The British politician on being optimistic, what she learned from her incarcerated mother, and her enduring faith in community
My morning ritual is …
I get up and take my thyroid medication. You can’t mix it with any caffeine, as it makes it obsolete, so half an hour later I have a ginger tea. That’s the thing that gets me up and about. No two days are the same with my job, but I often start work with early meetings.
I feel optimistic about …
Getting healthier. I’ve had some major surgeries this year. I feel optimistic about the future and hopefully getting more of a work-life balance because I don’t have that currently. I always feel optimistic about learning new things too.
What makes me angry …
People who try to divide people. The kind of people who try to fan the flames of division make me really angry.
If I wasn’t a politician, I’d have liked to become …
A barrister. If I could go back to an education, that would definitely have been what I had my dreams set on. When you come from where I’ve come from and the life I’ve had, you don’t want anybody else to go through that. My life has been all about not having that fairness, not having equality or having justice – that is the thing that frames me and context that I view the world through. It’s all about justice and equality. I’d have liked to have become a barrister, a Michael Mansfield sort of character. Representing people and giving them a voice, you have an opportunity to change things.
The habit that has served me best in life …
Optimism. It’s about continuously seeking the light, even when it’s dark and I can’t see. It’s about resilience and making sure I carry on.
The habit I’ve successfully kicked …
Eating too many biscuits. It’s a bad habit that I have: Custard Creams, Chocolate Hobnobs, Bourbons… I’ve reduced my biscuit intake these days. But I still have more to kick.
If you’re true to your faith, your humanity and your values, you will make the world a better place
My sources of joy are …
My children, and music. I love good, old school R&B, dance and house classics from the 1980s and 1990s. I’m talking about Blackstreet, Jagged Edge, Destiny’s Child, Mary J Blige… Some floor fillers just get you going. I love dancing but I don’t get time for it anymore.
When things get tough I …
Turn to God. I always turn to my faith, Islam, when things get difficult. That’s where I find my sanctuary, my solace and my calm.
The book I wish everyone would read …
One of my all-time favourite books is The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. It really impacted my thinking, shaped my understanding and gave me a framework for leadership in my early days and the start of my career.
'People have the answers but they don’t have the means to get to those answers,' says Nav Shah. Image: Mauro Mora
The big thing I’ve changed my mind about in life …
Is that being busy isn’t the same as being productive, and that work-life balance isn’t a ‘luxury’ – it’s essential for long-term performance.
What keeps me awake at night …
Is my job. My brain overthinks things. I’m a solution-focused person – I’m thinking about solutions for society’s problems. What makes me angry also keeps me up at night.
The thing that motivates me most of all …
My faith. If you’re true to your faith, you’re true to humanity and to your values. If you’re true to all that you will live to make the world a better place. The bottom line is equality, fairness and justice. Reducing inequality is my main driver. I’m driven to help people that are in a less fortunate position. I’m very strong in my belief that God has given me a gift, and that the power and status and power I have has to be spent in helping humanity and improving society.
My mother spent 14 years in prison and taught me how to hold on to the light
My parents taught me …
My dad taught me how not to behave. He taught me how not to take responsibility, for children and for life. He abdicated his responsibility for his children. He didn’t step up. I’m the complete opposite – I take responsibility. My dad also taught me how to dance – I got my love of dancing from him at an early age.
My mother taught me patience and resilience. She spent 14 years in prison [When Naz was 18, her mother killed a man who had abused her for over a decade] and she still taught me how to hold on to the light. She gave me the foundation for my strength. She taught me how to never give up.
I have this theory that …
Communities have their own solutions. People have the answers but they don’t have the means to get to those answers. For me, there is zero poverty of aspiration among communities. But there is a poverty of infrastructure to allow people to fulfil those aspirations.
I’d like to tell my younger self …
To read more books and to learn more languages. I’ve just started reading very recently. I left school at 12 and I should have read more. I’m thirsty for knowledge. I’ve always done a lot of experiential learning from work and things like that. But I’ve just recently started finding the joy in books.
Honoured: Survival, Strength And My Path to Politics by Naz Shah (W&N, £22) is out now.
Main image: House of Commons
