Live Awesome!
Do You Have Enough CASH?
By Ahsan
“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” Babe Ruth
Have you ever looked at doing something new and audacious but talked yourself out of it?
Perhaps you felt it was too complicated, or you said something to yourself like: "I don't have the experience or credentials to do that…no one will take me seriously ...it won't work!"
Meanwhile, you find out that someone did exactly what you wanted to do⎯with half the smarts, experience and good looks that you have!
What’s going on here?
In terms of how they did it, one word encapsulates the thing they employed that you likely forgot: CONFIDENCE. Another word for confidence is courage.
To achieve anything in life, you need to take that first step. Taking the step in the first place makes all the difference! Confidence is the mother of all achievement. It gives birth to all other qualities, including courage, belief, desire, motivation, learning, mastery, resilience and persistence, to name a few.
A boxer without confidence gets knocked out. In fact, if you meet a professional boxer you might think they are pompous and conceited while the truth is they are actually supremely confident. Without confidence, the journey stays very local. You don't go far. You may also get knocked out!
How you look at life makes for how life treats you. If you see the best in others, your social interactions will be happier. If you are optimistic, you will try to see the best in a bad situation. If you think about the possibilities of the future, your life will take on momentum. Do all this with a mindset of confidence.
If you think like a confident winner, you will dominate the field!
Now that you agree that having confidence is paramount to achieving anything in life let's think about taking ACTION.
I have found that having an action plan matters because it provides a map to the treasure. When you have a goal, start making a plan of what you need to do. Let the plan be about taking cues from others that are achieving what you want. Follow the path of others that have gone before you. Study them, take them to lunch and make good notes.
And be ready to change course. When we begin acting on the plan, we can find roadblocks and disappointments, but we should not be dismayed. We need to confidently moor in the direction of our goal by changing the action plan.
Action plans that have high levels of success need to be executed within the framework of a SYSTEM.
Let's take the goal of getting healthy: the action plan could be as obtuse as I will start eating healthy and go to the gym or….it could be systematized with more concrete actions that deliver more robust and predictable results.
Instead of pie in the sky, random actions use a system that is made up of actions, for example:
After eating dinner go exercise for at least 30 minutes. When eating at a restaurant, eat the least processed food by studying the menu online before you go. Drink water first thing in the morning and after each meal to hydrate. To lower stress, do something you enjoy daily like reading, writing or prayer. To wake up rested, go to sleep at the same time each night.
You may like to set aside one day a week where you have a 45 minute meeting with yourself to review last week’s efforts and plan out the coming week. This is how a system works compared to leaving your intentions of getting healthy to your mood or busy schedule. Doing things this way will establish a life-long pattern.
In other words, you will need to make a HABIT of doing what you need to do. We all rise to the level of our habits. Going back to the idea of getting healthy, we need to have confidence that we can do it regardless of our age or busy life. We need an action plan that takes on the shape of a system that we are in the habit of doing.
You might be thinking that everything so far sounds logical, but the challenge is in forming a repeatable habit that sticks. I could not agree with you more.
The best idea I came across to form a habit is twofold: start it as though your life depends on it and create the right environment for executing the habit. Back to getting healthy, remind yourself that being healthy is critical to having a productive life and remove all the potato chips, chocolate and muffins from your house, so you don't get tempted to eat the junk!
So, do you have enough CASH?
Confidence
Actions
Systems
Habits
Why not incorporate this framework for success and let us know how you do.
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How To Motivate Yourself To Be Successful
By Ahsan
“All the world loves a winner who is at once a hero and a role model”- Shazad Ahmad
In this day and age, successful people are written about, documentaries are made showing their genius, penetrating interviews are conducted, and many consider them to be living legends. Who comes to mind for you? Is it Michael Jordan? Steve Jobs? Warren Buffet? Sir Paul McCartney? Dr. Abdus Salam?
The aim of every book, documentary, and interview always attempts to uncover the "secret" behind their success. You may think that their morning routine is the key, you may be led to believe that their level of motivation is the thing or even the environment in which they grew up… wealthy, poor, privileged, single parented, supportive, abusive, Ivy League Schools, self-taught or any other apparent environmental factor.
What if I told you that the key ingredient was not what seems obvious and is rarely uncovered in "the book" or "movie" and….it's available to you if you but knew!
What might that secret component of success be?
Well, stick around for another moment, and I will reveal it to you.
A very famous basketball coach was asked how he motivated his team to success and win so many championships. I recall it was John Wooden and to paraphrase, he said something to the effect that he did not get his players to work hard; instead, he got them to want to work hard.
This, my friend, is the secret ingredient.
Prove it to yourself for a moment. Anything that you have achieved with the extraordinary effect is because you wanted it and you did not mind working hard to get it. You wanted to work hard for it.
There is a world of difference with a student who is being lectured by his father to work hard to get better grades and the student who wants to work hard to get the best grades possible out of personal desire.
