A Journey to Reset The Mind

M Haidar Hanif
6 min readFeb 26, 2017

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A random story of life, that might help you live the way you want.

A journey of life

“Who are you? Why do you do what you do in life? How do you do it the most? What are the things you do?”

These are truly a very simple chain of questions about life, but yet, only a handful of people can answer this question right away with high confidence and exciting details. So, what about you? Please, I encourage you to answer yourself first.

Yes please, take your time to think and feel.

Hello, you there who read this! Thank you for taking your time to think and feel. To continue, first of all, I recommend you to listen to passionate or spiritual music while reading this. Let’s set back and relax, enjoy this random piece of a story. A piece of a journey that I had back throughout since I was little, weak, ignorant, naive, and had no idea to live happily by myself. But now, I can say that I have my own statements, which revised over the years. The things that make me bigger, stronger, knowing more, open-minded, and most importantly: happy.

I am M Haidar Hanif, a learner, a dreamer, a doer, a modern millennial human, a super tech generalist.

I live in this world of life to help people integrate and optimize their potentials, actions, knowledge, wisdom, and insight. So that humanity can grow and thrive for the greater good.

I do it most through meaningful discussion and agile collaboration. Utilizing our mind, strengths, and technologies to help improving ourselves, teams, organizations, and even societies.

I work with anything related to data, information, knowledge, wisdom, insight, technology, management, engineering, design, software, application, web, and life. Especially now specifically are full stack web application/software development, design, architecture, and infrastructure.

So now, what about you? Please answer again to yourself. Be grateful for what you have now with your answers. Sure, that kind of words looks grandiloquent at first. But hey, as a classic quote says: let’s think big and start small, shall we?

Eh? Wait, what’s the meaning of those? Well, the first prominent part is the “Why”. The purpose, cause, or belief that can inspire you to do what you do. I learned that by watching Simon Sinek’s TED Talk, Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action. He explains the Golden Circle, a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership. Start With Why. His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers. There’s even a book for you to understand further. You should check them out after reading this story. It’s really awesome!

Although, I recommend you to start with “Who” as well. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

That way, I guarantee that your words alone — when you found your answer to those questions — could cheer you up no matter what happens. Either when you have problems with your study, work, or even life. I myself accidentally figure out some of the first pieces of the puzzle when I’m still in my first junior high school, a place far from the city, where I am near the mountain and forest.

Most of the people had no idea about those simple things at first. And that’s okay, everyone will have their answer at any point in their life. The key to getting them is to always learn and educate about yourself and the world, as well as persevering your own way. Failures after failures that eventually lead you to success.

Every successful and influential people in this world there is, start from somewhere, right?

  • Muhammad (PBUH)
  • Jesus Christ
  • Isaac Newton
  • Buddha
  • Confucius
  • Albert Einstein
  • Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison
  • Avicenna (Ibn-Sīnā)
  • Leonardo Da Vinci
  • Lao Tzu
  • Henry Ford
  • Dalai Lama
  • Nelson Mandela
  • Barrack Obama
  • Larry Page and Sergey Brin
  • Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak
  • Bill Gates and Paul Allen
  • Jeff Bezos and Jack Ma
  • Mark Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz, Eduardo Saverin et al
  • and more people who are not even born yet

They all have their own Why, How, and What they’re doing.

Read and learn, try everything, find your way, let go of your ego, go somewhere far, become someone and a leader you want. If you don’t know where to start, choose a role model then learn more about them. I believe that everyone has their chance in this world to be successful when they give their best.

In this world, people need to always eager to improve. For their selves and others. That’s why humanity still exists now. Related to this matter, I might want to allude to the current education system that takes an old industrial system to control it, especially in a country I was born into. To enlighten our mind, whether you already understand or not, please share with the person you care most about your discovery.

Alright, why we need to study in the first place? Commonly people who I ask, answer that they need to pass a grade, graduate, have a job, get an income, and have a family. Seriously? What’s the great thing in just like that? C’mon people, we can think and do much better!

I know some people look at that as a day-to-day life cycle. Ordinary acceptable. Most people can live with that, right? Hey, there are even successful people who experience that first! Yes, I can agree. But most often, I believe it’s beyond study, it’s the way of learning to live. Knowing and doing their mission of life. They didn’t get their majority of success because of school, college, or university. Sure, they’re helpful to become a safety net. But the answers most we would found are not in there.

I had been into 2 kindergartens.
I had been into 3 primary schools.
I had been into 2 junior high schools.
I had been into 2 senior high schools.
I had been into 2 stages of universities, completed a bachelor’s degree, but then I just dropped out from my master's degree when I was working on my thesis.

For why it could happen that I had been into many schools; few of it because of my parent’s office travel, but most of it because I chose to, myself. To try new things.

My thought of conclusion? Most of the meaningful lessons I learned are not in there, the schools, degree, certificate, or diploma; but rather in people, nature, and the world itself; with the help of guidance from the divine existence. Some say it’s a kind of divination.

I learned that to become better and the best, one must seek to learn because a need to live and work the best so we can have a life we want to, not dictated by others. Live for yourself and the people around us.

It’s beyond just getting a job and money.

Yes, those things are important, but not the only highest things to consider when you’re learning.

How about the grades and certificate of degree?

Yes, those things can help but not the most helpful when you’re into a professional level of work. Because the things that matter most are your mind, abilities, network, your work itself, and much more; other than just where you study before.

Because this is solely my opinion, some articles, and some books; I would be happy when you argue with this. haha. Let’s discuss that more in a personal conversation.

Okay, what about my plan of learning in 2017? At least in March, I have to take steps of a journey that are obviously-randomly™ placed for now. I’m curious about what happens next, without a need for any clickbait. True adventure is frequently coming when we relinquish boundaries. Ultimately, I have to meet and find new friends, colleagues, and connections. To learn more, have a better meaningful work and life, then even build a company/business together; whether I will work on which has existed or something new which I and my team have to start.

What I’m going to be? Well, I would like to become a better learner, an expert technologist, a founder.

I have 5 plans available for this year of 2017, in an ordered manner, by becoming a:

  • happy unemployed freeman
  • super tech-consultant and advisor
  • builder of my own startup and book author
  • project/product freelancer
  • worst case, work for a company again

Where I’m going to be? Everywhere at least. Some big cities in Asia would be my first destination. Then I would like to live and work anywhere in the world.

During difficult times, even the strongest person needs someone or something to uplift them again. Your family, friend, and even a piece of a quote. Sometimes we just need to rest, relax, and reset our minds. Some will seek an adventurous journey for more answers. Who knows those answers? Only you, who will know.

Thank you.

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M Haidar Hanif
M Haidar Hanif

Written by M Haidar Hanif

Educator + Developer • Helping people with career, web development, and software engineering https://mhaidarhanif.com

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