Think Big Dream High,E52 - Be An Honourable Professional

Honourability

1.Everyone of us is honourable. Those with undesirable desires and behaviour gradually become less honourable. Our background, education, social circles and experience have a major influence on our character, attitude, practices and way of life. These factors play an important role in maintaining our honourability.

2.Someone who think big dream high should maintain the honourable characteristics in themselves. With a good education, experience and good social standing, we should work towards preserving our honourable status.  

Reality in Life     

1.When performing the Hajj or Umrah,  a person’s true character is usually revealed. This statement is made through self observation when performing the religious obligation. Everyone when performing the Hajj or Umrah has good and honourable intentions. No other thoughts in mind than sincerely praying to Allah SWT to obtain His Blessings and Grace. In fact almost everybody cried in front of the Kaabah in Mecca or at the Prophet SAW’s cemetery in Masjid Nabawi, Medina.

2.Everyone shed tears when the Imam sobbed whilst reciting the Surah during prayers or doa or reciting the lengthy doa qunut during witir prayers. The Imam felt sad and this feeling was shared with thousands of makmum. Eventhough some of the makmum have little knowledge on the meaning of the Surah recited, they were overcomed by emotions and unconsciously cried. Shedding of tears as indication of regret, repentance, sincerity and honourability. Shedding of tears purely because of Allah SWT.      

3.In the same mosques, after a display of sadness, we showed the dishonourability side of our heart when looking for space to pray and also during tawaf. We pushed others aside, we stepped on people’s head, we want to move fast to the saf in front, we want to kiss the hajaratul aswad, we want to be closer to Allah SWT but in so doing we acted in a selfish manner. We do not bother about others who came much earlier than us but we still want to be at the front saf reflecting our dishonourable character.  We are fully aware that  we have a choice. We can come to the mosque earlier to secure the saf we wanted. Instead, we chose to come at a later time when the mosque is full. We acted in a manner not reflective  of our good mannerism, behaviour and character. That is how fast we change from an honourable person to a dishonourable person.

4.This scenario is just one example. It can happen to us in a different scenario and situation in our daily lives. A professional  who practices the principle of think big dream high should pay attention to these small things.  We often have a change of heart due to the mischievousness trait that crops up occasionally in our being. We cannot allow this to happen.           

Tips

1.As a professional who think big and dream high, we are the boss. We have the autonomy to control anything including our undesirable desires. We cannot allow our hearts and mind to be the boss. We need to undergo the honourability test to find out our status. In our daily lives, each one of us went through this honourability test. Every single person has their ups and downs. These two mood swings are the actual honourability test.

2.During crisis, emergencies and problematic situations, do we possessed  the fortitude, the undivided loyalty to our religion, organization or family? Do we possessed  a high level of patience and tawakkal to Allah SWT? If the answer to all these questions is yes, then we passed the first honourability test. We actually have the characteristics of an honourable person.   

3.The second test is during good times and when achieving success. During the good times, have we bothered to forgive anybody that brought misery to us? Any possibilities that we misused the power by taking revenge on those who contributed towards the misery? By any chance did we donate our income or profits to the deserving including our enemies? Did we felt brave enough to use our position for the benefit of the public regardless of who they are? Did we all the time felt grateful to Allah SWT after achieving success? If  the answer to  all these questions is yes then rest assured that we are an honourable person.

4.These two tests must be taken by all professionals who hold true to the slogan of think big dream high and have a strong heart and who yearned for Allah SWT’s Blessings and Grace.

Think Big Dream High, E51- A Healthy Diet

Obese Society

1.The effectiveness of physical exercises can only be obtained by maintaining a proper diet. Eating nasi lemak, root bulbs, kueh and drinking teh tarik or isotonic soft drink is a common phenomena seen after exercising such as after a round of golf game. Such practices have no positive impact on the physical exercise carried out. All those calories burnt during the exercise is replenished back by those intake of carbohydrate or sugar based foods.

2.Dieting is not only about slimming down but more for our physical health. Usually, a fat or obese person will not enjoy optimal health. It is a known fact that the main reason for all kinds of illnesses is our food intake. Food taken excessively without adequate protein will result in obesity. Obesity can be the source of diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart diseases, knee pain sickness etc.

3.All these illnesses will affect our career, lessen our capabilities, slow down our activities, make us lazier than the others. It is also contributing towards our inability to achieve multifold success and excellence.      

4.Please cross reference this article with E36,E37 and E38. These articles provide the basic background on the same subject but with a different and wider approach.

Reality in Life

1. It was reported in the media that more than half of the Malaysian population is suffering from obesity or excessive body weight. This does not indicate that we are a well endowed society and always consuming plenty of good food. We are actually consuming food that the rich is avoiding. The rich and wealthy consumed more quality and more expensive food. They consumed more proteins such as meat, cheese, milk, all kinds of seafood, salmon, eggs, oxygenated water, salad with olive oil etc.

2.The poor and less fortunate consumed less quality and much cheaper food. They consumed more carbohydrates such as white rice, white bread, kueh, root bulbs such as tapioca,yam,sweet potatoes, potatoes, spaghetti, fried mee, porridge, teh tarik, black coffee, banana fritters or curry puffs fried using recycled oil. Such being the case, at least 60% of Malaysians consumed food usually eaten by the not so rich and not so wealthy society.