Motivation often assumes possessing an iron will. Willpower is not limited, we just need to top it up now and then with a powerful desire to want to work towards a meaningful goal.
I contend that Michael, Steve, Warren, Paul and Abdus, all wanted to work hard towards their goals in life, and that was all the difference.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way, especially if you want to work hard for its attainment.
Here then is your mission if you choose to accept it:
Write down 3 major goals you have that you know will improve your personal or professional life.
Think of your reasons WHY you want to achieve them.
Start formulating an action plan for Goal 1
Start formulating an action plan for Goal 2
Start formulating an action plan for Goal 3
Give yourself a deadline for the attainment of each goal.
Work hard to achieve your goals a bit each and every day, not because it is something you should do, instead, because you want to work hard!
Working hard does not guarantee success, nor does it improve your chances of success as most think. Willpower does not count as much either. It is the inner-created wanting to work hard that will matter most at the end of the day.
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The R.A.W. Formula for Success
By Shazad
READING and WRITING on a regular basis makes you smarter - that should be no surprise to anyone. The missing part in most people’s lives is the part in the middle and starts with an “A” which refers to APPLYING. You must APPLY the things you learn by reading to test out those ideas. This is the only way to see how they can benefit us in our lives.
Once we find something valuable to start doing, we need to DOCUMENT our experiences through the written word. That’s where WRITING comes into place and it’s what we must all become better at. Long-form, short-form, informal style, and proper English sentences - they all matter. So now you know the simple R.A.W. formula to be a more successful human: Read - Apply - Write. Keep doing this on a consistent basis to become Awesome.
What One Hobby Do You Need To Make Life Happier?
By Ahsan
I have enjoyed many hobbies in my life: reading, writing, playing golf, collecting colognes, learning about personal development and blogging www.awesomelifebook.com to name a few.
I think having a hobby is all about thoroughly enjoying your time on this earth.
We all need a break from the routine of life, work, and responsibilities. A hobby is a temporary diversion, a way to relax, and even being a part of a community.
There is one more thing I like, and that is wristwatches. Owning a watch has always been a part of my life but not a hobby per se. Allow me to share my watch story with you.
First of all, think about the watch you own. There is most certainly a story connected to it. Perhaps it was a gift from your father, or maybe it was something to commemorate a milestone in life or a hard-won achievement. Perhaps it is a source of inspiration that reminds you of your potential or mindset in life.
Watches are more than something you wear to tell time. They are special and often reminders of something or someone.
When I was in grade 7, I remember getting my first watch, a gift from my mother. It was a digital watch with a metal strap that has long since been either lost or forgotten. Later in grade 9, my Uncle gave me a Seiko dress watch with a rectangular case. It is very swish, and I really take care of it. I wear it still and have changed many straps and batteries in the last 30 or so years. When I started my career, I bought two other watches: a Wittnauer and a Sector.
My prized possession, however, is my late fathers' Omega Seamaster from the 1960s. My mother gave it to me seven years ago. It was kept in a briefcase dormant for 33 years and started again after being wound. That watch is pure class.
I guess you can say I am a watch owner with an appreciation for beautiful watches. However, something happened recently that changed all that.
I was at the local jewelry shop to buy a watch for my son-in-law. We decided on a Tissot, it has a blue dial, Arabic numerals, a silver case, and a gorgeous brown leather band. The watch, in my mind, had to suit his personality: smart, sophisticated, suave, level headed, social, loyal, understanding, kind, intelligent, passionate and driven. So….that meant I had to do some research. That day, we looked at two other brands too: Hamilton and Frederique Constant. Both contenders.
I started by contacting two friends that I know love and collect watches. Then, I turned to Youtube. There, I found two reviewers that I highly recommend: Just One More Watch and The Urban Gentry. These two fellows: Jody and Tristano, are commanding in their knowledge and can really educate you on the hobby of Horology.
The funny thing is that in the process of researching the idea of the Tissot, I became smitten with the idea of buying a watch for myself! I did not think I needed a watch when I walked into the jewelry store, after all, I already had great watches that will last a lifetime. And…well…I ended up buying four watches for myself. I will not describe each one; however, I will let you in on a great find that I must share.
In full disclosure, I am not being compensated in any way whatsoever. I will leave a link for your convenience, and I caution you in advance: if you visit this website, you will want to buy one or more of the watches offered.
More details follow but first, imagine for a moment, you found a world-renowned watch collector who personally designed a watch for you.
Now imagine wearing that watch, feeling the pride of ownership, enjoying the beauty of its dial as the sunlight dances upon it. As you look at your watch, you notice the thought put into every detail: from the Italian leather used for the strap, the period-specific homage of the stainless steel case, the crisp outline of the applied numerals, the use of a double-domed crystal with anti-reflection coating, the workhorse movement, the signed crown and buckle, right to the engraved case-backing that nods to the vintage and story of the watch on your wrist.
