I met my 25 year younger self and lived the golden years of college once again this weekend as I attended the NED Alumni Association’s annual convention in Chicago.
Being an NEDian is not just about earning a badge of honor to be called an alum of Pakistan’s premier Engineering college, it is the emblem that you have been molded into a living and breathing masterpiece that is fearless, resourceful, entrepreneurial, and colorful.
NED University of Engineering and Technology, being more than a century-old institution dates back to a time when a United India was under colonial rule. That history continued through the turbulent sociopolitical roller coaster ride post-partition which shaped its culture in a way that learning broke away from the confines of formal pedagogy and the limits of resources.
Being an NEDian means that you learn through human connection, observation, and experience and that you can solve any problem life throws at you.
A pre-eminent example of such NEDian is Ashraf Habibullah, who emigrated to the USA more than half a century back and achieved the American dream as a highly successful entrepreneur and even better philanthropist!
His life story is much more fascinating than the red jacket with disco lights he adorned for his keynote speech, during which he revealed the secret of what we all strive for in life – Health, Happiness, and Wealth. I didn’t just learn about the secret to attain these, I actually saw the secret himself, Ashraf Habibullah.
So, what is that secret?
It is the connection with people.
Let me try to explain what I learned from him.
According to the longitudinal study by Harvard on health spanning more than eight decades, people who were the most healthy in their lives were not those who exercised, or those who did not smoke, or those who stayed away from junk food, but rather were those who had the most meaningful relationships with other people. These are your close family members and friends you love and rely upon.
Happiness is triggered when our bodies release two hormones- Serotonin and Oxytocin. They are released when you feel good about yourself in the presence of another person and when you meet each other in person, shake hands, and hug each other. It doesn’t happen over Zoom!
Singing is also a great way to connect with people. And he sang, without music, and in his own idiosyncratic manner, without any inhibition or fear of ridicule and feeling happy about it!
People told him “Ashraf, you are too happy to be normal”. He became curious and asked experts on happiness about it, who told him that according to studies on human happiness if you double the number of friends in your age group, your happiness doubles. If you double the number of friends in a generation younger than yourself, your happiness doesn’t just double, it doubles to the power of two, which is 4 times. And if you double your friends in two generations younger than yours, your happiness doubles to the power of three, which means happiness increases by 8 times.
No wonder he is such a happy person as he continues to make friends with people in every age group, several generations younger than him!
Finally, to be rich, according to another Harvard study, only 15% of your professional success is due to your technical skills. The remaining 85% is based on your skills in “human engineering” – your ability to work with others, influence others to achieve their best, and inspire them to do what they can’t believe they can achieve and lead them to create a better future.
He just published a comic about Structural engineering on the 50th anniversary of the publication of SAP2000 by Dr. Ed Wilson and his firm’s existence. I don’t have any clue about Civil Engineering, but I got excited about this highly technical subject by reading this comic book, as it was able to build an emotional connection with me through the power of storytelling!
Another key to being happy and rich is to help others. He gave away free software to students who were studying structural engineering. During COVID, none of his salespeople could sell his software, but those graduates asked their managers to buy his software so they could model skyscrapers and simulate winds and earthquakes. He added 4,800 new customers during this time without selling.
He quipped that those with billions of dollars in their bank accounts or investment portfolios who aren’t sharing their wealth with others think that they either will live forever or take their wealth with them after their deaths. Sharing wealth while you are still alive will give you the opportunity to experience happiness as other people benefit from it. As they hug you with gratitude, it releases oxytocin – the happiness hormone!
Next time you see other people, see the secret of health, happiness, and wealth in them. Make them feel good about themselves.
I am glad that I saw the secret of health, happiness, and wealth, met them in person, and made genuine connections with other NEDians this weekend!
Exponential world 