“Every act of conscious learning requires the willingness to suffer an injury to one’s self-esteem. That is why young children, before they are aware of their own self-importance, learn so easily; and why older persons, especially if vain or important, cannot learn at all.” American psychiatrist Thomas Szasz
Powerful. Transformational. And that’s why I salute the brave thinkers among us.
The very act of learning something new disrupts the way you’ve always seen things-and the way you’ve always been. A fresh idea pushes you out of your comfort zone and threatens the very foundations you’ve built your view of the world on.
That’s scary for nearly everyone. Truly frightening for the vast majority. So rather than experience any form of discomfort, most people regress – and return to their Safe Harbor of The Known. It feels better. Seems safer. But, in truth, it’s not. The problem is that refusing to learn and grow is the beginning of the end.
Leadership-and life itself-is all about making tomorrow better than today. And stepping into your next level of excellence with every passing hour. To cling to the thoughts and ways of performing that you’ve always known is to resign yourself to being average. And mediocre. A spectator versus in the game.
Neuroscientists will tell you that a single new piece of learning actually changes the very nature of your brain. The circuitry shifts. And the wiring expands. But in order to reach these new lands, we must lose sight of the shore even for just a little while. And that takes guts. And a pure bit of leadership."
The reason I have decided to share this with you is because i am an eternal learner who never gives up. Maybe I am still a child!! wishful thinking I may add :)
Saturday 26 February 2011
Friday 25 February 2011
Amazing discoveries
My mind started to link everything due to the recent turmoil in the middle east. I started to notice correlations in many facets of life, it is not only the governments that hate change and advancements it is even companies, universities, colleges, schools, shops, and in general It is people that hate change and prefer to sit in their comfortable place doing what they have always done and then find themselves six foot under. If you notice, there are only a few people who are remembered form the billions that live in this world; those that are being remembered had been on the move, rejected the obvious and ventured out to find better things in life. Some had written books, some had inventions that made significant changes in humans lives, while some had just decided to walk on the sideline and preferred that the world would forget about them and leave them alone.
You will ask me why am I so pessimistic today despite my obvious enthusiasm? Well it is because of what happened yesterday. You see, I always try to partner with universities that have a certain niche, for example it could be one that is in the top 200, or one that is best in a certain programme, or one that has the best student life and so on; and when one of these universities visit us in the UAE I ask them to visit schools, and also to visit certain universities that are in my mind trying to excel and be in the top, at least in the UAE. However, since a few months, I have found some obstacles and couldn't achieve my target. Well to make a long story short, I had the representative of one of Sweden universities that is number one in the world in the entrepreneurship programme. This university help students to establish their businesses and links them with a network of venture capitalists and angel investors, also it helps them in making their business a success. So I thought that will be great for a certain university in the UAE to meet them and partner with them. So whilst the representative was explaining about their mission and what not, one of the attendees was dosing off, and the other one was not even interested but was trying to avoid extending the discussions. It was an embarrassing meeting, and I felt that I made a huge mistake by arranging this meeting. The thing is, I felt that I brought some one to my house when it was in a mess; I feel the UAE is my home, and I want the best to be in it, but what I did had exposed the problem that we are facing in this country. We establish huge businesses and universities, and hire people who are only here for a certain time to be able to pay their mortgages back home and save up a little for their old age and retirement. We do not hire well, we dont care who to bring? You think we felt the crisis just because it was apparent all around the world? Not really, we felt it strongly because we hired a bunch of thieves who made sure that they clear the safe and run, or steal from every where prior to their departure. You think the person who is paid a salary but does nothing is a straight person? No, he is another one of those thieves whose place is not on that chair, but in jail.
Unfortunately all of this happens because we, like everybody else hate change, so we keep lousy people in their place thinking that one day a magic dust will be thrown at them and they will be fine and productive. So, to my simple mind, we should only hire people once we do a real check on them starting with police check, to real reference check, to talking to their friends, looking at their records in previous employments, googling them and so on. I can count hundreds of cases where people were hired, and then fired after either proving to be idiots, or stealing money from the organisation. The theft is not necessarily a real theft in terms of money or property etc, it is even time, people can steal time, by earning a salary for doing nothing.