In my opinion, such a watch cannot be easily replicated unless it is designed by a true collector as evidenced by the depth and breadth of his collection, his generous sharing of watch knowledge and the almost perfect and innumerable 5 Star testimonials from a world-wide clientele. I own the 1947, proudly.
By the way, I asked Dan to give me a little background on the 1947 model and how it came to be. This is what he said: the 1947 was a dream watch for me, I always wanted a 40mm Calatrava style case with wide lugs and that dial style, but since this watch did not exist I created it, it’s a mix of influences…”
Do yourself a favour, please visit www.danhenrywatches.com you will definitely find a watch that will call your name. The fantastic thing is you won't need to get a loan to buy one.
Do yourself another favour if you want to learn all about his personal collection of 1500 plus watches at www.timeline.watch this is basically an online vintage watch encyclopedia that Dan has shared with the world.
So? What hobby do you have?
Remember, hobbies make life grand and happier, even long-lost hobbies!
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Make Time for Yourself
Don't Try to Be Someone Else
By Shazad
In today’s world, there are a lot of celebrities in sports, business and showbiz. Many people are trying to be the next version of Michael Jordan, Steve Jobs or Tom Cruise and many other famous people. The problem is that we can never become someone else no matter how hard we try. The world does not really want us to become someone else, despite what we see on the media. We need more individuals who are great in their own way.
We all admire family members like our siblings, cousins and even our parents but we should not try to be another version of them, despite how much respect we have for them. They don’t truly want or need us to become who they are. We have our own life experiences and thoughts and we are presented with the ability to take our life to a new level of success that perhaps they could not so it is not correct to imitate them in every way.
It’s likely we will take some inspiration from some of the great people of our time or the past and incorporate something from their practices or habits but we should never try to become that other person. Our main goal should be to become the very best individual we can be and realize we are one of a kind. We should strive to be the Next Great Human Being in our area of expertise or skill. That is far more important than an imitation of someone else. Don’t lose the precious thing that only you have which is a unique life experience like no other.
Becoming the most Awesome YOU is what the world needs more of so create your own legendary life that inspires others to want to become their best. This is how we make the whole world step up to truly live as the best person each person can possibly be.
How To Have More In Every Area Of Your Life
By Ahsan
No matter where you are in life, you could do better. I say this because our very existence is evidence of this. The evolution of our universe, planet, species and knowledge is all an example.
That said, you have the right to stay where you are and do nothing more.
For the curious and ambitious reader of our blog, two ideas may and should help you to have more in every area of your life.
The first idea is related to your skills and the second idea is connected to your outlook.
As for skills, we are good at certain things and not so good at other things. The common problem we experience with our capabilities is that we focus too much on making our weak skills strong when we should do the opposite.
Don’t spend your time and your life trying to get good at things you are not good at. You will only get frustrated and probably improve insignificantly. On the other hand, if you focus on the strong skills that you are good at, you could experience greater mastery and unparalleled levels of confidence.
For example, if you are good at selling and weak in administration, you could do far better in your career of sales if you master the skill of sales and persuasion and delegate your paperwork to an assistant. To improve on your natural ability of selling, you might attend courses on sales methods or read books on marketing or take online courses in persuasive writing.
The trick from there like always is to act.
Get out there in the field, see the people and sell your product or service. Get rejected, handle objections and make some rain.
The second idea to have more in every area of your life is to have a vision of your future. Obviously, your vision should be of a positive future. See yourself doing well, being happy and achieving your goals.
Whenever you see things positively, your brain will frame your experiences and add meaning to those situations in a way that will confirm your outlook. For example, when you meet someone, it will feel like that person was sent to you at the right time to help you reach your vision. Likewise, when you face a setback, you will see the situation positively as a necessary lesson to be learned, rather than a stroke of bad luck.
Conclusion: If you want to make a real mess of your life, focus on your weaknesses, see only obstacles in the way of your dreams and ruminate. You might even know some people that do this. My guess is that they have less in every area of their life.
And there you have it. To have more is the natural way of things and to do it, you need to do just two things:
1) Focus on the fundamental skills that you excel at. Leave your weaknesses to the wayside. Get good at one or two things. Reap the benefits.
2) Have a grand vision of your future: full of lollipops, gumdrops and Unicorns. Don’t get bogged down by dimly lit images about tomorrow. Gosh, that isn’t helpful!
3) Here is the BONUS item I almost forgot to mention: ACT. You must act!
When Less is More
By Shazad
We all crave more of things. More money. More Time. More food. We have been conditioned to want more because that is what society keeps telling us to think. What if we changed the thinking and focused on the Minimum Effective Dose of something to make us healthy, happy and educated?
This does not mean being illiterate, indifferent or starving yourself. Look at what you consume in terms of information, products and food and think how much is enough? Do the “Enough” amount and stop. Don’t go overboard on food or shopping or even on consuming media. Just stop at enough and realize how much life can be when you stop wanting more for the sake of more.