3.Majority of the not so rich and not so wealthy society are my countrymen. This in a way indicated that majority of my countrymen are suffering from obesity. Directly this implied that my countrymen are the ones that need to change their diet. Diet that comprise of a significant amount of carbohydrate  should be changed to a more balanced diet.

  

Tips

1.My book, “Diet Hang Tuah” discussed at length the best diet for a young entrepreneur and executive that strive to achieve success in life. It is in line with the motto, think big dream high. In the book, a balanced diet of carbohydrate, fibre, protein and fats has been proposed. Examples of the best source of carbohydrate i.e. brown rice, chappati, nasi dagang, basmathi rice, oats bran, sweet potatoes, wholemeal or wholegrain bread. 

2.Examples of the best source of fibre i.e. all kinds of ulams kampung, celery, all kinds of green vegetables such as Broccoli, Sabah vege, Bok Choi, Spinach, Peas, Green Beans, Bean Sprouts, Lettuce, Green and Red Peppers, Green Cabbage, Fennel, Asparagus, Kangkong, Pucuk Manis, Pucuk Paku, Mustard, Tomatoes, Cucumber or Carrot, all kinds of fruits such as Papaya, Guava, Green Apples, Oranges and all kinds of nuts and beans such as Peanut, Pistachio, Walnut, Cashew nut, Red Bean, Black Bean or White Bean. Examples of the best source of fats i.e. Olive Oil, Macadamia Oil, fish oil and ghee. Examples of the best source of protein are soy drink ,fish such as salmon, chicken, lean meat, lean lamb, all kind of legume, beans or nuts.

3.Please take note that Sweet Potatoes and Carrots have a high  sugar content. Therefore, do not take them with other carbohydrates during meals. Eat Sweet Potatoes or Carrots or other carbohydrates separately as part of the 25% carbohydrate portion in breakfast, lunch or dinner.

4.When preparing  breakfast, lunch or dinner, the ideal balanced diet comprised of 25% carbohydrate, 25% fibre, 25% protein and 25% fats. For breakfast we should choose oats bran, milk or soya drink without sugar, 2 poached eggs fried with olive oil and 6 to 8 celery sticks of two inches in length each plus its leaves. For lunch we should choose Basmathi rice, fish such as Salmon or Tenggiri or Kembong or chicken or lamb or meat, any vegetable Ulams such as Kacang Botol or Long Beans or Daun Pegaga  and Soya drink. For dinner we should choose boiled or roasted Sweet Potatoes, Salmon, Tomatoes and beans such as Pol dipped in Olive Oil and Soya drink. Alternatively, consume a simple dinner of 2 pieces of wholegrain Tuna sandwich, salad with olive oil dressing plus two glasses of Soya drink.

5.In between meals in case hunger pangs develop, take any kinds of nuts or beans, Celery sticks, Cucumber, Long Beans as Ulam and fruits such as Guava, Oranges, Papaya, Grapes, Green Apples etc. Avoid totally food such as kueh, all kinds of cakes, biscuits, porridge, Roti Canai, banana fritters, Mee Mamak or Mee Maggi.  

6.Why Sweet Potatoes or Carrots?. The high beta-carotene content in Sweet Potatoes and Carrots will refresh and balanced the skin Ph and maintain our youthful good looks. Sweet potatoes and its leaves contain vitamins and minerals such as A,B,C,K, calsium, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, niacin, phosphorus and fiber. Carrot contains vitamins and minerals such as A,B,C,K, calsium, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, niacin, phosphorus and fiber, about similar in vitamin content as sweet potatoes.

7.Why Salmon?. A kind of pigment found in Salmons i.e. astaxanthin  can destroy the free radicals formed and created in our body. Free radicals will destroy the cell membranes and DNA of the skin making it wrinkled  and aged before its time. The DHA and EPA from the salmon’s omega 3 are important for our brain function and health. Salmon contains high protein, omega 3 fatty acid and vitamin D.

8.Why Tomatoes?. The red lycophene in Tomatoes is an antioxidant that can control and protect the skin from the sun’s rays. It will also help golfers, who are widely exposed to the sun’s  rays and help minimize the risk of having skin cancer. Tomatoes contain vitamins and minerals such as vitamins A,B,C,E,K, magnesium, manganese, potassium, niacin, phosphorus and fiber.

9.Why Oranges?. The high content of vitamin C in Oranges can assist our body in the production of collagens. Collagen is a component that maintains the youthfulness of our skin. Oranges also contain bioflavonoids that protects our skin cells from being destroyed by the UV rays. Oranges contain  vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B,C,E, magnesium, manganese, potassium, niacin, phosphorus, zinc and fiber.

10.Why Spinach?. All kinds of leafy green vegetables such as Spinach contain lutein that protects the skin from being destroyed, bruised and wrinkled.Spinach contains vitamins and minerals such as A,B,C,E,K,calsium,iron,magnesium,manganese,potassium,niacin,sodium, phosphorus and fiber.

