How To Become a Futurist

April 27, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

"The future belongs to those who prepare for it today." -Malcolm X

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could predict what will happen tomorrow and the next day? It would make your life more manageable because you could see things coming your way. A lowering of stress, a confidence through preparation, and, even some profit in where to invest your time and other resources before everyone else competes for the same things. It’s not just wishful thinking. You can be a futurist in your own life and I’ll explain how.

First, understand your life in more detail than you are doing today. Study your health, the society you live in, the trends in the news, and the way the economy moves as a result of what’s going on in the past decade or two. Yes, you need to study the past to get some data points for where the future is headed.

Second, read, listen and watch multiple experts in fields you want to better understand. Gather diverse opinions and notice how an expert may have changed or enhanced their opinion on a situation over time. There are clues to be used for your own future planning. Listening to multiple viewpoints from young and older experts in different fields ensures you are not listening to a one-sided conversation and blind-sided by events outside an echo chamber you may be living in.

Third, take small chances on your immediate future right now. It could be with small investments in a new technology, a new area of learning or, the purchase of something new to tinker with to see how it behaves. Dive in with practical knowledge and take control of your personal future by taking the time and spending some small sums of money to take a chance on something moving a certain way or having an outcome you did or did not predict. You have to actively be immersed in your own future path once the awareness and study are done so that you can literally feel the future unfolding in your own life.

With the 3 key ideas I explained, you are now armed and ready to start living as a futurist in your own life. Hopefully, you will discover better ways of living healthy, having more quality time, less stress about finances, have more connection with family and, more confidence that you can predict something about your future. Don’t delay, the future is just seconds away!

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Creating Your Own Luck

April 20, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

Some people might look at you and your life and say, “you’re lucky”. You may think the same way about some successful business or sports celebrity you see in the media and then move on as if there’s no lesson there. I’m here to tell you that you need to look deeper. Study a person who you consider to be ‘lucky’ in life and you’ll find some gems you can make part of your own life.

There’s no doubt that good fortune is a great boost to human beings. It can be as simple yet profound as what race you were born in, what country you have citizenship in, what careers your parents have, or even the neighbourhood you grew up in as a child. So much can be said about the power of chance in many aspects of life and we all have some ‘good luck’ in some aspect of our life if you look close enough. Those high achieving superstars that the world admires seem to have some extra ‘luck’…or do they?

Some of the best performers in business, sports, media, and life, in general, reached great heights in life NOT because of lots of luck in their childhood. Many of them got to where they are despite a lot of misfortune and setbacks. What they do have in common with each other is grit or resilience in the face of hardships. They also have a hunger for personal growth, determination to keep practicing and keep showing up, and a strong self-belief that they will be successful. In this way, the hard work and powerful mindset create the ‘luck’ they want and need in life. They didn’t have any special genie granting them 3 wishes. They also didn’t have any mutant powers or high-tech gadgets at their disposal. The great people kept going forward when others stopped trying. They kept practicing their craft when others went home to relax. The truly great people in any given field don’t take their good fortune for granted. They kept developing and building upon any foundational strengths or opportunities to stay ahead of others who may have been born with more advantages in life. Such people as Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk, Wayne Gretzky, Steve Jobs, and Keanu Reeves show us life is not about where you start but what you do with what you have. How far do you take your talents, time, focus, and passion?

If people who were raised with average families or even ‘unlucky’ circumstances, can rise up and reach the top of their fields, you can too! The world is full of opportunities and new categories of success to those who don’t quit, take on leadership responsibilities and push themselves further than they ever thought they could. We all have the power to create our own GOOD LUCK! Just brew some hard work with a never-quit attitude and add self-awareness to make that perfect mix.

It's ALL Part of Life

April 13, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

In recent years, you may be thinking to yourself that there is so much happening that is ‘interfering’ or getting in the way of you living your life. I’ve felt like this too. There’s a pandemic and it’s inconvenient lockdowns. There’s at least one major war going on somewhere. The economy is shaky and the future is generally uncertain. It all just becomes too much sometimes and you wish things could just stop happening so you can get back to life. But THIS IS LIFE.

Sure, we don’t want a whole bunch of problems and issues happening around us but we don’t control most of that. It would be nice to just have no major news headlines for a while and for the economy to be smoothly moving forward with no bumps or unexpected consequences. It would be Awesome if everyone you knew was in great health and happy all the time. The problem is, that’s not the world we live in. People will get sick and some will pass away before we expect them to leave us. The economy will grow in the long run but will have a series of shocks, corrections, dips, and surges as it always does. Unfortunately, some parts of the world will always have some conflict with the loss of property and lives. This is all part of the human story and will continue to be. I’m not suggesting you resign yourself to the events of the world and just accept things. I’m hoping that you realize that it’s all manageable and something humans are capable of navigating with courage, wisdom, patience and justice. We don’t have to be diminished by events happening around us. We can find silver linings and even learn to grow through the difficult times so that we come out the other side as better human beings prepared for future challenges.

