What's More Important, a Positive attitude Or Positive Thinking?

February 15, 2023 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

There are days when everything is going great, and you feel wonderful. What is the key reason behind such amazing days?

It's easy to see why some days are challenging or even miserable, but what makes those awesome days happen when they do?

Most people would point out that when everything is good, I am good. That's a fair assessment. It certainly helps when you get an A on your assignment, get a bonus at work or see your child's face light up when you give them a present.

But then there are times when you get a B, don't get recognized for your efforts, or your spoiled kid says thanks and tosses the new toy onto a pile of other toys. I bet you don't always feel negative when that happens, do you? I bet, I bet!

Something is going on here. However, external happenings are not the source of our feelings.

If things that happen to us are not the root cause of feeling wonderful, then what is?

What about this? When I am good, everything is good.

In other words, your mental frame of mind has something to do with how you feel. That is where people often attribute having a positive attitude to more happiness and success.

Would you argue that having a positive attitude is not the most critical determinant of having wonderful days, even when things are not going to your liking?

It would be an interesting debate if you posed the question to some friends. So may I suggest you do it at your next get-together with friends.

However, I would like to challenge this very acceptable notion. I want to argue that having a positive attitude is helpful as a technique but not the root cause for having wonderful days, happiness in general or a successful life.

The actual generator of those awesome days is not a positive attitude but instead positive thinking.

Even if you say to yourself, “silver-lining” things like getting a B is good feedback, I will study better next time, or getting a bonus is not that important, or maybe my kid is just too tired to show how grateful he is, these so-called positive attitudes are actually your thinking about the situation.

You feel your thinking. What you feel comes from your thinking. You think all day. Everyone thinks. It's the thinking that makes you feel good or bad. Get aware of this phenomenon. Accept this as an indisputable truth, a law like the law of gravity. It only works one way. What you think, you feel.

If you are not feeling optimal, consider that as biofeedback and examine what you are thinking at that moment. Try to catch yourself in the moment. Have that lightbulb go on!

From this awareness (I think into my feelings), you can use "techniques" to shift your thinking.

Helpful techniques like developing a positive attitude by reading positive stories of people who face difficult situations, like Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search For Meaning. Or keeping a gratitude journal and writing all the little things you should be grateful for. Or trying something new for 30 days, like learning a new sport like Pickleball.

Negative thinking with a positive attitude won’t do it.

I rest my case. Positive thinking is more important than a positive mental attitude.

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Take A Step Forward Every Day

February 8, 2023 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

“Well-being is realized by small steps, but is truly no small thing.”

Zeno

Life can be challenging and it’s been especially so for so many people in the past few years. It seems like there are always more things to do than hours in a day and never enough money in the bank to pay for things. It can be downright overwhelming and I have been there so I can personally relate to all of these feelings.

What can we do about this? Is there any solution or tactic for making it through the day?

Yes, indeed! What has worked for me is the daily ritual of doing the necessary work first and crossing some things off my list one item at a time. Taking one step in each moment to move things a little forward each day. It all adds up and becomes a completed project over time.

The key thing is to determine what is most important and then the next most important, and so on. Find out what the steps to completion are for each task and then start from step 1. Keep moving forward with the steps every day until you are done. It’s important to determine what is optional or nice to do and put that aside for the moment. Focus your time and energy on just doing the important things and you will get the satisfaction of having achieved something every day. Make daily consistent effort your goal and not perfection.

In the end, just realize that you may never be truly “DONE” with everything so don’t stress over it. If you are taking care of yourself and your family while making meaningful progress each day, you are doing well. That’s good enough! Live Awesome!

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Are You Justifiably Upset With Someone?

February 1, 2023 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

Do you get upset when someone does not do what you expect of them?

Let's say you really wanted someone to appreciate your efforts in making dinner for them, but instead of elaborate praise, all you got was a mere thanks. After all, you spent all last week thinking of the perfect menu, researching the recipes, and toiling for hours on the day of only to get a “thanks?”

All you wanted was an acknowledgment of your effort and a pat on the shoulder. Was that too much to ask for?

Now instead of sitting down to enjoy the moment and great time you envisioned, you are seething underneath and unable to be happy. Your mood is spoiled, and you feign smile after smile the whole night.

How can you avoid this natural feeling of disappointment and upset?

You may need to get in touch with this reality. You, my friend, are a dictator.

A dictator? Yes, a dictator.

But don’t worry, I am a dictator too. We all are.

The weird thing is that we demand people to behave a certain way and often have expectations of them, don't we? And that makes you a demanding dictator with expectations. Kind of like a little child does.

