The right path

By Dr. Muhammad Hafizullah

We could not find our names written on any board! We scanned all the placards, carried by people waiting for the passengers at Charles De Gaulle airport, Paris. Disappointed, we took Air France bus to reach Lafayette Congress centre. We were told that our hotel was close to the congress venue. Pulling and pushing our luggage, we ended up walking more than a mile to find our Courtyard Marriot hotel at the end of a never ending Victor Hugo road.

At that time it seemed like five miles! We had to seek directions after every hundred yards! And as French could not understand our French, we had to resort to flashing our hotel address and seek guidance.

Next day, on returning from conference we realised that we had taken two extra turns and this detour prolonged our journey. Second day we realised that while the congress venue was at the end of the road, we were still walking an extra two hundred metres as we were taking two extra turns.

Once we discovered the proper route (and not short cut), the journey and of course the labour reduced by one third. While returning from the conference we realised the importance of knowing the directions and more importantly the shortest way to the destination.

Everyone sets targets for oneself in life. High achievers distinguish themselves from the crowd by defining the goal more clearly and doing the homework to determine the shortest and surest way to success. Setting target may be easy and most people set high goals for themselves at times inappropriately high! It is the setting of realistic goals in the first place that promises success.

But determining a practical and realistic strategy to achieve the goal guarantees success. Of course, nothing can be achieved in life without dedicated and concerted efforts.

Success kisses the feet of those who know the objective, the right path to the goal and are willing to work for them.

Religion is an absolute truth but there are numerous ways to achieve the ultimate. There are many imprudent people who have been led astray off the right path and are the unfortunate victims of misguidance. Fortunate people achieve their goals either through Divine guidance or efforts of righteous honest and sincere leaders.

Most imperative is to determine the right path - not necessarily a short cut but a path devoid of detours and distractions. A path that leads to spiritual elevation and guarantees eventual ascension to higher levels of piety.

Abdul Hameed was an extraordinary student whose claim to fame was his insatiable appetite for studying. He was known for putting in more than eighteen hours in a day. As expected, he used to follow large textbooks and multiple entries and underlining of text bore testimony to his hard work. In examinations he could not score very high marks.

Though he knew the subject, yet higher positions always eluded him. As against that Kamran used to study fixed hours, followed small manageable textbooks and his work was dictated by the format of examination.

He had a better concept of demands of examination and perhaps a better understanding of the path to success. He refrained from wasting time on irrelevant and perfunctory details. The goal was the same in both cases, but the success depended on adopting the right path!

We were participating in a high level meeting regarding improvement in higher education. We had among ourselves gurus who could talk on any topic tirelessly for hours. In the absence of delineation of clear objectives and strategy to achieve them, we wandered here and there for two hours.

By the time we came to the crux of the matter, everyone was exhausted and could not do justice with the demands of the subject.

Even for a meeting, there has to be clear definition of objectives and determination of a path to achieve the goal. The chairman has to goad the participants on the right path and be wary of distractions and time wasting arguments.

Every article and every poem has an objective to achieve and has a strategy to achieve them. A proper opening line sets tone for a good poem.

In an article a wrong start complicates the issue and spoils the basis on which arguments have to be build up. The thread which binds the arguments together determines the path an article or poem takes and decides the ultimate fate of the article. If an article or poem has a good start and finds the right path, success is guaranteed. Right path, at times, comes right in the way and at other times it eludes - in spite of hard work.

Some blessed people define their goals and good fortune opens different avenues leading to success. Some may never succeed in defining the right path and may wander in the wilderness.  Others may have to struggle for decades to unlock the closed doors.

This may pertain to all fields but an individual may be denied passage beyond the first impediment. In some cases obstacles stimulate the individual to take on higher challenges and achieve superior goals. In some cases initial obstacles may take the wind out of the project and ground it without even a fair trial.

Treading on the right path - success comes easy and surely. Important aspect of an effort is to determine the right path.

A path where efforts become more cost effective - cost in terms of hard work, and effort. A path or strategy that leads to success and at the same time saves time. While conceiving a project, realistic goals have to be identified and more importantly a proper path has to be chalked out which secures success. Emphasis on goals alone does not guarantee success but carving a well thought practicable path does secures success.