Instead of wishing things were different or some things would just ‘not happen’, try to figure out how you can adjust yourself in the short term and make things work. How can you keep showing up each day to do your best and move things forward instead of being stuck in the middle of a mess? When you figure this out, as I’m sure you will, you will truly be LIVING because you were made for this moment.

The 3 Lessons of Fasting

April 6, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

‘O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become righteous.’

The Holy Quran 2:184

For observant Muslims, Ramadhan has started a few days ago and this means fasting during daylight hours for the entire lunar month. Like fasting in other cultures and traditions, there are some key lessons we can understand from this experience and I’d like to share a few of these with you. They have the power to transform lives and change the world for the better.

The first is Patience through delayed gratification. By postponing eating and drinking during daylight hours, Muslims truly appreciate what it means to be waiting for something you truly want. Not rushing to do or have something leads to better decision-making and fewer issues when it comes to relationships also. A patient person is less likely to get angry and also more understanding towards others. A related lesson of Ramadhan that we learn is Mindset. We have to convince ourselves that we can endure the temporary abstinence from consuming food and drink and this means we need this to stop ourselves from indulging in a piece of cake or a cup of coffee whenever we feel like it. The personal choice to observe fasting for our own sake and realize that it’s beneficial for us makes it mentally possible to continue when it starts to become challenging. By developing a strong mindset for the task you are doing, you can develop more clarity about your life’s purpose and path. This trains our minds to become stronger while our bodies become more resilient to stress.

The third key lesson we learn from fasting is Compassion for those who get to eat a little or no food each day for many days in a row. We can get a sense of what that is like and what hardships they must be facing every day of the week, all year long. This compassion should drive us to be more generous and caring towards them so we can eliminate food shortages in our community. Perhaps we can help with the growing of certain foods or the distribution to the neediest. By connecting with the suffering of others, we can appreciate what they struggle with and work with them to find meaningful solutions that make society better.

There are other ways we can learn the valuable lessons that Patience, Mindset, and Compassion have to teach us but perhaps there is no better ‘class room’ than the month of Ramadhan for a believer. We also learn other important lessons and gain more self awareness in this holy month which makes it more compelling for a practicing Muslim. I pray that we all become better human beings through the various lessons of Ramadhan and life in general. May we all practice goodness every month so that we can improve humanity with each passing year.

How To Build Bullet-Proof Self-Confidence

March 30, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

People who are successful in life are very confident in themselves. They seem to have a lot of courage, and we all admire that in a person because it is a rare quality.

Oddly, however, if you asked people to comment on how confident they are, most people would reply "very," giving the impression that everyone is so confident!

So what can you do if you feel less confident and need a boost of confidence?

Even more important, what should you do if you somehow lose your Mojo?

First, it might be necessary to answer the critical reason we dare not when we should. Why do we doubt ourselves or hesitate when the moment of truth dawns and an opportunity to shine in our own eyes pop up?

The answer to our dilemma is we all, and I mean all have moments of fear and doubt. When this happens, we come up with excuses that easily convince us to stay safe.

So here are two things that can help you and me to have more self-confidence.

Do what you fear or doubt you can’t do. It’s better to do it. Just use the same inner conversation to say “no guts, no glory” or remind yourself that ships are safe in the harbour, but ships were meant to sail.

So there you are. Talk back to yourself and say, "I will do it," and be firm with yourself.

Now that you have done it, you should measure your self-confidence on your meter of level 1 to level 10. After doing the thing you fear, you may notice that it was not so hard, and your self-confidence meter will move more towards a 10.

So, the next time you feel hesitant to do something that requires self-confidence, you should do it because it is you that will feel the glory as you sail towards a better destination.

These Words Will Cause You To Enjoy Life Less

March 23, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

Did you ever listen to a good friend speak about their life and say to yourself, “what a poor choice of words.”

I have a hunch that using certain words will cause you to either become mentally strong and resilient or backfire on you so that you chisel away your mental strength.

Problem or Challenge?

I once had a job selling TVs and VCRs. The department manager spoke to a group of us and said he no longer uses the word “problem." He said he had replaced it with the word “challenge” instead. He went on to say, “there are no problems in my life, just challenges.”