11.Why Celery? Celeries have low calories content  and  high in fiber. It contains vitamins and minerals such as A,B6,C,K, magnesium, calcium, potassium and others. The celery leaves contain flavonoid, an antioxidant effective for cancer protection and immune boosting functions.

12.Why Cucumber?. Cucumber has low calories content, high in water and fiber content. It contains vitamins and minerals such as A,B1,B6,C,D, magnesium, folate, calcium and potassium. It is effective in combating diabetes, joint pains, gout and arthritis. It will be more effective in fighting joint pains, gout and arthritis  when taken together with Carrot as a source of Ulam or salad.

13.Why Olive Oil? Olive oil is a source of monounsaturated fat. The Olive oil molecules when heated up to the boiling point or refrigerated below zero, will not change its molecules to polyunsaturated fat that causes blockages in our arteries and heart. It remained as monounsaturated fat, a healthy fat and required by our body.

14.Why Soy? Soy has high protein and fiber content. Soy products such as soy milk, tempe or lecithin have  high vitamins and minerals content. The vitamins content i.e. ,vitamin K, thiamine, riboflavin, chloline, isoflavones, folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, zinc and iron and  antioxidant. Soy products rich in protein can be a replacement for red meat and  can lower cholesterol and saturated fat in the body.

15.Soy helps to regulate blood pressure, reduce sugar level in the blood, improve the body immune system and decrease the LDL cholesterol(bad cholesterol).Soy can also improve the overall cardiovascular health, supporting liver health, reduce risk of certain types of cancer (breast and prostate cancer) and help prevent osteoporosis by increasing bone mineral density(BMD).

16.However those who already have breast cancer are not advisable to take soy products. This is  because the isoflavones, a vitamin found in the soy product will make tamoxifen (breast cancer medicine) less effective.

17.All of the above examples on carbohydrate, fibre, protein and fats shown together with their benefits are the best kind of food for consumption. These types of food will enable us to maintain our youthfulness, vitality and slow down the ageing process.

Think Big Dream High, E50– Smart Leadership  

Versatile, Universal And Respected Leadership

1.Someone who wants to excel and be well known in any field must have good leadership qualities. Each and everyone of us is born a leader. Only those who are able to expand the elements of leadership traits in themselves will be successful in becoming a smart professional, politician, religious leader, singer, entrepreneur or athlete.

2.For ease of understanding, leaders in all of these fields will be referred to as leaders or professionals in this article. This article will make references and comments on the leadership by example qualities shown by some of the leaders in our society.

3.Leaders come and go according to the era. A leader will be praised in accordance with the phenomena created during his leadership era. The leader is relevant, effective, praised and admired during that time. Only those who think big and dream high will be a successful leader, respected and remembered throughout their period of leadership. Their versatility, universality and prominent leadership characteristics endeared them to the people and made them be respected and praised even long after their death.

4.Other than the Prophets whose leaderships are specifically guided by Allah SWT, there are also other leaders of world class stature. For example, Imam Shafie (founder of Mazhab Shafie), Imam Al Ghazali (shariah scholar and a great Sufi), Mahatma Gandhi(a well-known politician from India), JF Kennedy (The former President of USA), Nelson Mandela (The former President of South Africa), Tun Mahathir Mohammd (the former Prime Minister of Malaysia), Bill Gate (the founder of Microsoft from USA), Warren Buffet (the world’s richest businessman from USA), P Ramlee (the legendary actor/singer from Malaysia), Mohammad Raffi (the legendary singer from India), Umi Kalthom(the legendary singer from Egypt), Akio Morita (the founder of Nokia group from Japan), Chung Ju-Yung(the founder of Hyundai Group of South Korea) or Pele (the world’s best footballer from Brazil).

5.The problems faced by the leaders are more or less the same from one era to another, even to this present day and time. It has everything to do with the stakeholders and the environment at the time. There might be differences but only on the challenges, civilization and difficulties faced in that particular era. In the era of ICT, knowledge based economy and globalisation, the challenges, difficulties and diversity are much more than an agricultural or industrial based economy. Obviously differences will continue to exist even in the next century.

6.Therefore for someone aspiring to be a leader in this era should  take into consideration the level of modernization, difficulties, diversity and challenges contemplated at this point in time. All these  with the aim of producing a world famous professional who will be respected and remembered not only for now but more than 100 years in the future.

Reality in Life      

1.There are leaders who rose through the rank and file. There are leaders who are created through the back door. Leaders created through blood relationship, hereditary or nepotism. Leaders created as a result of abuse of power. Leaders created through immoral tactics and unethical strategies. Leaders created through cronysm and being in the good books of the past leaders. Leaders created for reasons unknown obviously not based on pure leadership qualities. This is an example of leaders created through the back door.

2.We do not want to be categorized in the same league as leaders created through the twisted back door. We want to be leaders created through the natural process. The process of leadership creation based on merit, charisma and maturity. We want to be leaders created through the front door, who are risk takers but smart, gentlemen, accountable, responsible, just and equitable and transparent. Leadership supported by the stakeholders in total and uncompromising.

