I have been listening to a lot of content on deep thoughts. Do thoughts lead to action? “Karam” means action.
Now, I am realizing that thoughts have a significant impact on us.
Many times, when I travel long distances, past thoughts resurface in my mind. When I repeatedly think about them and try to justify myself, I notice a pattern—these thoughts often lead me to feel depressed. I question why certain things happened to me, and this realization was my first eye-opener.
It feels true that everything starts with a simple thought, and suppressing our thoughts can lead us to suppress others as well.
While staying with a relative, I remember being criticized. At first, I thought it was meant to help me improve, but later, I realized it was an attempt to suppress me. Sometimes, I feel that people appreciate those who follow their wishes, stay within their expectations, and remain beneath them.
So, I have learned to observe my thoughts. The past is over, and I cannot change it. However, I can choose to stop dwelling on it. The future is yet to come, so I focus on the present moment.
I recently came across this quote, and it caught my attention:
“An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field.” — Niels Bohr.
This quote is fascinating because it highlights how someone becomes an expert. Expertise isn’t achieved overnight—it comes through trial and error. A person starts working toward a goal, makes mistakes, learns from them, and gradually improves.
What’s even more interesting is that if a person doesn’t learn from their mistakes, they remain at the same level. Facing failure is tough, especially when you find yourself making the same mistakes repeatedly. But those who embrace their mistakes, analyze them, and adapt are the ones who grow.
This quote resonates deeply with my own life experiences. It reminds me that expertise is built on persistence and resilience.
So, when someone asks, “How do I become an expert in any field?” The answer is simple: Have the will to start, make mistakes, correct them, learn from them, and repeat the process.
Setting goals is easy, but achieving them is really tough. We need to stay focused. And results do not come in a day.
And we lost motivation. So what is the best way? The best way is to keep thinking about goals.
In the morning, wake up early and revise your goals.
Or in the evening, when you close your shop, write a journal. There, you have to revisit goals.
Most of the time, discouraging thoughts come into your mind. At that moment, intentionally think about your goals.
What you want to achieve, why you want to achieve.
Most of the time, we discourage ourselves. In ourselves, there is criticism. This critic constantly told us that our efforts were useless. We can make better use of our time. Or there is a lack of planning. There are some things we can do better.
So we have to keep that critic at bay. And just focus on our goals.
I want to achieve a lot. I want to do a lot of things.
I want to read a lot of books. I want to learn a lot of things. I want to earn a lot.
My friend Omer told me that, brother, you need to organize. I saw your stuff, but I feel it is not organized.
There are two things that Omer said. First, I have a lot of things, but they are not in a presentable way.
The second point is literally about disorganization.
I read a lot of books, but most of them are never finished.
My laptop has pictures and documents that are totally disorganized. and when I required something, I never found it.
I want to become an expert in supply chain management as a functional consultant in D365 Finance and Operations. I have links to different topics in a given subject and, as a result, never become confident.
My personal finances are all a mess. I have a rough idea of how much I need to pay. How much I spent, but no proper capture of what I spent and will is necessary.
That point is a turning point in my life. Both points are true. Neither I am organized nor my work is presentable.
It is said if you want to understand any person. Overserve his room. If everything is placed in the right order, it means he will be successful in life.
After understanding this point, I decided to organize what I already had and then move forward. First, I need to review what things I have and what tasks I already have. What books have I already read? which are completed, and which are partially completed. I list everything.
First things I organize my room and my wardrobe. What is required, what is not—I have done many things that are no longer required. You can move these things into the storeroom, so if possible, in the future, they will be required.
I define the location of everything. And strict to always place those things. For example, where will my keys be? Where do I need to place my body spray? Where do my clothes need to be placed?
https://youtu.be/KKwAHP3IGh0
For the day-to-day tasks, I started following the Getting Things Done methodology. After six months of effort, results are starting to appear. As an immediate benefit, I found that I stopped forgetting what important task I had to complete.
I make GTD things kanbanboard in the Timesprite productivity app. It was one of the best apps I ever used. I give me future prospects and remind me how much time I have left.