We are like a driver stuck in the mud when we do this. We expect the car to move forward by pressing the gas and find ourselves getting more stuck. On top of that, we also start getting upset. We might even get out of the car, kick the tires, and scream out at the sky, saying, "damn it, why did it rain so much this week?"

When you demand others to behave in a way you expect them to, you are being a dictator, and when you get upset, that is very silly. So now you are a silly dictator or at least childish.

You getting upset is YOU punishing yourself. Because someone did not do what you demanded, you upset yourself by having bitter feelings. Silly? Crazy? If you stop to think about it, we all do this occasionally.

No one intentionally does this: I will make myself upset and ruin my day because you don't do my bidding. And yet, it's done.

So, if you want to enjoy your life and be happy, get in touch with reality and start observing yourself. The only demands you should make are upon yourself, not others.

Are you making unrealistic demands of others? Do you have grand expectations of them? Does the fulfillment of your demands and expectations required to make you happy? If so, drop that way of being and watch as your wheels move you forward.

Keep moving forward; relax, observe yourself, and enjoy the ride.

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Living...and Dying in Service of Something Greater

January 25, 2023 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”

Muhammad Ali

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”

Rabindranath Tagore

Everyone is busy doing things and trying to survive at times. Many people spend a lot of time thinking about doing things and worrying about death. A few wise people have things figured out. Life is about service to others which starts with yourself, your family, your community, and humanity as a whole. The best way to live, in my opinion, is to be serving a higher cause.

True satisfaction in life is not getting everything you want as soon as you want and then spending your days on a beach every day. That gets boring after a while so even the richest people in the world have jobs where they aim for something beyond just making more money. They have huge goals and grand visions about what they want to achieve beyond their wealth and also, using their immense wealth.

Whether or not you are a billionaire, you need to have goals and a purpose as well. We all need to figure out the answer to, the “What am I trying to accomplish while I’m alive?” question. Or put another way, “What is my purpose in life?”. I think the happiest people are those that find their calling or mission in the service of others. It can be simple like raising healthy and intelligent children in partnership with an understanding and compassionate life partner. Maybe you want to serve in the medical community to ease suffering and help people heal through their injuries or trauma. You could be interested in Finance and feel a deep desire to help educate others to be more financially literate as you assist them in building their wealth over time for the maximum benefit of their family members. There are so many things people can do and ways they can serve humanity while earning a paycheck that may be modest or it might be among the 1% of high earners in the whole world.

It doesn’t really matter much at the end of the day. Just find a cause to serve and dedicate your resources and focus to that! Do the things you need to with the awareness that you might die in the process of serving and that’s ok because your are doing meaningful work that YOU decided to do and that you really care about. Avoid all trivial and worthless pursuits or those that leave you feeling empty or wanting more money.

The goal should be to keep living while serving the people and causes you care about. Keep doing some kind of activity in service of people even if that is volunteering your time for no money at all. One day when your time is up, you will have accomplished some good in the world that will hopefully carry on after you. That’s the best way to live and eventually, die Awesome!

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How To Control Your Anger

January 18, 2023 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

Have you ever gotten really angry and regretted it?

One moment you were calm, and then something upset you so much that you lost your cool and boom, you let out the fury!

At first, you might have felt justified to be so ticked off, but later the same day, you replay the events and know deep down you would have rather kept your cool.

But hey, you're human and getting angry is provoked in us by aggravating circumstances and annoying people. Who can blame you for a perfectly normal human emotion, right?

Besides, only Saints and Prophets are always calm and centred!

This reminds me of a story.

A monk decides to meditate alone, away from his monastery.

He takes his boat out to the middle of the lake, moors it there, closes his eyes and begins his meditation.

After a few hours of undisturbed silence, he suddenly feels the bump of another boat colliding with his own.

With his eyes still closed, he senses his anger rising, and by the time he opens his eyes, he is ready to scream at the boatman who dared to disturb his meditation.

But when he opens his eyes, he sees an empty boat that had probably gotten untethered and floated to the middle of the lake.

At that moment, the monk achieves self-realization. He understands that the anger is within him — it merely needs the bump of an external object to provoke it out of him.

From then on, whenever he came across a situation or person that irritated him or provoked him to anger, he reminded himself, “The situation/person is merely an empty boat. The anger is within me.”

When we are angry, do we ever stop to study the source of the anger? If we go by the story, do we have the ability to remind ourselves that we "react" with anger and that we do have control over this emotional reaction?

The cost of anger is high. It can ruin your day and probably is not good for your health, especially if you bottle it up and don't let it go. It can often ruin a situation or relationship beyond repair and make life less awesome.

Your life should be awesome!

Let the empty boats come our way. We shall stay anchored and enjoy the cool breeze and sunny days ahead. Ahoy!