3.Say for example, a corrupted leader, will be surrounded with leaders and future leaders who are corrupted as well. I scratched your back and you scratched mine and vice versa. A corrupted leader will only be able to maintain his position when he is defensive of his subordinate who is corrupted as well. A clean and uncorrupted leader will not be able to maintain his position for long if he is surrounded with leaders who are corrupted. Likewise a corrupted leader will not be able to maintain his position for long if he is surrounded with leader who are clean and uncorrupted.

4.The more advanced the civilization, the more knowledgeable the community, the more they viewed with disgust acts of corruption, falsification, manipulation and non-transparency. As leaders we should remember this fact and avoid them at all cost. If we want to be accepted and respected by majority of the stakeholders and the community we therefore need to be clean and just.

Tips

1. A professional who think big dream high should be a leader of the future with clearly defined vision, mission, working style and goals. Everyone of it is fully understood and accepted by the stakeholders. Everyone of it must be specific, not blurrish and unrealistic. As a leader he should give clear directions, work responsibilities and job scope to all parties involved. Everyone must understand their roles and the contribution expected from them within a specified period of time by the organization. The expectations of the leader must be clearly understood, reminded and refreshed periodically so as not to be ignored. This means, everyone must know, what, when and how the organization’s goals are to be achieved.

2.A professional who think big and dream high should be a leader of the future having diverse knowledge and  upholding the truth, just and excellent. He himself must excel and  be respected in his chosen field. The level of diversity of the stakeholders in the present environment and maybe even in the future are expected to be varied. The character, taste, satisfaction, demands and wants of the consumer and the general public are unlimited. The market is too competitive. The level of transparency, availability of information, accountability and responsibility have become much more buoyant. As someone with high ambition, we need to equip ourselves with all kinds of expertise and abilities. Expertise and abilities needed to facilitate roles and work assignments in a more effective manner.

3. A professional who think big and dream high should be a leader of the future who practices the sharing culture and delegation of authority to other parties involved in ensuring the success of an entity’s mission and goals. He should also showed wisdom in understanding, evaluating, appreciating and using the strengths and advantages of those involved. He cannot afford to be just supervising and giving instructions to his subordinates. As a leader he should work as a team with his subordinates and collectively come up with  the right strategies and plans of action. In this manner, everyone of the stakeholders will be in the same comfort zone and assumed they are all important and needed.

4. A professional who think big and dream high should be a leader of the future, fully committed, engaging himself wholeheartedly in  programmes that are beneficial to the  stakeholders. He should have a futuristic approach in thinking and ever ready to solve any problems faced especially in a new and unexplored territory.

5. A professional who think big and dream high should be a leader of the future, willing to open his door to anybody from varied background intending to contribute information, ideas and  collaboration. The leader realizes that the pooling of a concerted effort in providing inputs, the inherent traits in every members of the group i.e. their weaknesses and strengths will produce the real power to the organization he led. It is only through this kind of approach that can ensure the organization’s ability of being the best.

6.A leader with leadership qualities mentioned in the above paragraphs will undoubtedly be accepted widely as an exemplary and smart leader.         

Think Big Dream High,E49-Thorough Preparation Towards Achieving A Think Big Dream High Vision, Personal Grooming-Part 6 

Well Mannered And Groomed Society

1.Smart, neat and stylish is reflective of a person’s personality and a portrayal of someone intelligent and professional. Everyone within our sphere either met one to one or together in  a group is comfortable with our presence. Our hair is neatly brushed, moustache and beard neatly trimmed, fingernails clean, our face is bright and teeth sparkling white. Our attire such as shirt, tie, pen, a  single  ring, one bracelet, watch, glasses, belt, briefcase, head scarf, jacket, pants, suit, handkerchief, blouse, shoes, stocking etc must have colour co-ordination and worn for the appropriate occasion.

2.Our  body smelt nice. No bad breath and filthy mouth that irritated those around us. Ears and nose should always be hygienic. The eyebrows well trimmed, no unwanted hairs jutting out from the nose.

3.The way we moved with carefully arranged steps and not too fast. Someone with confidence will walk upright but not looking overbearing. We need to move fast but not too fast. We moved, heels first touching the ground or floor. We should not walked lackadaisically. We should put up a smile but not necessarily nodding right or left. The way we moved, reflected our aura and an indication of someone who should be respected and given attention.

4.The way we shook hands, language used in conversation or making presentation is utterly polished and well choreographed. The proper salutation being used when addressing the VVIP present. Better still put in a bit of humour in our speech, to catch the audience’s attention. A simple humour will do without hurting anyone’s  feelings. Avoid laughing with outburst. We should smile but not laughing. Control the saliva, sweat and running nose from splittering to the audience.

5.We looked good from head to toe. People looked in awe at us. We looked confident of ourselves. People liked the way we carry ourselves with a certain image and style. They will give the thumbs up at the way we socialized, usage of appropriate words, sentences and the tone of our voice. We are an executive or entrepreneur full of charm and magnetic aura able to attract the attention of those around us.  We are outstanding in comparison to others around us. We exude class and standard. A reflection of someone who think big and dream high.          

