848) Do you Dare to Dream?!

This week I wanna share with you a video that can help you in understanding why many people -including you perhaps- are reacting the way they do, and sticking to their comfort zone.


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Now after watching it, you should be doing the following:
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1. Establish how your time is spent:
Look back through your diary or log-sheet to work out how you spend your time. If you have not done so, log your activities for a period of a month to see where your time is going. 

2. Determine your problem areas:
What is making you use your life inefficiently? Externally, and Internally.

3. Be clear on your objectives and priorities:
Agree your precise role, objectives and targets in your work and life so that everyone knows what is expected of you, and put this in writing.

4. Tackle the enemy within you:
By Planning your strategies, Prioritizing your actions, Delegating stuff that aren't that important anymore, Reviewing and evaluating yourself, and always allocating enough time to explore and play.

So do you dare to go to the Magic Zone?

M.O.H.@.L.Y

837) Cairo Part-Timer !!

I am not gonna talk today about politics, love, relationships, life, or anything. This is one of the personal posts that I bother you with every now and then J

I finally took the decision that I have long waited for ; I am moving out of Cairo by the end of 2015 in-shaa-Allah. Before you say, that is still far away, I would like to tell you that it cant be sudden, and it has to be gradual in order to pull out slowly of the corporate business and establish another in the new destination, and handle how I will continue teaching at AUC as well, and do the Social work at Nahdet El Mahrousa. My Mission is the same, but I may need to change some strategies.

This will take at least 2 years to handle, but just taking the decision itself is a big relief. 

Although I loved Cairo a lot -when I was younger- that I have established a club in its name at AUC and other Egyptian and Foreign universities, but I really cant bare living there or being a full-timer in Cairo anymore. Cairo became a blood, mind, and soul sucking city with all its traffic, air, pollution, aggressiveness  and lost feeling of security. This is not only because of the aftermath of the revolution, I was actually thinking about it since 2006, but the revolution aftermath just came to push me to take the decision without regrets.

So what about Marriage? Ah, I won’t wait to get married and take the decision, that stage is over. I am where I am, and will be where I will be, and the woman who is gonna think about marrying me will know that from the beginning and it is her full choice to join me in such life or “enjoy” Cairo. In addition, I am more closer than ever now regarding not looking for an Egyptian wife with all my respect to Egyptian women.

The challenge is that I still have lots of ideas in development and corporate, that I cant still figure out how to handle while not always being in Cairo. I am sure that I will be able to handle it, specially that I wont completely move out, I will be a part timer being in Cairo 2 or 3 days every week or something of the sort.. The things I know for sure is that I don’t want Cairo to be my home anymore as I already don’t feel belonging there anymore.

Will I succeed in such new life challenge … I don’t know, but I know that I will do my best to take the challenge till the end J

M.O.H.@.L.Y

835) Are You Beautiful?!

People struggle to make themselves look beautiful, while most of the time they just get themselves more and more ugly ... yes saddening but true ... Just a quick look to the amount of money spent yearly on plastic surgeries  diet physicians, cosmetics, fashionable clothes and accessories ..etc. tells you how big this issue really is. The interesting thing most of the most beautiful people (women or men) I have seen (and believe me I have seen a lot) are the ones glowing from within, the ones who charm you and make you follow them with their genuine smile, and uplifting spirit.

Yes, looks counts; we want the best of the best of the best ... but looks no matter how do you spend on perfecting it, just lasts for the the first impression. It is great for pictures, modeling, ..etc, but when it comes to true human communication and bonding, there are much more beyond the looks ...

God is beautiful and created man kind to crown His creation. He put part of His beauty in each one of us; some are beautiful because they are good looking, some are beautiful because they do really care, some are beautiful because they are genuine, some are beautiful because they are impressive, and some are beautiful because they make others beautiful.... Beauty comes from within as much as from outside or even more..

Can you consider that Marilyn Monroe more beautiful than Mother Teresa?.... 

Is Angelina beautiful because of how she looks or what she does with all the unfortunates in the world? 

Who is more beautiful, your father or George Clooney?  

The answer for all questions is all are beautiful each on his/her way..

So now, you need to really stop and think for a moment ... Where does your beauty lie? Is it in your looks, your way of talking, you voice, your heart, your mind, your manners....etc... Find it and make good use of it, and be sure that each of one us has his/her own beauty, and when he/she see it and believe in it, it will be reflected on the rest.

To all the people afraid from getting older ... YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL as you are, and will be more beautiful when you enjoy your age to the maximum and make the best use of it.

To all the ladies struggling with losing weight .... YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL as you are, and will be more beautiful when you achieve your target, not because you will be thinner, but because you will be in control.