For books. I moved all my PDFs into one folder. I made a subfolder with the name “current reading”. This folder contains only one book. Until it is completed, I stop moving on to the next book.
For notes, I started using Second Brain by Tiago Forte. In addition to that, I made four folders, and all notes will be shifted. The only difference is that I make notes with the name Daily Archieve. I start storing everything there, and every month or week ends. I moved things into different folders.
For office work, I started using Eisenhower. The Eisenhower Matrix Take notes on every task currently assigned to me, and then move them into the Eisenhower matrix. And start working on only a specific task.
“The things that are urgent are seldom important, and the things that are important are seldom urgent.” Dwight D. Eisenhower, probably
For things I want to learn. First, I made a list of things under the subject. And start working on them one by one. And when each topic was completed, I added my notes and links to that area. So in the future, if I need to revise, this makes me a little confident.
For personal finance. I started using two things. Excel or a goal sheet. And start noting down every penny spent on it. Second, I start following Baby Steps from Dave Ramsiy. It is a good start. The only difference between what I do and what Dave Ramsiy says is that I start making a budget first. Instead, I start capturing everything first. After one month of efforts, it was clear to me where and what amount I spent. Then I start making a budget and following it.
for better presentation of work to your management. I start with the idea that “begin with the end in mind.” For communicating with management about when a task is complete, I start adding extra time. Instead of focusing on your personal satisfaction, I started focusing on management satisfaction. Before delivering any task, I start asking the following questions:
Is it completed? If it is not completed, speak to management. It is in progress. It will take more time.
Is it presentable? If not, do more work on it. Color notes, correct grammatical mistakes, and start following the pyramid principle. Focus on the starting and ending of the task report.
As I start getting organized, my presentation starts to improve, and my delivery of work improves. And my professional and personal life will be much better.
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Are you failing in life? Are you putting in a lot of effort? But someone else takes the credit.
I was facing this problem in my life. And recently, I met a complete failure. Failure is not due to a lack of skill, knowledge, or ability to present. I failed for only one reason. Let me explain a little detail here.
Being frustrated, I start searching. On all books, blogs, and YouTube videos, the same things I found
goals and planning.
hard work.
Accept failure with an open heart.
perseverance and persistence.
If you apply these things, one day you will succeed.
I am getting frustrated at not knowing why I failed.
The idea came to mind: what about Chanakya? What he taught his student to build a kingdom And why still, some ancient knowledge resurfaces.
When I searched for Chanankiya, I found that we did not know much about him. Being Pakistanis, we have a very bad impression of Chankiaya. I heard he was a very clever man. Not even a single publication on Chanakiya In Pakistan.
Even When I searched on the Internet, I found that only “Radhakrishnan Pillai” wrote some books in the light of the wisdom of Chanakya.
I feel the knowledge and wisdom of Chanakiya have been lost. We are unable to place him like Plato and Socrates.
Thanks to Amazon, I purchased one book, “Think Like Chanakya,” as a kindle.
I used to purchase books on my kindle, and the Amazon kindle app on Windows is a replacement for reading these books.
“Think Like Chankaya” writer Radhakrishnan Pillai sahib mentioned that according to Chanakya, four things are required as subject matter experts.
Right thinking. You are capable of making the right decisions.
Knowledge of the Vedas. The Vedas are knowledge of that time. At the moment, I consider it mastering the subject. Bookish knowledge of your field
Knowledge of the economy. What will sell, and what will not? Demand and supply
Knowledge and science of Politics.
I discovered the first three points. I am a knowledgeable person. I have already implemented it in my personal and professional lives. The only thing missing is Politics.
I was left behind due to Politics.
Plato: One of the penalties of refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.’
Without politics, you cannot get ahead.
So every task has two parts.
Do the task.
Show the completed task.
You cannot be successful until you are able to show your work. Showing your work requires a lot of concentration. We can compete with others only through office politics.
And this is reality.
