Joseph Bismark - Gems of Wisdom Blog

A Threatened Leader Cannot Lead

Many leaders feel worried and threatened when the people they are leading start to become independent, or start to excel. I am curious why this is. Does that not mean that they have been a good leader? The fact that the people they are leading are growing and developing is surely a good thing. Why is it that sometimes leaders feel that they must always be the ones in the spotlight?

Thinking of this made me happily recall one of my favourite verses. It is a verse that I think we can all learn from in order to better ourselves and others. Let me share parts of this verse with you.

One should think oneself lower than the straw on the street…

In many places of the world, you see bits of straw all over the street, such as in India or the Philippines. This straw is being walked on and cars are driving over it. It is flattened to the ground. Now I ask you – what could be lower than this straw on the street? And in that consciousness of feeling lower than the straw on the street, who could ever offend you? No one could put you down, as you are already lowly and humble on your own accord. Some people think being humble means allowing people to step on you and exploit you, but being humble is never that. It is a state of consciousness where you always walk on criticism and in that state, how could you even be angry? It is so fulfilling to be at this state of consciousness, where you feel at peace because you are not trying to climb on top of other people. And in this type of consciousness, you could be a king or be in high positions, but this is the consciousness you must have in order to lead people. You must think of yourself as lower than the straw in the street.

One should be more tolerant than a tree…

How could you be more tolerant than a tree? A tree is so tolerant. You can cut off its branches, it stands forever under the hot sun or torrent rains, sways with the strong winds, has ants crawl all over it… and yet it still stands, tolerant and accepting of what is going on around it. Now, this verse says we should be even more tolerant than that tree. If you are a tree – in terms of patience, endurance, fairness, and temperament –  then who could move you? You could not be pulled over. It is a great virtue to withstand any onslaught of challenges and not be swayed by the winds of emotions. This doesn’t mean you don’t feel it and that you’re numb to it. It just means you are steadfast and you have belief in what you stand for.

One should be devoid of all sense of false prestige.

False prestige is thinking, “I’m a powerful lawyer” or “I’m a successful businessperson”. We always think we have to be somebody for others to love us. We strive so much to have it all – material possessions, driving a certain type of car, having the right image, and so forth. But with this comes a whole lot of anxiety. How could there be peace and how could you be at peace if you are worried about all these things? This sense of false prestige just gets in the way. There is no criticism about the duties and titles that you have been given. Your job may be very important and you may have worked hard to get there. But that doesn’t give you a licence to be arrogant. It does not mean you can demand respect from others. But no matter what you do or who you think you are, you should always be giving your respect to others. A leader cannot lead if he is blinded by his own sense of false prestige.

Please take a moment to ponder… If you want to be a good leader, should you feel threatened if those you are leading start to succeed? If you want to be a good leader, shouldn’t you rather place yourself beneath those you lead, be tolerant and steadfast, and undress yourself of all false prestige? Ponder on this. I thought of this verse as being a guide for someone who wants to be not only a good leader, but who wants to be happy and at peace. 

Sincerely,

Joseph Bismark

Group Managing Director, QI Ltd

 

The Perfect Doctor

Last week, I shared with you the secret of real wealth: good health. This week, I would like to continue this theme. I am certainly not a doctor, but I do believe that our own good health is our own responsibility.

We are each blessed with a body that has been designed to care for itself, as long as we are there to help it. The body is the perfect doctor: The body will cure itself, but we just need to learn how to not block the process. Moreover, with so many other drugs and medicines that are introduced into our body’s system, the body loses its memory on how to protect itself. The body will always send us a signal when something is wrong. But often, we don’t pay attention or don’t recognise the signal at all.

I would encourage everyone to learn about their body and learn how to give your body the best environment in which to do its job of protecting and healing itself. I am not saying there is no need for doctors – there is – but we can make the doctors’ jobs a whole lot easier if we pay a little more attention to what our body is saying and why it’s saying it.

Things like short-term fasting, flushing, cold press, dry brushing, massages – all these things help to ensure our body is free from toxins, and clears the way for the body to get on with performing all the vital functions it was designed for. Eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep, managing your stress levels, staying away from alcohol and cigarettes, maintaining a vegetarian diet – these are all things that we have perfect control over and can pave the way for a body that is allowed to do what it was created to do – live.

Please take a moment to ponder… our body is designed to protect us. Don’t get in the way of that.

Sincerely,

Joseph Bismark

Group Managing Director, QI Ltd

The Vital Code

Many of you will already know that I take my health very seriously and I believe in looking after the body we are given.

I was recently asked to write an Afterword for a book about a revolutionary new multivitamin concept that I support, and while writing this Afterword, it made me think just how easily we confuse the meaning of success.

I would like to share this Afterword with you all.

The Vital Code

AFTERWORD by Joseph Bismark

Our bodies are like vehicles; the most advanced, superior vehicles ever made. They are also the most important vehicle we will ever own. Like all other vehicles, our bodies need regular tune-ups. They need to be purged of toxins. And they need to be nourished with nutrients and replenished with fuel to enable performance at our bodies’ designed peak.

Unfortunately, the environment we live in today is not as generous with the natural ‘refuelling’ of our vehicles as it once was. The air has been compromised with pollutants and our water has been sacrificed. The commercialisation of food, fruit and vegetables, has sapped the nutrients out of the natural sources we depend upon to sustain the well being of our bodies.