Will this hamper my energy? No, I refuse to let things like these put me down, not even a flat tire.
You will ask me why am I so pessimistic today despite my obvious enthusiasm? Well it is because of what happened yesterday. You see, I always try to partner with universities that have a certain niche, for example it could be one that is in the top 200, or one that is best in a certain programme, or one that has the best student life and so on; and when one of these universities visit us in the UAE I ask them to visit schools, and also to visit certain universities that are in my mind trying to excel and be in the top, at least in the UAE. However, since a few months, I have found some obstacles and couldn't achieve my target. Well to make a long story short, I had the representative of one of Sweden universities that is number one in the world in the entrepreneurship programme. This university help students to establish their businesses and links them with a network of venture capitalists and angel investors, also it helps them in making their business a success. So I thought that will be great for a certain university in the UAE to meet them and partner with them. So whilst the representative was explaining about their mission and what not, one of the attendees was dosing off, and the other one was not even interested but was trying to avoid extending the discussions. It was an embarrassing meeting, and I felt that I made a huge mistake by arranging this meeting. The thing is, I felt that I brought some one to my house when it was in a mess; I feel the UAE is my home, and I want the best to be in it, but what I did had exposed the problem that we are facing in this country. We establish huge businesses and universities, and hire people who are only here for a certain time to be able to pay their mortgages back home and save up a little for their old age and retirement. We do not hire well, we dont care who to bring? You think we felt the crisis just because it was apparent all around the world? Not really, we felt it strongly because we hired a bunch of thieves who made sure that they clear the safe and run, or steal from every where prior to their departure. You think the person who is paid a salary but does nothing is a straight person? No, he is another one of those thieves whose place is not on that chair, but in jail.
Unfortunately all of this happens because we, like everybody else hate change, so we keep lousy people in their place thinking that one day a magic dust will be thrown at them and they will be fine and productive. So, to my simple mind, we should only hire people once we do a real check on them starting with police check, to real reference check, to talking to their friends, looking at their records in previous employments, googling them and so on. I can count hundreds of cases where people were hired, and then fired after either proving to be idiots, or stealing money from the organisation. The theft is not necessarily a real theft in terms of money or property etc, it is even time, people can steal time, by earning a salary for doing nothing.
Will this hamper my energy? No, I refuse to let things like these put me down, not even a flat tire.
Tuesday 22 February 2011
Is this bribery? Or a way to blind fold people?
What amazes me is that when the youth decide to do something, and governments get wind of that thing they start to offer stuff so they shut the youth up. For example Syria decided to left the bans on social media! "we will give you access to Facebook" and Bahrain gave a 1000 dinars to each family (but only for those that have bank accounts! Forgetting that the members of the ruling family receive monthly stipend that could equal the salaries of all the middle class families in Bahrain, and a travel allowance too. Libya offered car loans, and other stuff to the youth? I am not sure what Yemen offered? Maybe more Qat (some sort of drugs Yemeni people chew to be high) or more time off work? And so on and so forth. I have a feeling that our ME governments think that our youth can be bribed? I am sure that all of them had forgotten that they had provided a double edged weapon to the youth of their countries. Once the satellite TV became in existance, the Internet, and the compulsory high school education then of course the youth became more aware of what is missing in their lives; it is not just less money? It is not less jobs? It is not less living space, or less books etc. It is the freedom to think and the freedom to judge and the freedom to say that something or things are wrong and need to be rectified. Freedom of speech is a right that need to be let loose, and youth should be able to speak up, they need to be taught how to think, how to analyse, how to judge right from wrong, and how to live well.
I am actully with the youth despite being more than double their ages. I am with the youth, and believe that what they are trying to achieve is legitimate and what ME goverments try to hinder is the dodgy affair. Of course, what I said above is also valid and must be applied on PARENTS. They must allow their kids to think, see, play, study, mix with others. I have an itchy feeling that our kids hate us too and want to have a demonstration to overthrew us from our home governments, why? You must know why? We stop them, we hinder their train of thoughts, we do not allow them to experience life, and see for themselves, we shelter our kids, we cover their eyes, so they don't have the right to practice what their hearts and minds tell them to prctice.