To all the girls who think they are ugly ... YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL as you are, and will be more beautiful when you go fetch your source of beauty coz no one will see it unless you do first.

To all the men who think they are not good enough for any women ..... YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL as you are, and will be more beautiful if you got the self-confidence and genuine caring that women can smell miles away.

To all the geeks who think they are aliens .... YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL as you are, and will be more beautiful when you reflect your brilliant mind on others, and use it to Connecting and Impressing them.

To anyone who thinks that he or she is not beautiful .... YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL as you are, and will be more beautiful when you believe that you really are..

To everyone who think he or she is BEAUTIFUL ... Help others to see their beauty in order to be more beautiful ..

I am beautiful ... Are you?

M.O.H.@.L.Y

830) "Bab El Khoroug" .. Is it our Way Out?!

Since the mega split that happened in the 19^th of March Referendum, and many Egyptians – if not most of them- are wondering; “What is our WAY OUT?” Where are we heading? .. It has been discussed on TV, Radio, Newspapers, Social Media, everywhere except among those who have the power (SCAF and now Ekhwan). No roadmap was drawn or a path was set that can contain people together and work on the long term (as always mentioned in this blog).

Less than couple of weeks ago I had a board meeting at Nahdet El Mahrousa, and my fellow board member, and AUC colleague Ayman Ismail - a great guy by the way - has insisted that I don’t go home unless I buy a copy of the new Novel for Dr.Ezzeldin Choukri Fishere -a former diplomat and professor of political science at the American University in Cairo-  “Bab El Khoroug ; The Exit Gate or The Way Out”. His persistence made me go buy it and even start reading on the same night … The weird thing is I really couldn’t stop reading till the following night where I spent the whole Friday in reading more than 500 pages till I finished the novel with a floundering mind.

The novel analyzes and predicts the political situation of Egypt from 1990 until 2020 through the eyes of Aly Shoukry, the president’s translator and then secretary for information, as he witnesses the revolution and its aftermath. The novel is written as a letter from the Aly to his son, explaining how he ultimately came to betray his country’s nuclear plans to strike Israel and US presence in the area using secretly acquired arsenal.

It was very daring of Dr.Fishere to publish it in Tahrir Newspaper on periodical daily episodes and committing to his readers without even finishing it specially it is concerned with ongoing actions… Dr.Fishere says, “I have been preoccupied by its plot and main characters for a few months, and I had this urge not only to write it but to get it out to the public. I felt if I didn't do it now, it will be overtaken by events – because it is a novel interwoven with current events.” The beautiful and unconventional thing about the Novel is that although you know the end, you keep a real suspense all over the reading, and you can easily relate to each and every single incidence as if you are an eye witness.

“Bab El Kheroug is not just about the bloody upheavals of a divided Egypt, but also about the life and loves; regrets and lessons learned; joys and struggles of the kind and introverted Aly. The characters in Bab El Kheroug are directly involved in the government or politically active in some way. Empowered, active and hopeful, albeit stuck in a vicious cycle, these characters are the product of Egypt’s revolution; they did not exist before January 25^th, 2011.” says Asmaa Abdallah, a journalist.

“The old world is receding, but the new one is not there yet. Bab El Khoroug is a beginning, a door I am trying to open for myself and my readers. Maybe all I want is to be able, in ten years, to tell the world: I told you so!” Dr.Fishere adds. The interesting thing is that some of the predicted incidents have already happened in the last couple of months after publishing the episodes.

We have to work together and establish a new generation that gets over what we are facing now and looks at the future in a different way. This is in my opinion – Mohaly- is our only way out.

Mohaly

Link to an Interview with Dr.Fishere about it .. Click Here
Link to the Novel ... Click Here
Buy it from Dar El Sherouk.

828) Shari3a, Social Justice, and 3abdo Moota !!

May be the title looks like "samak, laban, tamr hendy" (complete chaos) , but actually the three mentioned topics are extremely related in Egypt after Jan 25th. May be it is a a new version of the be old trilogy of Man, Life, and Control. 

I really wonder what do the people in power (Islamists) really want? Ok, they want the application of Shari3a Law, so what?! The vast majority of our laws t driven from Shari3a, or they want a special interpretation of shari3a that keep them having an upper hand over the people in a way close to what the Catholic Church had in the Dark Ages?!

I am actually optimistic when it comes to this point in specific, because no matter how they try, the Egyptian people wont change easily regarding their perception about life and religion ... A short visit in history will tell you how many sects and groups had governed Egypt, and it has always ended up with its own unique interpretation.. just a unique blend of all.

