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Put yourself together

The World Is A Puzzle

“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.”

There was a man who had a little boy that he loved very much. Everyday after work the man would come home and play with the little boy. He would always spend all of his extra time playing with the little boy.

One night, while the man was at work, he realized that he had extra work to do for the evening, and that he wouldn’t be able to play with his little boy. But, he wanted to be able to give the boy something to keep him busy. So, looking around his office, he saw a magazine with a large map of the world on the cover. He got an idea. He removed the map, and then patiently tore it up into small pieces. Then he put all the pieces in his coat pocket.

When he got home, the little boy came running to him and was ready to play. The man explained that he had extra work to do and couldn’t play just now, but he led the little boy into the dining room, and taking out all the pieces of the map, he spread them on the table. He explained that it was a map of the world, and that by the time he could put it back together, his extra work would be finished, and they could both play. Surely this would keep the child busy for hours, he thought.

About half an hour later the boy came to the man and said, “Okay, it’s finished. Can we play now.?”

The man was surprised, saying, “That’s impossible. Let’s go see.” And sure enough, there was the picture of the world, all put together, every piece in it’s place.

The man said, “That’s amazing ! How did you do that ?” The boy said, “It was simple. On the back of the page was a picture of a man. When I put the man together the whole world fell into place.”

Promise Yourself

If there is no struggle, there is no progress.

 

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind; * To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet; * To make all your friends feel that there is something in them; * To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true; * To think only the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best; * To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own; * To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future; * To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile; * To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others; * To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear; and too happy to permit the presence of trouble; * To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words, but in great deeds; * To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side so long as you are true to the best that is in you.(C.D. Larson, Your Forces and How to Use Them)

Things To Remember

When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in.

I find what I look for in people. If I look for God, I find God. If I look for bad qualities, I find them. I, in a sense, select what I expect, and I receive it.

A life without challenges would be like going to school without lessons to learn. Challenges come not to depress or get me down, but to master and to grow and to unfold thereby.

In the Father’s wise and loving plan for me, no burden can fall upon me, no emergency can arise, no grief can overtake me, before I am given the grace and strength to meet them.

A rich, full life is not determined by outer circumstances and relationships. These can be contributory to it, but cannot be the source. I am happy or unhappy because of what I think and feel.

I can never lose anything that belongs to me, nor can I posses what is not really mine.

To never run from a problem: either it will chase me or I will run into another just like it, although it may have a different face or name.

To have no concern for tomorrow. Today is the yesterday over which I had concern.

To never bang on a closed door: Wait for it to open and then go through it.

A person who has come into my life has come either to teach me something, or to learn something from me.

 

Do you have positioning and timing?

You are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

Heron stands in the blue estuary,
Solitary, white, unmoving for hours.
A fish! Quick avian darting;
The prey is captured.

People always ask how to follow Tao. It is as easy and natural as the heron standing in the water. The bird moves when it must; it does not move when stillness is appropriate.

The secret of its serenity is a type of vigilance, a contemplative state. The heron is not in mere dumbness or sleep. It knows a lucid stillness. It stands unmoving in the flow of the water. It gazes unperturbed and is aware. When Tao brings it something that it needs, it seizes the opportunity without hesitation or deliberation. Then it goes back to its quiescence without disturbing itself or its surroundings. Unless it found the right position in the water’s flow and remained patient, it would not have succeeded.

Actions in life can be reduced to two factors; positioning and timing. If we are not in the right place at the right time, we cannot possibly take advantage of what life has to offer us.

Almost anything is appropriate if an action is in accord with the time and place. But we must be vigilant and prepared. Even if the time and the place are right, we can still miss our chance if we do not notice the moment, if we act inadequately, or if we hamper ourselves with doubts and second thoughts.

When life presents an opportunity, we must be ready to seize it without hesitation or inhibition. Position is useless without awareness. If we have both, we make no mistakes.

About Me

Hi, I’m Ustaad Yusuf,

I work through a lot of challenges, but the big idea is this: life gets better with skill.

I help underdogs, leaders, and achievers make the most of what they’ve got. I have a passion for excellence and a passion for getting results. I’m also a fan of better ways for better days in in the pursuit of GREATNESS!

I am an teacher. This is not just my day job but it’s a lifestyle and calling. As part of my calling, I nurture multiple followers on agile goals. Each goal is a new team, a new adventure, and new lessons learned. I’ve authored several blogs, where I write prescriptive guidance to share and scale patterns and practices for success. ustadhyusuf.com is designed to help you make the most of work and life, using success patterns. It’s also a highly effective time management system.

I’m also an avid mentor at work. I regularly work with several mentees to help them improve their effectiveness. This includes everything from improving communication skills to leadership skills or basic project management.

Over the course of leading many projects, many teams, and many adventures, I’ve learned how to get results and balance life. I continuously invest in what I call my “Life Frame”, which is the hot spots in life: Mind, Body, Emotions, Career, Financial, Relationships, and Fun. I continuously study these hot spots on a quest for the best insights and actions, for work and life. I’m a fan of finding and sharing the principles, patterns and proven practices that work in the real-world under extreme conditions.

Happy Reading!!!