He also said, "If I look at things this way, I remain happier, more confident, and my mind begins to seek solutions.

Words matter. Having challenges is better than having problems.

You also don't get stuck on the misery of being overwhelmed with annoying problems that trigger you to feel like you are struggling with trauma, getting overwhelmed and adding to being exhausted, nervous, anxious, and depressed.

21 Words To Avoid If You Want Life To Be Wonderful

Maybe it’s just me, but the first four words on the list seem to be used a lot in everyday language lately. These words were not in common use when I was growing up.

Have a read of the list, and let me know which other words come to mind. Then, let's do our best to spread the word to use good words and not mentally deflating and even dangerous words.

Triggered

Annoying

Trauma

Struggling

Suffering

Brutal

Devastating

Overwhelmed

Fragile

Mad

Sad

Stressful

Problem

Fear

Agony

Ordeal

Tired

Exhausted

Anxious

Nervous

Depressed

While we are at it, here are a few phrases that people often use that I believe will become self-fulfilling prophecies if they are repeated.

Harmful phrases such as:

“This is making me sick."

“This is killing me."

“I can’t stand this."

“I am at my wit's end."

"I'm struggling with this."

"My trauma is ______"

"This ______is triggering me."

“That is so annoying."

An Experiment You Might Try Instead

In his Journey To The Extraordinary Workshop https://www.drzimmerman.com/journey

Dr. Alan Zimmerman has used the following exercise with seminar participants. The lucky individuals are asked to repeat a phrase a few times.

The first phrase is:

“I’m a loser, I can't do it, life is hard, I’m no good, things are against me.”

And then,

“I’m a winner, I can do it, life is good, I’m a winner, things are looking up.”

The added twist is that after saying the one set of negative phrases, he has the person put their arms up and out to the side and proceeds to push them down. Guess what, even with the burliest person, when they say the negative phrases, Dr. Z can apply gentle pressure, and their arms go down. And, when they say the positive statements, the daintiest person stands as firm as the rock of Gibraltar.

What you say to yourself should not be taken lightly! Words are powerful they affect others and they definitely affect yourself. The “challenge” is that a lot of times, we innocently use dangerous words that dilute our strength and rob us of enjoying life to the fullest.

I'm no expert, but I think my hunch may be correct. The words we use to make our lives happier and more triumphant, and if reading this article convinces you of the same, maybe you might be so kind and spread the goodness. So please flip this article far and wide. We could all use a good word or two!

What Happens Next?

March 16, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

“There is no word for the exact opposite of fragile. Let us call it antifragile. Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better.” Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Nobody knows exactly what’s going to happen in the future. The best we can do is make educated guesses and learn from the past. The key point is that we have to try and be prepared.

We have enough information from history, human psychology, and computer models to make some reasonable estimates. We use this all the time to predict the weather, the direction of stock markets, the movement of people, and the transmission of diseases. We don’t suffer from a lack of information, in most cases.

The problem is the lack of right actions done at the appropriate time to make a difference. The best time to repair an old roof is when the sun is shining. The best way to age gracefully is to build a good foundation in youth and maintain healthy habits into middle-age life. There are so many examples where the prepared mind and physically trained body are able to deal with everything that may come, and not break. We must constantly strive to be ready and that means daily training of the mind and body for the next challenge to the system. Don’t expect a return to the old normal before the COVID pandemic. Prepare for a new “normal” where you thrive even more than you did before. Don’t look back at the old days with nostalgia. Look forward with ambition and courage towards the person you can become.

I’ll say it again, no one knows what tomorrow will bring. With some reflection and training as well as timely execution, we can handle it. We can even become better in the face of difficulties that are just around the corner. Learn to bend, stretch, recover, and grow so you don’t break the next time life throws something at you. Live Awesome!

3 Things You Don’t Need To Do To Be Happy

March 9, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

Imagine, instead of the year 2022, you were living in the year 1722. What would your life as an average person be like living in those times?

In general, it would be safe to assume that your life would less safe and secure than it is today.

You would not have a toilet to flush, you would not have a fridge to open and eat your leftovers, you would not be able to go to a grocery store to buy fruit that is out of season, and you would not have several jobs or careers to choose from because your birth and rank in society would probably have kept you boxed or limited from partaking in the best opportunities of the time.

Life today is way better for the average person, let alone someone classified as poor, than it was a mere 200 or 300 years ago. The previous few thousand years prior to even 1822 were pretty much the same in terms of human experience. Then, it was short, nasty and brutish and would have caused you more challenge and concern than the life you live today.

