MORE THAN MONEY

Potential

A BOY who worked in an airport as a helper to passengers on wheel chairs was offered money for his services. The boy refused saying, “Don’t give me money, but give me your blessings. I am appearing for an examination, please pray that I pass”. The elderly passenger placed his hand on his head and prayed for him.

The boys words are not ordinary words. They are the words representing a creative mindset. It is to opt for a self-made principle rather than trying to live by favours.

When you try to live on your own, you are trying to tap your own potential. Everyone is born with enormous potential, but potential can be developed only by hard work. The best policy for anyone trying to succeed in life is to try to unfold this potential rather than try to receive any advantage from elsewhere.

People generally say with envy that a particular person was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. But this is wrong. Fortunate is one who is born with an incentive spoon in his mouth. If you are born to a life of hardship, it will activate you and this will give you the incentive to work. On the other hand, if you are born to a life of comfort, it will kill your motivation. It is a fact that self-motivation is far greater than external support.


The best policy for anyone trying to succeed in life is to try to unfold his potential rather than try to receive any advantage from elsewhere.

Every favour is limited in nature. There is no favour that has unlimited scope. But when you try to unfold your own potential, that is like embarking upon a journey that has no limit. Favour may give you temporary relief, but hard work is the only way to achieve great success. All the super achievements in history were the result of hard work rather than favours.

It has been rightly said: ‘It is not ease but effort, not facility but difficulty that makes men.’ Facility may seem to be good, but difficulty is better in terms of results. Opting for effort is good for both physical health and intellectual development.

Living on favour means living as a 'taker' in your society. But living as a hard worker means being a 'giver' in your society. And it is a fact that the 'giver' is better than a 'taker'.

When you achieve something by dint of hard work, it gives you one precious thing, and that is confidence. Hard work is always accompanied by confidence. And confidence leads to peace of mind. Nothing is better than peace of mind.

Once a poor man came to the Prophet of Islam and said, “Give me some money for my livelihood”. The Prophet said: “That would not be good for you”. Then the Prophet advised him thus: “The upper hand is better than the lower hand”, gave him some silver coins and said: “Go to the forest, cut some wood and sell it to earn your livelihood and meet me in two month’s time.”


Every favour is limited in nature. There is no favour that has unlimited scope. But when you try to unfold your own potential, that is like embarking upon a journey that has no limit.

The man accepted this advice of the Prophet. Two months later he came back to the Prophet and said: “I am happy with my job. Now I have decided not ask for anything from anyone”.

By hard work one can earn money but through money one cannot achieve hard work. For a life of dignity one should not obtain favours from others, but rely on one’s own efforts.

Unpleasant Experiences
Unpleasant experiences
are painful but they make
a necessary contribution
to advanced intellectual
development.