How to practice Sufism on the job desk!!!

2. The
Sufi
Work
Fulcrum©2013
@

3. I dedicate this workshop to my parents
Jameel Anvar Qureshi and Sohaila Shireen Jameel
who have been my mentors

4. Introduction
Make Your
Name Tag
and Place it
in Front of
You

5. Introduce
yourself , your
Designation and
Assignment
What are your
Expectations
from this Course
Introduction

6. Time Schedule
Workshop Timings: Full Day
15 Minutes – 1st Half
45 Minutes– Lunch
15 Minutes – 2nd Half
No Smoking / Cell phone etiquette
Restrooms / Emergency Exits

7. Learning Methods

9. What is the solution, O Moslems:
for I do not know myself.
Neither Christian, Jew,
Zoroastrian or Moslem am I.
I am not an easterner or a
westerner, or of land or sea;
My place is placelessness; my sign
is of no sign.
I have no body or life; for I am
the life of life.
I have put away duality; I have

10. Who is a Sufi?
• A Sufi is interested in the essence, not the form.
• He looks on the inside and not the outside.
• The Sufi is interested by character and spirit.
• Exoteric is an illusion; esoteric is reality to the Sufi.
• Anyone can be a Sufi. Labels matter little to a Sufi.
• A Sufi is grounded in ethical principles.
• The Sufi is a person of timelessness and
placelessness. He is a child of the moment.
• A Sufi is one who sets himself on the path of self
purification leading to enlightenment and union
with the Divine.
• He seeks the truth with love. Love is the Sufi way.

11. Typical Work Issues vis-à-vis people
• Dealing with stress from a variety of demands.
• Balancing their professional, family, health and
spiritual commitments.
• Thriving and excelling amid an environment of
constant change.
• Managing themselves and their time.
• Satisfying shareholder needs and demands.
• Finding and retaining top talent by creating a
conducive work environment, encouraging
creativity, and providing a learning and growing
environment.
• Developing and nurturing interpersonal skills.
• Dealing with information overload and how to be
selective
• Remaining focused on top priorities.
• Career and personal satisfaction.
• Managing cash flow and staying profitable.
• Facing the competition.

12. The Sufi @ Work
“The real Sufi is a person who marries his work with his life mission and balances his
work, family, social and spiritual lives. He is ambitious and wants to do well with the
worldly sense of climbing the corporate ladder, raising a family, being materially
successful, and helping good causes without compromising spiritual principles.”

13. 14 Focus Areas
• Finding Our Purpose
• Stand Up For Principles
• Making A Difference
• Life Long Journey Of Learning
• Having Faith In Unknown
• Persevering
• Being Effective Leaders
• Keeping A Positive Attitude
• Balancing Our Lives
• Savoring The Path
• Taming Our Ego
• Igniting Our Personality
• Life Is Short
• Experiencing The Divine In Corporate Life

14. Knowing The One
Thing We Must Do
~
Working With A Purpose Is Like
Spending A Night With A Lover
~
Keeping Our Eye On The Goal Of Life
Is A Great And Noble Calling
Finding Our Purpose
01

15. Knowing The One Thing We Must Do
We realize our potential when we
work on our purpose. One way to
find out your purpose is to find an
area of work which totally absorbs
our attention when we are engaged
in it. This is the area in which we
can make a significant contribution.
We must know this one thing that
we must do to make us useful.
“You have a duty to perform. Do anything else, do a number of things, occupy your
time fully, and yet, if you do not do this task, all your time will have been wasted”.
- Rumi

16. Working with purpose is like
spending a night with a lover “There is a difference
between spending a
night with a lover
and a night with a
toothache”.
- A Sufi Saying
• When we spend time with purpose, it is much like spending time
with a loved one – we are:
– passionate and excited,
– driven and energized,
– upbeat and positive.
• When we work without purpose, it is like having a toothache.
• Work in life is the ultimate seduction.
• If you have the following three things in life, work becomes utopia:
– First, you are learning and growing,
– Second, you are having fun and making a valuable contribution,
– Third, you are recognized and rewarded.