It is my conclusion that life in the centuries before 1822, let alone 1722, would have required your mental resolve to get through life to be of a certain quality that we do not contemplate in these glorious times.

I could end my article here and let you noodle the point I am trying to make. Life today is pretty easy compared to a few hundred years ago, so we should all be cheerful and happy and not just go through life but grow through life!

So why is it that we don’t see it that way? Why do people not live their longer, more joyful and more effortless lives in a manner that reflects the current reality of the modern era and its progress in terms of human standards of living?

Here is what I think. Perhaps, it's because we have not progressed to understand how we experience life as quickly as we moved with scientific discovery in the areas of medicine, plumbing, automation and wireless communication.

We don't know what we should know to enjoy our life because we don't understand how we experience life.

Your life and my life is experienced by our thinking that causes our feelings. When we think light and happy thoughts, we don’t feel bad, sad or mad. Get it?

The problem is that we get instantly caught up in a thought and its immediate effect on our mood (feelings) and remain in that mental state until a new thought comes in to replace it.

So, to make the most of your life and enjoy it, start contemplating and testing the theory that your life is experienced based on your thinking which causes your feelings.

You feel what you think 100% of the time.

Based on this, you can now let go of 3 things you may not need anymore because they are techniques. You might not need techniques if you conclude that life is experienced by the quality of our thoughts and not from external issues like circumstances or people that make us happy or unhappy.

What are those three things? In no particular order: meditation, gratitude journaling, and achieving important goals.

You don’t need to do them if you understand what happens to a person that is meditative and living in the moment; is grateful for what they have and not envious of others, and is happy striving for things because they enjoy the process of learning.

So they don't necessarily need techniques because that is their way of being. They don't need techniques as a remedy to feel better because they never understood the root cause of their feelings (experience of life).

Reminder: it’s all thinking.

So the next book you should read is not Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill but rather:

Think and Grow Your Most Awesome Life by (fill in your name).

Are You Happy Even When Life Is Tough?

March 2, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

I need to make a confession.

Honestly, if I think about the news I have been following and looking at the state of the world at the moment, I feel like shutting the door on it. How about you? Is everything going “hunky dory” in your world?

Life has no guarantees, yet it is certain that curveballs will come at us individually and collectively. So the point I wish to make is that we need to be ready to respond well to the everyday issues that don't go our way, the people who don't play ball the way we want, and to be resilient for longer than we initially imagined.

Pandemic in year 3 is a case in point.

Let's test a hypothesis: it is possible to be happy even when life is challenging because we can create it from nothing. It's like experiencing a feeling we all get from time to time: being happy with no particular reason for it.

In fact, do we need a reason to be happy? Should we only be happy when a cause is present?

Are we obscuring our happiness because somehow our view is obstructed?

It is my contention and perhaps corroborated by your experience that, we can be happy by making a point of doing so.

Here are a few ideas to consider that may be helpful on a day when the stock market is down, someone stepped on your foot, and you burned dinner before your guests arrive.

Put your focus where you want it to be: don't let the 6 o’clock news or social media influence you. This negative influence happens because we get lured into scrolling or wanting to be “in the know”. If you do engage, do it for a limited daily time; at certain times, and take a break for your own sake. Do something where you focus on what you want to do, not what others are steering you to. Refuse to be one of the masses.

Understand that you can manufacture happiness. It is evident that we are happy when things are going well, but it is not so apparent that you can whip up a happy mood by making a point of it. So when things are off, and you start feeling drawn to a sullen mood, just don't go there. Instead, listen to music, visit a friend, make a nice meal. Have a list of a few things that you know are your go-to list of pick-me-ups. Make a list of your top 10 now before you read my next point, please.

Ask yourself where do my feelings come from? I have asked many people this question, and when I offer the answer, not one person has disagreed with me. So here it is, your feelings come from your thinking! Always. Knowing this can be enlightening and may lead to an insight that will help you the next time you are stuck in your head or replaying a thought over and over and over again. We all do it. I'll admit it, but when I think to myself, it is all thought; I open the door to a new thought that eventually crowds out the offending thought. So ponder this, if you please.

I hope that you feel like you are ready to live your best life based on the concept that happiness can be manufactured when it is not there.

You are only here for a limited time dear friend, so make an ideal life because the alternative is pointless!

Maybe we should open the door to the possibility. By the way, do you have any ideas and suggestions on how you build happiness on purpose in your life?

Vaccinate Your Mind!

February 23, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

For over a year now we have been hearing about the importance of vaccinations for everyone, second doses, third doses, and yearly boosters, etc. This is a good discussion and relevant to the time we live in given the global pandemic. The challenge is that we are narrowly focused on the physical body and its immunity against a fast-spreading disease. We forget that the mind needs protection too. How can we protect our mental well-being at such times and in general?

