Husain Journal

Ever felt looking over a massively successful work that you yourself would have created it equally well? Ever felt that you yourself would have delivered the same level of talk and had written the same kind of a novel? I guess that like me you too would have felt so. And maybe then you also would have felt that people get fond of just average or above average things…So if you had simply released your work, you would have made an amazing splash. Or you might have got this question in your head: Were these people simply lucky that they got so high popularity for their works? Maybe they would be having great connections, right? So far being lucky is concerned, well, I believe in the oft-repeated wisdom that the harder you work, the better your luck gets. And so far having great connections part is concerned? Maybe yes, maybe no. But that’s not so relevant. What’s the reason for their success, I think, is their bravery and courage. Yes, their courage to put forth their work i...

“Your worst enemy cannot harm you As much as your own thoughts, unguarded. But once mastered, No one can help you as much, Not even your father or your mother.” Lord Buddha A simple thing that can turn us highly productive is that we must train ourselves to guard our thoughts. If every moment we’re guarding our thoughts optimally, if every moment we’re true in doing justice with our cognitive capabilities and blessings, the success we dream about isn’t going to evade us for that long. The problem with us is that we’re lazy, rest-loving folks, and doing justice with our blessings is no easy feat. This is because we have entangled ourselves in bad, unproductive thoughts, and therefore we find ourselves backing out when it comes to using our blessings optimally. The ugly truth is that we have chained ourselves in clutter and frivolity: The clothes we want to wear at the party Why is she hanging around with that guy so often…is there a romantic story brewing up? He never ...

Certainly, we’re of a hasty temperament. And “Hastiness,” Imam Husain said, “is a kind of stupidity.” To curb the rush of my mind, I meditate by using the free version of an app called Headspace . When I play the body scan session of this app, I feel relaxed and well-grounded in the present. The instructor will ask you to think about a photocopy machine. As the light whizzes back and forth through the paper in it, similarly he will ask you to imagine a light is passing through your body, scanning every part of it from head to toe. Actually, oftentimes there’s a voice in my head which tries to race ahead of the present time. This voice disturbs me because it doesn’t permit me to focus on my present. As a consequence I can’t enjoy and saver the bliss of the present moment. But when I meditate, it reminds me to come in my natural unhurried speed, and unloads the burden of doing more than it’s required of me. The effect is that I get unburdened, and then I’m fairly successful in...

And here’s the reason behind it: As a general rule, we fear what improves us. Admit it, you fear public speaking. You fear asking questions in conferences. But you know it deep down in your heart that if you go forth to do it, you’ll get closer to success. We resist what’s tough for us, but the amazing truth is that all improvement takes place beyond the boundaries of our comfort zone. So, if we’re resisting public speaking, it’s a clear sign that it would bring improvement in us, and eventually we must do that particular thing. If you’re resisting physical workouts, you know that it’s the thing you want to go after. If you’re resisting to post regularly on your blog because you feel they’ll laugh at you, you know you need to chase that very thing. We resist what’s tough and risky for us. A student will invent excuses to avoid studying deeply, in a distraction-free climate. He might keep his phone within his reach, he might not turn off the notifications, he might study at ...