In this world, we must triple our efforts in looking after ourselves. Sometimes, people forget the importance of the physical body, opting to spend thousands of dollars on the things that adorn and house the body – clothes, cars, homes – but then balk at the idea of investing time and money in their physical self and their health.

Success is not smoking a cigar to celebrate a corporate victory, nor is success about drinking champagne to signify a promotion. Real success and real wealth is in nothing other than good health. A healthy life is a successful life.
 
A healthy, successful life means good, regular exercise, controlling stress levels, and maintaining a balanced diet. Regrettably, a healthy diet is not as simple as it once was, due to busy lifestyles and processed foods. Taking into consideration the pesticides and agricultural chemicals used, transport and storage processes, preservatives, and other manufacturing elements; even fruit and vegetables have become an unreliable source of the fuel needed to drive our bodily vehicles. For these reasons, dietary supplements have become the bridging gap between the foods we eat and the vitamins and minerals we need to maintain optimum health.

The Vital Code is not a magical pill that instantly makes you healthy. Nothing is a magical pill that solves all your health woes. But after reading this book and learning about the research and discoveries that have resulted in The Vital Code, it is clear that this is one of the most beneficial tools you can introduce into your lifestyle to give you the best chance at creating a holistic and healthy living approach to your body’s requirements. The Vital Code has been so meticulously pieced together that it ‘understands’ the body and answers the body’s calls for assistance.

Any form of breakthrough in helping our body to achieve and sustain its maximum health is something that I wholeheartedly welcome. The Vital Code goes beyond platonic remedying of our bodies’ ills. The secret to the vitality of our bodies’ needs has been unlocked with this product. We have the opportunity to truly invest in our body and in our future and to achieve true wealth in the health of our vehicle.

Sincerely,

Joseph Bismark

Group Managing Director, QI Ltd

The Uncomfortable Truth

Rome was one of the founding cities of Western Civilisation. For more than a thousand years, Rome was the largest, strongest, richest and most politically powerful city in the Western World. Rome won battles. The people of Rome were prosperous. Rome was an empire.

Perhaps the only thing more famous than the prosperity of the Roman Empire is the decline of the Roman Empire.

There are many theories that have been floated since the 18th Century about why the Roman Empire ‘fell’. Almost all of them share a common denomination at their core: At the height of Roman success, the emperors thought they were immortal, undefeatable, and indestructible. They had nestled into a comfort zone at the very top of the world, and into this comfort zone crept complacency. And from complacency, they fell.

A valuable lesson can be learnt here. A comfort zone is a very scary place to find yourself in. A comfort zone is detrimental to your drive and passion. Before long, you are not as ‘hungry’ anymore to better yourself. You don’t work out as much. You don’t push yourself or challenge yourself. You procrastinate.

Nothing is permanent in this world. When you find yourself in a comfort zone, ask yourself this: “If everything I have worked hard to achieve was taken away from me, would I be able to go back and live a simpler life and cut down on my lifestyle?”

Be ready. Be introspective. We should recognise success as the place from which we can acknowledge our own accomplishments and possessions, and start looking outwards to the world. How can you use what you have achieved to help others? How can you better yourself while bettering others at the same time? How can you Raise Yourself To Help Mankind?

Please take a moment to ponder… It is scary to get comfortable. We should not be complacent because it kills us. It kills our drive, our perception and our passion. And without these, where are we? Who are we?

Sincerely,

Joseph Bismark

Group Managing Director, QI Ltd

The Truth of Loyalty

During one of my speaking engagements with the business network, someone asked me, “Are you loyal to Vijay (Eswaran)?” And to that I answered, “No.”

Yes, it surprised everyone and I know it will surprise those of you who are well acquainted with the longstanding partnership I have with Vijay.

I explained: “My loyalty is to truth. Because Vijay upholds the truth, then it follows that my loyalty is with him.”

This is where I would like to take a stand on what I see as true and false loyalty.

One of the most common misconceptions people have when it comes to faithfulness or devotion is that they think loyalty is to a person. This is not right. Loyalty should not be based on personality; otherwise, it could turn into a ‘personality cult’. A personality cult is defined as excessive public admiration for a charismatic person (usually someone famous like an actor, politician, or perhaps sportsperson). Don’t think you are following righteousness or truth when the merits of the person you adulate are not proven.

A leader must be followed not because he is famous, but because he is a follower of the truth. We have seen some people get out-of-hand with eulogising or worshipping people who are no longer on the right path and who start making their own rules for their own vested interests. A classic example of this is the cult following of evangelist preacher Jim Jones who was preaching in the name of Christ in a small community he founded called Jonestown in Guyana, USA. Power began to corrupt him and after allegations of human rights abuse were beginning to be investigated against him, Jones led his followers – about 900 plus – to mass suicide. The extent of this action now constitutes one of the greatest single losses of American civilian life in a non-natural disaster.

There are other disturbing similarities with our present day leaders. Let us not have this blind allegiance to cult personalities. Loyalty must be to broad principles; to universal truth that applies to all and not to a particular sect, religion or group; to basic truth such as refraining from lying, killing, or exploiting. You should be on a constant guard with your leaders, no matter who he or she is. And because we are not perfect and we make mistakes when we are on the wrong path, we must have the willingness to be corrected.

Please take a moment to ponder… The only influence people are open to having is the truth. The truth is always logical, and anyone who follows the truth is consistent. This is the power of the truth.

Sincerely,

Joseph Bismark

Group Managing Director, QI Ltd