Life and Work with Aleena Azhar

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aleena Azhar.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Aleena. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Hi everyone! I am your basic 23 years old. When I was growing up, I had a dream of becoming a doctor, and I did everything I could to make sure that dream was accomplished. It included getting a lot of research internships in high school to double majoring in college! However, I had a life-threatening car accident and that changed my life completely. It made me think about what I really wanted to do and where I wanted to devote my time. My end goal was to always help people, and it didn’t matter what career path I chose as long as I was accomplishing that goal. I attended an MBA seminar my junior year, and I was told people like me who dream to big never get anywhere in life because their judgment is clouded. I took those words very seriously and decided to push myself to get an internship at a tech firm. It took a lot of endless nights applying, getting rejection letters, and one day, I got an interview for a full-time job as Marketing Coordinator for a tech company! I walked out of the interview knowing that they saw my drive and knew I could handle being a full-time student and having a full-time job, and that’s when my journey began. My job there didn’t last too long, as I was laid-off with most of the California company a few months later, but that didn’t stop me from pursuing my dream of becoming my own boss. This included revamping my Instagram to be a full-time blogger and start working with local businesses to assist them with their marketing needs. After the summer was over, it was my last semester of undergrad and I landed another full-time job working with enterprise level clients to create SMS mobile marketing strategies. This, in turn, after graduation, I was offered a job as a Marketing Manager for Ben & Jerry’s! (Yes, total dream come true! Cause who doesn’t want to work with ice cream??) This job actually taught me so much and pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me network and really channel my potential inside.

Has it been a smooth road?
When people ask me how I got to where I am, and my answer is it did come with a lot of struggles and failures. Growing up in an Indian household there is a lot of pressure to be successful and take the right path of becoming a doctor or an engineer or something with STEM. Of course, I turned out to be the black sheep. I did really well in school, but when high school came around I was not the brightest because I was so distracted by my personal issues that I let it interfere with my coursework. I ended up going to a community college by choice to save money and to spend time figuring out what would be the right university for me. The one thing I have always kept is faith. Without faith, I don’t think I would be where I am today. People won’t believe in you including people who you love, but if you believe in yourself and have faith you can accomplish anything you put your mind too. I have struggled with racism, sexism, and the whole idea of being a millennial and being too young.

Twenty-fun is such an amazing age because you are officially an “adult.” I come from a family of immigrants who moved here from India, and I was fortunate enough to have been given so many opportunities. I am a girl surrounded by many social norms, just trying to defy the impossible in a man’s world. I have learned the most valuable life lessons being in my 20s. The things that I have learned on this journey so far is to always be HAPPY. It doesn’t matter if that happiness is a person, a pet, food or anything, make sure that you are happy. Because if you aren’t happy with yourself, then nothing around you or anyone will ever make you feel content with who you are. If you can take anything from this, just remember no one’s life is put together. We all are struggling with something or the other. It is the age for self-discovery and happiness. It’s the time to go out there and chase our dreams! Wait… correction, our GOALS. Our dreams should become goals at this age. Yes, people will break your heart. Yes, you might not have everything you want right now. Yes, people will question what you are doing and point fingers. Yes, you might not be as content with your life. Yes, life isn’t perfect. BUT this is our time to shine and make our mark in this world.

Just remember anything that is worth it never comes easy. Keep smiling. Keep believing. Keep persevering. Remember to enjoy the ride!  🙂 <3

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am a full-time travel/lifestyle blogger, and I recently launched my own company called Being Basic! It is basically a creative agency and we provide every service to make your business successful. The unique thing about us is we will work within your budget and provide you your own creative team. It can be your own photographer, social media guru or just your own consultant. We are creating a network of creative professionals all the way from beginners to experts who can channel their creative side and assist others.

Contact Info:

• Phone: 949-565-9655
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: beingbasic.co
• Other: Personal Instagram: exploringwithaleena

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