Reality in Life     

1.This person looked awful. His armpit smelt, hair in disarray with clumps of brylcream, the moustache is messy, with extra long beard, there’s chillies spotted on the front teeth, breath smelt of petai, the little finger’s nail is long and yellowish as a result of chain smoking.

2. This person wore short sleeved yellow shirt with grey tie. When he lifted his arm, the hairs twinning at the armpits were revealed. Long pants revealing the ankle, white socks wore with unpolished brown shoes, the ends of his belt curling, the mirror of his watch scratched showing spots of water.

3.That is the kind of image portrayed by the young executive or entrepreneur. This kind of image is definitely not for the young executive. It will bring him nowhere. He might probably end up  working in one company or government department deep in the rural area. It is almost impossible for him to work in the city area.

Tips 

1.There is no need to join a grooming school in order to carve a professional image for oneself before embarking on a working life. The Prime Minister, Ministers, KSUs or CEOs whose images are always being portrayed by the TV and print media need to be exposed to corporate grooming and have their own personal image consultant. It is not good for a Minister’s image when talking with bits of chillies spotted in between his front teeth.

2.The hair need to be trimmed every three weeks and treated so as not to reveal the white hair or hair being too oily or dry. Moustache and beard must be trimmed everyday. Teeth must be sparkling white making us confident when smiling. Spoilt teeth need to be repaired. The yellowish colour on the teeth need to be cleaned until it turned white. Uneven and protruding teeth need to be treated.

3.Garlic, petai and jering must be avoided during work days. Avoid having bad and smelly breath as a result of having spoilt teeth or food stuck in between teeths. Tongue must be brushed to rid of the bacteria that caused bad breath. Take mentol sweets that freshen  the breath.

4.Nails trimmed every two weeks to prevent it from getting longer than necessary. The lady executive can use nail polish but choose a milky shiny colour.  A lady executive need to wear make up but not too much. The lipstick must not be too red and alluring. The men too can use light make up, catered for men. Someone who wants to be successful must maintain their goods looks and be well groomed.

5.The best kind of clothing is from refined Egyptian cotton. The best shirt colour is white, light blue, light yellow, light purple. For women all  kinds of colours are suitable but it must not be too striking, flowery and best worn with a dark or milky white coloured jacket. The head scarf must match the outfit and preferably in lighter colours.  Black and white are the best bet.   The best full suit is from fine wool. Pants, full suit and jacket must be black, navy blue or any dark colours. Shirts in plain white, light blue or pink lined vertically and not checked or lined horizontally. Horizontal lines make us look short whilst vertical lines make us look tall and lanky.

6.The pants should cover the top part of the shoes. Not too short nor too long. Neckties look best with red or dark blue as the basic colour. Stripes  with colours blue, white, gold, green, black and purple  are possible but it must matched the shirt. White is the best choice for the shirt and can easily be paired with any coloured ties and pants. The stockings must be black. Belts must be black and not excessively long with silver or aluminium crowns.

7. The pair of shoes should preferably be black in colour and look better with strings. It present a more classy image. Do not use sport shoes, jeans or  t-shirt while in office. In the advertising industry, the working attire is  slightly different and this is according to the norms of the industry.  Watch is best in silver coloured  with black straps. Avoid gold coloured watch for men. Choose a black coloured pen with a thin line of gold colour encircling the pen cover.

8.With this kind of image portrayal, we will look confident and positive when talking and making presentations. All facts and information presented in a proper, effective  and  smooth manner easily accepted by the audience. In this way it will be easier for us to win the hearts of the guests or audience. We need not repeat arguments on certain issues unless requested or need to be highlighted. The summary is kept short but comprehensive and effective. In the end we gained the trust and respect of the audience. The trust and respect is important as they act as windows to opportunities of better things to come. As someone who think big and dream high we need all these opportunities. Opportunities that enable us to achieve our vision and goals.

Think Big Dream High,E48-Thorough Preparation Towards Achieving A Think Big Dream High Vision, Courage-Part 5

A Couragous Society

1.Courage is the level of ability, intelligence and bravery to carry out a risky activity with tawakkal and having no fear or worry. We fear only Allah SWT and to Him we remain faithful. The act of bravery is carried out with caution and respect and not something done blindly. The risk taken is a calculated risk and not one taken with arrogance, stupidity and in vain.

2.This article focus more on work culture, and relationship between the superior and his subordinate. There are many more other facets not discussed in this small article i.e. friendship, lecturer and student relationship, relationship between husband and wife, family members, business, politics, religion and social.

3.Suffice to understand the concept and basic understanding of determination and courage. From the examples in this article, it is clear that in order to succeed we need courage. A coward person will not be successful in anything he does.

Reality in Life

1.In every community there will be the cowards. There are those too cowardice to tell and uphold the truth. Being a coward to try something strange, unique and expensive item. It will never cross a coward person’s mind to try something new. No compulsion to make changes and innovations.

2. A coward person is usually not brave enough to say no to wrong things. No willpower to express anger, disappointment or frustration  to wrongdoings happening in front of them. We would rather be a hypocrite. We would rather go along with the falsification and vice. Cowards are those afraid of their own shadow. They fear humankind more than they fear Allah SWT.

