Humanitarian Lawyer, Rabia Saddique's take on living your values
After a challenging two years, the start of a new season ahead offers a prime opportunity to refresh your mindset and aspire towards being the best version of yourself—inside and out. We sat down with Rabia to discover more about her take on becoming your personal best, the wellness rituals she incorporates into her everyday life, and her advice on the ever-evolving exercise of self-development.
Meet Rabia Siddique
If anyone has risen to the challenge of wearing many hats, it’s Rabia Siddique. Rabia is an international humanitarian lawyer of 25 years, a retired army officer, a leadership consultant, a professional speaker, the author of her book Equal Justice, and a mother of triplets. Impressive, right?
Rabia’s take on how to be your personal best
In Rabia’s view, being your personal best is intrinsically intertwined with living out your personal values. She explains, “being your personal best means living in alignment with your values, from the decisions you make every day in terms of how you show up, how you live, how you love and how you work—values are at the foundation of everything.”
When striving to be your best self and wanting to achieve your full potential, Rabia’s advice is to take the time to understand who you are and what your drivers are. “Spend a lot less time and energy worrying about what other people think of you—you know yourself, so you must back yourself.”
Rabia also emphasises the importance of finding the growth opportunities within challenges life throws your way. She explains, “I look back on some of the most difficult moments in my life where I’ve literally been brought to my knees—the growth has been unbelievable. There’s this expression, ‘there’s no growth without discomfort’, and I think when ordinary people are placed in extraordinary circumstances, it’s amazing what you’re capable of.”
When Rabia feels like her best self
Rabia highlights that she feels like her best self when she is spending time walking her dog with her kids along the beach, going for a bush walk, running along the river, watching movies, reading, and finding ways to be grounded such as meditating and practising gratitude.
To ensure she is feeling her best, Rabia incorporates an array of wellness rituals into her routine.
“I am trying to commit to daily movement combined with nature, eating healthy, nutritious food, and just looking after the inside as well as the outside. Wellness is also about family time and having connections in relationships and friendships that bring you joy.”
Rabia’s personal best in fashion
When it comes to fashion, Rabia shifts between two distinct style types; “there’s professional me and then there’s mum-at-home me. When dressing professionally, Rabia tells us, “I’ve spent a large part of my life in all black when I was a courtroom lawyer or various forms of camouflage when I was in the military, so I think my rebellion against that is found in my love for bright colours.”
Rabia explains her professional style combines structured looks such as blazers and suits with pieces that are distinctive, loud and feature pops of colour, so they can be seen from when speaking in front of a crowd.
When Rabia switches into her ‘mum-at-home’ style, comfort is key. Her go-to items are jeans, sneakers, and t-shirts, though her favourite item is her leather jacket because “it’s so versatile and can be added to any outfit”.
Rabia’s top picks from Watergardens:
DECJUBA - BRIDGETTE TEXTURED BLAZER
NOVO SHOES - ELEGANT FLATS