From today, I am allowing my children to overthrew me from my chair, and rule my home. I am not sure what the other parent would say, I will leave this to the kids to sort out.
To all the youth of the middle east, god bless you. You have accomplished more victories than us, please do not forget though that we had created for you the things that made you different than us, so despite what I said above, first thank us, then threw us out.
I am actully with the youth despite being more than double their ages. I am with the youth, and believe that what they are trying to achieve is legitimate and what ME goverments try to hinder is the dodgy affair. Of course, what I said above is also valid and must be applied on PARENTS. They must allow their kids to think, see, play, study, mix with others. I have an itchy feeling that our kids hate us too and want to have a demonstration to overthrew us from our home governments, why? You must know why? We stop them, we hinder their train of thoughts, we do not allow them to experience life, and see for themselves, we shelter our kids, we cover their eyes, so they don't have the right to practice what their hearts and minds tell them to prctice.
From today, I am allowing my children to overthrew me from my chair, and rule my home. I am not sure what the other parent would say, I will leave this to the kids to sort out.
To all the youth of the middle east, god bless you. You have accomplished more victories than us, please do not forget though that we had created for you the things that made you different than us, so despite what I said above, first thank us, then threw us out.
Thursday 17 February 2011
How do I explain what happened in Bahrain?
I owe my opinion to my readers, even though I am not in Bahrain, and didn't live there for over 30 years. However I followed all the troubles of my Bahraini mates without getting involved in the events, many of these events happened while I was fighting for my kids to be able to go to their country and see it with their eyes. My son and daughters went to bahrain for the first time only 9 years ago! They loved it even though they have seen most of the civilised western countries! this is proof that they are Bahrainis through their DNA.
I feel, that we the Bahrainis are very few, we are all civilised, educated, sweet, lovely, kind and some of us are even considered cute. Most of my friends are inter married to people with different faiths and beliefs, we gather and laugh and forget that some of us are from different schools of thoughts, we help each other and most importantly, we know the names of those that clean our streets, pour petrol in our cars, check our groceries in supermarkets, sell us fish and shrimps at the side of Budaie road. What I mean here is that we love each other, and we all want to live in harmony, and peace. We all want to have our passports renewed and sent to us by courier rather than have to queue at the passport building. We all want Egovernment, we all want top universities, we all want freedom of speech, we all want to be able to change jobs and start businesses without any prejudices, we all want to have the best in life, we all want to have enough money to support each other. We want to enjoy life, we want to be like the west plan our social agendas around art, theatre, friday markets, and the arrays of activities other people in civilised countries enjoy without any fear that maybe when I go out in the streets I will receive a plastic bullet that may smash my forehead.
A call to all Bahrainis, please unite and help each other, we need to have one voice that calls for removing lies and anti protestors propaganda. I hope that Bahrain allows international news agencies to be present when this massacre happened, at least the truth would have prevailed. I want to know who stopped them and why?
I feel, that we the Bahrainis are very few, we are all civilised, educated, sweet, lovely, kind and some of us are even considered cute. Most of my friends are inter married to people with different faiths and beliefs, we gather and laugh and forget that some of us are from different schools of thoughts, we help each other and most importantly, we know the names of those that clean our streets, pour petrol in our cars, check our groceries in supermarkets, sell us fish and shrimps at the side of Budaie road. What I mean here is that we love each other, and we all want to live in harmony, and peace. We all want to have our passports renewed and sent to us by courier rather than have to queue at the passport building. We all want Egovernment, we all want top universities, we all want freedom of speech, we all want to be able to change jobs and start businesses without any prejudices, we all want to have the best in life, we all want to have enough money to support each other. We want to enjoy life, we want to be like the west plan our social agendas around art, theatre, friday markets, and the arrays of activities other people in civilised countries enjoy without any fear that maybe when I go out in the streets I will receive a plastic bullet that may smash my forehead.