3.Our thoughts are tainted with assumptions that the boss is everything. Boss is the one who determines our promotion, pay and the source of rezeki. Bowing and being too obedient to the boss can sway our belief. It can weaken our Islamic faith. We must stand firm to our belief and faith and that Allah SWT The Al Mighty Knows All.

4.Our thoughts are only on satisfying the boss and fulfilling his whims and fancies. We just need to do what the boss likes and favors only. We just need to do what the boss’s feels comfortable of doing. We need to entertain the boss with respect and obedience. We devoted ourselves to satisfying the boss fully. Sometimes our assumption exceeded what the boss’s actually felt. We exceeded the filtration process on what the boss’s should and should not know. We make decisions beyond our role and position.

5.These are examples of work cultures and relationships between the staff and his superior, worker  and the boss, follower and the leader. As the staff, worker and follower, we do not have the courage to query or advise the superior, boss or the leader. More so if the superior, boss and leader is a Sultan, King, Prime Minister, Minister or Head of the Institution, Department or Organisation.  We fear being scolded, reprimanded, demoted, having salary cut, being yelled at, shouted at with abusive words, file thrown to our face, fear being isolated, being cold storaged or being  removed from our position or post.

6.If we possessed all these characteristics or practiced such work culture, we can never think big dream high. The boss would never be able to think big dream high. The whole institution, department or organization would never be able to think big dream high. We, the boss, all stakeholders or those involved in our organization are actually cowards, without determination and courage, selfish and barrier to all forms of changes, development and progress.

7.This culture and management style of “yes boss”, “ok boss”, “no problem boss” can ruin any institution, department, organization or even the country itself.

Tips

1.A person who think big dream high, must have the courage to go through an uphill task filled with obstacles to reach the peak of his ambition. We have to be prepared to be someone with outstanding bravery. We have to be ready to overcome all our fears and worry. We have to be prepared not to be a coward and a person who gave up easily.

2.We have to be prepared to take the long and winding road in solving problems. We need to be prepared to notify the actual problem to the boss or anybody for that matter for the sake of our ambition. We need to be prepared to receive all kinds of criticism. We need to be prepared to apologise and accept apologies for any kinds of mistakes made.

3.We need to be prepared to defend those in the right even though it will make us unpopular. We need to be ready to tell the truth even thought it is bitter. We need to practice the culture of transparency and openness. We have to be confident that in the end the truth will always prevail.

4.We have to be versatile and creative in solving all kinds of problems. We must not be someone who is good at giving excuses to give justification to self created problems. We need to have sufficient and accurate facts and information to defend our ideas or proposals. We need to be constructive and objective in our approach. We need to give the best for our proposal to be accepted.

5.We are responsible and  accountable for any statement, stand or action made. We usually have a referral expertise as our advisor, mentor and guidance. We are willing to accept other people’s ideas as long as it is constructive and can contribute towards our success. We live to be successful. Therefore, we must have the courage in making the right decision to ensure success. Our decision may not be popular but it is the right thing to do and in line with our vision and goals.

Think Big Dream High,E47-Thorough Preparation Towards Achieving A Think Big Dream High Vision, Spiritual Strength-Part 4

Purely Faith And Taqwa Society

1.The complement to physical, mental, emotional strength and discipline is spiritual strength. The basis of the spiritual strength is the purity of our mind, body and soul. The purity of our relationship with Allah SWT. The purity of our relationship with mankind and not  forgetting the purity of our relationship with the natural environment.

2.The basis of all these purity is  faith and taqwa. The basis of faith and taqwa is our remembrance of Allah SWT every moment and time. The basis of remembrance to  Allah SWT is by reading the  Al Quran and Al Hadith. The basis to Al Quran and Al Hadith is our understanding, comprehension, appreciation and practicing the teachings found in Al Quran and Al Hadith. Practicing implies making Islam as a way of life, absolute submission to the teachings of Islam and ridha.

3.To built up our spiritual strength does not involve other people. It is about us and our heart. It is within our control and intuition. The most appropriate control and intuition can be obtained through purity of the heart. The purity of our heart can be obtained through completeness of faith and taqwa to Allah SWT.        

Reality in Life     

1.We put too much emphasis on our relationship with mankind. We praised and uphold mankind.The people we looked up to are those that we felt will  benefit us. We ignore the humanitarian issues. We felt that it is not our duty to help our neighbour who is experiencing sudden disaster or calamity. It is not our responsibility to give zakat to those experiencing hunger and poverty from other world communities. Osama,a Mujahid was killed, Obama the Non Muslim was praised and complimented.

2.We ignore too much our relationship with Allah SWT. We ignore too much our relationship with the environment. We give priotity to our work. We give priority to our boss. We give priority to the world’s super powers. We put aside the importance of  having a good relationship with Allah SWT. We often heard phrases, “This meeting is important”, “Boss will be angry”. “There are many more boss’s work that needs to be completed”. After salam of solat fardhu we do not do the sunnat prayers, zikir and doa.We are rushing back to office to complete the boss’s works.

