Peace propels prosperity

Once I was having a dialogue with some young aspirants who wished to step into business. One of them asked me what qualities entrepreneurship demands from a person to boost his career and lead him to success. I didn’t answer them at once, instead, I listened to and noted their replies. The list included many virtues like ambition, hard work, honesty, enthusiasm, knowledge etc. One of them even amusingly remarked that having a rich family background is the most important quality for achieving success. Upon which I told them that these all attributes are useful at a later stage. Basically, any entrepreneur needs only one thing and that is ‘peace’. It could be peace of mind or peace in your environment. You can’t grow your business if your mind is turbulent or the atmosphere around you is volatile.

To elaborate, I told them the failure story of one of my friends. He was working in a reputed company and earning a handsome salary. After a service of two decades, his mind started leading him towards self-employment. As he had acquired enough experience in his field and developed many contacts, he decided to resign from his job and step into business. Even seed capital was not a problem because he had ample savings. But his decision brought a storm into his family. His parents, who were senior citizens, scolded him by remarking that business was not his cup of tea and he should continue his job. His wife and children resisted his decision as they feared losing the luxury lifestyle. My friend became disappointed and helpless. It was just like stumbling on the first step. The quarrels shattered his dream and finally, he gave up on his ambition of starting a business. The idea was buried even before its birth.

I consider myself fortunate to have encouragement and help from my parents, friends, family, society, and even from the supporting rulers of the great UAE. I have a loving wife who stands firmly by me in all my ups and downs. Before we had tied the knot, I candidly told her that business is another name for risk. She might not get the luxuries otherwise enjoyed by a salaried person’s spouse. My wife simply replied, “Look. I have been born and brought up in a family, which has an agricultural background. We are quite familiar with risks as agriculture is also a business full of uncertainty.” I liked her answer and chose her as my life partner.

Friends, while taking crucial decisions in life, we should always have a calm mind. If our idea is strong, vision is clear and confidence is high then there should be neither hesitation nor a step back. A quote by James Allen, the famous motivational British writer from the last century, is worth remembering, “The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good. The calmness of the mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom.”