Sheikh Mohammed launches new book in Dubai
By Sherouk Zakaria
Published: Sat 4 Mar 2017, 2:10 PM
Last updated: Sat 4 Mar 2017, 11:35 PM
After Flashes of Thought and My Vision, Dubai Ruler published his third book about happiness and positivity, it was announced on Saturday.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, took to his official Twitter account to announce the release of his latest book "Reflections on Happiness and Positivity."
The first Arabic edition of the book was released during the second day of the ninth edition of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, set to continue until March 11.
Readers had the opportunity to purchase the book in advance before it is released to other book stores, and get a sneak peek of the content before the general public. The English version is set for release in a few weeks.
"Today, I published a new book Reflections on Happiness and Positivity. It is a book through which I pose a managerial and developmental vision based on optimism and positivity," Sheikh Mohammed tweeted on Saturday.
He added that through the book, he tried to answer common complex questions in a rather simple storytelling manner to make the book relatable to the young generation.
"The book includes lessons, examples and stories based on a different life philosophy. Positivity as a perspective, happiness of people as a goal and lifestyle," he said.
Through its 24 chapters, Sheikh Mohammed posed a different vision of administrative, developmental and civilized work based on positivity, confidence, and faith in citizens of the Arab World.
He also tweeted that he hopes, through the book, to contribute, even with a simple gesture, in transferring the UAE's experience and creating hope to the rest of the region to reignite development in the Arab World.
Sheikh Mohammed had made the announcement of his new book during the World Government Summit in February, which also featured his 90-minute Question and Answer session that focused on ways to reignite development of the Arab World.
Commenting on the book launch at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, Isobel Abulhoul, the festival's director and CEO and Trustee of Emirates Literature Foundation, said the launch compliments the festival's celebration of the written and spoken word.
"We are in the national month of reading, and it is wonderful that His Highness chose to publish his book to reflect on positivity and happiness, two topics that are vital to our societies and the focus of our festival this year."
She added, "Having a leader talk about these two concepts and their importance in our lives is great as his words will come from his own life experience as a leader who's been driving his nation towards tremendous and ambitious achievements."
All about the bookReflections on Happiness and Positivity, marked by its causal and simple narrative that targets the youth especially, gives a lot of examples and models to answer questions of transformation of UAE from desert to a global touristic destination and how Dubai built its first airport globally amid huge rejection from the British mandate.
Shaikh Mohammed also shares his point of view in combating terrorism and his suggestions to Arab governments in addressing cultural, economic and intellectual regression and decline. He addresses jurists who put legislation and laws that govern the movement of people and life in other countries, directing a message to officials who demotivate their people.
"A government team can reach Mars, and a team of another government cannot perform paper transactions! What do you think is the reason?" he asked.
The 151-page book also sheds light on Sheikh Mohammed's personal experience in forming a team and building governmental culture based on gratitude, empowerment and excellence to all of them. He shares his ways of time management and how he interacts with his family, while dealing with international developmental crises.
"Why Happiness?" that's the question the first chapter poses, through which Sheikh Mohammed starts the book by saying, "It is a question repeated many times, especially during the last few years of the lifetime of the government. Why focus on happiness?"
He noted that to answer this question, he had always asked himself a simple, yet deep question that made the answer "not easy."
"What is my true role as a leader? What is my main job? Is it to manage a government?" He then added that a government should go beyond enforcing polices and rules and providing the society with the basics of life such as health, education, living and infrastructure. "Can't we have a bigger, deeper and a more inspiring role than that?" he asked.
Sheikh Mohammed further addressed the reasons behind his prominent focus on happiness, youth and tolerance, and how he deals with the international media. His reflections, he said, are based on a different philosophy in life which makes positivity a perspective and happiness of people as a drive to the public.
"Perhaps as the Arab region is dealing with political disputes, sectarian and religious conflicts, economic decline and social transformations, make the conversation of the concept of positivity as a developmental solution of a disapproved ideology."
He added, "I would like to tell my Arab brothers: Why don't we try to change our perspective of some things, and adopt some positivity in our way of dealing with challenges ahead of us, and leave some optimism through which our new generations can live and prove themselves."
"As long as we as Arabs try a lot of theories, ideas and approaches, there is no harm in trying to be positive for some time. Wars can destroy structures, but what is more dangerous is that the war that can destroy humankind, wreck self-confidence and kill the optimism of the future."
Ten of the 24 chapters:1-Why Happiness?
2-Happiness and positivity. are we singing out of tune?
3-Two options against challenges
4-Positivity.. in my perspective
5-Positive from the beginning
6-Close your eyes to see
7-The positive employee
8-Positivity in forming a team
9-Positive Arabs
10- The positive example
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com