Joseph Bismark - Gems of Wisdom Blog

The Power of Determination

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

When I was a child growing up, I was very fascinated by the story of the sparrow. It was told in school to teach children the power of determination. No matter how insignificant we are, like the sparrow, and no matter how insurmountable the challenges we face, we must never give up. Fear should not stop us from achieving the goals we have set. Below is the ancient Krishna  story of the ‘sparrow and her eggs’.

Let me share it with you:

“One day a sparrow laid her eggs on the shore of the ocean, but the big ocean carried away the eggs on its waves. The sparrow became very upset and asked the ocean to return her eggs. The ocean did not even consider her appeal. So the sparrow decided to dry up the ocean. She began to pick out the water in her small beak, and everyone laughed at her for her impossible determination. The news of her activity spread, and at last Garuda, the gigantic bird carrier of the Lord, heard it. He became compassionate toward his small sister bird, and so he came to see the sparrow. Garuda was very pleased by the determination of the small sparrow, and he promised to help. Thus Garuda at once asked the ocean to return her eggs lest he himself take up the work of the sparrow. The ocean was frightened by this, and so returned the eggs. Thus the sparrow became happy by the grace of Garuda.”

Please take a moment to ponder… Difficult tasks become very easy to execute if, simply with determination, one remembers the Lord. But if one does not remember Him, even an easy task becomes very difficult to achieve.

Sincerely,

Joseph Bismark

Group Managing Director, QI Ltd

Who Am I?

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Have you ever wondered who you really are? Where you are going after this life? What is the purpose of your existence? Why this world is full of suffering?

It is said that the human life begins when one seeks answers to these questions. They are the most basic of all questions, yet are also the foundation of knowledge. Without knowing who you really are, it will not be possible to find real peace and happiness. This coming week I will try to shed some light on these subjects to give us a better understanding of the truth regarding our identity.

Please take a moment to ponder on these verses taken from Krishna …

“As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.”

“Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent (the material body) there is no endurance and of the eternal (the soul) there is no change. This they have concluded by studying the nature of both.”

“That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul.”

Sincerely,

Joseph Bismark

Group Managing Director, QI Ltd

How to Change

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We talk about change, but what are the areas of change we want to see in QuestNet? Or is it the people in QuestNet that we want to change?

These are areas a person can make effective changes. To do this, we must fully engage in the following:

We must be physically energised.
We must be emotionally connected.
We must be mentally focussed.
We must be spiritually aligned.

We must also learn to manage these four areas of our being:

Physical
Heart and lungs
Abdominals
Shoulders and back
Legs
Arms

Emotional
Self-confidence
Self-regulation
Interpersonal effectiveness
Empathy/Caring

Mental
Focus
Realistic optimism
Time management
Creativity

Spiritual
Prayer/Meditation
Character
Commitment
Integrity
Service to others

We must also be respectful and supportive of these habits and skills:

Physical
Sleep
Exercise
Diet
Hydration

Emotional
Patience
Openness
Trust
Enjoyment

Mental
Visualisation
Positive talk
Positive attitude
Mental preparation

Spiritual
Honesty
Integrity
Courage
Persistence

Please take a moment to ponder…

I believe if we manage these areas of our being we can make positive changes and these individual changes that we make will affect our company as a whole.

Sincerely,

Joseph Bismark

Group Managing Director, QI Ltd

Values Check List

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I have made a random list of values.

I suggest you take a moment to check those values that are personally most important to you and then ask yourself why you chose those values and if you really do live these values in your every day life.

Your Values Check List:

• Authenticity
• Balance
• Genuineness
• Commitment
• Compassion
• Concern for others
• Courage
• Creativity
• Empathy
• Excellence
• Fairness
• Faith
• Family
• Freedom
• Friendship
• Generosity
• Happiness
• Harmony
• Health
• Honesty
• Humour
• Integrity
• Kindness
• Knowledge
• Loyalty
• Openness
• Perseverance
• Respect for others
• Security
• Serenity
• Service to others

Sincerely,

Joseph Bismark

Group Managing Director, QI Ltd

Be Grateful

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

If the only prayer you say in your whole life is ’Thank You’, that will suffice.

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.
Appreciation is like an insurance policy. It has to be renewed every now and then.

Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn’t people feel free to delight in whatever remains to them?

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as a bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.

To be upset over what you do not have is to waste what you do have.

Health is... a blessing money cannot buy.

Think of the ills from which you are exempt.

“Count your blessings, not your crosses, count your gains, not your losses, count your joys instead of your woes, count your friends instead of your foes, count your health and not your wealth.”
– Old Irish Poem 

Take a moment to ponder and reflect…

Always be grateful; contentment is the key to peace and happiness.

Your friend,

Joseph Bismark

Group Managing Director, QI Ltd