What really worries me is the change of Culture ... There is a deep change in the Egyptian character that has been always known for decency, kindness, helping others, motivated with the least praise...etc. This culture is changing fast to the opposite and it is clear from the people in streets, protests, songs, movies, writing...etc.. and I consider this change as the root for all evil.

Many people may have got offended by the latest movie "3abdo Moota" but a simple fact is that it had scored the highest movie premier income in the history of Arab Movies (and $1 Million in 3 days). This tells you that this kind of culture is now spreading and actually  is prevailing -without any exaggeration. 3abdo Moota is what they call "She3ar El Mar7ala" or the slogan of the current period/era. I was worried about Egypt when "7ena Maysara" movie was released almost 5 years ago (see post 350), and now I can see this culture standing on a solid ground.

What I want to say is that Shari3a won't help changing the culture back as it was there most of the time and wasn't the reason for the change in the 1st place; but the extreme pressure and injustice that happened throughout the last half a century specially in the last 10 years were the main reasons for this change. The only way back is to have a clear and strong applicable strategy to bring Social Justice to Egypt, and without that neither law or Shari3a will be able to bring Egypt People to what they were.

Time is passing fast, and every year the new culture of aggressiveness, selfishness, laziness is fixing its roots, and every year we will waste will make it harder and longer to change ... At a certain critical point, we wont be even able to change as it will be THE real, final, and genuine Egyptian Culture where 3abo Moota will be the icon of the typical Egyptian citizen then...

So my question now is: Is Social Justice a priority? and if Yes, how and when it will be achieved?

Mohaly

817) The Revamping Generation !

I have always hated following other steps without re-thinking about why did they do it, how, and what are the other options. Although I tend to be a very organized person but I do question all traditions, systems, and norms. May be that is why till now I still can not feel fitting in our society although I have been living in Egypt for most of my life.

I feel that sometimes we do exaggerate about our traditions and put some taboos and concerns without even questioning it. You may say that is different in the new generation, I'd say yes to an extent. However,   the majority are still adoring the "group-think" style where everyone if following what is there without not even questioning is it the best thing to do or not.

That is clear on the social, cultural, and even on the economic and political levels..

On the socio-cultural level people tend to consider the traditions are sacred even if it become a show-stopper or create a bottle-neck. Check marriage and the copy and paste procedures and problems, education and its copy cats graduates, entertainment, tv programs...etc.

On the Economic level, we have this tendency of copying the success without assessing why did they succeed and is the surrounding environment and our capabilities are suitable to repeat theirs or not (you can find a whole street selling the same commodities just because one or two shops were successful at a certain point in time). Also, the tendency to save in banks and not do any investments or take risks, the tendency to buy very low quality product many times instead of buying a better durable one that have the same life span, the tendency to spend money without any balance or relativeness with income to show off (like Mobiles), or own mood (Cigs or Drugs)..etc.

Even now on the political level, people just go with the flow ... Of course people have the free right to choose and select, but do they really do? Does everyone for example selecting Abou Ismail, is really doing so because he or she are convinced of Abo Ismail and his values, vision, and strategies? I have checked all the referendums in Egypt in the last 100 years, and we never said NO, not even once.. and the highest percentage a No got was like these days last year (22.8%). The rulers of Egypt know this and always play on that line of thought.

What I wanna say is that Jan 25th Revolution has been losing on many fronts, but if we take a deeper look we can see that there is an important factor that everyone has been ignoring ... THE REVAMPING of all our norms and traditions ... The younger generations (below 40) and specially university students are coming up with different values that are much more powerful than their parents and elders... SCAF, Ekhwan, may seem winning now, but who will conquer the future.. who is leading the change .. Who will be there to witness in the first place... It is these young generations. My bet is on them, and I will be putting my effort and time in supporting my, and the younger generation to be able to lead and change this country on the medium and long terms. That is the only hope I have now after all what happened to us over the past 14 months..

Can't say I am still Optimistic as I was a year ago, but I still have a lonely hope, and I cant afford to lose  it as well.

Mohaly

799) Break the Chain ... Set your Mindset !!

From my conversations with many of my friends, students, and even taxi drivers over the past couple of weeks, I realized that we -conciously or unconciously- are hooked to the past and what has been nailing us to certain perceptions that we mistakenly think about as facts..

Consider with me the following story about Elephants:

Elephants are massive creatures, they weigh at least couple of thousands of kilograms, and stand as high as three or four meters tall. Despite their enormous power, elephants can be chained! It doesn’t seem to make sense; does it?

What chain is strong enough to hold an elephant who struggles to break it? The answer is a small one: a small chain fastened to a metal collar around the elephant’s foot is attached to a wooden peg nailed into the ground. This holds the elephant so strongly that it doesn’t ever struggle to break free.