What if All of Us were "Good with Words"?
By Shazad
I’m not an English major or a famous writer…yet. I have been told by a few people that I’m “good with words” because they appreciate the way I communicate in meetings, training workshops or via instant messaging and email. I thought about this a little and found it very strange that more people do not speak or write well enough to be complimented in this way. What makes us human is the ability to clearly express ourselves in verbal and written communication. So much of human history is shared and enjoyed because we can speak about amazing things and write about historical events or possibilities of the future.
I challenge everyone who thinks that only some people can speak or write well. Communication is something we all learn at a very young age. It’s not a talent but an acquired skill. Everyone can become better at communicating ideas more clearly and in multiple forms whether that is audio, video or in writing. We all have some talent in a certain kind of communication and it’s easy to just focus on that but that is limiting yourself. I'm an introvert and was not very good in English class nor was I able to stand in front of people to say anything meaningful until my mid-20's. I realized that I need to get over my fear of speaking and develop myself. I still challenge myself to become more skilled in every kind of communication and variations of communications such as short and long-form writing along with speaking. This helps me to learn new skills and effectively share ideas with peers and friends. Being an effective communicator also makes personal relationships better and richer which is what everyone wants!
Let’s make communications excellence the norm for the benefit of our professional and personal lives. Being a capable communicator should eventually become as routine as having good posture, personal grooming or kindness. Everything we do as human beings and our interaction with technology revolves around effective communication at it's core so let’s make an intentional effort to constantly refine our abilities on a daily basis. Let's make sure all of us become "good with words"!
Here are 3 steps to being better at communication:
Communicate often and pay attention to your words. Record yourself on video and keep your old writings.
Read your own writing and listen to recordings of yourself to see how you sound. Compare to your past writings or audio to see how far you have come.
Ask for regular feedback from trusted friends and peers regarding how clearly and effectively you express your ideas.
Practice explaining complex things in the simplest terms and ask for feedback. If your audience understands you, you will be successful.
Bonus: Watch videos of great communicators from the past and modern times to see what they do to Inform, Inspire or Instruct.
Don't Blame Technology for Human Nature
By Shazad
We live in a very advanced and fast-moving world. Some people are very concerned about how much technology is around us and how people are using it. The concerns are worth paying attention to but not because of technology alone. As long as humans have existed, there has been bad behaviour and abuse of leadership, tools, and communication. That is just part of the human experience.
Today’s Internet with Social Media and Wireless Internet (WiFi) technology isn’t causing people to behave good or bad…it is exposing those that know how to use the technology for either good or evil. Everything that used to happen in the past is happening faster these days. None of the gossiping, lies or personal attacks on people is new to anyone living in any human society. Likewise, many people are using technology to provide learning opportunities, mentoring and encouragement to people all across the world. People who could never get the right information to make a business decision or even basic education are benefiting every day from the global reach of the Internet.
Long before Social Media, people were able to spread lies in newspapers as well as by telephone. Long before these technologies, humans wrote vicious lies and total nonsense in books, on flyers and on building signs. Many fictional stories and biased historical records were recorded to make some other group or nation look bad. Similarly, when most of the communication was verbal, people said many foul things about each other and pretended they were ignorant of facts. This doesn’t mean that speaking, writing or reading is bad. We don’t suddenly decide to burn all the books and ban newspapers because some of them contain false or insulting writing. Likewise, we shouldn’t try to ban the Internet or social media because or any other technology because that is NOT the source of the problem! People who are going to be cruel, hostile and tell lies in real life will use Social Media to do the same. The kind, intelligent and honest people of the world wont suddenly be a different person online.
Technology is a neutral tool like a hammer, pen or microphone. It’s how we choose to use or abuse the modern tools that determine what the end result will be. Computers and the Internet don’t have any morality -they don’t know right or wrong. The people who use these tools are the ones responsible for what happens. Always demonstrate the best behaviour in person or online with whatever tool you happen to use so that you will have nothing but Awesome results!
Aim for Awesome and Not Perfection
By Shazad
"When you aim for perfection, you discover it's a moving target." > George Fisher
Having people in our lives that are real experts with almost perfect knowledge can literally be life-saving. We all want our Doctor to be an A+ student with a perfect reputation before prescribing some medicine to us. We also wish civil engineers to be the best in their field and be 100% certain the bridge or building they are constructing won’t suddenly fall down. These are examples of life and death situations where the very best information, education and expertise is required. Sometimes, we want nothing less than perfect.
Fortunately, we don't need this level of perfection for most of the other aspects of life such as work, relationships, business or sports. We need to be reasonably sure about what we can deliver. We'll never have complete or perfect information, so it's not worth demanding this from others either.
Rather than trying to be perfect, we have to make that leap of faith once we believe we have done all we can. This could mean we have 70% certainty about our work or that of others we rely on. This level of confidence may be enough to move forward. Yes, it is a gamble but so is most of life. We can’t be paralyzed or delayed by lack of perfect info.
