As I am writing this blog article, I am sweaty (after an intense boxing session) and onboard a bus.

Earlier I passed Borough Market, and something caught my attention: a Pret branch (my favourite franchise cafe!) located right next to a little independent cafe. Both were bustling with customers and energy, despite being commercial rivals within such close proximity to one another.

Then another random thought struck me: perhaps this is a perfect analogy to learn something from. As human beings, we seem to constantly belittle ourselves, often out of humility, but also out of a constant feeling of inadequacy. This leads to…the futile art of comparison. We compare ourselves, our appearances and experiences and qualifications and personalities, to others whom we deem ‘better’ than us.

You might be a branch of a popular chain restaurant, where businesspeople flock towards in order to purchase vegan-friendly meals and nutritious smoothies…or, you might be a charming little family-owned cafe full of vibrant flowers, where frequent customers go to indulge in a full English breakfast. But ultimately, each cafe and each human being is, as the cliche saying goes, special in his/her own way.

Embrace whoever you are fortunate enough to be.

Sadia Ahmed, 2017