The way to chain an elephant is to start when it’s a baby. You don’t even need a chain – a strong rope will do. 

The baby elephant will struggle, but eventually it will realize that it can’t break the rope, and even worse, continuing to struggle creates a painful burn on its leg. The baby elephant learns not to struggle – it accepts that the limit imposed by the rope or chain is permanent, and there is no use struggling against it.

Sure, the elephant grows up, and becomes the most powerful land mammal on the face of the earth. But the chains in its mind remain, and so the chains on its leg are never broken

We may not be as massive as the elements but the power of our minds is; an inspired being of enormous power and capability. And just like the elephants that we might see tied up, our internal powers are also put in chains. May be because of wrong bring up, or stupid education and media, but we end up not believing in ourselves and the enormous capabilities are locked up within us. 

How many of us want to change their jobs, get hooked or break up with someone, practice a hobby, ..etc?! and just keep telling him/herself that so and so are keeping him/her ... money, time, family, country, even Satan! and rarely admit that it is YOU. All these chains can be broken, sometimes easier that you can imagine if you have the strong will, vision, and persistence on the goal no matter what...

Break your chains, live wont stop at your lousy manager, stupid teacher, or crazy wife... If you want to do something and you feel good at it, do it .. If you believe in your ability to do something, don't think much, give it a try and evaluate yourself ... then see how can you take it further..

The "Egyptian Political System" that is not down yet, has embedded all the negative constrains in our minds, and they are now like land-mines that we need to carefully dig for and safely get rid of it..

Just go now and think about 1 single thing that you really want, and try to take practical steps to do it even if you see that there are millions of obstacles... just give it a try..

Mohaly

795) Dude, Where is my brain !!

Sometimes we don't get enough information or give our decisions enough thought before taking them, and then we just regret without understanding how to get better. Through my dealing with tens of companies every year, I have experienced how bad we need much more educated and self-balanced managers to lead our teams, and companies that will in-turn lead our economy. Let me share with you a story we use in leading change and how it is important for the manager to be educated and listens before he talks.

A company, feeling it was time for a shakeup, hires a new CEO. This new boss is determined to rid the company of all slackers. On a tour of the facilities, the CEO notices a guy leaning on a wall. The room is full of workers and he wants to let them know he means business!

The CEO walks up to the guy and asks, "And how much money do you make a week?"

A little surprised, the young fellow looks at him and replies, "I make $300.00 a week. Why?" The CEO then hands the guy $1,200 in cash and screams, "Here's four weeks' pay, now GET OUT and don't come back!"

Feeling pretty good about his first firing, the CEO looks around the room and asks, "Does anyone want to tell me what that goof-off did here?"

With a sheepish voice, one of the other workers said, "Pizza delivery guy from Domino's."

So if you think that you are mr or miss. know it all, please reconsider before taking the wrong decisions and even embarrassing yourself as well.

By the way, this applies too to our useless government that is far beyond management and leadership specially in the time of change. No Vision, No Info, No Control, and hence, No Expectations, and No Results.

Mohaly

769) Mohaly fel Magles el 3askary !!

I woke up on the morning of Saturday February 12th to realize that this is the fist morning for Egypt without Mubarak ... 10,720 mornings had passed since Mubarak came to power and didn't leave till The Military Council obliged him to... Now after more than 40 mornings without Mubarak, I find myself wondering why do I feel that I still feel, smell, and almost see Muabark every morning! I kept on thinking and thinking till I felt drained, so I decided to listen to some soft music in the radio and take a small nap!.....

I saw myself entering the Military Council on the morning of Sat 12th while wondering why everyone is saluting me with respect, then I realized that I am the head of the military council ... I am the Field Marshal himself ! I met with the extended council and stressed that we have supported the people's revolution, and we have to be up to the responsibility and trust that people have put in us. I have decided to have a whole day brainstorming session that ended up in an action plan. In the evening, I have called 50 of the prominent figures as well as some of the youth to discuss this action plan.. Everyone was happy about it and we did some modification to cater for everybody's needs.

On the following day (13/2), I have issued a constitutional declaration where:
- I dropped the 1971 constitution completely, and asked the Egyptian people to have a referendum on March 19th to chose the members of the establishing committee for drafting the new constitution that will be issued by the end of 2011 before the presidential elections.
- I have declared the cancelation of the Parliament (both houses) and local municipality senates as well.
- I have impeached Mubarak's appointed government, and asked Dr.Sharaf to head the new government, and have one of the young 30sh organizers of the revolution as his Vice.
- The declaration as well indicated that the ruling party will be dissolved and all its money and properties will be confiscated and returned back to the state.
- The council will be ruling along with a Consulting Committee (the 50 figures) till end of 2011 where the presidential elections will be done by then, and a new president is elected to rule the country for 2 transitional years (2012-2013) where a new parliament will be elected with a fair chance for everyone to run for it.