Our daily decisions are full of risk, but we manage to make things work out. When something does go wrong, we can adapt and correct many of the problems. In the process, we learn valuable lessons. In short, we move the human race forward.
To make your life move in the right direction, you should demand excellence by pursuing Awesome results, but within reason. Trying to be 100% perfect delays progress and can become a stumbling block to finish. The world needs more finishers, not just starters. Being too demanding of perfection is ignoring the process of adjusting course and reworking plans.
To have something achieved, be it a personal accomplishment or of someone you rely on is what we all want. Instead, why not try the idea of "enough." No amount of effort or decision making can ever be enough if our standard is perfection. Perhaps, we can be happier and to move closer to perfection, if we work hard enough and avoid needing to be perfect.
We can make progress in our personal and professional lives using the best available facts and ideas combined with effort. Progress in the right direction, not perfection for perfection’s sake, can perfect one’s perfection…and give you Awesome results along the way!
Awesome Life Lessons From A Bicycle Mechanic
By Ahsan
You know how you put off doing things around the house for days and months, and then you say to yourself, "man, I got to put those pictures up on the wall, and grease the garage doors, clean up that closet and get those bikes fixed up." Well just last week, I started on my list and started with the bikes.
I had bought a couple bikes from a fellow who worked out of his home a few years ago and decided to call on him again. To my good fortune, he called me back and said that he had moved and was still fixing bikes. I called my buddy to join me, and the two of us loaded our bikes that needed a tune-up. And so, off we went on a 30-minute trek.
So far, you may be thinking that my story is moving slowly and that there is nothing unusual to share. You would be wrong because what you don't know is that Angelo the Bicycle Mechanic is 82 years young and he started his vocation at age 60 after spending over 20 years in the Pizza Restaurant business!
We were at his house at 10 am on a Saturday morning, and he was waiting for us. He has everything set up in his garage. On one end is a row of new and used bikes for sale and on the other side is his work area. He got to work right away and lifted the bikes on to the repair stand that is three feet off the ground. I stood in amazement when I saw how he took apart the bikes and put them back together again. His hands had the precision of a surgeon and the strength for twisting a wrench of a much younger man.
We were there for 2 hours, and he fixed 3 bikes in that time. Both my friend and I were in awe of Angelo, here he is fixing bikes at an age when most people are frail, slowing down or can barely move without a cane or a walker. Not Angelo!
I had a bunch of questions I wanted to ask him, and he obliged. Thanks, Angelo!
The only thing more surprising than Angelo is his 92-year-old wife. You read that right, she came over near the end of our visit to call him in for lunch. She too was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and engaged us in a lovely conversation before we left. The other cool thing is that they were born in Italy but met in Switzerland when they both worked in the restaurant industry and have been married 60 years!
So….here is what Angelo shared with me:
You don't have to retire! Starting a new thing at age 60 is a great idea, and you can make some money at the same time.
The secret to a long life is to eat healthily and keep moving. Angelo says he is either fixing bikes or out in the garden tending to his vegetables and flowers.
Go after your dreams, no matter what your circumstances. Angelo only has a grade 5 education. Despite this so-called disadvantage, he told me he has more money than he can ever spend. He emigrated to Canada in 1966, and within two years of arriving, he opened his own Pizza Restaurant.
Everyone has problems and stress in life. Use your friends and family to get through these times. Be close to your family. Consult them. He always spoke to his wife and kids about issues and then made his own judgement on what to do, to fix things.
Be positive always, even if you have the most problems in the world. Stay calm and try to fix or resolve your issues. No point in worrying. Never say, "why me." That's when depression sets in and the drinking begins. One of Angelo’s children had an ailment at age 3 and has had a tough go from this throughout life.
On marriage, he said both he and his wife care for each other. Spend your time with your family and be honest with each other. Just like in business, if one partner is not trustworthy, the outcome is a breakup. Create peace in your house. You fight with the world during the day and when you come home, provide comfort for each other. Don’t focus on money or material things either.
Be a leader for your family. Know your responsibilities and make decisions.
As for regrets, he said he wished he had more education. He feels that he would be 10 times better off if he had the chance.
In the same breath, he said he is very proud of his accomplishments and very happy. He always tried to learn from his mistakes.
His closing remark to us was, “I am happy in every way and am still here to help a lot of people.”
Angelo, you are an inspiration to the many people who will read this article and me.
Thanks for sharing your story Signore!
I Wish Someone Told me...
By Shazad
Ever since I reached my 40’s I realized so many things I thought were true or ‘normal’ back in my 20’s were wrong. Here’s a list of things I wish someone had told me back then that I believe many people will agree with or at least start to consider.
I wish someone told me that this life is a marathon and not a sprint. We need to pace ourselves and build strength as well as endurance in youth to be able to keep going the distance later in life. Health is the most important thing all through life but it’s especially true as we age.