3.No thoughts of having a green environment. No thoughts of picking up and cleaning the piles of rubbish around us. No thoughts of caring for animals trapped by the road side or in drains. No thoughts of helping the poor, needy and unfortunates. We felt that all of these   are not our responsibilities. Our heart is devoid of caring and loving others. These are all 100% the  government’s responsibilities.

4.These are generally the portrayals of the worldwide young executive’s or entrepreneur’s views and behaviour nowadays. They put too much emphasis on work, boss and stakeholders rather than  God or Allah SWT. Religion is none other than just a  culture. They accepted and embraced the principle of same sex marriage, gays rights, and all sort of practices, actions and decisions that are against the religious values. Secularism became their believe. They placed importance on self interest, worldly affairs and mankind. They prioritise physical pleasure rather than spiritual pleasure.

5.The outcome is that their lives are empty. The humanity aspect is absent. The sensitivity to the environment is absent. We have no spiritual strengths. Eventhough we are successful but without spiritual strength, we will not be able to maintain the success.

6. This kind of  success need not necessarily gave us joy and  satisfaction. It is a false, temporary success and will not ensure happiness in the life hereafter. It is more in pursuit of self fulfillment. Our self fulfillment is more a result of making too many assumptions and presuppositions. We assumed that what we are doing is to our boss’s and other people’s liking. We never assumed that what we are doing is for the sake of Allah SWT. 

Tips

1.There are many ways to built up a person’s spiritual strength. There are the Western ways, Buddha, Yoga, Meditation, Tai Chi etc. As Muslims, we have our own ways. Our ways are simpler, it involves a process of self purification and increasing the level of faith and taqwa all the time. The basis is also simple. Do good deeds and avoid all wrongdoings or unIslamic activities.

2.The process of increasing faith and taqwa involves purification of the soul. The process of purifying the soul involves banishment of the anger inside our body. At the lowest rung of passion  is the feeling of anger or animosity(ammarah).Followed by apologetic passion (lawammah) i.e. after a wrongdoing or commiting sins. At the highest level, mutmainnah passion i.e. a passion that is calming to us. When we achieved mutmainnah passion, we possessed the perfect spiritual strength.

3.The good deeds that we should practice is simple. As a Muslim everybody knew what is required of them i.e. solat 5 times a day, fasting in the month of Ramadhan, pay zakat and perform the Hajj and Umrah. The good deeds, sunnat to practice i.e. solat sunnat dhuha, tahajjud, witir, solat before and after dzuhur, before asar, after maghrib, before and after isha’ and before subuh, zikir as much as possible, read the Al Quran and Al Hadith, attend religious classes, sadaqah, perform sunnat Umrah, sunnat fasting every Monday and Thursday and on days recommended especially during Muharram, Rejab, Syaaban and Shawal.

4.We commenced our daily activities at 5 am by performing solat tahajjud and witir followed with solat subuh. We commenced our sight activities by looking at the Al Quran and not the internet or TV. The first thing we utter is Bismillah, doa and zikir. We ended our daily activities by uttering Alhamdulillah, read Al Quran and zikir until we fell asleep.

5.This will bring us closer to our Creator, Rezeki Provider, our Guardian and the one who Bestowed us with the good things in life. This is an indication of gratefulness and appreciation to Allah SWT, who is tirelessly hoping that we are successful in this world and life hereafter. We expressed our gratitude not only through words but also by our actions. This way of life will not allow any room for anger that may provoked us to doing wrong things daily. Doing good deeds daily will ensure that we remained cleansed for the rest of our lives.

6.All of these are actually simple and workable practices. Since  our thoughts are focused on worldly issues such as work and other activities, we sometimes overlooked, forget or went unnoticed to do the good deeds. In the end it became tough, difficult and troublesome to practice.

7.We should avoid all kinds and forms of sins either big or small. We are checked or hindered from performing the sins by continuously performing good deeds. This is Allah SWT’s promise. The good deeds will be the barrier to performing the bad deeds. In Islam there is no such terminology as oil and water do not mix or everyone to their own graves to justify committing sins. A sin will always be a sin and we should be avoiding it.

8.Practise makes perfect. Therefore, we should continuously perform good deeds in our daily lives. Little by little we will built up our faith and taqwa. It will bring us closer to mutmainnah passion and the purification of our soul to the highest level. It will enable us to be steadfast in maintaining our spiritual strength. It will complement all of our internal strength. It will bring us closer to achieving  ultimate success, happiness and satisfaction both in our profession in this world and in our ibadat in the hereafter. It will make us realized all of our goals using the sacred slogan of think big dream high and have a strong heart.  

        

  

Think Big Dream High,E46-Thorough Preparation Towards Achieving A Think Big Dream High Vision, Emotional Strength and Discipline-Part 3

Emotionally Stable And Discipline Society

1.Emotional strength and discipline are inter-related. Discipline is relevant in all aspects of our lives. Without discipline, we will not be able to conduct the exercises to built up our physical, mental and spiritual strengths. Our inability to control our stress level and  weak emotional strength will affect our ability to built up other strengths.