Then after the appointment of the new government, I have met with the new prime minister and decided do dissolve the state security services, and have its activities transferred to the Egyptian Intelligence and be under Judicial supervision. All the senior officers and their assistants were detained by the Army till their trail.

On the same day, I have issued a statement for the detention of Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, Gamal Hosni Moubarak, Suzan Thabet, Safwat Al Sharif, Ahmed Fathy Serour, Zakaria Azmy, and Mofeed Shehab where they will be obliged to be stay at their homes with no source of wire or wireless communication till they are put on trial. This is in addition to those who have been detained already. However, I have given my orders to have Habib El Adly's & his assistants’' trials transferred to a military trial for accusing him of Killing the 25 Jan Martyrs.

After a week, I have signed the new governors appointments along with the major and critical positions in Media, Universities, and civil society.

By the beginning of March I decided to re-open the stock market, and establish a committee to meet and deal with all financial problems in the different sectors, and report their recommendations accordingly. Meanwhile the corruptions trials have been accelerated to be able to get back our money as soon as possible.

I was happy to see the people participating in the referendum for the constitutional council on the 19th, and then calling for a 1 million stand in Tahrir for saluting the Army on April 1st for "saving the revolution".....

Mixed sounds were floundering in my head .. till I started recognizing a clear voice coming from the Radio saying: "We would like to thank you Mr.Safwat and Mr.Azmy for your valuable contribution in our program, and now we will be listening to Bataloooda Wesma3oooda, yama lessa neshof we yama".

Mohaly

P.S. In reality the Revolution Coalition has called for a 1 Million Protester day on Friday April 1st to Save the revolution!

760) Egypt 2.0: ENGAGE in the Major CHANGE!

Before you read... I am not lecturing you or forcing you to do anything... I am just putting down my thoughts, expertise, and experience through my writings as a trial to contribute for helping people to understand and manage change in such challenging period. Just read, digest, and build your own conviction.

From what I have seen and read in the facebook, twitter, and even on some blogs, I can say that there are many people who are not fully aware of what does major change mean.  Change simply and generally means moving from one stable state to another. In order to understand the nature of change you need to realize:
- Its Magnitude: How big it is?
- Its Scale: What & Who does it cover?
- Its Direction: Which way it is heading?


In the case of major changes, there are certain things that have to be expected and taken into consideration or else we will be in real mess. These things are:
- It is a dynamic, fast, and relatively chaotic period.
- It experiences never ending conflicts, discussions, & rumors.
- There are Change agents (promoters), critical mass, and opposition (anti-change who may hate change or fear it or were benefiting from the old situation).


The best kind of change is gradual change but that is in the normal situations, sometimes -like now- the best change is the radical change with all its casualties. 


So mapping this to the current situation, you may expect the following:
1) Feeling lost understanding the magnitute, scale, and direction of change.. We are 85 million, and there are many teams involved:
- the revolutionist who are insisting on the radical change to clear it all once and for all, 
- the ordinary people who are mainly watching and are sincere about wanting the best for Egypt but don't really know what is the best thing to do (Critical Mass).
- the non-revolutionists who are with the revolution but anti-fast change and seeking gradual change & more time. 
- the opposers who were benefiting from the previous situation (legally or illegally).
2) Instability in the typical day-to-day life and dynamic changes at least till the Presidential elections if not till end of 2011.
3) Changes in the behaviour and attitude of the people (some immediately, some gradually).
4) Lots of rumours, decisions, anti-decisions, discussions, attacks, counter attacks, conflictis..etc.
5) By time you will find yourself driven either for being a change agent promoting for change and fighting till the last minute, or being anti-change or anti complete change (for one or more reasons of the mentioned above). The side that will prevail and decide the dimenions of that change is the side that will attract the critical mass of people.

SO WHAT SHOULD BE DONE?

On the Marco/General Level:

1) I think that in order to pass this period successfully, there must be a coalition of all the different sectors that meets with the Army and the Government every 2 weeks during this period to:

- follow up with a definite action & timed plan.

- exchange and explain different points of view

- discuss what is next.

2) After each meeting there must be a press conference explaining what happened and what to expect.

3) Have a webpage/group and hot number for people to ineract with their different opinions and suggestions before and after each meeting.

4) Keep trusting the army (as a whole), while keeping the right of protesting every friday as well. There are many people in Army supporting the revolution, so even if some of its leaders against, our pressure will give more power to those with us to help in pushing the change towards the right direction. We were partners in making this revolution happen and we have to continue as partners in managing this period with complete transparency till this challenging transitional period ends.