I wish someone told me that all the ‘flexing’ and showing off too much in youth is a waste of time and resources. Spending money we don’t have to impress people we don’t know or even like, is destructive and pointless. The people who really care about us don’t need to be impressed by fancy things. No one in their 20’s should be buying new cars or expensive toys/clothes of any kind. All the time in youth should be spent in building experience, skills and having minimal or no debt of any kind.
I wish someone told me that too much comfort and ease is destructive. Youth should be spent on being uncomfortable on regular basis to make sure we don’t get too comfortable. Weight gain, depression and lack of motivation in life is an outcome of being too comfortable. We all need to be hungry in youth and be driven which means not having everything we wanted to have. Struggle in youth to have a better life in later years.
I wish someone told me that being a healthy 40-something is like being like in your 20’s but with more life experience and some wisdom. Being patient enough to buy certain ‘luxury’ items once you are established in your 40’s is a lot more fulfilling than rushing to buy them in youth when you can’t really afford them. When you work hard and take care of your responsibilities first, the fancy things in life feel like you have earned them.
I wish someone told me that my parents don’t owe me any inheritance or property while they are alive or after they have passed away. I should have no expectations of any material gain from my parents and neither should anyone else. Parents have a responsibility to provide some food, shelter, clothes and love to their kids. They also have a duty to provide education and motivation for personal development. We each have to figure out how to get higher education and build assets we need based on our own intelligence and hard work. Parents are not responsible for paying for everything.
I wish someone told me that that my opinion of myself is what really matters. The opinions of others can be positive but is usually negative and based on their own personal weaknesses or biases. What I think of myself is the most important. I need to like myself and take care of my own mental well being because no one else knows me better than I know myself. The voice in my head is the one that matters the most to me.
I wish someone told me that the more freedom I have in life, the more responsibility I have. Self Discipline is true freedom in life. We will never have freedom from responsibilities and that’s ok. The idea is to be a more responsible person as we mature and have self control.
I wish someone told me that true satisfaction in life comes from serving others. Simply focusing on my own happiness and desires is not fulfilling in the long run. Everyone important in your life is part of your personal fulfillment in life. By helping other people you care about, you become a better human being and that leads to true satisfaction in life. We exist to work together and help each other which is How We All WIN in Life.
What do you wish someone told you when you were younger?
Make a Statement with your LIFE
By Shazad
Whether you know it or not, you are making a statement every single day. The things you do, say, wear and express online are speaking volumes about you. Why not be proactive and intentional about the statement your life is making? The word LIFE can represent some core statements about what you want to communicate. For example, L=Love. I=Integrity, F=Fitness. E=Empathy. Make your own LIFE statement clear and consistent.
Tell the world what you like and better yet, what you love! Express yourself in genuine ways every day whether through verbal or written methods. Move with humility and purpose when you go about your day. Show everyone what matters to you and what you believe in. Take time out of your busy life to give a part of yourself to the people and causes you claim are important to you. Let’s stop paying lip service to things like family, neighbours and the environment. Let’s actually do the hard work of making an intentional statement every day that speaks for itself. This is how we live a genuine and fulfilling life.
What statement will you make with your LIFE?
Two Tips To Unlock Success In Your Career
By Ahsan
Let’s make this quick. You and I both need real and applicable ideas so we can be our best. At work or otherwise, please consider these two gems:
1.Time Warp: In doing a project, we often have a deadline. However, we often procrastinate. Yet, when the deadline approaches, we put on the turbo engine and do incredible amounts of work. The feeling is exhilarating, but the result is less than what it could be. The solution? Start by putting the deadline feeling at the start of the project. Work like crazy up front and then have several days to do the real polishing. This way, your result is more amazing because it is not a rush job.
2. Focus Work: Try to sit with your task and shut out the world. If you work on something for 30 minutes without interruption from phone calls, emails, or chatty colleagues, you will produce more results in less time. We all actually do only a few hours of work in an entire 8-hour workday. Get honest with yourself.
Summary:
Flip the deadline around to the start of your projects!
When you work, do the work with laser focus, for at least 30 minutes!
Action Steps:
a) Put this note somewhere where you can see it.
b) Implement the 2 Tips every day.
c) Set up a three-week challenge to stick to the new methods described.
d) If it works for you, keep doing it.
The Real Life
By Shazad
When you spend time alone and in prayer on regular basis, you understand what the REAL life is. You forget about all the running around and materialistic things of this world. All the small disputes, jealousies, complaints and total nonsense. Other people’s drama, doubts and power games don’t bother you. You are not attached to the outcomes of this world. That is freedom. This is what we really want!
You understand the real life is yet to come and everything we are doing now prevents us from getting the best experience or, it helps us because we Live this life in the Best way.
Stop and reflect on what’s important...do this often and Be free to live a real life. Help others with your awareness of what is Real. Live Awesome!