17. Keeping Our Eye On The Goal Of
Life Is A Great And Noble Calling
“Obstacles are what
you see when you
take your eye off
your goals”.
- A Sufi Saying
• A Sufi puts all his efforts and
concentration on the goal.
• A Sufi is not distracted by obstacles.
• By staying focused on vision and purpose
Sufis achieve success.
• To a Sufi life is a precious gift.
• It is important to make our time at work
meaningful and noble.
• The ambition should be to be larger than
life.
• When we bring meaning to our work, we
create energy that taps into the universe.
• To a Sufi, goals must always stretch, so
that one’s capacity is known.
• The concepts that we should integrate
into our work life are:
– Clarity
– Simplicity
– Consistency
– Involvement
– Integrity
– Stretching
– Alignment
– Communication
“Work is love made
visible”.
- Kahlil Gibran,
author of The
Prophet

18. Action Items 01
• Develop your own personal mission statement. If you were to pick
one thing you must do in your personal life, what would you
choose? If you do not already have one, develop a corporate
mission statement. If you were to pick one thing you must do in
your corporate life, what would you do?
• Align your corporate mission with your personal mission.
• Create excitement and meaning in your current work. Discuss with
your employer how to create a win-win scenario. If necessary, make
a change that connects your work with you purpose.
• Keep stretching your goals. They will keep you energized and
expand your potential. If you are working as a part of a team or
corporation, involve people in goal setting exercises to engender
understanding of the corporate goals.

19. Having Firmly Grounded Principles
~
Trusting The Voice Of Our Conscience
~
Justifying A Wrong Does Not Make It Right
~
Promoting Love And Respect
Stand up for principles
02

20. Having Firmly Grounded Principles
“A tree that is freshly
rooted can easily be
plucked. A tree that
is firmly grounded
cannot be removed,
even with a crane”.
-Sa’adi,
Persian Sufi Poet
• When we practice being true to our principles,
they become unshakable and can withstand
trying times or temptations knocking on the
door.
• The taller the edifice, the stronger the
foundation.
• Principles come before clients and family.
• A company grounded firmly in principles has
the ability to make a vast difference, not only
to itself but to the people it serves.
• Negative events create crises, while
consciously good ones create ripples of
inspiration and success

21. Trusting The Voice Of Our Conscience
• The right path is usually long and full of obstacles while
the wrong path may be short and clear.
• Sufis always pay the price and follow the right path.
• Corporate trust is of two kinds:
– The first is the voice of each corporate person’s conscience,
– The second is the trust that we build within our team.
• When people feel good about themselves they remain
steadfast.
• As leaders:
– We can catch people doing good things
– Provide training and keep people happy
– Keep the team’s confidence high
– Encourage them to work with principles, no matter what
“As a splendid palace
deserted by its
inmates looks like a
ruin, so does a man
without character,
all his material
belongings
notwithstanding.”
- Mohandas Gandhi

22. Justifying A Wrong Doesn’t Make It Right
• In a corporate setting when such a
thing occurs, the company/individual
loses credibility.
• Missed sales targets can be dealt
with , but violations of ethics and
principles cannot.
• Leaders can encourage and promote
training to enhance:
– Confidence
– Communication
– Good relationships
– Importance of integrity
• A leader should send out a loud and
clear message that the organization
has a zero tolerance for employees
who violate the integrity of the
organization.
“There is no such
thing as a minor
lapse of integrity.”
- Tom Peters

23. Promoting Love And Respect
• Every person we meet in our
lives is in some way a teacher
from whom we can learn.
• Openness and humility are
essential parts of promoting
love and respect.
• Love and respect always win
over hate and anger.
• In a corporation more gets
done with love and respect
than with bickering and strife.
• Trust is a glue that holds
relationships together.
• Trust is a cornerstone for our
future success.
“Wind speaks not
more sweetly to
giant oaks than to
the least of all blades
of grass.”
- Kahlil Gibran
“I proclaim the
religion of Love, and
wherever it carries
me, this is my creed
and my faith.”
-Ibn Arabi
The great Sufi sheikh
“We must hate with
love. An eye for an
eye leaves the whole
world blind.”
- Martin Luther King

24. Action Items 02
• Ensure that the values that are incorporated in the mission and the
vision are clearly understood and implemented. Train staff to deal
with grey areas and have a process in place to deal with such issues.
• Apply zero-tolerance for violations of ethics and principles.
• Create an environment at work that is founded on love and respect.
Provide training to staff and improve self concept, teamwork, and
camaraderie. Respect all – staff, customers, and even competitors.
• Do one thing today that is right but difficult to implement.
• Encourage team members to assume personal accountability and to
live the corporate principles

25. Giving Creates Abundance
~
Corporate Success Is All About Serving
Making a difference
03

26. Giving Creates Abundance
• Sufis believe that giving
is part of the law of
nature.
• In a corporate setting,
drawing the best out of
others is emblematic of
true leadership.
• The ideal organization
should have more
givers than takers.
• Contributing to the
environment in some
meaningful way draws
customers to
businesses.
• Giving in worthy causes
creates abundance.
“For the bee the
flower is the
fountain of life. To
the flower the
pleasure of giving is
a need and ecstasy.
Be in your pleasure
like the flower to the
bee.”
- Kahlil Gibran
“I wont serve God
like a laborer
expecting wages.”
- Rabi’a

