Submitted by Mostafa Zommo on July 29, 2015 – 5:00pm
I push my luggage through a steel shaped barrier that looks more like a gate to a middle ages torture camp rather than a welcoming arch for unsuspecting visiting travellers… But this is less unnerving than the one mile walk through a no-man-zone between the last Israeli boarder crossing and the first Palestinian boarder control that I passed a short time ago. And now I am inside the city of Gaza, my birth city, the home of the most precious human being and the reason for my visit, my mom!

My brain shifts to overdrive, so quickly, so immediately, raising more and more questions but unable to produce answers: how could my mom be living in a place surrounded by steel barriers, no-man-zones and enemy lines, while I live in the most free country on the planet, arguably the best country in the world to live in – Canada?

In the span of seconds I feel helpless. All the powers that I had in Canada were suspended. I am stripped of all my friends who seem so far away. I am moving into a parallel world.

Throughout my career, I did reasonably well. I was surrounded by much love from real on the ground loyal friends. I was at home in Canada, but now my very existence is being challenged. While in this fog, I raise my head and see my younger brother with his warm gentle smile and nothing can stop the tears as we embrace. In an instant, I am home again! More questions: where is home? I am thinking home is where love exists!

We push on, driving through the city that seems unaware of our presence, everyone busy coming and going… Bombed and decrepit buildings stand next to architecturally beautiful ones. Building debris is being cleared while new buildings are going up. The people seem unaware of how difficult their situation is, but of course they are aware… it’s a reminder of how the human spirit continues to grind on, living in the hope of a better tomorrow, irrespective of all odds.

I, however, am sensing everything, living at the extreme peaks of my nerves. My heart, mind, body and soul merge into one unit that operates in a state of heightened alert. In that state, everything moves super fast but I see it in slow motion. It’s as if my mind is able to exist in two states – fast and slow – at the same time. In such a state, moments feel like a lifetime… Comparison notwithstanding, it’s like a near death experience. I have experienced that before, when I had a major car accident. It happened at a high speed but I saw it in slow motion just before we hit and I blanked-out.

In this heightened state, you meet people and in seconds you get to know them. You get very close to them… they open up to you and you walk away as if a lifetime has passed. It’s quite an experience. I think life becomes even more precious when it’s restricted. Every second counts. People hang out and do things together all the time. They become close so quickly and so readily… maybe too much so for a north  american.

The wars have blurred the line between life and death and that has reshaped the people. Some have become very conservative and others very liberal, often at the extreme. I have seen and even experienced these extremes. The only explanation I can come up with is that the human spirit is irrepressible and will go on to fulfill its human destiny, often with dignity and grace, irrespective of the madness all around it.

As I approach my mom, I see that she has aged since the last time I saw her ten years ago and that she walks with difficulty. But her eyes are still full of life, full of joy and full of love… This visit is all about my mom, being with her, eating with her and singing with her – she loves to sing! And my mom, who has always been known for her beauty and style, makes me laugh when she remarks about the fashions worn by visitors.

In four weeks, I have seen much of Gaza, took hundreds of photos, as if it was my last visit… In Gaza, everyone is politically awake and you need to do your homework before entering into a discussion, even with the youngest of minds. But they do that over generous food festivals and lovely social gatherings in the cool evenings of the Mediterranean, totally in denial of the economic and political madness all around them.

Then the tough goodbye moment had to come. Seeing my frail mom crying is unbearable, but, as I said to her, the depth of our pain reflects the depth of our love. And when the pain lifts our love remains at an even deeper level. That’s why these visits are worth it!

Walking through hell to see the people you love and who love you unconditionally only to endure even the greater pain of saying ‘goodbye’ is the making of life at its most real, authentic and raw. It puts you face to face with who you really are. It defines you and, in an instant, it challenges if not peels off many of the causes that crowd your life over time…

But if it’s even possible, the pain is amplified by the raw sensitivity of an arguably rational man unable to help the people and the city he loves. Gaza is once again a city too far and beyond my ability to help. Or is it! Maybe the lesson from Gaza will come out of the pain, which is often one of life’s greatest inspirations. Have I been given an inspirational challenge? Is it to spread freedom and love around the world, possibly one smile at a time?

Fortunately, this challenge is not mine alone, because freedom and love belongs to all of us. We are only totally free when everyone is free. There is only but one human race, there is no ‘them and us’, there is only ‘us’. The sooner we realize that, the sooner we are on our way to making this world a better place or as the children say, ‘a Poifect world’ 🙂

Of course you should always do what makes you happy. But from time to time, we all feel emptiness that can only be filled by a cause bigger than ourselves… Here is a cause bigger than all of us, a cause that requires all of us to be achieved: freedom and love for all! A cause we may all drive towards in our own way… For me, a cause that’s worthy of my mom’s tears is to spend the rest of my life trying to make the world a better place for her and for all of us, not by demonizing others and cursing the darkness but by fighting for freedom for her and for all, by lighting a candle of love wherever there is darkness and hate. I know I am not alone, and as the song goes, I hope one day you’ll join us!

Submitted by Mostafa Zommo on July 22, 2015 – 6:00pm

A few of you wrote me asking about the next step in the six pack of success… Well! here it is:

Work hard – It’s really as simple as it sounds … if you want to move up the career ladder, you need to work hard! Working hard does not mean working 24/7 as that would not be smart. Remember, all the steps of the six pack are complementary and mutually reinforcing! So working hard must not be seen in isolation of the other steps on the road to success, such as maintaining a learning posture and working smart.

One common mistake people make is to assume that if you work smart, you don’t need to work hard. Working smart is a twin to working hard and not a replacement. Working hard means never looking for clever excuses to avoid or delay important work. On the contrary, do as much work immediately and always look for additional challenges. Working hard means being engaged in your work by paying full attention to what you are doing. It means staying focused on what you are trying to accomplish – you have no time to waste or be distracted by small office politics, gossip, trivia and unproductive causes. It also means developing your capacity by championing great human causes. You’d be surprised how much untapped potential you have!

And don’t believe the rumors: no one has ever died from working hard. People often confuse “working hard” with “working dumb”; a better association is to link it with good work ethics.

When the student asked me, “How did you get to become a senior executive?”, the first thing that came to my mind was by working hard. I have never seen a successful person who did not work hard. Remember the second question from the student was, “What’s the shortest distance to move from being a student to become a senior executive – be it a Director General, Assistant Deputy Minister, CIO or CEO?”. Working hard is your short cut!!! Well, if you want to advance, not working hard is not an option!

I assure you that working hard is necessary for any meaningful accomplishment and career advancement. In my experience, all successful people work hard, but not all hard working people are successful. This is why you need to consider working hard within the context of the six pack.

Some people associate working hard with having a hard time at work. This could not be further from the truth. You need to always enjoy and have fun at work, we’ll chat about this in future blogs.

Irrespective of the outcome, when you work hard, you feel you’ve earned the right to be present and there will always be room for you on the team. I dare say that working hard is food for the soul that we all need and make us feel whole, especially in a modern world that seems to discount basic human and old fashion values, decency and kindness, in favor of quick and often empty and short-term rewards. For anything to last if not grow, it requires the seriousness and discipline of a strong mind and warm heart, both fueled by hard work.

As a young boy, I was always impressed by farmers who worked hard and long hours but they were happy, positive and productive. There is something honest, honorable and rewarding about working hard!

One can go on but so far you have step 1- Become a Learning Machine, step 2- Work Smart, step 3- Work Hard… Stay tuned for step 4, coming soon as the fun continues. While working hard, I wish you a touch of good luck, as the song says, [hard work & luck] these are words that go together well:)