Work and Play with the End in Mind
By Shazad
Are you a GIVER or a TAKER? What do you want people to say when your time on Earth runs out? Death and our funeral is coming for us all so how should we live with that common End In Mind?
One way is to GIVE MORE than you TAKE, every single day. Second, surround yourself with people, work and ideas that matter the MOST to you. Cut out or at least limit those people and things that don’t matter as much. Third and most important, become the person you are supposed to be TODAY and for the rest of your existence because we all know how this ends…No one gets out alive but we all get a chance to Work and Play the way we decide. Follow these 3 steps from now on and you will change your life for the better.
Leave the world with an Abundance once you are gone rather than a lifetime of debt, regret and frets.
Live Awesome!
How To Get More Awesome Results
By Shazad
What did your parents measure when you were a child? Your Grades in school? How pretty/handsome you were? How well you played sports? Like many children, we all try to live up to our parents expectations on what they thought was important in life. When we are adults, we also try to live up to some things our parents taught us and we add the yardsticks our friends and society. As a result, we are always trying to measure up to OTHER people’s metrics…and they are often materialistic, incomplete or superficial in nature.
To get more Awesome outcomes in life, you have to watch for and measure those things that really make people Awesome in your eyes and according to your true values. Things that don’t depend on fame or money or power and are open to everyone. Character, Integrity, Resilience, Honesty and Kindness are some of the most Awesome attributes that many would people agree are worth having. Working hard, giving full effort to good causes and constantly learning - especially from mistakes, are also very important. A person who is persistent and doesn’t give up easily or complain often is also considered superior to one who doesn’t have these abilities even if the latter person has wealthy background and a famous family name.
I am very blessed to have parents who helped me on the road to Awesome by NOT telling me to focus on how much money I’m earning, the assets I’m building, the grade I earned in school or how well I played a sport. Instead, my parents encouraged me to become MY BEST SELF through the attention to and the measurement of very important life skills such as Hard Work, Generosity, Humility, Courage, and Patience. These are some of the qualities of a great human being that I learned from them and these are ones that anyone can possess if you invest the time to measure these things in your life.
If you didn’t have Awesome parents like me, how do you develop these important qualities in yourself? You can start by developing friendships with those people who have the qualities you want more of so you can learn from them. You can find one or more mentors to help you develop certain measurable life skills to improve yourself. You can also practice being more of the kind of person you want to become, with the people around you. You have to be around people who are a model for you to follow and you must immerse yourself in the doing of those things that will change your personality for the better. Just knowing these good things and watching others perform at their best is not enough to change your condition. You must actively be involved in changing yourself and measuring your results along the way.
We all know that having lots of assets or money in the bank or many properties DO NOT “automagically” make a good human being, despite what society or some of our friends say. In fact, many sad examples of people exist who have worldly things but not much of the truly valuable assets that are important to life. Such people are often unhappy, have bad relationships and end up losing their worldly assets because of many bad decisions as a result of weaknesses in their character. Don’t be like these supposedly ‘successful’ people!
Becoming measurably Awesome is not a destination… we all need to keep working on it for the rest of our lives. I’m constantly trying to level up my skill level on each of those valuable attributes that really matter to me and you can do the same. Anyone can be part of their own life transformation towards more Awesomeness. Just stop and reflect on what you want to measure and become more of in life and then figure out what you are going to do to become the most Awesome at all of those things.
Good News For People With Anxious Thoughts!
By Ahsan
Are you one of the 7 billion people on the planet who experiences anxious thoughts?
Do you get concerned about your health?
Does meeting new people cause your tummy to turn?
When your boss calls you for a meeting, do you get a sinking feeling?
If so, consider yourself normal because every person on the planet feels anxious at one time or another. The exciting thing is, however, some of us have learned how to contain their anxious thoughts while others let them run wild.
It comes with a price because the anxious thought dominates them.
My friend, life is hard enough. Don’t live that way.
"Easier said than done," you say? I couldn't agree more.
Let’s give it the old college try, shall we?
Here is a common situation many people experience:
It goes something like this. Your thoughts cause feelings that further cause actions. For example, you dread meeting new people, the thought of going to an event makes you feel nervous and unsettled, and due to the feeling, you decide to skip the event altogether and miss meeting some really cool people.
How do you overcome this?
The Usual Strategy: Respond vs. React
You have probably heard of the idea of responding to a situation or thought as an ideal way to handle anxious thoughts. Rather than react to your thoughts of "I don't like meeting new people because I feel nervous when I do," why not consider responding to your thought with a counter thought? Be like Bruce Lee, flow with the river, become like the water!
The Ninja Counter Thought: "I do feel nervous when I meet new people, but I also get past that feeling quickly because most people are nice and meeting people gives me a good feeling!“
The idea is to accept the intruding and debilitating thought and not deny it. Just don’t give it power. Challenge the damn thought, okay! Add in whatever logical override that comes to mind because you need to do this if you are ever going to diffuse your bullying thought.