27. Corporate Success Is All About Serving
• In a business, it is not about rituals – it all about service.
• In business, as in life, you are rewarded to the degree to which
you serve others.
• The UN calculates that every person on the planet could be given
enough:
– Food
– Shelter
– Sanitation
– Education
for no more than the money spent on:
– Golf
and only one thirteenth the money spent annually on:
– Cigarettes
• When service is our motto, our success is fulfilled and
sustainable.
“The path is the
service of others, not
prayer beads and
dervish robes.”
- Sheikh Sa’adi,
Persian Sufi Poet

28. Action Items 03
• Practice kyosei by promoting harmony, teamwork, and
collaboration through love and respect. Be mindful that what
matters is how much you care, not how much you know.
• Catch people doing things right.
• Be willing to give at every encounter and every opportunity.
• Create a giving and sharing environment among the team members

29. Learning From All Places
And At All Times
~
Looking Deeper To Gain Insight
Life long journey
of learning
04

30. Learning From All Places At All Times
• Learning is all about keeping an open mind.
• We can learn from all experiences from the cradle to the
grave.
• An open mind broadens outlook and educates us in a
broader way.
• In a corporate setting learning means earning.
• Learning is placeless. It is potentially everywhere.
• Learning from experiences defines a person.
• Learn from other peoples views.
• Training should be imparted to all those who are willing to
learn.
• Success = Preparation + Opportunity.
• Preparation happens through lifelong learning
“We ought not to be
ashamed of
appreciating truth
and of acquiring it
wherever it comes
from, even if it
comes from races
distant and nations
different from us.”
-Al Kindi
Iranian philosopher
“The leaves of the
green trees, for the
one who
contemplates are like
pages of a book with
every page like a
book about the
gnosis of the
Creator.”
- Sheikh Sa’adi,
Persian Sufi Poet

31. Looking Deeper To Gain Insight
• For the Sufi, the
matters of the heart
and soul are far more
important that physical
and tangible things.
• In a corporate setting
when we are able to
transform data and
knowledge into insight
and wisdom, we can
move far ahead of the
crowd.
• Being alert and seeing
things from different
vantage points is an
important skill.
“Do not look at my
outward shape, but
take what is in my
hand.”
- Rumi

32. Action Items 04
• Invest in yourself; continuously upgrade your intellectual capacity.
• Instill a value of life-long learning within the corporation, and
provide training and personal development for all staff.
• Develop a reward system to promote life-long learning, ensuring
that all employees get better and better every day in every way.
• Schedule weekly meetings to discuss insights and to reflect upon
what is working and what is not.
• Nurture an environment that develops the intuitive faculties of the
team.

33. Using Our Enormous Capacity
~
We Are Our Own Biggest Obstacles
~
Courage Makes Us Winners
Having faith
in the unknown
05

34. Using Our Enormous Capacity
• If we think small, we remain small.
• What the mind conceives, the mind
achieves.
• The Sufis say we must believe in
ourselves, so others believe us.
• We use only 10% of our brain.
Imagine if we could bring it up to
20%!!!
• Social media is an example of a path
being created that did not exist in the
past.
“Look at your eyes;
they are so small,
but they can see
enormous things.”
- Rumi
“Travelers, there is
no path. Paths are
made by walking.”
- Antonio Machalo

35. We are our own biggest obstacles
• One must rise above one’s fears and apprehensions.
• One failure should not obscure our thinking over
everything else.
• Sufism encourages us to dare to venture into the
unknown.
• In a corporate setting the more we fall down the
stronger we become.
• Challenges make us stronger and more determined.
• Stephen Covey says we must change the “want-to” to
“can-do”.
• The connection to universal knowledge is within us.
• When we need to know what we know, we need to tune
into our inner self. “You, yourself are
your own obstacle –
rise above yourself.”
-Hafiz,
Persian Sufi Poet

36. Courage Makes Us Winners
• The Sufis assume risks in
order to find the truth.
• To them life is a mystery to
live in and not to solve.
• To know the divine we must
become comfortable with
the unknown.
• In a corporate setting,
worthwhile ventures entail
dwelling in the unknown and
having faith that can be
completed.
• People who achieve
greatness do so because
they are willing to take risks
for a cause they believe in.
“Deep in the sea are
riches beyond
compare, but, if you
seek safety, it is on
the shore.”
-Sa’adi,
Persian Sufi Poet

37. Action Items 05
• Examine the root cause of your fears and actively attend to their
eradication.
• Venture out and dare to do things you thought you could never do
– you will be amazed at what is possible.
• Believe in yourself – you are a marvel of creation.
• Wage your campaign totally, giving it all you have got.
• Trust and be comfortable with the change and the unknown.

