Love That Shatters Your Path

But first let me quote Rose Byrne from one of my favorite movies of all time!

“Love makes you do crazy things, insane things. Things in a million years you never thought you’d see yourself do. But there you are doing them, you can’t help it.” Alex, from the movie "Wicker Park". played by Rose Byrne Ok now let’s talk about love. It sweeps you off your feet, makes your heart race, and suddenly you’re ready to uproot your life for someone. Have you ever packed your bags and moved to a new city for a partner? Given up a dream job or a dream in general, because he asked you to, or needed you somewhere else? Worked late nights to earn more money because she asked, with that look that melts your heart? Or maybe you studied law to please your dad or joined the family business because it felt like your duty. Love, whether for a partner, family, or tradition, can make you do things you never imagined, like rewriting your entire story just to make someone else’s shine brighter. The Weight of the World’s Expectations But are you asking me to be selfish? No, not at all. From the moment we’re born, we’re handed a script. Study hard, get a good job, buy a house, start a family. Sound familiar? It’s like life comes with a checklist, and if you dare skip a step, the world gasps in judgment. “Still single at 35?” “No kids yet?” “Why are you working so much instead of settling down?” The whispers sting, don’t they? Society’s got this unspoken rule (well except when it is spoken loudly!): men aren’t men unless they’re providers, and women? Well, you’re somehow less if your career overshadows your home life. There’s a “right” age to marry, a “perfect” time to have kids, and a million expectations to juggle while you’re just trying to figure out who you are.

But here’s the truth that burns in my chest and I don’t mind SCREAMING it to the world and to people I care about every day until they finally realize it: you don’t owe anyone that script. You didn’t ask to be born into this world of rules, so why should you carry the weight of them? Your parents chose to bring you here, therefore it’s their responsibility to give you a shot at a happy life, not yours to live for their approval. Helping family, building a life, saying “I do”, do it because your heart sings for it, not because culture says it’s your duty. Because when you strip it all away, love should be a choice, not a chain. When Love Steals Your Spark I’ve been there, heart first in love, only to realize it was pulling me away from my dreams. Relationships have this way of wrapping you up in their warmth, making you forget the fire you once had. I’ve moved countries, taken on responsibilities that weren’t mine, spent countless hours planning a future with someone while my own goals gathered dust. Out of love, pure, wild, reckless love, I poured everything into making someone else happy. And then one day, I woke up, looked around, and thought, “Where did I go? What happened to what I wanted to build for myself, the dreams I swore I’d chase?” It’s not that relationships are the enemy. Far from it. The right person can be your lighthouse, guiding you through storms and cheering you on when you’re too tired to keep rowing. The old saying about a great woman behind every great man? It’s real, and it goes both ways. A supportive partner, man or woman, can make you feel invincible, like you could conquer the world together. But the wrong one? They can dim your light, not because they mean to, but because love can blind you to your own path and if you are with the wrong person they would not actually mind it. I’ve learned the hard way that it can take years and years just to realize you’ve been running someone else’s race. And when you do, it’s like a punch to the gut, knowing you’ve sacrificed pieces of yourself along the way. The Risk of Losing You Love is a beautiful risk, but it’s still a risk. It’s not about overthinking or building a spreadsheet to analyze every decision (though, trust me, I’ve tried). It’s about listening to your heart while keeping your soul in sight. The right person should feel like your partner in a grand adventure, not someone who’s quietly pulling you off course. And like I said, you don’t know they’re wrong for you until you’re miles from where you meant to be. And if it already happened to you, or happening right now, or will happen in the future that’s still okay. Every misstep teaches you something. Every heartbreak carves out space for a stronger you. It's that simple, just learn not to let love erase you. You don’t have to get married, have kids, or check off society’s boxes just to prove you’re “enough.” Don’t let family dinners or Instagram posts guilt you into a life that doesn’t feel like yours. If you choose love, choose it fiercely, knowing the risks but trusting it’s worth it. The right person won’t make you feel like you’re losing your dreams, they’ll be out there swinging a sword beside you, ready to take on the world together. Call it cheesy but it’s practically true, and a reasonable thing to expect and not settle for anything less than it. Choose Happiness, Then Chase Your Empire If you want to build something extraordinary, or even just live a life that makes you smile, you’ve got to put your happiness first. Silence the voices in your head, the ones echoing family expectations or societal “shoulds.” Those late night calls from your mum urging you to settle down? Love her, but don’t let her write your story. And if your family’s toxic, it’s okay to draw lines in the sand. Again and again, YOU didn’t choose to be born, so you don’t owe anyone your peace. Help, love, give because you want to, because they’ve been good to you, not because it’s what the world expects. Your work and your heart are tethered together, like two sides of the same coin. A bad relationship can break your career, pull you off track, and leave you wondering how you ended up so far from your dreams. But the right one? It can light a fire under you, make you believe you’re unstoppable. So choose carefully, not just your partner, but the life you build. Whether you’re chasing an empire or just enough to live comfortably, surround yourself with people who lift you up, not drag you down. And if you’re flying solo, that’s more than okay too. You don’t need someone else to make your story epic. This isn’t advice. It’s just me, heart on my sleeve, sharing my observation and the lessons I’ve learned from loving too hard and dreaming too big. Take it, tweak it, make it yours. Your life, your rules, Your love.

At the end of the day, what you believe is yours to decide.

Hisham Hussien