5 important life lessons I learnt from visionaries

 

Assalam-o-Alaikum,

 

Many people don’t know that I started off my career some 24 years ago at the age of 18, as a receptionist in a local hospital with a salary of Rs. 900/- per month without any perks. Alongside that job I continued my formal education. As I moved forward in my career, I started realizing that life is tougher than expected and there are number of things that I was not taught in school.

 

I believe I’m lucky enough to meet some very good teachers and mentors in my life who taught me do’s and don’ts of life. A lot of things I share in my regular training workshops, however, today I would like to share with you 5 important life lessons I learnt from visionaries I met in my life. I hope it’ll benefit you as well:

 

1. Don’t be fool by the ‘get rich fast’ mentality:

 

Have you noticed that ‘the get rich quick’ mentality is rampant on the internet, and it's getting worse every day. There is a vicious cycle that just seems to continue itself and I'm not sure which came first, the people selling get rich quick or the people looking for it. It seems as though there are opportunity seekers out there who are asking to be scammed.

 

I recently met a wise visionary businessman who said to me: “Why should it be easy to get rich? The world is more competitive than ever, and even with the availability of internet and social media, there is no easy way for everybody to get rich? Allah (swt) has not made this world like this. If you want to be successful financially, in relationships, in health and even making Allah (swt) pleased with you – you have to envision and work hard. There is no ‘getting quick success’ thing in Allah’s design.”

 

I totally agree after meeting thousands of people across the world from all walks of life.

 

2. What is your edge over others:

 

I receive emails and messages from hundreds of people requesting help find work or job. I wish I can help all of them, but unfortunately I can’t!

 

One of the significant mistake most people make is to play in a competitive game in a field where they have no advantage – possibly a disadvantage – instead of focusing on a field where we can have a clear advantage? For example, a lot of young graduates come to me with a simple degree in IT or business management. I ask them what advantage do you have in such a competitive world? Because of not having a long term clear vision, people usually jump over the easiest available option. This is a very poor choice!

 

In the world with ever increasing competition, just degrees and certifications will not take you far. In addition to your technical competence, you need to have knowledge, skills and abilities that most people ignore and suffer. A mentor of mine told me 15 years ago that “learn all of those skills that other people ignore. Don’t worry about short term benefits, eye on your long term vision.” How true was that when I look back today alhumdulillah.

 

3. Build your life around your strengths:

 

Allah (swt) has blessed you with amazing talents and qualities and you have to figure out where your talents lie. And you'll have to use your advantages. But if you try to succeed in what you are not good at, you're going to have a very lousy career. I can almost guarantee it. To do otherwise, you'd have to buy a winning lottery ticket or get very lucky somewhere else.

 

Many of my workshop attendees know that my education was in accounting and finance, but I only pursued the career in accounting for one year when I realized that neither I have any advantage here nor it is my strength. As soon as I realized, I quit and made a career shift. Initially it was a tough decision, but it has proven a right decision later on. Thanks to my mentors. Do you have right mentors whom you always go for advice?

 

4. Don’t afraid of making mistakes:

 

I don't want you to think that I have any special ways of learning or behaving so you won't make a lot of mistakes. I just want to say that you can learn to make fewer mistakes than other people – and how to fix your mistakes faster when you do make them. The best way to learn is from others mistakes and again you have to go to your teachers and mentors, who can save you from making lot of mistakes and help you fix when you do make them.

 

5. Learning 24/7/365:

 

In my whole life, I have not known any wise people who didn't read all the time – zero. So, if you are serious about being successful in this dunya and aakhirah, you have to learn and you have to learn all the time, starting from strengthening your ideological foundations to gaining expertise in your area of strength and advantage to managing relationships and how to improve financially.

 

The way forward

 

As you can see, these five ideas are not complex concepts - but putting them into action in your life will be the challenge that only you can solve.

 

In a world of unlimited choices, you and I stand at a door of unlimited opportunities. But the flip side is a world where you can be frozen and in reality never accomplish much at all.

 

You might need to make a small change. Or maybe you need to rethink your whole career, business and life to make a leap to something new. This depends upon your diagnosis of your current situation.

 

But before you do, start by making these three changes to your DMRs (Discretionary Mental Routines):

 

1. Leave your over-optimism at the door (trench a lot of the self help books; only read under the supervision of right mentors)...

 

2. Leave your certainty at the door. Friedrich Nietzsche writes in his book "Man Alone With Himself", "Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies.”

 

3. Leave your miscalculated fear at the door because people usually are afraid of all the wrong things.

 

Now through deep thinking, reflection, pondering over wisdom in Quran and Sunnah, reading right books, and learning from mentors, move forward in a new mode - one of true experimentation and flexibility.

 

You have to be quick to adjust when you see that things are not going in the direction of your vision and slow to let go when you are on the right path but patience is indispensable.

 


Yameenuddin Ahmed has been associated with Timelenders since 2004 as one of its key leaders in the area of life transforming trainings, coaching, and counseling. To date, Ahmed has helped thousands of individuals and hundreds of organizations in developing worthy and powerful visions and in bringing order, enhancing character, and improving performance in personal and professional living. (Read more)


 

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