38. Giving It Everything We Have
~
Embracing The Struggle
persevering
06

39. Giving it everything we have
• Sometimes we may suffer a loss;
instead of despairing we should
find meaning in our loss.
• In a corporate setting virtue leads
to fulfillment.
• We must persevere and persist
until we succeed.
• We cannot lose faith and give up.
• Perseverance goes hand in hand
with patience.
• Perseverance is an essential
ingredient for success.
• It is the foundation on which
discoveries are made.
“I lost everything I
had but in the
process I found
myself.”
-Rumi
“In every winter’s
heart lies a quivering
spring, and behind
the veil of each night
waits a smiling
dawn.”
-- Kahlil Gibran

40. Embracing The Struggle
• Challenges deepen our
strengths.
• In a corporate setting we
go through a kind of a
boiling whereby challenges
flavor us until we become
part of a bigger picture.
• Through pain we tap into
our innate abilities. This
triggers discoveries and
breakthroughs in life.
• Circumstances do not make
you, they reveal you.
“Why are you doing
this to me?
So you can mix the
spices and the rice
and be the lovely
vitality of a human
being.
Boil me some more…
I can’t do this by
myself.”
-Rumi

41. Action Items 06
• Do not be dismayed by obstacles and challenges.
• Never, never give up! – Persevere until you succeed.
• Use your struggle to strengthen your resolve.

42. Drawing From The Inherent
Strength Of Others
~
Seeing The Full Picture
~
There Are Many Different
Paths To The Same Truth
Being effective leaders
07

43. Drawing From The Strength Of Others
• True leadership draws from strength of others.
• In a corporate setting leadership is vital.
• Some aspects of an effective leader are:
– Being a role model for the team
– Being there as a coach
– Empowering others
– Eliminating insecurities by trusting
– Believing in abilities and gifts of team members
– Encouraging collaboration, not competition
– Involving the team to establish a clear vision and mission
– Praising team members at every opportunity
– Showing empathy and caring
– Rewarding excellence
– Being result oriented and not task oriented
– Exhibiting clear, ongoing, and positive communication
• Leadership is about making leaders of your followers.
• It is the role of effective leaders to discover the innate
richness that each individual possesses.
“No man can reveal
to you aught but
that which already
lies half asleep in the
dawning of your
knowledge.”
-Kahlil Gibran

44. Seeing The Full Picture
• Tension, misunderstandings, and
even turf wars may result if the
department does its part without
knowing the full picture.
• This can effect profitability.
• It is advised to work in an integrated
manner in which the full picture is
shared.
• When people know who their daily
actions are aligned with the mission,
they become optimally productive.
“No one knows what
it is. Everyone has
their own
interpretation.”
-Rumi

45. There Are Many Different
Paths To The Same Truth
• Divinity is not confined to one religion or
belief.
• It speaks through all belief systems and
paradigms, manifesting itself in ways
appropriate to the seeker.
• There are many ways to realize the corporate
vision, but the vision must be one.
• Different people bring different strengths to
the table.
• Sufis advocate about the diversity of the
people, and ideas.
• Diversity breeds strength, not weaknesses. “The ways to God
are as many as the
breaths of human
beings.”
-Sufi Saying

46. Action Items 07
• Raise the level of the game of all your team players. Get the best out of
everyone by awakening what lies half-asleep in them.
• Believe in the inherent gifts of people, remembering that everyone is
gifted at something. Find these gifts in people by means of their
involvement and giving them space to use their talents for the common
good of the company.
• Always use the empowering model in your leadership. Decide with the
team on the desired results, and be there for them if needed. Strive to
make the company goal-driven rather than strategy-driven.
• Schedule regular meetings with your team to facilitate communication,
reflection, assessment, and a platform to get feedback. Avoid finger-
pointing and assigning blame. Maintain and open-door policy.
• Ensure that everyone understands how their work affects the entire
company.