A call to all Bahrainis, please unite and help each other, we need to have one voice that calls for removing lies and anti protestors propaganda. I hope that Bahrain allows international news agencies to be present when this massacre happened, at least the truth would have prevailed. I want to know who stopped them and why?
Tuesday 8 February 2011
What’s with today’s movies?
A movie person is an understatement of the century, which is me, I love watching movies, maybe as much as reading, maybe more. Yes I am the type who will read the book after watching the movie! Guilty as charged. I look forward to long flights just to be able to enjoy the movie without interruption; and when I like one it will play for an umpteen number of times, and every time I watch the same movie, it's as if it is the first time, ok you are going to say that Alzheimer is kicking in!! Maybe, but this is the truth. Let us go to the subject of today's blog.
I am not sure if you had noticed that these days most of the movies are showing the men as murderers, rapists, child molesters, losers and anything but people that we had looked up to in the past (the way I looked up to my dad for example, and I bet each one of you has an idol too, and most of our idols are men). On the other hand, movies portray women as champions who sacrifice their lives to save their families, who are always betrayed in love and marriage, who are the great writers, singers, employers, doctors, and everything that is good in between.
I am a woman of course, and I believe in myself, I know that I am working really hard to have a successful family, successful career and last but not least racing to know what my mission in life is. Sure we all say things against men, and we all have our problems with them, and if you look to the other side of the coin, they too will have the same feelings about us and are trying their best to achieve their goals. My point here is I am not sure what the movies these days are trying to say? Producers are not giving justice to our humanity, if I a grown up woman feel this way when I watch a man (in a movie that is) doing an act that is against humanity, but dismiss this feeling when the movie is over? How would kids think? Wouldn't they always look at men with mistrust? Wouldn't they want to think that being a woman is a better way in life? Not sure about the number of gays in this world, does it have any correlation to the number of screen hits portraying men as idiots? Maybe we need to conduct that research! maybe we should gather those writers who always make men as the villains and women as the heroines and examine them to find out what on earth is happening inside their brains that made them write in a manner that affected humanity.
The scary thing here is that if you make a list of what men can be and woman cannot, it is a huge list, and one that certainly would let “confused men” to become anything other than men. However with little change and perseverance we can change those writers minds and those screenplays and producers minds so they do not show men as the devils, but as a face to a coin that is necessary for humanity to survive.
We need this other side of the coin guys, have you ever seen a coin with one head?
I am not sure if you had noticed that these days most of the movies are showing the men as murderers, rapists, child molesters, losers and anything but people that we had looked up to in the past (the way I looked up to my dad for example, and I bet each one of you has an idol too, and most of our idols are men). On the other hand, movies portray women as champions who sacrifice their lives to save their families, who are always betrayed in love and marriage, who are the great writers, singers, employers, doctors, and everything that is good in between.
I am a woman of course, and I believe in myself, I know that I am working really hard to have a successful family, successful career and last but not least racing to know what my mission in life is. Sure we all say things against men, and we all have our problems with them, and if you look to the other side of the coin, they too will have the same feelings about us and are trying their best to achieve their goals. My point here is I am not sure what the movies these days are trying to say? Producers are not giving justice to our humanity, if I a grown up woman feel this way when I watch a man (in a movie that is) doing an act that is against humanity, but dismiss this feeling when the movie is over? How would kids think? Wouldn't they always look at men with mistrust? Wouldn't they want to think that being a woman is a better way in life? Not sure about the number of gays in this world, does it have any correlation to the number of screen hits portraying men as idiots? Maybe we need to conduct that research! maybe we should gather those writers who always make men as the villains and women as the heroines and examine them to find out what on earth is happening inside their brains that made them write in a manner that affected humanity.
The scary thing here is that if you make a list of what men can be and woman cannot, it is a huge list, and one that certainly would let “confused men” to become anything other than men. However with little change and perseverance we can change those writers minds and those screenplays and producers minds so they do not show men as the devils, but as a face to a coin that is necessary for humanity to survive.
We need this other side of the coin guys, have you ever seen a coin with one head?
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