The Emirati influencer gives us a different perspective on what it means to be successful.
In September of 2023, Emirati content creator Khalid Al Ameri paid Brunei Darussalam a visit, and was met with much love and support from the local citizens. On Tuesday, the 26th of September, he took a tour around Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), and in particular, met with the UBD alumni and incubation students at the UBD Student Centre. The team at AICREATIVV were shaking with excitement at the opportunity to meet the notable figure, ask some questions, and get to know Khalid Al Ameri on a level deeper than what he portrays online.
Who is Khalid Al Ameri?
Khalid Al Ameri is a digital content creator from the United Arab Emirates who is well-known for his humorous and relatable videos and skits that he posts on his social media platforms. With an Instagram following of 2.7 million people, whether he is traveling the world or simply enjoying everyday life with his family, he continues to captivate his followers due to his expressive attitude and easy-going personality. He also makes content with his wife, Salama Mohamed, with posts and videos showing their love and support for one another, sharing stories and anecdotes throughout their marriage journey, and spreading positivity and kindness through philanthropy and kind gestures.
An Inspiration to Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Khalid Al Ameri’s visit to the Universiti Brunei Darussalam Student Centre (USC) was a kind of meet-and-greet for the university alumni and incubation students. The room was filled with young aspiring entrepreneurs as well as members of established companies, including film production company New Wave Films, media production company Still Film Studio, and local Bruneian content creator Hadi Al-Hafiz, also known as FastingBro.
We had the opportunity to ask questions about things he doesn’t normally share through his online personality - about his lifestyle, his daily motivations, and his purpose for doing content creation as a career. He answered with honesty and a humbleness that was inspiring to witness. His advice that resonated the most with the AICREATIVV team gave us a glimpse into how he managed to live a life that was successful as well as mentally, emotionally, and spiritually fulfilling.
And it’s partly to do with the way we define the term ‘success’ in the first place. While success can be subjective, when we think about what ‘success’ looks like for other people, we often associate it with their financial stability: someone well off, with a high-paying job position or a flourishing business, or someone with a big house or luxury cars. However, setting your goals based on materialistic values can leave you feeling unfulfilled in life. You might be financially stable, but if you are waking up every morning with dread at the thought of going to work, would you still call yourself successful?
"I don’t want to live a life where the first thing I look forward to when I wake up is to sleep at the end of the day."
To Khalid Al Ameri, success is not determined by the amount of money you have in your bank account. To be successful is to live life doing what you want to do. He encouraged us to seek happiness first before success, by leaning into our passions and aspirations. Often, what’s hindering us from going after our dreams is the fear of failure. Our mind jumps to the worst-case scenario, and we give up on our ideas before we even start. Khalid advises us to change our mindset in order to tackle this:
"Fear is 99% in your head. The thing is, you’ll never know whether you will fail or succeed if you don’t try. So instead of thinking, ‘What if I fail?’, ask yourself - ‘What if I succeed?’"
Khalid’s Message to the New Generation
Content creation is a fairly new and niche industry in Brunei, and many of the local content creators and influencers do not have the same audience reach as other well-known online personalities like Khalid Al Ameri. And while content creation is not yet widely accepted as a reliable career option in Brunei, we’re slowly moving away from the traditional and conventional lifestyle, and seeing the benefits of flexible remote working. We hope that this experience of meeting and hearing from someone successful in the industry will open our eyes to the possibilities that it has to offer, and that it brings motivation to those who dream of delving into this industry!
To further motivate Brunei’s aspiring youth, Khalid Al Ameri gave a message to parents that are raising the next generation of successful individuals. He advised parents to encourage their children to pursue their passions, regardless of the field or industry that they’re interested in. Watch the full video on our Instagram and TikTok at @aicreativv!