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Motivation Is NOT Enough!

January 11, 2023 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

I’ve watched a lot of motivational videos and read a lot of inspiring things. I honestly love the feeling I get watching or reading things that move me emotionally. It’s like a big charge of energy that temporarily makes me feel I can do anything and become anyone. Sadly, it’s not enough to just consume this content because nothing changes that way.

Only when I execute my personal plan to move forward and make the changes, do the hard work, and track my progress do I see results. Only then can I truly benefit from that surge of positive emotions that started me on this path. It’s too easy to just watch one powerful video and then another and keep going all day without actually doing any work. We need to stop watching and start doing. We have to put down that book and pick up the pace in an exercise routine. We need to take action on what we have learned and been inspired to do!

Motivation can help some people start their mind’s engine and get ready to hit the road but until we put that car into gear and get on the road, we’re just foolishly revving the engine in the garage while parked and blasting our favourite song on the stereo. This wastes gas and time which doesn’t help anyone. Let’s make this the year that we all get our cars moving on the road to our destination. Enjoy the ride!

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What Control Do You Have In Life?

January 4, 2023 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

Have you ever wished for a thing to be a certain way only to see your plans and dreams turn out another way?

Wouldn’t it be grand to have life unfold as you want it to and for people to be the way that pleases you?

Given the recent few years and the coming new year, having more control over your destiny would be nice. It would be awesome.

So, is there a secret to having control over your life?

Indeed there is, and maybe this is the first time anyone has ever told you what it is. So let's see if this is true for you.

The deep secret lies in having trust.

But trust in what?

Right now, in your chest, a most amazing thing is happening.

There is a muscle that is pumping blood throughout your body. Your heart beats about 100,000 times a day or about 35 million times a year. In an average lifetime, it will beat 2.5 billion times.

Think about that. If your heart stops. You stop. And yet, if you were asked to do something even twice in one day, you might complain of the great inconvenience and hassle.

On the other hand, your heart is beating without you thinking about it. It is being done for you.

Whoever puts us here on this planet is doing things for us. If your Creator does this for you, what else is being done for you?

Can you expand your awareness and appreciate the miracles of air to breathe, water to drink and fire to keep you warm? You are not doing life; life is being done for you. If this is true, is this something you can put your trust in?

Don’t lose that trust. Keep trusting this all your life and go with the flow of life.

This is not to say, "don't try, have goals, make plans, or have expectations of others." Instead, even though there is chaos under the skies, all is well.

One thing that all the mystics from all the religions agree on: all is well, all is well.

You really don’t control life. Let that be a thought you can trust in 2023.

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Choose Your Identity and Better Habits will Follow

December 28, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

“Every habit and capability is confirmed and grows in its corresponding actions, walking by walking, and running by running… therefore, if you want to do something, make a habit of it.”

Epictetus

It’s that time of year again. Almost New Year’s day and many people will be going through the ritualistic celebrations leading up to midnight on January 1st and then setting resolutions for the new year. Sadly, many will fail within weeks or a few months of setting new goals and intentions for the year. This is despite the best of intentions and sincere efforts to make life changes. There has to be a better way to improve life each year and I’ll show you how.

“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be One.”

Marcus Aurelius

After reading many books about life-changing transformations by the greats such as Anthony Robbins, James Clear, Ryan Holiday, and even the Navy Seal, Jocko Willink, one word is the answer to better habits. IDENTITY. Everyone has a need to be consistent with who they believe they are. If we think we are healthy and responsible people, we will seek out and practice the habits of such people like eating nutritious foods, following an exercise plan, and, taking care of ourselves in every respect. If a person believes they are a ‘smoker’ or a ‘lazy person’, they act out the habits of such a person. The same thing goes for intelligence, work performance, and even family relationships. Whatever you keep telling yourself about yourself is what you become in the long run. It affects short-term behaviour as well like what you will eat for breakfast today, how you will study for that exam, or deliver that presentation. Even when you go to sleep tonight and what time you wake up is part of your identity that makes you the person you are.

“Now is the time to get serious about living your ideals. How long can you afford to put off who you really want to be? Your nobler self cannot wait any longer. Put your principles into practice–now. Stop the excuses and the procrastination. This is your life! […] Decide to be extraordinary and do what you need to do–now.”

Epictetus, The Art of Living

It’s not enough to just say you want a better life or have better habits in 2023 or any given year. You have to ask yourself who you are or perhaps, who you are trying to become in the new year and then be consistent with that identity by doing the things that align with that person. That’s the only way to make life transformations that last more than a few days or weeks. It’s also not about the calendar or what everyone else is doing. Transforming your being at the source makes habit changes and refinement a part of your identity. You need to check-in with person you want to be, every day. Let’s make the New Year about Human Transformation through positive identity changes that last a lifetime.