47. Lunch!

48. Welcome Back - Energizer! &
The big picture - Activity

49. Focusing On The White Cloth,
Not The Dot
~
Using Our Mind Power
~
Being Content
~
Suspend Judgment
~
Letting Criticism Roll Off
Keeping a positive attitude
08

51. Focusing On The White Cloth,
Not The Dot
• Sufis believe all humans have flaws and
minor imperfections. These need to be
accommodated.
• In a corporate setting the tendency is to
look at the ills rather than the goods.
• This way the focus is on the problem and
not the solution.
• The problem diverts our attention from
the solution.
• Weakness makes little progress; strengths
amplify progress.
• Leadership can tap into what is required
and avoid the unnecessary areas.
“When we see a big
white cloth with a
dot, what do we
see?”
-Jalaludin Rumi

52. Using Our Mind Power
“You are your
thought, Brother, the
rest of you is bones
and fiber. If you think
of roses you are a
rose garden; if you
think of thorns, you
are fuel for the
furnace.
-Rumi
• You are what you think all day. Good or bad
thoughts determine what you become.
• Sufism believes in the power of the mind or
intellect.
• To them mankind is the crown of all creation.
• We live in a meritocratic society so we need
constant development of our skills.
• Research shows we use a minute portion of
our brain and the rest remains untapped.
• In a corporate setting positive people gain
positive results through their positive energy.
• Using the word ‘problem’ is negative;
‘challenge’ or ‘issue’ or ‘opportunity’ are
positive words.
“Be a star and light
your own path. Do
not worry about the
darkness around you
because that is when
the star shines the
brightest.”
-Sufi Saying

53. Being Content
• The Sufis remain grateful for all of the
creation’s bounty.
• They focus on the positive.
• They are not greedy.
• Their ambition to do well is based on their
desire to do good for the less fortunate.
• There is always enough for the needy, but
never for the greedy.
• One’s professional drive should be based on
a view toward making a difference, helping
and aiding those who are less fortunate.
• Countyour blessings everyday and you will
always be content.
• Do not despair on what is not, cherish and
relish what is.
“Little but sufficient
is better than
abundant but
alluring.”
-Hadith

54. Suspend Judgment
• Sufis believe humans make judgments; the
Divine does not judge us.
• This provides to learn from our errors so that we
can grow and evolve.
• The Sufi’s mind is like an umbrella, wide and
open; it deflects others’ flaws and weaknesses.
• In a workplace we can always give people the
benefit of doubt.
• The key is to strike a balance between goals and
standards.
• We should be gentle, helpful, and solution
oriented to provide the edge that gets things
done.
• Everything negative wastes time.
“I lost everything I
had but in the
process I found
myself.”
-Rumi

55. Letting Criticism Roll Off
• Criticism is thrown at people of substance only.
• With sincerity of purpose public opinion should
not matter.
• In the workplace the only way not to be
criticized is to do nothing at all. Even then you
will be criticized!
• Do your best and leave the rest to Divinity.
• Ideas which are fresh and which challenge
conventional wisdom are the ones creating the
breakthroughs in society.
• Sometimes criticism spurs one to propel to
greater heights.
• It should always be taken in the positive sense
and some meaning should be deduced out of it
“No one throws a
stone at a barren
tree.”
-Sa’adi

56. Action Items 08
• Be solution oriented, not problem-oriented.
• Have positive expectations and think positive thoughts.
• Be non-judgmental and give people the benefit of the doubt.
Always try to see the best side of people.
• Do not worry about the criticism – just do your best and leave the
rest.
• Do not expect perfection from your team.

57. Balancing Our Lives
~
Seeing With Both Eyes
~
Focusing On The
Important Matters
Balancing our lives
09

58. Balancing Our Lives
• Whatever Sufis do, is all grounded in
spirituality.
• For Sufis spirit and body are one.
• They believe in integration over dichotomy.
• Spirituality can be an integrated part of our
work lives.
• Prayer is a tool in a Sufi’s life.
• Balance creates synergy.
• Synergy means greater creative cooperation.
• A Sufi ensures that balance is the first tenet to
aim for in daily life.
• Wake up one hour early each day to do:
– 20 minutes of meditation
– 20 minutes of exercise
– 20 minutes of reading something inspirational
“A man should be in
the marketplace
while still working
with true reality.”
-Sahl, Sufi Mystic

59. Seeing With Both Eyes
• Sufism is all about the balance between
reason and passion.
• The mind is rational and can transcend the
emotions.
• Without passion, one cannot reach great
heights.
• Two views exist:
– Intoxicated view where passion takes over
– Sober view where reason takes over
• Passion is important at the workplace.
• People with passion made contributions
to society.
• Passion with reason leads to extremism.
• Reason is always stable and logical.
• Acting and seeing with both eyes – reason
and passion – bring out the best results,
both in the office and at home.
“See with both eyes.”
-Ibn Arabi
“Reason without
passion is lame and
that passion without
reason in blind.”
-Kahlil Gibran