Then, What is expected from you?
1) Thinking positively and having faith in order to ride through all the setbacks.
2) Working hard and producing as much as you can in order to increase the overall production of the country.
3) Double checking any piece of news before believing or promoting, and don't set your opinion according to one source... read as much as you can, and develop your own conviction.
4) Speaking up your opinion and accept different opinions as we are all (hopefully) seeking the welfare of the country. There is no one always right opinion, but respect and acceptance is the key for fruitful discussions.
5) Help others who feel lost, or thinking about the current damages or losses. The 1st and 2nd priority goes to leading the change successfully, then there are many ways to compensate for the collateral damage happening. We dont pass through such circumstances even every century!
6) Don't rush getting back to normal.. Please don't treat the revolution as if Egypt was engaged in the world cup for 2 weeks, it won, we celebrated, and that is it .... What we are passing through is like having an operation where we wish to have it over and get back to our life, but the operation has to be done in the right way, time, and procedures or else you will be risking our health or may be our whole life.

We are in a state of major change ... A REVOLUTION...A radical change.. Thinking as if we are in normal circumstances is against all the concepts of successful change management. We have been in deep shit for decades, and we have just stopped its feed, but there is still hard work to clean it up then polish it to be able to live in 3ala nadafa.

Mohaly

We don't wanna FINISH our Revolution ... We wanna COMPLETE it.

758) Egypt 2.0 ::: DVF > R !!

Many of my MBA or Diploma students will remember this formula, for the rest of my dear readers, let me explain... In order to have any mega change or wide change in a system whether it is an organization or even a country, there is a certain formula that controls this.. DVF>R

D is Dissatisfaction with the current situation that needs to be changed
V is Vision of why, what and how you want to change
F is the First concrete and solid steps that fastens the change process
R is the Resistance to change.

If any of the 3 factors on the left side of this formula is missing, the whole change process will simply fail because it will be equal to zero and multiplying any of the rest by zero will lead to zero, and the resistance will win.

If we simply applied this to our situation now in Egypt, we will find that:
- We was (and still are) dissatisfied with the situation Egypt has been in whether in the day to day life, overall goals, international positioning, corruption, dehumanization...etc. That is the (D).
- We have an incomplete Vision about why and how we are changing and where we are heading; hence, we need to work together and have a transparent conversation with the governing body (Army) to reach consensus about that or else we will lose the (V).
- We have taken 1 concrete step in the change process (taking out Mubarak), but it is not yet enough for the ignition power needed for change and standing on a solid ground, this needs to be reinforced with the real change in our governing system (Constitution) that will be the threshold for building a different system on the short and long term, or else we will risk losing the (F) as well.
- On the other hand, the Resistance is something that we have to take into account big time because the resistance -although it is standing alone on the right side of the equation- is reinforced by many factors like the Shafik's Government, Amn El Dawla,7ezb Watany leaders, and even people who are with the revolution, but don't have the enough pateince and tolerance to ride through this extremely hard and challenging period.

So in short, we have a big role in working together to:
1) Respect the dissatisfaction of some people and try to make them understand the nature of this period, baring in mind that many people seek the welfare of the country even if they have different point of view.
2) Reach a common ground on the Vision of where are we heading at least for the coming period.
3) Focus on the constitution (changes and new one) as it is the most important factor in building a new republic.
4) Push more and more for prosectuing the corruption figures even if in power, take faster actions with having a clean government, and respectful police, and having a Transparent, & continous dialogue with the army to be able to minimize the Resistance.
And above all NOT LOSING THE FAITH in ourselves and our ability to make things happen and shape history ... imagine how proud you will be when you can make a real positive change in your country that will affect its development for years and years to come, and stand one day proud that you didnt give up and completed your war for freedom and development till you accomplish your mission no matter how hard it is.

The more you drive, the less you are driven.
God Bless You, God Bless Egypt..
Mohaly

We don't wanna FINISH our Revolution ... We wanna COMPLETE it.

750) Egypt :: The Time of Wisdom !

The Ignition of the Revolution needed the power of Youth, but at this stage we need the Wisdom of the elder people without losing the momentum of the youth. 

In this endless loop of Egyptian regime and protesters action and reaction to see who will surrender, I think the practical way out of this situation is through "Lagnet El 7okama2"- Wise-men Committee (http://www.shabab-masr.com/) who can negotiate with regime and the protesters while keeping protesting and the right of protesting at anytime anywhere in any number, till we reach what we need (MUBARAK DOWN).

