Month: October 2025
We can’t be the best at everything, but we can excel in a few things
We can’t be the best at everything, but we can excel in a few things.
To truly move forward, we need to focus on a small area and put consistent effort into improving it.
I often feel the temptation to do too many things after work, but I’ve realized that progress comes from repetition, not from spreading myself too thin.
Life is uncertain. The future never truly arrives
Life is uncertain. The future never truly arrives, and the past can never be recovered.
Sometimes I feel stuck — walking, working out, thinking about everything I’ve lost.
I wonder how much of my life I’ve spent in compromise.
There were moments when I couldn’t do anything, and moments when I had to make my parents happy.
What I gained or lost can’t be changed now.
The Stoics say: focus only on what you can control.
Direct your energy toward what can still be changed.
Ancient wisdom teaches the same — stay in the present moment.
Live it fully. Learn, grow, and improve from where you stand.
The true Sufis call this “Sahib-e-Haal” — the master of the present moment.
So what should I do?
Be aware. Stay grounded in the now.
Like a hunter fully alert — either he hunts, or becomes the hunted.
The past is just memory, the future an illusion.
The best thing is to believe that the world is full of possibilities.
If something bad can happen, why can’t something good?
So I choose to hope for the best — and focus only on now
The Story of the Depressed Monk
Two young monks arrived at a Buddhist monastery. Both wanted to learn martial arts and study the deeper truths of Buddhism.
One was cheerful and full of energy. The other was quiet, burdened, and often sad.
The Master observed them for a while. Then he said,
“You,” pointing to the cheerful one, “will join the martial arts training.”
“And you,” turning to the sad one, “will clean the monastery each day. When your task is complete, you may begin your training.”
The sad monk was surprised. He had hoped to practice martial arts right away. But the Master’s word was final. So he bowed and accepted his duty.
Every morning, he swept the courtyard, cleared away dry leaves, and dusted every corner. Yet, by the next morning, the courtyard was covered again — leaves fallen, dust blown by the wind.
After a month of this, he went to the Master and said,
“Master, no matter how much I clean, by morning the dust returns. I feel the same about my mind. Thoughts of regret, betrayal, and worry come back again and again. I try to forget, but they return.”
The Master smiled.
“That is the lesson,” he said. “The courtyard gathers dust every day, and you clean it again. The mind does the same — it gathers thoughts, emotions, and pain. You cannot stop the dust from coming, but you can keep cleaning. That is the practice.”
The monk bowed deeply. He finally understood.
From that day, he continued his cleaning with peace in his heart. Weeks later, the Master told him,
“Now you are ready for martial arts training — for you have learned the first lesson: to clean the mind.”
Inspired with Zen story