60. Focusing On The Important Matters
• Sufis organize their lives around key priorities and
focus on what matters.
• Planning helps to identify the priorities.
• If we take on important things first, the smaller ones
fall into place themselves.
• If goals are clear, one knows what is required to
accomplish them.
• In the workplace, Sufis focus more on areas that can
provide the greatest contributions.
• One must know the art of eliminating the non-
essentials.
• A clear strategy stems from:
– Your mission – knowing clearly why you exist
– You vision – telling what you want to be
– Your values – what you believe in and how you will behave
“Do not focus on
insignificant things.”
-Sufi Saying

61. Action Items 09
• Focus on the most important things and eliminate the non-
essentials. Do less, and focus on the really significant things that are
consistent with your vision.
• Remember that real success is holistic and includes work, family,
health, spirituality and learning. Therefore, schedule time for these
important aspects of your life.
• Maintain a balance between passion and reason. Use the right and
left sides of your brain.
• Learn to say ‘no’ to unimportant things.
• Start your day an hour earlier, devoting your newly gained hour to
meditation, exercise, and reading inspirational material in good
measure. This will give you a head start to the day. Go to sleep an
hour earlier to make up for lost sleep.

62. Every Breath Is Our Life
~
Being A Child Of The Moment
~
Savoring The Path
Savoring the path
1o

63. Every Breath Is Our Life
• With every breath we are given new life.
• For this breath we can be happy – not
tomorrow, not yesterday, but moment to
moment, beginning now.
• Believe in the beauty and power of now!
• Go with the flow and treasure life moment
to moment. Everything is perfect as it is.
• In a workplace goal setting is prime. Goals
are our drivers and energizers. Act now!
• All we have is today. It is priceless. Seize it!
Live it fully!
• Life happens day by day, moment by
moment.
“Every breath taken
in replenishes life,
and once let go of , it
gives joy to the soul.
So each breath
counts as two
blessings and each
blessing requires
thanksgiving.”
-Sa’adi, from his
poem GULISTAN
“Yesterday is but
today’s memory and
tomorrow is today’s
dream.”
- Kahlil Gibran

64. Being A Child Of The Moment
• We can all learn from a child who is fully present
in what he does.
• It is we who change him by reminding mistakes
or incentivizing specific behaviour.
• In the office we try to make each day perfect.
• The process is more important than the journey.
• One way to live fully is to go with the flow.
• Universal knowledge knows the ends of all ends.
“The Sufi acts
according to
whatever is most
fitting to the
moment.”
-Amr Ibn Uthman al-
Makki, Sufi Writer
“The less effort, the
faster and powerful
you will be.”
-Bruce Lee

65. Savoring The Path
• The beauty of life is in the being, not in the
becoming.
• Savored challenges become wonderful experiences.
• The beauty is the journey and the destination.
• In the workplace, path is the destination.
• We must enjoy the exciting, challenging and
invigorating journey.
• Value the path, learn from it, and apply the learning
to future endeavors.
• There are no failures, only lessons.
“The journey and the
destination are one.”
-Sufi Saying

66. Action Items 10
• Savor every moment and enjoy the small successes of life.
• Focus on what is right in front of you to the exclusion of everything
else. Do not let your thoughts dwell in the past or the future. Be
fully present in whatever you do.
• Live today as if you were to die tomorrow. Live in the moment – it
may be your last. Do not postpone things that you want to do.
• Go with the flow without losing sight of your purpose. Say to
yourself that the circumstances in your life are the universe’s way of
helping you reach your destiny.
• Schedule time to do things you love to do.

67. Giving Up Self To
Taste Greatness
Taming our ego
11

68. Giving Up Self To Taste Greatness
• Rumi uses the word ‘dying’ to imply the killing of the ego.
Each time we kill the ego, we rise spiritually.
• Positive pride is a great quality to have at the workplace.
– It is the zest and gumption to go out and give your best.
• Negative pride makes us narrow and unable to see life
beyond self.
– Such an attitude injures ourselves as well as our work.
• Great things can be achieved by taming the ego.
• Great work occurs because the subject disappears in the
object.
• If we go defensive, it is ego creeping in.
• Admitting mistakes is a sign of positive pride.
• Great work come out because the creators for their ego
in their work. These people went through a
metamorphosis like a caterpillar into a butterfly.
• Annihilation of the ego spawns magnificent new forms.
“When did I become
less by dying.”
-Rumi

69. Action Items 11
• Catch yourself when you become egotistical and immediately
correct your behaviour and thoughts.
• Remember that your treatment of others is a reflection of you.
• Always be thankful for gifts that you have been given by which you
gain your success. Remind yourself that you have been created and
are not the creator. Whatever success you have is by the grace of
the Divine.
• Stay away from the limelight and focus on your goals.
• Share your success with the people who help you attain it.

