This document discusses leaving a legacy and achieving extraordinary goals through three stories of individuals who faced adversity but pursued their dreams of freedom. It encourages the reader to reflect on their ideals and dreams, and challenges them to care more than others think is wise and take risks to make a difference. The stories are about a man who was thrown from a train but dreamed of freeing his people from slavery, a man who spent 27 years in prison dreaming of freedom from apartheid, and a man who was disabled but worked to help his refugee people and dreamed of their freedom until he was martyred. The document advocates keeping one's ideals high and using wisdom to spread them, rather than lowering standards, and suggests individuals and nations are remembered most for

1. Leaving a Legacy
What do you want to be
remembered for?

2.  A leader is remembered not by what he
or she possessed or consumed, not by
how much power they had or whether
they were charming or beautiful, but by
the legacy they leave behind.
Fundamentals first

3. 1. It is in the nature of extraordinary
goals to inspire extraordinary effort.
2. It is in the nature of the ‘dream’ to be
impractical.
Two Truths

4. 3 – stories
About real people

5.  The first story is about a man who
bought a train ticket for the First Class
and got into the compartment. But as
he was sitting there, a strange thing
happened. The Guard came and threw
him out of the compartment.
First Story

6.  As the man picked himself up from the
ground, a dream was born; the dream to
set his people free from slavery.
 But remember, the dream to set his
nation free was born when the man
could not even guarantee his own
freedom.
Strange result

7. A very impractical dream.
A very extraordinary goal.

8.  The second story is about another man who
sat in a prison for 27 years. I have seen that
prison. It is a prison on a rock in the middle of
the ocean. A rock that is surrounded by the
sea which has some of the largest sharks in
the world.
Second Story

9.  This man sat in that prison without any
hope of ever escaping. A lot of the time
in solitary confinement. And in that
situation he had a dream.
 The dream was to set his people free
from the apartheid which enslaved
them in their own land.
Chains are in the mind

10. Once again, a very impractical
dream. A very extraordinary goal.

11.  The third story is about another man. This
man, when he was young, had a sporting
accident in which he lost the use of both
his legs and his eyesight was also affected.
 He was, since then confined to a
wheelchair. Then what did he do?
Third Story

12.  After he became a scholar, he went back to his
people, where he became a refugee in his own land
because the invaders and occupiers of his land
destroyed his home along with the homes of
thousands of others.
 All his life there, he worked to help his people in their
misery to bring some measure of relief to them
through medical aid, social help, food, emotional
support and by teaching them to fight for their rights.
He went to university

13.  For this service, he was imprisoned for many years by
the invaders and spent time in some of the most
horrific prisons in the world. And all the while he had
a dream; to set his people free and to have their land
returned to them.
 Then finally, at the age of 67, on March 22, 2004 while
he was returning home from the morning prayers in
the masjid, he was murdered by the invaders and
joined the honorable list of martyrs.
Reward for service

14. Once again an impractical dream.
An extraordinary goal which
inspires extraordinary effort.
As we stand here today, there does
not seem to be any chance of his
dream ever coming true.

15. What is your dream? What is
your goal?
First Question to you is:

16.  Perspective is the ability to hold two pictures in
your mind: Where you are now and where you
want to be. The positive tension between these
two pictures will drive you to reach where you
need to be.
 Without perspective we are either stuck in the
current reality and get frustrated or we have our
heads in the clouds and no idea of how to realize
what we want to achieve.
Perspective

17.  We all start in the same place….as children.
What does that mean? It means that at least
initially, our condition depends on others who
take care of us. So we get conditioned to look
to them to ‘make us’ happy.
 And when that does not happen, we blame
them.
We all start the same way

18.  This leads to the mental model:
“Someone else is responsible for my
welfare. My role is to feel good or bad
about what the other person does. If I
am happy, I laugh. If not, I sulk.”
Mental Models

19.  Strangely, many people get stuck in this mental
model even when they grow up physically and are in
charge of their own affairs and have the power to do
things for themselves. Because to grow up, means to
take responsibility.
 To take ownership for all that you say and do. For the
effect of this on others and on the world. Not merely
to accept accountability but to actively seek it. To
stand up and say, “Here I am. You can count on me.”
Growing up

20.  And if things go wrong, as sometimes
they will, to say, “I am responsible for
what has happened. Here is what I
learnt from this. And this is how we will
ensure this never happens again.” Most
people fear this intensely.
If things go wrong?