This committee has the best people in the country, and to be more practical:

1) They should be delegated from the protesters and they can lead the negotiations and do all the changes.
2) Mubarak has to leave now, he should just go and spend the remaining time  in Sharm.
3) The committee should divide the transitional period to 2 parts; from Feb to Aug., and from Sept till end of 2012. The first part has to do with the urgent reformations (like 76,77,88 in constitution, canceling emergency law, parliment elections..etc), ending by the presidential elections. The second part is the part where a new constitution needs to be established along with its laws, and the whole new hierahcy and flow of the country, and I think the President elect in 2011 should be leading this part and then call for new elections by end of 2012 (become and Interim President leading the transition) this can be Amr Moussa, Ahmed Zewial...etc. Then have a completely new president then.

By the way..these protests are a real revolution...so please let's refer to it as "Thawret El Ghadab - Rage Revolution" as it started, or "Thawret El Shabab - Youth Revolution", and not just a protest.

May Allah bless this country.

Mohaly

 م"مصر تستحق قيادة أفضل تعكس الإمكانات الهائلة لأكثر من ثمانين مليون مصري، وتعكس مكانتها الهائلة في قلوب مئات الملايين من العرب والمسلمين. "

"For those who want to see results, negotiations should continue. For those who want to avoid starvation, work should start. For those who don't trust the regime, demonstrations continue" Sherif Saleh

748) To Egypt ... with Love !

I celebrated my birthday this year as I have never did before... I celebrated it in the streets whether standing defending my home and family or in the protests (of Jan 25, Jan 29, and Feb 1) defending democarcy (picture to the left of me taking part of Feb 1st Million Protesters peaceful Protest).

After all the ups and downs that happened this great historical week, I think the people have started to gain a lot on the tactical level, but still way to go on the Strategic level. I mean some serious changes happened (VP, new government, ..etc), but the real deep root change hasn't yet.

This can be summarized in (if Mubarak really wants to continue his presidency safely):
1) Having a Supreme Committee of independednt reputable people to put a new demoratic consitution and have a national referundum about it.
2) Calling for new Elections (supervised by the Judges and watched by the national and international entities) for the Parilment, and the winning party/ies form the real government of the people and for the people.
3) Cancelling the Emergency Law effective Immediately, along with a public trail for those who betrayed the country.
4) Resigning from the presidency of the National Democratic Party (there wont be a party if he resigned, I assure you).
5) Passing the day to day work and public communication and real power to the Vice-President and not appearing again till the end of the presidential period.
These stuff are STRATEGIC and guides us where to head durin the coming months and even years, regardless of who is governing us. It is about HOW and not WHO.

The best outcome of what happened is that it showed us the we are good and still alive. I was there and part of what happened... I have been there for the last 4 years over the internet, but it feels so different when I am part of the events myself (see the youngest protester to the right).

This is the time to start negotiation in parallel with keeping peacful protests. The negotations should include all needs, and its results should be announced by the army as an insurance. The problem is who will negotiate, and they will play on this point, and this may lead to clashes between pro and anti-regime protests that requires the interference of the police under the name of keeping the safety of them both..

If they dont negoiate soon in one way or another, then people have no choice other than continuing massive street protests with all its consequences.


I was optimistic till yesterday, now I can't say I am still optimistic...There is something wrong in the equation, and it will end up with unpredictable results.

Democracy has a price and we have already paid a big chunck of it.

God Bless Egypt & Egyptians
Mohaly

735) What it takes for Career Breaks!

I wonder why do many employees in Egypt insist on joining or at least contracting for a new job before quitting their old job. I see the decision of quitting an old job has nothing to do with joining another one. It is like someone waiting to hook up with a new wife in order to divorce his old wife! 

If you cant take it anymore and can afford yourself for a while, why don't you get a career break to stop and see where are you heading and adjust your path to what serves your vision.

A career break is a period of time out from employment. Traditionally, this was for mothers to raise children, but it is now used for people taking time out of their career for personal development and/or professional development.

A career break is usually between one month and one year and is adopted by many employees in Europe and the US. Sometimes you stop to think, sometimes you stop to learn & explore, and sometimes you stop to rest... I think everyone should experience a career break every 5 years specially if he/she can financially afford it....What do you think about that?

You can check here if you are interested (this is not an ad).

Mohaly

P.S. Happy New Hijri Year by the way :)

731) Personal ::: The Cocoon !

It is weird when you feel that you are like a worm turning into butterfly trying to get out from a cocoon. I am passing through this feeling nowadays... I went away alone for the past couple of days to help myself through it, but I guess I still need more time to realize the momentum and impact of this change...!!!
Mohaly

726) Waiting for "Life" ..... Waiting for"ever" !