2.Thus, the emphasis on discipline to built up our emotional strength should be a priority. Failure in controlling our emotional and stress level will cripple all our efforts to built up our physical, mental and spiritual strengths. This would mean failure on our part to realize all of our dreams and vision.

Reality in Life    

1.We often have angry feelings, bear grudges, deep seated hatred, disappointment, feeling awkward, guilty conscious, not willing to accept apologies and not able to control the pressure and stress level.

2.We placed ourselves at the lowest level of self-esteem and confidence. We have no clue as to how to utilize our ability. We are too humble, we keep things to ourselves, pessimistic and assumed everything with  negative connotations.

3.We felt sad for no particular reason. We felt down, panic, uneasy and sweating even in an air-conditioned room, unable to control ourselves when confronted with pressure. We always felt left behind, a failure when compared with the others. We are unable to forget the dark moments in our life’s history. It remained permanent in our memory.  It made us traumatic, painful and living in fear forever.

4.All of the above feelings are burdensome to us. If we weigh all these, highly likely we will not be able to handle it all by ourselves. It will be even heavier than our body weight by multi folds. The body weight can be reduced with physical exercise and proper diet. The pressure even though not easily reduced as we reduced our body weight through exercise and diet, can actually be totally eliminated. It can be eliminated totally by carrying out the following exercises with full discipline.  

Tips

1. Determine our wants. If we yearn for respect and love then we have to ensure that we are not being bullied by anybody. We need to set the criteria that can invoke the feeling of love and respect from the other party likewise vice versa.

2. If the criteria are being violated then we knew that it will destroy the feeling of love and respect for the other party. We also need to have a tolerance level. For example if our beloved did not sent any messages 3 days in a row after a small fight or argument, then we began to doubt his love to us. We can however compromise that if after 7 days our beloved did not message or call us then our subconscious mind will tell us that for sure he has found a new replacement.

3.When we set our boundaries clear then the feeling of disappointment as a result of being jilted by our lover can be fully controlled. The fact remains that there are millions more girls and boys out there who are far better. We just need to choose one among the millions that really love and respect us wholeheartedly in line with the criteria set.

4.Bury deep in the sea all kinds of burden that we have been carrying all this while. All feelings of anger, resentment, hatred, disappointment, sadness, jealousy, furious etc. as above are actually burdensome to us. We need to consciously realized that all these burden need not be carried around forever. Firstly, we need to get rid of the burden by connotatively setting it afloat until it reaches the open sea. Secondly, let this burden be buried deep in the seabed with no possible way of surfacing anymore.

5.Bury bit by bit all incidents or bad moments that has befallen us. Maybe our parents separated when we were too young to understand and it has been haunting us all this while until it created a sense of deep seated revenge and hatred towards our parents. If we don’t allow the matter to rest, the feeling of revenge  and anger will always remain until it disrupted the smoothness of our lives.

6.If we think positively we need to go back and look at the reality of life. By realizing the fact that divorce or separation between husband and wife, boy friend and girl friend for example, cannot be avoided in real life. By accepting this as a reality of life, it will make it easier for us to forget the bitter incident.

7.We may be a rape victim at the age of 6. It has made it difficult for us to accept this black incident. The traumatic experience remained in our hearts and mind throughout our lives. Thinking positively, we need to accept the fact that what has happened has already happened. We do not want the matter to drag on till we felt down the steps. We do not want one black incident to continue haunting our lives forever. We need to pull the hand brake and  stop the incident from continuing to haunt us as the sayings in the proverb, “Do not cry over spilt milk”. The fact remains that even though we entertained the bad and sad emotions, it will not revert back to the original situation. What we need to do is to move forward. 

   

8. We want profound  happiness, excellence and golden opportunities in our lives. We are confident of achieving them. Why should we think of the bitter past. The gold and diamond mines out there are up for grabs. We know for sure that with the right strategies and mental strength we are capable of owning them all. So do it. Go all the way to get it.

9.Know ourselves in and out. Identify our dreams, our beliefs and vision, our weaknesses and strengths. What makes us excited, happy and satisfied. What kind of impression do we want others to have on us. Detailed out, who we really are. Then state  clearly our dreams. Have dreams appropriate to who we really are then  work hard to achieve our dreams.

10.The physical exercises and hormones secretion by our body have bearings on our emotional level. The best effect for this emotional exercise can be derived if we practice it together with the physical exercise. Physical exercise can assist in controlling the production of hormones by our body. As mentioned earlier, the production of cortisol hormones can be controlled whilst the production of endorphins hormones can be optimized through physical exercise. Both of these hormones have relationship with our ability to control stress, pressure and emotions. The lower the cortisol hormones the better. The higher the endorphine hormones is even better in order to control our stress level.

11.All the above approaches are the various forms of interrelationship between emotional exercises, physical exercises, mental exercises and self discipline. It is not easy to practice but our consciousness and maturity made it easier on us. Ultimately we can practice them in a more conscientious manner.

12.These approaches will allow us to control stress and built up the emotional strength gradually, continuously and permanently. The more earnest our efforts and practices the more stable our mood and emotions. This stability will make it easier to realize all of our dreams minus the mood and emotional disturbances.