Husain Journal

“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.” - Seneca It starts as an innocent itch, right? It would just be a quick check, you tell yourself. But one scroll turns into an hour, and the guilt that follows is unbearable. Facebook. It was Facebook for me, but for you it could be Instagram, email, YouTube shots – or any of those attention-sucking tools – that exploit psychological tricks to keep us hooked. Facebook wasn’t adding value to my life — it was draining my time and attention. In an era where every notification pulls us away from meaningful work, protecting our attention has become the ultimate productivity hack. Yet, how often do we let distractions like social media steal our focus — and our time? For me, this struggle hit hard in 2018, when Facebook became a tremendous obstacle to my productivity. I realised I needed a change. This realisat...

"Frugality includes all the other virtues." — Cicero Managing expenses can often feel like a mental balancing act. It encourages frugal habits, motivates you to save for emergencies or special events, and most importantly, helps reduce unnecessary tension at home. Lately, I've been reflecting on my spending habits, and I've realized that the best way to manage them is to write everything down. After all, as the saying goes, "the palest ink is stronger than the fondest memory." A Clear Picture of My Spending I use the free version of an app called Spending to track my daily expenses, and it works like a charm. The app allows me to enter dates, choose categories, and add notes when necessary. Since it’s available on my phone, I can update my records while on the go or from the comfort of my couch. So far this month...

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” - Author Unknown This morning, the world feels alive in a way that only a crisp winter morning can. The air is cool and invigorating, and I’m wrapped in the comfort of warm, well-chosen clothes. As I sit here reflecting, it strikes me how easily we overlook such simple blessings. Take my jacket, for example. At first glance, it seems like an ordinary possession. But the more I think about it, the more I realize how extraordinary it is — not just for its warmth or practicality, but for the memories and meaning stitched into every fibre. This jacket is a gift from my father, chosen with love and care. It has been my companion in so many moments of life — through joyful gatherings, solemn funerals, long bus rides, and cold outdoor nights. It has kept me warm when the world around me was freezing, offered pockets to carry my essentials, and reminded me of my father’s a...

Ever felt that you have an irritating traffic of tasks jostling in your mind to get checked off? Emails, assignments, medical, home errands and your to-do list can go on. A mere thought of these tasks is overwhelming. You try to do it all, but you feel that your hands are tied. You feel confused, clueless, and even frustrated. You think deeply about getting it all done, but soon your mind spins up clever excuses to keep you off it. And? The next moment you find yourself putting your feet up and having your favourite drink or watching television or scrolling on the social media. Because confess it to yourself – you know how to distract yourself. You know how to get yourself busy with something easy and dumb so that you can keep your mind far from grappling with the tough. But the revulsion of this escapism? Even though you’re busy in such mindless, low-quality activities, the burden of pending tasks continues to silently scream on you in the background. Has it ever ha...

So? You’re terribly busy running on the hectic treadmill of life. And you hardly get a chance of slowing down to feel the heart-moving beauty – these blessings that are all around you. But the amazing truth is that if we feel thankful for our daily blessings, that we take for granted, we’ll feel as if heavens have opened up their breasts to shower joy on us. We might get so energetic that we’ll turn back all the negative forces no matter however powerful they're to grab success. So, I’m going to list a few blessings which you have, but never feel grateful about. Shedding these blessings attention would kill your worries, scale up your strength, multiply your optimism, and eventually bring you near the success your heart hungers for. 1. There’re many people on ventilators, neither able to speak nor allowed to eat or drink anything. They helplessly see their relatives, but they know that nothing is going to be of any help. They’re waiting for their death, in a deep w...

You or I or anybody can get as successful as he dreams to by doing a simple thing. And, that simple thing is meditation, or being fully present in the moment . Many people think that meditation is the practice of sitting quietly in a secluded corner, paying attention to your breathing and mentally scanning all the parts of your body. It means that you shut off yourself from all external stimuli and internal triggers so to cancel out all the bustle of this ever-speeding world. While this is true, many folks also are of the view that you can’t meditate while you’re Fixed in traffic Engaged in any mentally demanding tasks Having food or coffee However, pause and reflect… Isn’t meditation another name for being fully present in the moment – of pouring the purest of your attention on whatever you’re doing at that specific moment? If you’re having a juice, pay attention to its taste, colour, texture. How it touches your lips, how it slides down your throat, what se...

Oh, end of another bone-stiffening day. You sigh, rub your misty eyes, and slump down on your soft bed to taste some ice-cream. You’re tired and drained yet a part of your mind desires to push more. But you direly feel like resting a little. It’s vital to refresh your creativity and health, right? As it slips around your tongue, you try enjoying the crispy texture of the ice-cream, but you can’t, because a bunch of work files are open in your mind. And you think… Can I ever get successful in enjoying the little pleasures of my everyday life? Maybe you’re overambitious, maybe not. But you certainly require changing the approach you have for your work. Fortunately, these mind-quickening points can inject fresh electric in you when you’re sucked up: Forget work and talk about war Rewind to June, 1942. German air force is bombarding England to hold sway over Europe. The Commanding General of the European Theater of Operations for the US Army, Dwight Eisenhower is plunged ...

“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...

When Alexander the Great conquered almost the entire world, he headed back to meet his teacher with his full pomp and glory. Accompanied with an entourage of elite generals and guards, his caravan came to a stop right before his teacher. He came forward and asked his teacher that what he wants from him . The teacher was sunning himself beside a tree. He didn’t demand any post or treasure or kingdom, though Alexander might have gratefully offered anything to him. You know what he asked? It will take you with surprise. He told the powerful king that before he arrived with his elite men and well-bred horses, he was enjoying the warmth of the sunshine on his bones, but their shadows covered the sun. So he asked the king to move to one side so that he can continue to enjoy the sunshine. Surprising, isn’t it? In this story it comes to light that the king was needier than the teacher. Because he needed to give something to his teacher maybe for contentment’s sake, but the teache...