Two Friends went to fish
One of them got a big fish and put it in his bag and got up to leave ..
The other asked him: Where are you going?! ..
He replied: Home, this big fish is enough for me 
Second person: Wait to catch more & bigger fish..
First person: Why should I do that?! ..
Second person .. When you catch more fish then you can sell more
First person: Why should I do that? ..
Second person: to get more money ..
First person: Why should I do that? ..
Second person: to save and increase your savings in the bank ..
First person: Why should I do that? ..
Second person: to become rich ..
First person: What shall I do with wealth?!
Second person: when you grow old you can enjoy your time with your children and your wife
First person: This is exactly what I'm doing now. I do not want to postpone it till I grow old!

Enjoy what you have now, don't wait for tomorrow or next year in order to enjoy life... In each stage of your life you will have challenges, setbacks, and success in one of the different aspects of life.. it is a whole package that you have to get its best and overcome its worst in every stage...

If you waited till you are secured to start enjoying life..... You will never do!

Mohaly

720) Being Positive ::: Yes We Can... Save Lives !

Accidents in Egypt specially Cairo has reached a scary limit. We are loosing thousands of lives each year most of which are young people. I lost my dear cousin in an accident, and some of my friends too.. May be it is not the first time I talk about this but it is dramatically increasing and I think we must be working in parallel with the government (if they do anything about it aslan) to size it down.

For example, the driving licence requires a test but it is a fake one. Why don't we make sure that we really can drive before driving not for the sake of issuing the license but for the sake of our and others safety.

Why don't we teach our younger siblings and kids to respect the ambulance and stop to the nearest right when we hear its alarm.

Why don't we exert some more effort and have some patience to cross the street from its intersections and when the traffic light is red (now the new monitored lights are really respected by cars).

Why don't we drive on the right when we are moving slowly so that we don't get hit by someone driving fast on the left lane?

Why don't we stop holding the mobile with one hand and driving with the other?

Why don't we place the children in the back seats?

And many other stuff that we can do without a need for regulation or law, even if this will make a 10% difference, it is enough to motivate us to do it, we are talking about lives here...

I still miss my cousin and I wanna be a reason for saving someone else's cousin..

Mohaly

692) Challenging Yourself - Episode 1 !

"It is an irony of life that satisfaction and security are the enemies of excellence."

While I was preparing to start a new series about the previous sentence and continue talking about changing our minds, I found my friend & Blog reader Mai posting a great video for one of the reputable Egyptians; Wael El Fakharany, about the "Discomfort of the Comfort Zone". So I decided to share the Video with you and add to it how to get out of your comfort zone.

I have -more or less- made choices close to what Wael did in my life. After having a reputable post, being engaged with a multinational company, having a good salary, I decided to leave all that and work independetly. My family was against me, everyone was wondering about me leaving this warm area, the dream of every man, some people even told be that is "battar 3ala el Ne3ma (not accepting God's blessing)". Actually this didnt stop me, but made me wanting to challenge them and myself more. And now after 5 years, the same people are congratulating me and saying that I was  right, and wondering how did I manage to do all that and match between teaching at AUC, corporate training, consulting, writing, and travelling. It wasnt, isnt, and wont be easy. I will tell you a secret, that is not the end, I am still midway through, and when I done, khalas, next chapter of my life will start EVEN if from scratch.
The thing I may bet Wael for is being the happiest one with his job, I am in love with my job to the extent that I didnt get married "3ashan mageblehash dorra"; just kidding.

By the way, it doesnt have to be the colon, it can be any irritation in the body :)

So in the next 4 Episodes I will be talking about how to move from the comfort zone covering the following:

1. Preparing Yourself.

2. Pushing Yourself & Others.

3. Dealing with Success.

4. Adjourning Yourself.

Mohaly

P.S> Special thanks to Wael El Fakharany for the session, and Mai for the link.

691) Would you change your mind?!

Do you feel sometimes that you were wrong and you shouldn't have done so and so if you changed your mind...Some other times it is the opposite, and you regret changing your mind...
So my questions are:
Should we change our minds?
What can make you change your mind? & Why?

Mohaly
P.S. Before I write this post, I wanted to write something about an important sexual issue, but I "Changed My Mind" ;)

655) The Vision - Episode 4; the Difference !

You know now what you are unique at ...

Now the questions are getting harder ... Take a deep breath, and get it out slowly ... Think with a clear mind: What difference can I make in this world? and let's us know here, we may be able to help...

Tip: You can make a positive difference, a negative difference, or no difference (in this case u r not living).. In order to make such difference, you need to make use of the unique stuff you have in reaching your goals first... then, and only then you can make a real difference..

Mohaly