Redefining your own happiness and success
Chowdhury Kaiser Mohammad Riyadh is an inspirational speaker, a self-help educator and a life coach. He is also a Global Youth Ambassador, an SDG Advocate and the co-founder of World Happiness & Peace Foundation (under registration).
Interestingly, public speaking was one of his biggest phobias, as he used to stammer. "I have realised that the only way to overcome any challenge is to go through it and to grow out of it," says Riyadh, who has committed himself to help others to change their perspectives for happiness and success in life.
Riyadh was in the Bangladesh Army for five years. He voluntarily retired from the job and always believed that he could do more to impact people's lives.
He has completed his MBA from IBA, DU. While pursuing his MBA, he worked at Standard Chartered Bank. After completing his MBA, he worked in the logistics industry for five years.
Since 2015, he has conducted more than 100 sessions on self-help and mental health in several educational institutes in 36 districts of Bangladesh. Riyadh is a Neuro-linguistic Programming trainer. His sessions have received rave reviews globally among the youths in transforming their thoughts for a healthy and happy life. "When you rewrite your story mentally, you live a different story in reality," he says. He was invited to conduct self-help and inspirational sessions in Nepal, Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey, Thailand, Cambodia, India and the UK. He has also started conducting self-help sessions for corporate organisations, along with one to one coaching sessions. "To me, believing and practicing what we train, coach or preach is the most effective way to connect people and help them transform, grow and excel," he shares.
To cover essential life skills that are usually not taught at schools, Riyadh has been focusing on teaching ways to develop compassion, empathy, gratitude, tolerance, humility, humanity and other such characteristics. "Any change starts from a thought," explains Riyadh. "It's about choosing the right kind of thought for the kind of life we want. As our thoughts control us most of the time, we end up doing something completely different than that of what we truly want."
Riyadh was invited to conduct self-help session in different international seminars and conferences as well. He conducted a self-help session on 'Changing Our Thoughts for the World We Want' at International Leaders Model United Nations (ILMUN) in Thailand, in February 2019, in which around 200 delegates from 60 countries participated. He was honoured with the Asian Youth Inspiration Award 2018 by Global Youth Parliament, Nepal. He is also an advisor to Global Network for Sustainable Development (GNSD), an international NGO based in the USA.
Riyadh further shared his perspectives on success. "Success in the eyes of others and success in your own eyes are two different things. These days, many of us are busy pretending to show others how happy we are, but the reality is otherwise," he explains. "People who run after fame and recognition, and seek others' approvals continuously, end up being frustrated and stressed out. When peoples' opinion about us changes, our lives also change. When we love the way we feel about ourselves, that's the life worth living."
Riyadh's parents, wife and daughter are his greatest inspirations. "My cadet college and the Bangladesh Army plays a significant role in my achievements," he adds. In his free time, Riyadh visits hospitals, orphanages and old homes. He wants to discover different realities and make people feel good just by listening to them. Riyadh believes, developing empathy and a sense of oneness can shape one's future.