H. K. Ahmed is of British descent but had a South East Asian upbringing. While exposed to both cultures, he developed his unique approach to life especially when it comes to hard work and the true meaning of success. He takes after his parents, who studied in Bangladesh but moved on to live a new life in England to provide better opportunities for their children. Living in a foreign country only brought out their intense desire to overcome challenges and become successful.
Despite their material prosperity borne out of pure toil, his parents were generous people who open their lives to those who are in need of any type of support, while not failing to continually provide for their family. H.K. Ahmed grew up in this family culture that transcended any type of environment that he was raised in. The author is as selfless as his parents as he was involved in youth work to extend help to family and friends alike.
As a full-time professor, now that he is in Africa to teach, he has an excellent platform by which to influence other people, especially the young minds, to pursue a life that exemplifies real accomplishment. The typical trappings of success, as people across the globe define it by way of material wealth, is not a genuine representation of what it means to truly live a prosperous life. For H.K. Ahmed and his family, having a minimalist lifestyle, living more by having less, is the most excellent way to go.
H. K. Ahmed is a strong advocate of a minimalist mindset and a fierce believer of the need for a paradigm shift in terms of society’s views on material success. Most of the billionaires we know today are people who stay true to their roots and do not show off what they have achieved in life. The author encourages people across the world to clear their lives of clutter and live stress free, by refusing to accumulate things that do not really add value to one’s life.
His books are meant to give its readers a fresh view on success, living more by owning less, humility in the midst of triumph, and being others-focused instead of being overly concerned about self-image. They are eye-openers that guide us to embrace the minimalist revolution that is much needed in our world today.
“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.”
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
“Life is an obstacle course. You succeed at one thing and then you move on to the next. When an obstacle is tough, you try harder. When an obstacle is insurmountable, you change course. But you never sit down and refuse to finish.”
― Bethenny Frankel, A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out of Life