Turning Adversities into Opportunities by Muniba Mazari.

 Muniba Mazari is a Pakistani activist, anchor, artist, model, singer, motivational speaker, and YouTuber. She was shortlisted in the '100 inspirational women of 2015 by BBC' and 'Forbes under 30list for 2016'.

   'Turning adversity into opportunity' was a talk delivered by her in a Ted X event in 2015. In 2007, at the age of 21, she met with an accident which made her paraplegic. She had to spend two and a half months in a hospital bed. Those days were dreadful and she underwent severe pain both physically and mentally. She was devastated and felt that life was completely pointless, aimless, and colorless when people who were supposed to stay with her had left when she needed them the most. But at one point she realized that she had people around her to see her alive and so much to be grateful for. At that point, she started to repaint her life. With the deformed hand, she started to paint in the hospital bed and it helped her to explore the artist hidden in her. She was completely bedridden for another two years, but the day she sat in the wheelchair for the first time, she said to herself," you cannot wait for a miracle to make you walk, you can't sit in the corner of the room crying and begging for mercy and the only thing you can do is to accept yourself as the way you are, the sooner the better". She always wanted to do something big for the people, for the country. One day when she came across an advertisement in which disability was objectified in a wrong picture - as an emblem of grief, misery, mercy, and nothingness, she decided that she should change the perception of the people about being in a wheelchair. She wanted to prove to the world that, being in a wheelchair, she could still face the world with a big smile on her face and tell them that she was capable enough to live each and every moment of her life. She regards her wheelchair neither as weakness nor as adversity but as her strength because of the priceless attention she received wherever she went. It allowed her to explore what she had in her, that she never knew. Even though her body is caged, her mind is free and so is her soul and spirit. She could still dream and think big and she had bigger plans to work on. She couldn't let anyone dis-her abilities.

    She did a modeling campaign for Tony &Guy that made her Pakistan's first wheelchair-bound model. She is the brand ambassador of Body Shape Pakistan, also she is one of the Pond's Miracle Women. She is running her brand by the name 'Muniba's Canvas' with the slogan 'Let Your Walls Wear Colors'. Her paintings depict the human expression,their thoughts, dreams and give the message of living life. She is the national ambassador for UN Women Pakistan. She still 'aspire to inspire' millions and millions with her youtube talks and motivational speeches. 

    She adds that if you are grateful for what you have, you will always end up having more. She concludes by asking us to learn the art of 'converting our adversities into opportunities'.And the moment we are going to learn it, the sky is the limit.

By Sandra Cyriac