you a story that exemplifies a bit of craziness – a spark that often ignites creativity. Last night, my son, a ninth-grader, attended the annual Porsche car meetup. He came home feverish but still grabbed his phone to edit videos of the event using a mobile app. When I questioned his sanity, he simply said, “Because I love cars.” Exactly. Passion triumphs over physical pain. When you’re truly passionate, nothing else matters. That passion fuels you, giving you the energy to keep going, even when you’re unwell. As long as you’re alive, devote that time to creative, meaningful activities.
Seize the Moment
The key takeaway from today’s session is this: Don’t waste a single moment. When I was your age, I had so much time. Now, I realize just how precious time truly is. Life is short, and every wasted moment is a moment you’ll never get back.
Embrace Your Heritage
We live in a world where people often struggle with identity. But we are fortunate to live in a safe and secure land. We must remember to respect our culture and heritage. It is important that we not only embrace but also cherish our mother tongue. Your language and culture are a vital part of who you are and where you come from. In this globalized world, we must remember to hold onto what makes us unique.
Men-like machines and Machine-like Men
Speaking of identity, I believe we shouldn’t be passive “users.” Only two industries refer to their customers as “users”: social media and narcotics. Both are addictive in different ways. Social media has become addictive, and we must acknowledge this reality. We live in a time when artificial intelligence is often praised above natural intelligence. When I was younger, I would watch TV shows with titles like “Man vs. Machine,” where the battle between human and machine was a central theme. But now, we’re living in a world where humans act like machines, and machines act like humans. And that’s a problem. We must strive to preserve our own humanity.
Emerging AI platforms may write wonderful poems, but they are too perfect to be poetry. Humans, on the other hand, are imperfect, and that’s okay. I’ve made numerous mistakes during this speech, and I’m not embarrassed by it. Perfection isn’t what defines us. It’s our ability to learn from mistakes, to grow, to change. That is what makes us human.
The Importance of Emotions
As a creative person, let me share something important: Tears are an essential part of the creative process. If you stop your tears, you stop being human. Life will bring obstacles—pressures from family, society, and friends. These obstacles can be like the dams that block your creativity. But what happens if you keep a dam closed for too long? Eventually, the dam will burst, and the flood will be much worse than if you let the water flow little by little. The key is to release your emotions, to express yourself, to let the dam flow before it overwhelms you. Creativity thrives in the messiness of life, in the raw emotions, and the human experience. Don’t be afraid to embrace your emotions and use them to fuel your creativity.
Traits of a Creative Person
So, be true to yourself. Embrace your creativity, with all its human flaws.
A creative person is always compassionate. When you are compassionate, you will start feeling sympathy for other people. Secondly, a creative person is cautious, careful not to hurt anyone with their creativity. Creativity is like a knife; you can either use it to cut fruit or harm someone.
The Power of Books
Creativity is a vast topic, not something that happens overnight. It takes dedication. Yesterday, I received an Instagram recommendation for “Ten Books by Ten Billionaires.” Even billionaires find time to read! Every civilization, no matter how old, was built on the foundation of books, not social media. The first non-living thing mentioned in the Holy Quran is the pen, not a sword, gold, silver, or animals. So, all civilizations before us took books very seriously. It would be a loss not to read.
Overcoming Obstacles
Now, let’s talk about the hurdles to creativity. The first one is, of course, your mobile phone – specifically, notifications. Luckily, I wrote my first ten books before mobile phones were a major distraction.
I usually put my phone on flight mode when I need to be creative. I advise you to do the same when you study, write, or even just relax. Notifications are rude interruptions. Imagine if someone interrupted our conversation in the middle of this session. It’s the same with notifications when you’re spending time with family or close friends.
Today, we suffer from lots of attention deficit. Many of us are unable to work with just one window tab open on the PC. It’s as if our brains crave for distractions. This is a huge threat to our creativity.
Another hurdle is wasting time. A great tech tsar once remarked, “When fishermen have a bad day at sea with a storm, they don’t whine. Instead, they fix their broken nets.” We need to have Plan A and Plan B. For example, when I go shopping with my family, I use that time in the car to be productive – writing poems or working on my website, jaihoon.com, which I started in my late school years. This website has kept me motivated and inspired to keep doing new things.
Conclusion
I hope this talk has ignited a spark of creativity within you. Remember, be true to yourself, embrace your emotions, and don’t be afraid to be different.
Highlights from Mujeeb Jaihoon’s ‘Meet the Author’ session with students of The Royal Academy – Ajman on 25 Nov 2024. Posted on Jan 29 2025.