Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Linda Habeebullah. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Linda, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
My resilience comes from life experiences and my grandmother. When I was 5 years old my mother left me due to her own personal trauma and emotional issues. I went to live with my grandmother and she never once let me feel like a victim since my mother is not around. As I grew up, I found my mother to be inconsistent when visiting me. She would say she would visit and the day would come and not arrive. My grandmother taught me not to count on her and that it is okay if she comes, or not. This might sound sad and might have made me feel as if I could not count on others. But it taught me to be resilient because I was able to be optimistic when it came to counting on my mother. It also taught me that I don’t need to count on my mother to fulfill my life. It allowed me to define my own happiness.
As I grew older, I found life to have many challenges such as; money, jobs, school, other family members, relationships, etc. I was able to tackle all situations while knowing I could get through anything. I remember when I was just out of college, I had a college professor who was going through a divorce and everything that could go bad happened to her. She did not make herself into a victim. I remember her saying, these bad things are happening to cleanse myself and once I get through this everything will be better. It did get better.
It is not that I am heartless that allows me to recover quickly from difficult situations. There have been times that it was really difficult when getting through situations such as when I was 19 years old and I found out that the father who raised me was not my biological father. That his mother, my grandmother who helped mold me into the woman I am was not my biological grandmother. However, I was able to fine the power in forgiveness. It felt so freeing to be able to know that just because someone has not done right by me does not mean I need to hold onto their mistakes as my own. I can only be responsible for my actions and not anyone else. Bad things happen it is a part of life, it is okay to find happiness regardless of what life lessons and experiences happen to you. I like to think my life experience makes me unique and shows my true strength to overcome. In the end, I would rather be known to be strong than a victim.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Hello! My name is Linda Habeebullah. I am a 4th grade teacher in Oakland, CA. I grew up in Oakland and when I decided to take the path as an educator I knew I wanted to teach in the city that I was from. It means a lot to me to go back to my community and broaden the minds of my students the same way my teachers did for me.
I pride myself on being this girl from Oakland who oftentimes felt like she grew up in a box. I was the first person in my family to receive a BA and MA degree, as well as travel outside of the US. I need to show my students and others who have grown up in a similar situation that you do not need to stand in your way of success. The worst you can hear is “no” and to find your loopholes in life to push yourself beyond the glass ceilings that might feel binding because of your ethnicity, gender, and so forth.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that have been most impactful in my journey are to know my own mind, not; go through life indecisively, not be afraid to push myself outside of my comfort zone, and to be willing to learn from all situations even if it be a mistake or not. My advice for others who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve themselves is to not hide behind anything. Whether that be drugs, alcohol, relationships, other people, glass ceiling, etc. Always remember the worst you can hear is “no” but that does not mean you give up. I have personally found when I truly try at something it works out the way it is meant to especially when I am consistent.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
I have been blessed with great people in my life. When I feel overwhelmed I go to my healers the people who have my best interest at heart and I talk to them. I also journal, pray, and have an honest conversation with myself. However, the best strategy I have is to have great people that you can trust and that are not going to lead me on the wrong path or do any harm to me. It is very important to find people you can trust who will not ask to harm yourself or others. Instead, they uplift you, they listen to you, and they are honest with you even when you are lying to yourself. I have found I know a lot of people but the friends I truly trust are few.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynnhabeebullah/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lynnbeeb
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lhabeeb/
