More than twenty five years ago, I read in a newspaper that there was, in Italy, an organization by the name of 'Born Tired Association’. (I hope it is still in existence). The members of this association believed (or still believe if it exists) that life should not be all toil. According to them, the ideal day is one during which a man spends 10 hours in sleeping, four in eating; earmarks eight hours for relaxation, and the rest for work "if that is strictly necessary and cannot be avoided".

Although, the world has grown more competitive since I read that piece, yet it is also true that a great many people subscribe to the philosophy of that association without being its actual members.

However, if you wish to progress in this world of competition, you must not follow this philosophy.

A writer has remarked that no one dies of hard work. Indeed, a sure method of advancing in life and getting ahead of others is the habit of doing more work than you are asked or paid for. This habit not establishes your reputation of being a hard worker; it also makes you indispensable in your organization, apart from bringing promotions and other rewards.

To prove my point, I will narrate a story from Afghanistan. King Mahmood of Ghazni had Ayaz as his Prime Minister. Ayaz was a Negro. But he had impressed the king so much with his hard work and honesty that king had rewarded him by making him his Prime Minister.

The other courtiers, seething with jealousy, once asked the king -- in Ayaz's absence -- why he had promoted a Negro to the position of Prime Minister, ignoring them all.

The king replied, “I’ll tell you the reason.But first I’ll ask one of you to do an errand for me." Then he asked one of the ministers to go up to the city gates and see what lay outside.

The courtier returned as hurriedly as he had gone and told the king, "I saw some gypsies camping there."

"Where have they come from?" asked the king.

Embarrassed, the courtier replied: "I don't know, Your Majesty. You didn't ask me to enquire this."

The king sent the second to know where the gypsies had come from. He returned and told the king that the gypsies had come form Balakh. But when the king asked him where they were going, he looked sideways as he had not bothered to enquire this.

In the same way the king sent three more courtiers in turn to ask where the gypsies were going; how many they were in number and what the purpose of their journey was.

Then the King called Ayaz in the presence of the courtiers. He told Ayaz, “Go and see what lies outside the gates of our capital.”

Ayaz returned more than an hour later, bowed before the king and said, “Your Majesty, there is a gypsy camp outside the city gates. They have come from Balakh and are going to Radakshasn via Kabul. There are 124 people in the camp which includes 49 men, 53 women and 22 children. Their main occupation is sharpening knives and swords and they have five camels, 52 horses, 14 cows and 17 goats.”