Previously, I thought politics were bad. But now that I think either is bad or good, I have to learn the art and science of politics. This is the way to go.
Most of the time, we did not think before speaking. We speak because we want to share.
https://youtu.be/UB3DPtI_oPA
A couple of days ago, I learned this lesson. I got a call from my friend from the USA. We worked together in a software company, and he became my buddy. Couple of days back. He was facing a problem with sciatica, and the doctor wanted to remove the disk from his backbone. I was sitting in the room alone, seeking someone to talk to.
I got a call from him; he just told me that I have a doctor’s appointment. Instead of speaking further, I just started sharing my experience with illness. That happens; this happens; nobody cares; doctors are making money. If I just wait a few days, I can save money on all those things. When I discuss all my experiences, I feel light, but I find he becomes more depressed. He was in pain; he wanted to share. Instead of listening to him, I made him more worried. He wants to share that he has had a small operation to remove a disk from his backbone. He started weeping about what would happen tomorrow. I shared my friend’s problem with him instead of listening to him.
It was a very embarrassing situation for me. I feel that I need to change. I would not share my experience and knowledge about the problem. I just have to listen. What I learned is that whenever someone tells you that I have a doctor’s appointment, You have to just reply, “You will be well soon”. And try to listen to him and give him hope that things will be better. Never ever share your or others people stories with him.
Ah, I have 6 weeks, but 3 days have already passed. I start searching for jobs and apply to different places. Try to connect different people.
Today, on a hot summer day in Riyadh, I was walking in line under trees with little shadow. I was feeling a little depressed, thinking about what would happen after September 5. My company will find another job for me because my contract will end. If I get a job without their help, will they cooperate with me or not?
What will happen? Possible stress was on my face. The temperature was more than 50 degrees Celsius. While walking on the footpath, Mercedes stopped. I was surprised. An Arab in Modern dress in his mid-30s gave me a chilled water bottle. The moment I saw and touched the bottle, a smile and happiness came to my face. He enjoyed my expressions, and I thanked him, and his car moved away. I was thinking that this is God’s omen for me, that if I trust in God, things will be better. Or It is just a normal incident.
How this idea came into my mind In Dubai, I have one Hindu friend who has a lot of knowledge. Another question is about his knowledge of right and wrong. He told me, God is in everyone, and when you were in trouble And called him, he replied to you indirectly. I don’t believe in this ideology.
I just know that good people are everywhere, which is why he gave me a chilled water bottle. Because Allah added it to his heart to distribute water. The idea came to him from Allah. So everything is from Allah.
I was listening a podcast, there speaker talks about 10 10 10, 3 10 are people observer in you and last 10 are words. It talks about this quote that is in China, they said, if you cannot smile, you should not open a shop.
It means, The smile is the first thing every one note.
My father once told me that what he observed in other person is the smile.
We all are business man, Some business men are selling their products or open a shop. Others are selling their services. Consultants are coming in second category. We are selling our services.
Services to our company, Colleagues, and to clients.
And best way to sell our services is to smile. Because before selling our services, we ourself to others.
The only way to smile at workplace is live in present moment.
We all have pains, traumas and failures in life. We all have regrets,
We cannot finish all these things. Only way is to accept them. Accept them, so they no more hurt us.
Sometimes, we start to oppose and as result, these pains and suffering hurt us more.
The solution to all these problems, are acceptance. Let them come and go. Then we have to able to face the challenges we have in present moment.
I have to smile. Smile because I am capable to face every challenge that comes across.
Conclusion is smile is first thing, people watch at your face.
For smile, you have to live in present moment. Just focus on now.
Make peace with your past and live in present moment.
I have dream of visiting a graveyard, There buried lovers like suhni mahiwal, writers, Sant, shadu, big names. On one place, a saw a person, who is highly successful. I asked him, what is way to be successful. With hands he point towards a cemented stairs, without stair case leading to somewhere up. I don’t believe in dreams, but for sure, it is result of our sub-conscious mind. What I was understand, what my subconscious mind trying to told me, that built your own way. It means, all successful people are those who do things in their own way.
