There is a quiet sense of understated elegance about Sheikha Intisar Salem Al Ali Al-Sabah that is hard to define, yet is unquestionably appealing. Wearing a jasmine flower bracelet that stands out strikingly against her bright magenta dress, she is every bit the optimist in life. A princess from Kuwait’s ruling royal Al-Sabah family, Sheikha Intisar is very much a part of privileged existence, but her beliefs and efforts have been centred towards addressing realistic issues in her beloved country that she believes, required a change of mindset, more than anything else.
“Someone I know who loves Kuwait a lot and with very good intentions did a video on the worst possible things he could find about Kuwait,” she says. “I remember that the video showed a lot of damage… dirty roads… I was quite upset. He highlighted these things because he wanted change. It made me feel so hopeless because I always believed things were so much better.”
Al-Sabah called up the person who shot the video and asked him why he released a film that portrayed the darker side of Kuwait. He explained he hoped people and the country would take notice and change their ways, to which Al-Sabah replied: “Bashing up your country won’t make it change. It is like raising children; beating them up won’t change them.”
Soon after, Al-Sabah read an article by the American happiness researcher Shawn Achor, who is renowned for his advocacy of positive psychology.
“After ten years of research in Harvard, they had scientifically proved that a person, in an instance or forever, has a positive mindset or a negative mindset, not both,” she explains. “If we see things in a negative way, we don’t see possibilities or the positive side of life at all. If we see the positive side, we see possibilities and find solutions.”
POSITIVE ENERGY ONLY
Al-Sabah struck upon an idea of a positivity campaign as a solution, with youth as a target audience as they represented the future. Launched on World Happiness Day in 2013, and based on research in positive psychology, Al Nowair is a non-profit initiative that urges people to develop a more positive outlook towards life.
“We did campaigns in malls, as well as online. Even our creative team had to do an online course on positive psychology, because if they don’t understand positivity, they would not be able to apply it to what they do.”
Al-Sabah is clear on the fundamentals of positivity and what she campaigns for as part of Al Nowair: “We talk about positivity and a positive mindset; happiness is one of the terms we use, but we don’t advocate happiness. Can you always be happy? No, but you can always be positive.
CATCHING THEM YOUNG
Al-Sabah soon noticed the ‘ripple effect’ of her efforts and started Bareec, an offshoot of Al Nowair, but aimed at creating a positive learning environment in schools and among students.
“Initially, we started our pilot study with just three schools and three teachers and all we did was work with them on positive affirmations. We trained teachers and students [who wore] affirmations on wristbands – declarations such as what they wished for or who they wanted to become. We had five exercises, and soon the children started believing in what they wore.
“We also noticed impressive changes in the teachers who were implementing these exercises.
Bareec is currently active in 24 schools and 6 faculties at the Kuwait University.
For private schools, an initiative titled Boomerang was launched to preventing bullying among students, by showing its vices in a theatrical format.
THE BEAUTY OF WELLNESS
A strong believer in being happy and healthy, Prismologie, a natural mood-enhancing brand rooted in colour therapy was launched from Al-Sabah’s personal experience of seeing people “going through huge transformations at a colour therapy workshop.”
She says: “Colours go beyond religion or any cultural barriers.”
High-end jewellery brand INTISARS came next – a range of Arabesque styled pieces, etched in Italian craftsmanship and which had positive words carved on them, each of them meant to be “a reminder of love.” On the scientific front, it was based on the findings of the Japanese scientist Dr. Masaru Emotu who proved that words have an effect on the crystallisation of water with negative words deforming the crystallisation and positive words making it appear vivid and clear.
For someone who wears multiple hats – she’s also the founder of Lulua Publishing and is an author – Al-Sabah goes by simple but profound beliefs.
“I had a good and happy upbringing. Things happened and I forgot what I learnt. I had to re-learn it again. So do we learn how to be positive? Yes, we do. If you have the tools, that is the right mindset, it becomes easier to be positive. If you feel good, will you stop? Most people continue.”