In Dubai, you are always expected to do more
February 24, 2018
There was once a boy who was raised by the desert.
The desert taught him how to thrive in harsh conditions and face extreme heat with resilience. It showed him the true meaning of heritage and instilled him with a deep love and respect for the past, making him a master of traditional Arabic poetry, falconry, horse riding and hunting. In the desert, he learnt that family, unity, humility and faith are the essence of a life well lived. But above all, the desert inspired him to dream the impossible.
When he cast his eyes over the inhospitable sand dunes and arid land, and beyond to the underdeveloped fishing villages, the boy saw something remarkable: a land of possibility. What many people would consider an obstacle, he treated as an opportunity. His impossible dream was to turn the desert green and bring the coast to life with ambitious modern cities, and that is exactly what he did.
The boy grew up to become Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late Founding Father of the UAE and the man who we are celebrating during the ‘Year of Zayed 2018’. Passed down through the generations and on to our present-day leaders, it is Sheikh Zayed’s pioneering spirit that continues to drive progress in the UAE. It is why in Dubai, you are always expected to do more.
Sheikh Zayed once said: “We were like those who had climbed a mountain and reached the top. When we looked down we still wanted to go higher to realise our goals. Despite all the achievements within the UAE Federation, we still have an ambition for more. That is my way of looking at things.”
This unrelenting focus on progress, development and improvement — individually, nationally, regionally and globally — is one of the hallmarks of the UAE and Dubai. Our own leader, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, shares the same spirit and said:
“I want Dubai to be number one. Not in the region, but in the world. Number one in everything: high education, health, and housing. I want to give my people the highest way of living.”
Dubai will not settle for second place and we are all involved in this endeavour. It requires us to constantly outdo ourselves and recognise that the journey toward excellence never ends. As I discussed in my previous post, staying at the top of the ladder means never stopping the climb.
At MAG Lifestyle Development, we are proud to be proactively contributing to Dubai’s vision with new lifestyle-inspired developments that are designed to constantly surpass our customer’s expectations. Like Sheikh Mohammed, we want to give our residents the highest way of living, whether that means providing them with a wellness-focused lifestyle at MAG Creek Wellbeing Resort, a welcoming green community at MAG 5 Boulevard, or ultimate privacy and tranquillity at our fully-gated MAG EYE development.
Inspired by Sheikh Zayed, we also dare to dream the impossible, and as a result we have achieved a number of firsts that will go toward positioning Dubai as the world’s number one real estate destination. These include bringing wellness-inspired real estate development to the region for the first time and establishing MAG Alliances, a first-of-its-kind division that offers exclusive real estate discounts and promotions in partnership with leading companies across the globe.
During the ‘Year of Zayed 2018’, let’s all live up to the vision Sheikh Zayed gave us. At MAG Lifestyle Development, we’ll be doing our bit by actively asking our customers to expect more from us.
– Talal M. AlGaddah is the Chief Executive Officer of MAG Lifestyle Development and CEO Middle East Awards’ ‘Young CEO of the Year’ – 2017.