What do I mean by vaccinating your mind? I’m talking about setting up proper mental defenses to innoculate against all kinds of thought diseases like misinformation, fear, jealousy, and anger to name just a few. We do this by ‘injecting’ daily doses of empathy, critical thinking, and truth just to maintain sanity and a proper functioning life. The ‘remedy’ is not going to come from Big Pharma or the Mass Media. It’s also not going to suddenly reveal itself in the clouds or be passed into law as a new Bill or Constitutional Amendment by the government. It’s going to require work that we do each day to check the facts, understand the opposing viewpoints, and find the middle ground on hotly contested issues. Sometimes there won’t be an absolute Right or Wrong answer so we shouldn’t push for such a decision.

We also need to develop healthy mental habits such as learning more and practicing wisdom based on the experiences of the past and some kinds of modeling of a potential future. By continuously educating and improving ourselves, we train our ‘mental immune system’ to stay alert and even adapt to whatever is happening in the world. Without proper and frequent mental ‘booster’ shots, we will become badly infected and will suffer as a result.

I hope everyone’s physical is on track to becoming fully recovered from the difficult 2 years we all have had. I also hope that we take our mental fitness at least as seriously if not more so, in the coming weeks and months. It is our mind that truly determines how we see and interact with the world so it’s the mind that must not be ‘infected’ by viruses because that is the real danger to our existence. Without a healthy mind, we cannot truly be our most Awesome selves.

ALWAYS Bet On Yourself First!

February 16, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

We all place ‘bets’ of some kind all day long. Even if you don’t play the Lotto or go to the casino, you are betting on something happening. You just don’t realize it. You may be putting your big hopes and dreams on your College/University education getting you that dream job. You could be putting all your money into a certain stock hoping that it delivers a big payback in the next few years. Maybe your are betting all your time into your children growing up and taking care of you when you are older. Whatever it is, it’s a gamble against some odds and there is no certainty that any of it will pay off. There is one bet that never fails and it’s a bet on YOU!

What does it mean to risk some outcome or ‘take a bet’ on yourself? To me, it’s about believing that whatever you are doing is worth it and that you can absolutely succeed in your efforts. It’s about taking personal responsibility and having the discipline to do the hard work to WIN the bet. It’s far less risky than putting a wager on someone or something else because you can’t control anything outside of you. Bet on your ability to learn, understand and grow. Bet on yourself getting stronger and wiser through best daily habits and practices. Bet on your ability to manage your time and resources in a way that makes you happy, wealthy, and wise. Your favourite stock may suddenly become a dud and your degree may become a commodity or even a negative for the industry you want to work in. You never know what’s going to happen with the direction of the world and the actions of other people or things.

All you can do is make yourself as Awesome as you can be and shine brightly. If you are authentic and do your best in a given field, you will be noticed. If you invest time in your education and constant learning, you will gain not just knowledge but also wisdom and experience. Taking the time to feed your body and mind with the right kinds of ‘food’ will give you the energy or capacity to do great things as well as let you face whatever is happening in the world. Taking care of yourself means you are less dependent on others and don’t need to bet on someone else to be there for you.

We will have to wager some of our time and resources on things outside our control. That’s just part of living in the modern world. What we don’t have to do is make that our biggest bet or highest risk-taking adventure. When you become more internally focused and consider all the things you control about yourself, you begin to see the world differently including risk-taking. You quickly realize that the only sure thing in this world is the positive impact you want to make and the method by which you will do so. Live Awesome!

There IS Enough Time...

February 9, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

We all feel stressed by having to do so many things each day. It feels like there is so much going on and not enough hours in the day. But I’m here to tell you that you have enough time and so do I.

We need to audit our day and week to determine what we are doing and why. Next, we need to figure out what we should be doing vs. stop doing or delegate to someone else. We probably don’t have to do everything we are currently doing and that creates time to think and focus.

Organizing ourselves after we determine the essentials for each day is key. Don’t try to organize before you define what MUST be done each day and why.

Get a head start for each day by doing some planning the night before. Plan for some speed bumps and detours too. This practice will make you more resilient and less stressed in the long run. Get to bed on time and wake up a little early if that’s what it takes to tackle your MUST DO List. Don’t sleep in or waste time on your phone! There’s some available time right there.

There is a way out of being ‘too busy’ all the time. Audit yourself and make the days count!

