Today's interests determine where you will be in ten years.
Dr. Nazih Al-Othmani
Innovation
3
Imagine yourself passing by a large vacant piece of land full of sand every day , and one day you notice that a group of workers have started digging in it little by little , and you notice the work progressing in the land day after day , as the workers started placing bricks next to each other. It is a disturbing and ugly sight, as the equipment is everywhere, the dust is everywhere, and the situation seems random and disturbing , but you get used to the sight to the point that you do not notice the gradual development in the construction, nor do you notice that the building has started to rise little by little because you pass by it every day , so your eyes get used to the sight and you neglect to focus on the changes between yesterday and today. Finally, after several years of work, the building is finished and has become a great landmark , which for some may be the Burj Khalifa, for others the expansion of the Two Holy Mosques or King Abdullah University, and for others the tunnel under the sea between Britain and France. Let us try in the rest of the article to quote some lessons and morals from this sight that many of us have experienced in our daily lives.
Big projects start with an idea and a will.
Let's assume that this project is Burj Khalifa or even King Abdullah University and let's think about how the project started?
Several years ago, the subject began with an idea in the mind of a serious person who took the positive initiative to turn his idea into reality. There are many who have wonderful ideas but do not take the initiative to implement them and frustrate the ideas from the beginning , or those whose ideas remain dreams and do not make the effort to implement them. Take a lesson and think from now where you want to be in 10 years in a clear and specific way . For example, do not say that you want to be slim because the word slim has several meanings that differ from one person to another . Therefore, it is better for a person who weighs 400 kg to say that he wants to lose 250 kg in ten years .
Study your situation and make a plan that will lead you to your future vision.
The idea of the tower and King Abdullah University was transformed into engineering maps, legal permits and financial funding, all of which gradually contributed to transforming the idea into reality through a clear work plan that was developed several years ago . The continuous commitment to that plan resulted in a huge tower that is considered a global landmark . In the same way, do not just think about where you want to be , but take the initiative to sit with yourself and study your situation in terms of strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and available challenges , then write specific steps that your continuous commitment to them will lead to reaching your vision after ten years, God willing .
Be active in writing the plan.
The plan must be specific, achievable, measurable, realistic, and time-bound . For example , it is not appropriate to say, “I want to read a lot .” It is better to say, “ I want to read two books on time management every month.” Reading two books is a specific issue related to time management . The issue is not open-ended, but the subject of reading is clear and specific in a realistic, achievable way, and time-bound, at the end of which the amount of time achieved by reading the two books can be measured.
One of the effective ways to deal with difficult projects is to divide them into smaller projects . A high school student who wants to get a doctorate in a specific field must divide his vision into stages , starting with finishing high school, then the bachelor’s degree, then obtaining a scholarship, then the master’s degree, and then the doctorate . The work plan will differ in each stage from the one that follows it, but dividing it up will contribute effectively to achieving it in the long term.
Choosing measurable goals that are time-bound allows you to evaluate your performance in adhering to the plan after the specified period ends by measuring how much you have accomplished towards your goal . If your goal is to read two books on a specific topic in a month , at the end of the month you can measure whether you have finished two, three, or a book and a half , or whether you have not finished even one book . This will help you adjust your plan . Your plan may not be applicable because you have overdetermined the plan’s goals . It may be more appropriate to give yourself two or three months instead of one month to achieve the goals . You may also discover through follow-up that you are wasting a lot of time that you can re -use to finish the two books in one month as you wish. In general , following up on the implementation of the plan is vital to continue positively and realistically in implementing the plan that will get you – God willing – where you want after years of adhering to it.
The Burj Khalifa, the expansion of the Two Holy Mosques, the underwater tunnel between France and Britain , and King Abdullah University projects all began with a worker digging with a pickaxe in the ground. This is a very simple matter , but it is part of an organized plan and orderly work that accumulates little by little to gradually complete the required task . That pickaxe strike is what built the huge projects after all these years . So do not belittle any good deed , and the best deeds are those that last, even if they are small.
What would you say now, after seeing the results of long years of work, to that worker who decided after a week of digging to stop after looking at the results of the digging and deciding that there was no benefit from it ? It is unreasonable that this digging would result in a tall tower , one of the tallest towers in the world . Or he said while looking at the mountains of Mecca that there was no benefit from breaking these stones , as it is unreasonable that these stones would become part of the sanctuary where people pray. What would you say to that worker, knowing today what the results of that digging were? You would certainly tell him to be patient and persevere in your work and stick to your plan and do not rush because you will see the results of your work years from now .
Wouldn’t it be better for you to apply your own advice to yourself and continue to do what is required of you , and be patient with the results that will not appear until after years of continuous, diligent work ? The proverb says that whoever strives will find , and whoever sows will reap. So put your trust in God and commit to what will bring you success - God willing - because your work today will determine your place in ten years , so choose from now where you want to be and work to achieve that , and do not be one of those who pass by years and days while they are still in the same place.
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