21.  So they are all ready to talk about freedom, but
will not actually work to become free.
 There is great safety and solace in slavery, in
never growing up. In being a ‘child’ all your life.
And you can see so many 50 and 60 year old
children. There is much to fear in freedom.
 Emotional Maturity is therefore not a factor of
age of the body but the maturity of the mind.
Do you really want to be
free?

22.  This voluntary slavery of the mind is not only
found in individuals but in organizations, societies
and countries. Often among those that are very
rich and powerful but helpless by their own
choice and blame others for what happens to
them.
 They refuse to see that their happiness lies in
their own hands. That they can be free of this
mental bondage if they choose.
Chains make slavery safe

23. Do you really want to be free?
So my next question to you is:

24. 1. To care more than others think is wise
2. To risk more than others think is safe
3. To dream more than others think is
practical
4. To expect more (from yourself) than
others think is possible
Freedom’s 4 – choices

25. Are you ready to choose?
My question to you is:

26.  We all start as Idealists. Then life happens. Things
happen where people let you down. Often the
very people who you counted on to support you.
People deceive and lie and cheat and sacrifice
long term benefits for short term gains.
 So as all these things happen, we get onto the
slide and start sliding downwards.
On the slide – if you want

27. Idealist

28. Optimist

29. Realist

30. Pessimist

31. Cynic

32. Indifferent

33.  And when people who have allowed
themselves to be cynical and indifferent meet
you who are an idealist, they are reminded of
what they were like one day.
 And they hate what they see in your eyes;
they hate what they have chosen to do to
themselves.
They see themselves

34.  They believe that if they can make you shut up,
then somehow all will be well. Because they are
one of the many who believe this fallacy, that if
one can make someone who speaks the truth to
shut up; then one can remain comfortable in
one’s falsehood.
 They refuse to face the reality that the truth is the
truth even if no one speaks it.
They try to shut you up

35.  The thing to do therefore, if you want to
light the lamps of other's idealism, is to
ensure that your own lamp never goes
dim.
 The way to do that is never to lower
your ideals in the name of expedience,
or diplomacy or wisdom.
Keep your lamp alight

36.  By all means use your wisdom and skill in
putting across your ideals in as convincing and
acceptable a way as you can, but never lower
the standard.
 For the standard is our only protection against
the slide into mediocrity and oblivion.
Never lower the standard

37. Idealist
Optimist
Realist
Pessimist
Cynic
Indifferent

38.  Remember that no person or nation lives
forever. But their thoughts, their goals, their
ideals and what they stood for endures long
after they have become dust.
 That is what we stand for; ideals that have
stood the test of time and which we carry
forward to generations who will come, long
after we have gone.
Nobody lives forever

39. 1997 – White House
"I don't do this to
change them," he
said, "I do this so
that they will not
change me."

40.  Much has happened since 1997 and history has
been written in words of shame by the blood of
innocents.
 However there is one man somewhere who still
believes in justice and mercy and that truth will
eventually prevail over falsehood.
 That is his legacy.
History is written in blood

41.  The legacy of a man whose name we
don't know. But his story inspires
others.
 We need such people more than we
need those who have the power and
use it only for oppression.
Legacy of a nameless man

42. What are your ideals?
So the next question I ask you is:

43. “It made a difference to that one!”

44. What difference do you want to
make?
My final question to you is:

45. www.yawarbaig.com
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