3 Ideas For A Better Tomorrow

February 2, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

When life is going your way, everything is excellent. Don’t you just love it when your day unfolds where all the things you enjoy happen and the people around you behave in a way that you want?

When life unfolds this way, life is indeed a bowl of cherries. Sweet and juicy.

But what about the duds? You know, the cherries that have no taste or are tart? What about the pits?

When life becomes like a box of cherry chocolates, and you bite into a yucky cherry piece, you can sometimes get frustrated, even disillusioned.

And that’s why you might need the following life advice called:

3 Steps To Better

1. Silence the inner critics and doubt thoughts. Ask yourself, are my thoughts true or even helpful?

2. Build a positive environment with your surroundings. Positive people. Books. Quotes. Pictures. Prayers.

3. Take a risk. Nothing is always comfortable, but if you need a ferry to get to work, you need to get comfortable with nautical stuff. Read up on boats. Learn to swim. Do lifeboat drills. Learn how to put on a life jacket.

If others can do it, so can you.

One thing you can't do if you are not tall is play for an NBA team. Of course, you might need more height or super strong quads. But then again, you might be Muggsy Bogues (the shortest NBA player ever; 14 seasons, 4 teams. He is 5 feet, three inches tall!)

The goal of life is to enjoy it as it unfolds, even when things and people don’t go your way.

The 3 Ways To Better just mentioned are examples of wisdom that we have all experienced at one time or another.

They all contribute to a better way of being that allows us to develop a taste for cherry chocolates.

Our emotional world is lived and felt from our personal thinking. Listen to your best thoughts, not your negative thoughts. Reaffirm the affirmations that keep you positive. Be not afraid of anything. Look at what is in front of you.

That is life.

Everything else is a shadow of it.

Are You An Eternal Optimist?

January 26, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

Do you know someone who is always optimistic? Are you one of those people?

Would you like to be?

John Milton has famously said, “the mind can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.”

On a scale of 1-10, where do you put yourself when it comes to being not only an optimist but an eternal optimist? Are you on the low end or high end? Are you a 9 or even a 10?

I recently asked someone who refers to himself as an eternal optimist. So naturally, I got curious and reached out by email to ask him to share with me what he meant.

Being an eternal optimist is not an ordinary condition, or is it?

Here is what he shared with me on why he is an eternal optimist:

I Trust God.
Things work out the way they should.
Tough parts of life are learning or growing experiences.
If alive and in good health, no grounds for anything but a positive attitude.
I am grateful for every day and its possibilities.
Pessimists stop at the negatives; just keep going to find the opportunities.

Honestly, I was speechless when I read his response.

True. True. True.

I know it, and so do you. The issue is to keep knowing it to become an eternal optimist.

If you are anywhere on the scale of 1-9, you are not there yet. Only a 10 gets you this accolade.

As challenging as it sounds to rate yourself a perfect 10, there are people out there who are exactly that.

Your experience of life is primarily connected to how you feel, and your feelings are linked to your thinking.

What you think is what you feel.

My final question is, "what would your life be like if you were an eternal optimist?"

The Power of Discipline And Best Practices

January 19, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

Many people don’t like the word discipline but many also agree we need some level of it in our lives. Best practices are usually thought of as good ideas and ideal ways of doing things but many people tend to ignore these for many reasons. I want to persuade you that discipline is not a bad word and that best practices should be part of your Operating System for life. It’s both your inside and your outside that are impacted by these 2 powerful ideas.

Discipline can be defined in many ways that make it seem hard and equivalent to punishment for non-compliance to something. I define discipline as the practice of living according to your own stated principles and beliefs on a consistent basis because you know it’s the right thing to do. An example could be not consuming alcohol or other mind-altering drugs for entertainment purposes or for social reasons. Another example could be to not over-consume food on a daily basis and to have specific eating times for breakfast, lunch and dinner rather than letting them vary widely by hours each day. Yet another could be not spending extravagant amounts of money you don’t have and going into debt. All of these have consequences for failing to exercise discipline so it’s not painless to ‘disobey’ these things but it’s not really about the punishment at the end of the day. Discipline is often taught at home and schools but it can be self-taught as well after some bad experiences with health, money, or relationships. Many fitness and life coaches also encourage discipline in the people they are hired by to ensure the best results at the end of some kind of program. Discipline is like a muscle that must be used daily to develop and make our lives stronger on the inside.