Actually what will happen. The whole day, I was working on document to provide the answers, why these things are just fit.
I was also learning a something new. the area, which I never explored. Some blogs on internet and nothing. Microsoft own notes are not sufficient. I was constantly asking this question, what to do, whom I took guidance. How someone else did this implementation.
In the morning, management will accept my answer because they all non technical. One manager, is already concern doubt on me.
My subconscious mind try to answer my question. That make your own way. study the matter, understand the requirement. And use your own path.
In the sufi way, its called Tariqat. In Arabic Tariqat is the way you do things, Also called Path. In sufisim, Tariqat means, your own way.
What is meaning of your own path.
Stop seeking Guidance : Many times, we are at level, that no body helps us. Its very difficult situation. We reach at certain level.
Some times, we can not ask questions. Nobody at our level or see things from your point of view.
All answers lies in side your. You have clear understanding of situation.
Darad under day under wasson, Bahar karran tay gahil huu.- Couplet from Sultan bahu.
All pain and suffering lies inside me, If I share it, I can be victimized.
Seek knowledge. Learn through observation, how things handled by others, Listen to your environment, People trying to teach you.
study blogs, study tutorials, Listen to others. Read books.
Apply knowledge:
Third is apply knowledge. Without applying nothing found. Experience comes from apply knowledge. And then reflect on it. What benefit we found after apply knowledge. Do things in your own way.
Communicate: Start communicate, start sharing your knowledge, how you apply them, what benefit you found after applying these knowledge. Speak about it.
The difference between, successful and loser is execution. Both have ideas, but successful person, execute the idea.
I am not saying don’t seek guidance. Without guru, teacher, and guider, we did not reach at certain point. But in life, sometimes, we reach a point, where no one guide us. In these situation, stop seeking guidance. Take a lead. Study the topic, stop asking questions, seek knowledge, start communicate, And start apply knowledge by trusting your own guts. No body comes to help you.
My own believe that, when a such a point reach, when you cant ask questions, And unable to take decision. Start listening what people are saying around you. they are discussing their own matters, there own problem. Just start observing people what challenges they are facing and how they handle these. Keep silent, just listen. You will find answer to your problem, without sharing and without asking, Just listen.
One of the biggest challenge, I am facing now is building relationship with others.
I realize that the relationship with others are result of your relationship with yourself.
Whatever is inside, reflect outside.
Now question is how can I make good relationship with myself.
Answer is to understand yourself. Accept your past, hope for future and overcome your fear. It is a starting point for me. For this I start to give answer to following points.
Who am I.
What are my achievements.
What are my failures.
What are my strengths.
What are my weakness.
What motivates me.
What discourage me.
More importantly why I did things in a way. What was my motivation. What was my intension.
I have to understand my weakness and failures. So they will not become hurdle in my success.
Sometimes, the idea of failure stops us to move ahead. I failed that time, this will repeat again. I will fail again. To control this, we have to accept our failures. Remember, whatever we resist, persist.
So control on it.
Understand weakness, is important, so we work on it. I know, start working on it.
For example, I used to delay things, but when dead line reach near, my start to panic. And as result nothing happen. I start working from day first. So panic situation never happen. I start to control that I have enough time. I have start working on day one. In this way, I overcome the weakness.
My greater weakness is communicate. I understand, what I spoke. I start spoke about my work. I found that I am unable to bear the criticism. So I check my sensitivity. And start understand, it is just other person opinion. Take it or not take it. Just listen. And ignore.
I found that my documentation is not good, due to grammatical mistakes. My sentences are similar to speaking. Not professional writing. So after writing, I start using Quillbot, Grammerly or Notion Ai.
You have to understand, What motivates you. For example, fear of failing. Motivates me. Ability to learn new things, motivates me.
You also notice, what demotivate you. Reason for that, when that situation happens, you can handle the situation. You can take proactive action.
My friends, whatever the failure happens, you have to accept that. Let it go for all past actions.
Start a better relation with yourself. And slowly it will come out and reflect in your relationship.