70. Taking The Pearl
~
Playing To One Tune
~
Meditating Regularly
~
Removing The Dust
~
Opening The Inner Eye
Igniting our personality
12

71. Taking The Pearl
• Spirituality is esoteric, not exoteric.
• We must know the real reason for the work that we are doing.
• This brings clarity. Clarity avoids many issues.
• The ability to focus on the essence makes effective leaders.
• Do not settle for the shell, pick out the pearl.
“Having seen the
form, you are
unaware of the
meaning.
If you are wise, pick
out the pearl from
the shell.”
-Rumi

72. Playing To One Tune
• Life, people and environment are
segment of one creation.
• In the workplace one must ensure that
all are playing the same music.
• We must pursue harmony and a
shared vision.
• This propels everything forward.
• Identify a single music and develop
commitment from your team
members to play it. If not it is essential
to invest time to get this right.
“Life as a whole in all
its aspects is one
single music, and
spiritual attainment
is to tune oneself to
the harmony of this
perfect music.”
-Sufi Inayat Khan

73. Meditating Regularly
• Meditation means sitting quietly, doing
nothing, and being empty of all thoughts.
• To do this we must be comfortable with
silence.
• Nature relaxes us and puts us in a mood to
meditate.
• A quiet mind is powerful.
• Meditation increases productivity and
workplace performance.
• Focus on breathing brings you calm.
• Regular meditation helps us concentrate
better.
• Finding stillness and calm can increase focus,
peace, and the ability to exude spirit all day
long.
“Meditation opens
the door to spiritual
enlightenment.”
-Sufi Saying

74. Removing The Dust
• The truth is obscured when we have ‘dust’ in us.
• This is a cleaning process which is a prerequisite to
spiritual success.
• We must aim to clean the soul and to avoid staining it.
• We are not perfect. Grudges avoid working together.
• One way to remove the dust is to appreciate the help
we get from others.
• Another is to prevent impurities from entering us.
• Effective communication is essential to remove the dust.
“Remove the dust
and see your true
self.”
-Sufi Saying

75. Opening The Inner Eye
• ‘Spirituality’ is derived from ‘spirit’
which is synonymous with the ‘soul’.
• Sufi’s purpose is to be in tune with
that spirit.
• This requires opening of the inner
eye to see all mysteries of life.
• This enables us to see things under
the surface.
• Take some time off to develop the
‘inner eye’ with reflection.
• Seeing with the inner eye can
enable us to have excellent
relationships.
• This makes work pleasant and
productive.
• Organizations benefit from this
compassionate approach.
“You need the inner
eye to see and
experience
spirituality.”
-Sufi Saying

76. Action Items 12
• Know your corporate soul – the real reason for the existence of
your organization.
• Practicing noticing things most people fail to notice. You do this by
being alert and by concentrating.
• Meditate for 20 minutes regularly, and see how it can increase your
energy and tranquility.
• Look for underlying meaning in events that happen at work
tomorrow. Try to focus on the essence of a particular issue, and
don’t become caught up in the details.
• Eliminate self limiting concepts that block spirituality by focusing on
your ultimate vision and goals.

77. Our Boat Of Life
Is Rushing By
~
Timelessness Is In
All Of Us
~
We Cannot Extend
Our Journey Of Life
~
Our Life Is Short
Life is short
13

78. Our Boat Of Life Is Rushing By
• We should not rush in this world.
• The natural processes are predetermined.
• We cannot force things to happen.
• True success requires inner knowledge, having a
direction, and heading there.
• In a fast paced world it is easy to blame the
environment and the circumstances.
• However, in reality speed is in our hands.
• We should work with a mixture of slowing down
and speed when required.
• This creates balance.
• When we slow down, there is always more time.
• This is because anticipation is heightened and total
devotion to the tasks completes them prior to the
deadline whereby giving us a small time cushion
every time.
“In a boat rushing on
a fast-running creek,
it seems as if the
trees on the bank are
rushing by.
What seems to be
changing around us
is rather the speed of
our craft leaving this
world.”
-Rumi