Best practices help you go beyond mere principles to take your efforts to a whole new level of excellence. You are not just avoiding harm and danger with best practices. Best practices are performed because you are actively seeking a way to ‘level up’ and go beyond average. Some examples could be to always have a glass of water with some lemon juice or sea salt in the morning as soon as you wake up. Another could be to prepare your schedule the night before each day and lay out your clothes and tools ahead of time so you don’t have to think about things in the morning. You’ll just be ready to take action. A third example could be to review your large bills for services and product subscriptions every 6 months to see if you can either cancel some services or at least reduce your bills by 10% or more. Best practices are those small but meaningful changes that can help you improve over time and save you both time and money as well as wasting energy on things you don’t need to be doing. These best practices are often taught by parents, teachers, or mentors as well as famous people we admire. Best Practices are like the clothes and accessories we wear to decorate ourselves on the outside for a more positive image.

I hope you have better respect for Discipline and Best Practices now and can see ways to use both to improve yourself in 2022. You don’t need someone yelling at you for non-compliance or beating you with a stick for breaking a rule. You do need to establish clear principles for how you want to live and what kind of qualify of life you want to experience. Discipline and Best Practices will help you transform the inner person into that better version of yourself if you practice both consistently. It will show on the outside just how attractive you are as a human being who is always seeking to make life better. Begin your journey to Awesome now!

What's Your Theme Song This Year?

January 12, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

“I think it's safe to say that 'manliness' was a common theme in my upbringing. It was an assumed status, but - and here's the important bit - it was the Rudyard Kipling kind. The emphasis was on gentlemanly conduct, sportsmanship, fairness, and stoicism.” Ian Watson

Every great idea, movie, and company has a theme. It’s an underlying story or key idea that binds the people together in an easy-to-understand way. Whether you are an individual human being or a large corporation, or something in between, you need a theme as well. To make it memorable and powerful in your mind, you could use a theme song and own it like the lead singer of the band.

So, how do you come up with yours? You could look at your life story so far and see if you are continuing that direction in the future. You could also take your most recent challenges like this lockdown caused by the pandemic, and choose a song that will define what you do next. Maybe you had a life-changing event like a marriage or the birth of a child recently and that is your new theme for life. Examine your own life and determine what this year means to you in that context. How are you going to make the personal development you need to and be satisfied by your progress in December this year?

Use a popular song or a poem that ties in with your main theme. Say the words every day. If it’s a song, make sure you listen to it first thing in the morning at least once if not a few times. Make it part of your morning ritual to remind you what your motivation is for the day. It will help you face all the challenges and low points of the day. Be sure to develop a theme for yourself and sing it loudly through everything you think, say, and do this year!

New Year But The Same You in 2022!

January 5, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

The calendar says a new year has started as it often does when January 1 is celebrated. Congratulations! Happy New Year! What changed? How did you change in the last year? Was it expected and did you become the person you were hoping you would become or did time just fly by again and you simply aged another year…or more this time?

Whatever happens this year or any year depends on your perspective and your choices. You can treat this as just another trip around the sun or, you can choose to make life changes and grow into that person you were meant to be. You need to focus on what you need in your life that you don’t have or, what you need more of so that you are truly fulfilled. When you figure out what makes you happy, healthy, and satisfied, you can establish a plan to achieve the desired state.

It’s too common to just make a bunch of goals at the start of each year because everyone else is doing the same. Guess what? Most people will fail to accomplish their goals, yet again. Don’t be like sheep in a herd that is going in a predictable way because all the rest are doing so. Customize your 2022 plan by determining what you want and then map action steps and strategies to achieve these things. It’s good to have 2-3 milestones as an upper limit since most people don’t have time or energy to achieve any more than this in a given year without dropping some key responsibilities or hurting the quality of their life. There is no point in ‘overachieving’ on a large set of goals only to feel bad about what you had to sacrifice at the end of the day.

So, make sure you do the right things for your life and your Life’s purpose in 2022. The following steps can guide you:

1) Figure out what you want in your life and tailor an action plan for the year.

2) Make some specific milestones to check in on your progress such as every month. Correct course where needed so you stay on track.

3) Share your 2022 Plan with a trusted friend to keep you accountable.

4) Enjoy the process of following through on your custom plan and the person you are becoming rather than focusing on what needs to be achieved by December 31’st.

We sincerely hope each and every one of you considers the above and takes action on your 2022 Life Plan. It’s beyond simple goals and it’s something you must not give up on once you have begun this custom journey to become a more Awesome version of yourself. Happy New You!

Resolve To Be Better Than Last Year

December 29, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

The close of 2021 is upon us. Another year is winding down and this one was the second strange year in a row. Some of the social disturbances in 2020 carried over to this year and other new challenges also blended in with the old. Whether we like it or not, this year is ending rapidly and another calendar year is coming to replace it. What happens next is uncertain but you do have some control over how you deal with things and what you personally do each day.

