Lately, I find myself pausing more often, reflecting on a life just shy of six decades.
Perhaps it’s natural with age. Our faith gently reminds us that a lifetime is but around 63 years. And data tells us, life expectancy in the Maldives, which was 80.1 years in 2022, is now projected at 78.3 years in 2025. Numbers that remind me of the reality, yet also of possibility.
I pray for health, and I plan for the next two decades, if I am blessed with them. In sha Allah.
If I could send a message back in time, to my 18-year-old self, it would be just one thing: Do not waste a single day. Time is the most precious resource given to us, equal in measure for each soul. What we do with it, that makes all the difference.
And so, I want to carry this message forward. To young people in our islands, and to anyone who will listen across the world: guard your time, invest it wisely, let it carry you to a future filled with love, kindness, and hope.
We cannot change the past. But we can invest forward, for a brighter tomorrow for ourselves and for generations to come. A tomorrow that uplifts, gives wings, and helps each person rise to their fullest potential.
Smile and let smile. And let time be the canvas on which we paint lives of meaning.
Smile and Let Smile 