So is this the good news?
No.
Here it is: Interpretation is your key to turning anxious thoughts into passing thoughts.
The good news is that you, my friend, can and should interpret life events, challenges, tragedies, hardships and most of all, scary thoughts any way you like.
You can look at a windy day as a nuisance or as a great day to fly a kite.
You could look at flying eight hours in a plane, as a scary experience filled with potential danger or you could see it as a short flight and look forward to spending time with your favourite cousin whom you haven’t seen in four years. You could interpret any situation or thought as you like.
Try to use this acronym to remember your new strategy:
MRI
Get an MRI:
Most Relaxing Interpretation: Interpret life in the most relaxing way. Don’t jump to conclusions and quick judgments about things. Find a way to interpret the situation or difficulty in a way that is most empowering. Look at it from a point of view that creates a sense of relaxation rather than anxiety. Interpret things; don’t react to them.
Easier said than done, I agree. And, like all things, practice makes perfect. Separate yourself from the billions of people who don’t know this good news.
Learn the skill of interpreting things rather than succumbing to anxious thoughts.
If you know someone who should read this article. Please share it.
Wouldn’t it be nice to be King…of the world?
By Ahsan
I had the pleasure of attending a dinner where an Imam addressed the audience. He began with the recitation of the Holy Quran and offered a prayer reminding the audience to supplicate for themselves and for humanity at large.
Two things really stood out about this Imam. One was his engaging style of speaking, and two was his expert use of story-telling to make a point.
I would like to share a story he recounted. This story has endured millennia because it is truly a universal message for all people.
The story goes like this: four young men were sitting near the K'aaba (the holy shrine in Mecca), talking about life in general and what they planned on doing in the future. Three of them were brothers, and the other was their friend.
The first brother said I plan on becoming the ruler of the Arabian Peninsula one day. The others replied with encouraging words and prayed for his success. The second brother declared he would become the ruler of the vaster Persian Empire, and the others responded with the same encouragement and prayers for ultimate success. The third brother, not to be outdone, said he would one day become the King of the world, and the rest replied again with best wishes and prayers of success.
The fourth lad, their friend, was the quiet and reflective person of the group. He did not offer what he wanted to do, but when pressed, he replied: I admire the worldly goals you have set for yourself, and I sincerely hope you achieve them. As for me, I want to learn the ways of Allah and live according to the example of our Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, so when I leave this world, there is a smile on my face and a few tears in the eyes of those I leave behind.
The Imam was addressing the youth in the audience and was encouraging them to make lofty goals for their future, to pursue all their dreams of wealth and fame but not to forego the opportunity to serve humanity first with their best abilities based on good living, service to others and absolute justice for all.
He closed by saying that when we are born, we come in crying while others are smiling and it might be the best thing to flip that around when we make our exit.
Life is short my friends….be Awesome!
What's The Point of Higher Education?
By Shazad
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
It’s that time again…many college and university students as well as children in lower grades are graduating from another year or perhaps the final year of their formal studies. Why do we go to school? What are we supposed to get out of it? When does academic learning stop and practical living start? These are some very key questions I have been wondering for about 3 decades. Below I share some ideas and suggestions to consider.
First, education is Awesome! To learn, understand and know things is so much better than ignorance about the world. Everyone needs some basic framework of knowledge such as literacy in one or more languages, the basic concepts of math and physics, and the ability to challenge ideas that are not fully understood or sensible.
Second, life is continuous learning or ‘education’ for the person with the right mindset. Long after we have graduated with a Bachelors or Masters or even a PhD, we continue to learn and understand the world around us. Learning is never ‘done’ or completed. If it were, many would be geniuses living perfect lives in their late 20’s or by the time they are 30 years old. That is not the reality of even the most educated people living in the most literate countries of the world.
Third, and this is the most important point I want you to consider is the purpose of all this higher schooling. What I believe I have been able to do and what the essence of school is about is to encourage MORE learning. The education we start to get from our homes to elementary school and then high-school is building a framework of knowledge to understand the world but it’s also encouraging us to learn more. Curiosity and seeking more knowledge is what drives many to higher education..and this is a good thing!. There should be a desire in all of us to learn how to learn new things and keep sharpening our understanding of things. We should also pursue knowledge and wisdom as adults for the sake of becoming better human beings. When you know better, you should do better and be better!
One or more degrees or diplomas should not be the end goal of someone’s education. Rather, it should be the LOVE of wanting to learn and understand more along with the realization of how ignorant we still are so we keep learning. I don’t mean in a mechanical way to simply absorb facts and info - that’s something any computer can do. I’m talking about extracting the right meaning from the learning we have received so far and building on it to have even better understanding of how things work.
Let’s use all of our formal and informal learning time to create the best lives for ourselves by continuously learning, developing critical thinking skills, and loving the process of becoming a little better each day. Education never ends as long as we are breathing so let’s keep pursuing it inside and outside the classroom.