I’m Glad I Didn’t Bury My Dream Before Giving It a Chance
This morning, I woke up earlier than usual here in Manchester. After performing Fajr prayers, which begin as early as 3.10 a.m. during this time of the year, I found myself unable to go back to sleep. My mind kept returning to one thought.
In just a few hours, I will attend my Global MBA graduation ceremony at Alliance Manchester Business School, part of The University of Manchester, yet strangely, I wasn’t thinking about the graduation gown, the certificate or even the ceremony itself. Instead, I was reflecting on how close I once came to convincing myself that studying here was simply impossible.
There was a time when this university felt far beyond my reach. Alliance Manchester Business School is recognised as one of the world’s leading MBA institutions, and years ago I didn’t even have a bachelor’s degree. My academic qualification was a Diploma in Investment Analysis from UiTM Segamat, while the financial commitment required to study here seemed overwhelming once tuition fees, flights, accommodation and frequent travel between Malaysia and the United Kingdom were taken into account. Looking back, I realise it wasn’t just my circumstances that made the dream feel impossible. It was the story I had started telling myself.
That feeling reminded me of another chapter in my life. In 1995, shortly after completing my diploma, I received an offer to pursue a Finance degree at the Rochester Institute of Technology in the United States. I genuinely believed that opportunity would transform not only my future but my family’s as well.
Unfortunately, around the same time, MARA suspended sponsorships for students pursuing business, management and finance programmes overseas. My family simply could not afford the cost. The painful part was not that I had failed to qualify. I had been accepted. I simply wasn’t able to go.
At that time, studying overseas represented one of the biggest opportunities a young Malaysian could hope for. Naturally, I questioned why it had happened. Eventually, I accepted Allah’s decree and moved forward with life, trusting that He had a plan I simply could not understand at the time.
Today, I have no regrets about the path Allah chose for me because I now realise that had I gone to the United States then, my life might have unfolded very differently.
Perhaps I would never have worked in the stockbroking industry before leaving to start my own business. Perhaps I would never have experienced the failures that became some of my greatest teachers. Perhaps I would never have helped build a sales and marketing organisation from 2001, eventually leading projects as Organisational Head Malaysia in 2006.
Perhaps I would never have founded RichWorks in 2008. More importantly, perhaps I would never have met the thousands of entrepreneurs who have become such an important part of my life’s journey, nor experienced the challenges that shaped me into the person I am today.
Looking back, I can clearly see that Allah was not denying me something better. He was preparing me for a different assignment.
Although I accepted Allah’s decree, I never truly let go of the dream of studying at a world-class university. Deep inside, I continued believing that if Allah willed it, the opportunity would eventually come. That opportunity presented itself unexpectedly three years ago during a visit to Manchester.
While driving to the Etihad Stadium for a Coldplay concert, we happened to pass The University of Manchester. Looking at the campus, I turned to my wife and said that perhaps I should finally submit an application. Almost immediately, another question crossed my mind: “Azizan, you’ve spent years saying you wanted to study here, but have you ever actually tried?”
The honest answer was no.
It became clear that the biggest limitation had never been the university, my qualifications or even my age. The greatest limitation was the assumption I had carried for years that I was no longer qualified to dream that dream. So I submitted my application, fully prepared to accept rejection if it came, because I realised that living with rejection is far easier than living with regret.
Not long after returning to Malaysia, I received the news that changed everything. I had been accepted into the programme, and Allah opened a door that I had already convinced myself was permanently closed.
As I prepare to attend today’s graduation ceremony, I realise that the dream itself never disappeared. I was simply the one who almost buried it with my own doubts and assumptions.
After mentoring entrepreneurs for almost two decades, I have come to realise that this happens far more often than people think. Many individuals do not stop short because they lack intelligence, capability or opportunity. They stop because they quietly decide that something is impossible long before life has ever made that decision for them.
Our circumstances may influence our journey, but they should never become the final authority over our future. As Muslims, we believe that Allah’s plans are always better than our own. Tawakkul does not mean abandoning our dreams. It means continuing to prepare ourselves, continuing to strive with excellence and trusting that Allah’s timing will always be more perfect than ours.
Sometimes the delay is not because Allah is withholding the blessing. Sometimes He is preparing us to become the person capable of carrying it.
As I walk into this graduation ceremony today, I feel immense gratitude—not simply because I am receiving another MBA, but because this journey has reminded me that dreams rarely die on their own. More often, they are buried by our own assumptions before Allah has even answered them.
Alhamdulillah for this milestone. By His permission, the journey of learning continues with another MBA at Fudan University in China and, Insha-Allah, the completion of my PhD at Universiti Putra Malaysia.
The pursuit of knowledge has never been about collecting qualifications. It has always been about becoming a better leader, a better mentor and, above all, a better servant of Allah.
Datuk Wira