If you felt overwhelmed and anxious this year, you are not alone. If you thought things would instantly return to normal once we had mass vaccinations, you are probably disappointed right now. What we thought would fix and restore our lives to the familiar pre-pandemic routine, didn’t happen. So now our only real choice is to make ourselves better going forward. To be more resilient and anticipate change. To always be training for better health in mind, body, and soul. This is the way forward in the short term and the long run. There is no easy answer to “How do we get back to normal?”. We’re not even sure if it’s possible so we have to accept a new and hopefully better kind of normal. One where we appreciate our lives more by taking care of our health and family’s health. We need to take better care of our local environment and help support local businesses more since their success is tied to our well-being as well. Our faith groups and social clubs need us to show up and participate for the public good. The local charities and volunteer groups need some of your attention as well. Getting outside in the sun and being in nature cannot be overstated as something else that is calling you to relieve your stress and recharge your batteries. So many things have been put off or forgotten in the past 2 years. Let’s find ways to revive and grow what we miss. It’s not gone but it may need a little dusting off and warming up. We all have more time to think about and act on all the possible goodness in the world and how we can do our part.

The calendar will soon say, January 1’s, 2022 but it doesn’t mean anything if we don’t recognize our place and responsibilities in this time. It’s just another day that will melt away like all the rest if we don’t put more meaning into this new date and every new day from now on. Choose to become a better you and make things around you better too. That’s how we all have an Awesome New Year!

Don't Be A Self-Actualized Caterpillar

December 22, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

As individuals, we try to improve ourselves and learn many techniques for achieving our goals.

For example, we hear about better ways to single-task or de-clutter our desks to be more productive.

Generally, all these ideas work and are helpful, but there is a problem in following techniques compared to understanding the more important principle behind such great ideas.

Know The Principle

In the case of de-cluttering and single-tasking, we should look at the principle of how our mind focuses on one thing more efficiently and thereby creating an environment of concentration. More incredible concentration results in the efficient use of time for a task. This gives us some better results. So we benefit from the greater principle of "focus your mind" to be efficient rather than getting robotic about hacks and tips. Robotically following tips and hacks makes us better caterpillars. Unfortunately, we are still just improved caterpillars and nothing more.

Emerge As A Butterfly. Literally, a transformed creature that is more capable and brilliant in its later state than the former one.

What is the end goal of a caterpillar?

Why, of course, it is to change into a butterfly. A caterpillar is destined to emerge as its fulfilled potential in the truest sense and to have wings to fly. The same opportunity is there for us.

We can all try to understand the principle behind a great tip, hack, or bit of advice so that we use the principle in more ways than the original tip or hack we try.

How do you prove that you are a butterfly? How will you know that you have emerged from the cocoon of mediocrity to being the bombastic new version of yourself?

Two pieces of evidence will testify in your favour. One is that you instinctively do your tip/hack without thinking about it. In the case of our example, you settle down to work without distractions and do so in an uncluttered environment.

The second and more remarkable indicator of your transformation will be from a new and original application of the principle that you self-discovered and made part of your way of doing things.

Perhaps you use the principle of "focus the mind" in your weight training where you really feel the muscle extending and contracting, or you have better conversations with your loved ones because you listen to them and hear what they are saying with full presence.

We all have a choice in life to become better caterpillars or bombastic butterflies.

All the best for the New Year and the excellent work you do to create a more Awesome Life.

Why Quality over Quantity Always Wins

December 15, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

We live in a world of excess. So much is about having MORE and BIGGER. We seem to have lost sight of having Better things which doesn’t always mean bigger or more expensive. Something like a nice sweater made from quality wool is better than one that is made from polyester and rayon. The quality wool sweater will last longer and wear better over time. it will be enjoyable to get into and have in your wardrobe. You may have paid more for it initially but will not have the desire to own more cheap sweaters to wear just for the sake of variety because a few quality clothing items will meet your needs.

in the same way, a reliable car or comfortable and efficient home will make you feel a lot happier in the long run compared to having a big mansion with a lot of maintenance or an exotic sports car with expensive repairs. Take the same approach with your health and food. More is NOT always better. Some quality food and movement each day that keeps you fit and lets you savour each bite is better than multiple buffets each night that require you to workout 7 days a week doing exercises you absolutely hate just to maintain your current weight.

Make QUALITY your focus in life. You can’t take your assets or money with you. Use whatever resources you do have to make things last longer as they continue to provide you with joy. You’ll have less stress and more time to really enjoy living. That’s how you achieve an Awesome Life.