Husain Journal

The beauty is that unless you outstep your comfort limit, you’re not going to improve. Many incredible people have said that all progress takes place outside the boundaries of our comfort area, on risky terrains. The resistance in us, triggered from our lizard brain, dissuades us from venturing out in risky situations (public speaking, tendering that proposal, launching a business, having a tough talk) because it sees that groundless fabric of fear from miles and miles away. Unable to gauge the gravity of the risk, it treats it as if it were life-threatening, and hence the resistance. This resistance once upon a time was important. The thing is that now things have changed – i.e. now we don’t have that many life-threatening situations as before – but the resistance operates in the same way. And the remarkable thing is that this resistance isn’t merely a concept. It has its physical, material existence, and as I said above, is known as the lizard brain. When we suddenly get alar...

Suspicion in some places is shattering and disastrous. What you expect of the other person he is very likely to become like it. If you think that that person is good, he likely will elevate himself to meet your expectations, but if you think that he is bad, you likely are going to see the reality stooping down to match your expectations. In How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie suggests “Giving others a great reputation to live up to.” This is called The Expectation Effect. Yes, it’s possible that sometimes cold waters of cheating might sweep away your trust, yet overall it’s beneficial in relationship, work, and in all other dealings. What I’m saying here might appear flimsy to you at first, but give it a long, hard look, and you’ll find many businesses standing on this policy. How? A lot of businesses give the customers the guarantee that if they didn’t like their products post-purchase, they can return them and take back their full money without any ques...

Picture this to yourself… You’re crazily in love with an innocent and gorgeous girl. Just the kind of lady you ever dreamt to be with you on your tea and dinner table. You’re spinning up excuses to be around her. You’re creative in doing things to please her. You’re repeatedly opening your heart to show her your overflowing love. But oops…she thinks that you’re becoming a drag on her. Your constant indulgence is making her sick of you. Yes, it doesn’t mean that your love for her is untrue. No, you’re sincere, earnest, and you love her from your full heart and soul. But the only problem? You’re unable to make an effective proposal. A proposal that she would thank you for, can’t wait to jump upon, and finally drench you by her angelic affection you so dream of. Paradise on earth, right? And while you’re making frantic efforts to woo her, the cruel fate grins and something cruel stings you right on your face. Smash… A cleverer guy walks in, dials the right number, and she is g...

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...

“The paths of glory lead but to the grave.” Thomas Grey, English poet When Alexander the Great, who conquered the world was dying, he called up his generals and asked them to do 3 things after his death: To have his coffin carried by top physicians, To strewn the path leading up to his grave with precious gems and rubies that he had achieved, And to cut off his hands to keep them outside his grave. His faithful generals, overflowing with emotions, said that they’ll certainly do as the master commanded, but they requested him to tell them the reason behind such weird orders. Ailing in pain, Alexander explained: He wants his coffin to be carried by top physicians to let the world know that death catches everyone, no matter how resourceful he is. Therefore top physicians should carry his coffin. Secondly he wanted the world to know that no matter however power or riches you grab, the path of life eventually ends in death. Therefore precious gems and rubies on the path t...

“As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.” Rumy In those silent old days our forefathers carried lanterns to navigate their way. The distance these lanterns illumined, you know, wasn’t that huge. Nevertheless, it alerted them of potholes and reptiles and thorny shrubs etc. In fact, having a view of so far wasn’t needed. If, presenting the excuse that they’re unable to see through so far they hadn’t started off, they won’t have ever reached where they had wanted to. Turns out that it’s plain common sense to move as far as you can see because then you’ll be able to see farther. Right? Well, take the example of car headlights. While driving we’re able to see only a little far ahead, but as we continue to cover the distance, our headlights also continue to illumine the course ahead. Will you ever bring your car to a creaking halt because you’re not able to see what’s 2 kilometres ahead of you? But, this is exactly what many of us do when it comes to steering our...

Am I productive or just busy? Am I using my potential to its best? Am I using my time optimally? If I were to take an important exam at this time, would I have been working with the same energy? Well, regarding the first question, I think that I’m not working as productively as I should be. And so far the remaining 3 questions are concerned – I admit it with a ripple of regret that it’s a resounding no. I accept that neither I’m using my potential at its best, nor am I using my time optimally. And oh yes, if I were to take an exam at this time, I would have been working with razor-sharp focus. Results would have sprang forth in a different style then. The overlooked fact … Even though we refuse to take it down our throat, the truth still is that every day, every moment of our work is an important exam for us. You know why? Because – What we do at this very moment ultimately adds a brush to the final picture. The sooner we chew in this morcel, the sooner we’ll begin to ...

You could be wasting your time. A sure-fire test to know if the work you’re pursuing is worth your time or not lies in the fact that it has to be tough for you. If certain work is putting stress on your mind, and you’re not able to do it easily, there’s a very high likelihood that it’s rewarding. Easy things generally aren’t rewarding, and therefore they can be timewasters. If something was difficult to you once upon a time and practising has rendered it easy, it’s a clear sign that you need to level up the toughness – else you won’t improve. Keep pushing your limits, as they say. If you’re in your easy area, in your comfort zone, no progress is going to take place. If you want to be an athlete, try covering a mile in 4 minutes if you’re doing it in 6. If you want to be a writer, try penning down 500 words in 10 minutes if you’re doing it in 20. If we feel complacent with the labour we’re putting up, we’re not going to ever improve. Lifting heavy weights, the ones that ar...

No, it’s not getting into a top university. It’s not your luck, either. It’s rather something old, easy, humble. But – let me give you a little context first. What I learn while juggling my day job with reading, personal journaling and publishing blogposts here is that when I try to go ahead towards 1 particular area, my focus shifts away from other critical areas. These days I’m racking my mind on the issue of offering my daughter a great education and what could be the most advantageous for her: Schools, private tutor or home education. Before this it was the renovation of my dilapidated house. Because you know that it feels selfish to think only about personal growth. It’s your top responsibility to think about your family also. Of course, focussing on all the things simultaneously isn’t fun. Even if you permit no extra traffic in your head (news, gossip, social networks) there’s already more than you can easily handle. So? There’s the need to adopt an exquisite tec...

Hmm, let me guess… You have heard a ton of advice on the importance of planning. Yeah, they say that the soul of every project is its plan, and failing to plan is planning to fail. While this precious hunk of wisdom gets rehashed and reverberated in different new ways, we rarely come across the truth that no plan is executed accurately as sketched out. Guess why? Because as we go forth on the planned course, new and unexpected things pop up, and consequently we’re compelled to change the scripted steps. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the former general and president of the U.S. said, “No battle was ever won according to plan, but no battle was ever won without one.” This happens because when an army goes forward in the battlefield, unexpected situations come to surface. The enemy reacts in a different way, or the weather changes, or the ammunition supply gets stuck somewhere etc. If fresh conditions unfold but the general sticks with the same plan, he is going to lose. Going accurat...