79. Timelessness Is In All Of Us
• Organizations can be timeless in the
contributions they make to the world.
• Sometimes these contributions can last for
beyond the corporate life span.
• In a workplace this is reflected due to our
dependence on others.
• Our lamp was lit from another lamp – Rumi
• Sometimes we leave something behind for
future generations or we care for the
environment.
• CSR is one area reflective of this thought.
“We are timeless and
placeless.”
-Sufi Saying

80. We Cannot Extend Our Journey Of Life
• We cannot control the time of
death.
• We can only control the time we
have in this world.
• Organizations too, have a limited
life span.
• Times change, economies evolve,
corporations fade away.
• Give while the season of giving is
here, so that your coffer is not
empty when you die.
“The world is like a
caravanserai with
two doors: entering
in one door, I pass
out through the
other. I am sunk in
heedless sleep and
know of nothing; I
shall die whether I
will it or not. Be I
beggar or king…
willy-nilly I must in
the end be parted
from all that I have.
Though I be
Alexander, this
transitory world will
one day provide a
shroud for all my
Alexander-like glory.”
-Fariduddin Attar,
great Sufi Persian
poet

81. Our Life Is Short
• Time, as we know in this world, is very short.
• We usually postpone living, as if there is unlimited time on our side.
• Our spiritual identity should be integrated with our physical world.
• This reflects our personality.
• With this blessing, it is expected that we make this a better place to
live an ethical and well balanced life.
• This gives us a sense to deal issues without procrastinating
“We have four
seasons to live, three
may be gone.”
-Sufi Saying

82. Action Items 13
• Live every day as it were to be your last. Make a contribution that
lasts beyond your lifetime.
• Make time for the most important things in your life – family,
spirituality, health.
• Taking a long-term perspective helps to differentiate between
reality and illusion. Ask yourself: How important will this issue or
decision be 50 years from now?

83. Viewing The Divine
With Our Limited Vision
~
God Has An
Open-door Policy
~
Discovering The Divine
Immanence In Our Workplace
Experiencing the divine @ the workplace
14

84. Viewing The Divine
With Our Limited Vision
• God can be experienced through
the spirit.
• Sufis devote their life to the
preparation for this spiritual
experience.
• All limits are set in our own minds.
• If we can break this ceiling, we are
able to fly higher and experience
things far beyond our imagination.
• God is your mirror in which you
contemplate yourself, and you are
His mirror in which He
contemplates His divine attributes.
“Trying to
understand God is to
fathom the sun with
the understanding of
the lamp.”
-Sufi Saying

85. God Has An Open-door Policy
• God is full of mercy.
• He never closes his doors.
• He is forgiving whenever we turn to him.
• Holding grudges and anger impedes spiritual
progress.
• Forgiveness releases energy and benefits the
forgiver and the forgiven.
• We must learn to forgive all and sundry.
• When we do not forgive, we lose concentration
and this effects performance.
• We should collaborate wherever possible.
• We should be ethical and dignified at all times.
• In the long run, this brings the best results.
“Come, Come, Come,
Come Whoever you
are! Wanderer,
Worshipper, lover of
leaving.
This is not a caravan
of despair. It does
not matter if you
have broken your
vows a thousand
times, still and yet
again come.”
-Rumi

86. Discovering The Divine
Immanence In Our Workplace
• Our hearts are temples that house the spirit.
• The Divine is transcendent and immanent.
• A Sufi prepares his soul to house the Divine and to be in
touch with Him at all times.
• He works at being worthy of his privilege.
• Divine grace comes to a pure soul.
• In the workplace the Divine becomes present through
our ethics and principles.
• This is reflective of the omnipresence of God in His
creation – our team.
• The Divine is one and we are all part of that one.
• When we work in a unified manner we invoke the Divine
into our professional lives.
• A Sufi’s bond with the Divine is that of love and faith.
“The Divine is
greater than the
universe, yet He is
found in the heart of
a believer.”
-Sufi Saying

87. Action Items 14
• Be conscious of the Divine at all times. Imagine He is present in all
your work related activities.
• Acknowledge that everyone is a signpost of the Divine. Respect for
others is respect for the Divine.
• Keep a big heart and overlook minor shortcomings. See the good in
others.
• Expand your horizon. Be alert and aware that there is more than
what is apparent.

88. Feedback!

89. Rumi’s Shrine at Konya, Turkey

90. Please, do not forget to sign and complete the
evaluation form & hand it over to the trainer(s)
before you leave
 THANK YOU 