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The Importance of Rest and Recovery

December 21, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

The Winter Holidays are coming, or already here for some people. It’s the best time to meet with family and friends and just slow things down. It’s very important to get some personal time where you just rest and do something fun each day.

If you want to be a high-performing family member or career person, you need to slow things down on a regular basis. This will help ‘tune up’ your system so you can start to perform at your best again in the New Year. You don’t have to sleep in every day or eat a lot of your favourite foods every single day until the end of December. You should indulge a little in your choice of relaxing activities or things so you can reward yourself for working hard all year long. You can spend some time thinking about what your highlights or favourite parts of the year were. What WINS can you celebrate and what future WINS are you looking forward to next year? Where did you improve and what exciting journey will you plan for next year? Get excited and visualize all the great things coming your way in the very near future.

Like many people, you probably feel this year has been very busy and just flown by. It feels like Summer was just a week ago and January 2022 started just a month or two ago. By slowing things down in the last days of December, you can appreciate your efforts and enjoy the downtime you finally hoped for. Soak it all in and make each day go slower than the last to fully recharge yourself. You’re going to need to be at full capacity when the New Year starts and a new chapter of life begins!

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How To Minimize Your Troubles

December 14, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

Life comes at you fast. Don’t let it freak you out.

Manolo Vega

Have you felt off or downright sad, given all the stuff we have gone through over the last three years?

Does it seem like the world changes too fast and that “things” are so unpredictable? So much so that you don’t know how to plan for or respond to the constant bits and pieces hurled at you?

Well, perhaps you need to get some perspective from this story I will share with you.

Check it out.

The old Master instructed an unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then drink it.

"How does it taste?" the Master asked.

"Not good at all," spat the apprentice.

The Master chuckled and then asked the young man to take another handful of salt and put it into a nearby lake.

The two walked in silence to the lake. When the apprentice swirled his handful of salt into the lake, the old man paused and said, "Now, drink from the lake."

As the water dripped down the young man's chin, the Master asked, "How does it taste?"

"Good!" remarked the apprentice.

"Do you taste the salt?"

"No," said the young man.

The Master sat beside this troubled young man and said, "The pain of life is pure salt, no more, no less.

The amount of pain in life remains the same. But the amount we taste that pain depends on the container we put it into.

So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things. Stop being a glass. Become a lake."

The lesson in the story is for all of us to change our internal state. You are not limited to thinking a few thoughts over and over again. The deeper secret in this beautiful story is to expand your thinking.

In all things you experience in life and feel, your thinking makes it so.

That’s it.

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How To Achieve Your Goals Even If You Are Lazy

December 7, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

Have you ever felt that you are not achieving your goals even if you write them down and work on them?

For all your best efforts, the things you set out to do remain half done or get pushed back while other things take priority.

This sometimes looks like you need to get in your workouts for the week, have missed date night with your spouse, or prepare for next week's important work meeting on time.

We all get this feeling now and then as life seems to get faster and busier, and who can blame us? After all, there is so much to do and only so much time in a day.

What would solve this in one fell sweep? What might sharpen our approach so that we make progress on our goals and not come to the end of the day losing to the clock?

This story may give you a clue.

One summer, three friends decided to take on a job at the lumber mill.

They were all athletes and needed to make money for University tuition.

They were intelligent and strong.

Their job included chopping down trees with an axe. A few days after starting, the boss offered a cash prize to the person who could chop the most trees over their shift. The award was for an extra $500, which was quite a bit of money in those days.

The three friends felt they had it made and that because of their strength, one of them would win, and they would split the prize. There were 20 men on this shift, and they were the youngest and strongest. However, there was one fellow who was about 65 years old. His name was Blake.

Old man Blake would take a break every 2 hours or so, go up to the shed, and come back after 15 minutes. The three friends thought nothing of it but noticed that he would keep going up to the shed like clockwork. Then, after 10 minutes, he would return to chopping more trees.

The following day the winner was announced. The three friends had spent the last few hours chopping like mad and felt one of them would win for sure.

The boss announced the winner. It was Blake! Old man Blake!

How did he win when he kept taking breaks every 2 hours?

The youngsters asked, and Blake said while you guys were chopping, I was sharpening my axe in the shed.

The moral of the story is to work smarter and not harder.

So how can you achieve your goals even if you are lazy? Here is the sharpest axe you can use as your tool.

Start TIME BLOCKING.

That's it. Schedule a block of time to work on your body, treat date night like it's an appointment with the most important person you know, and put a specific time in your schedule to prepare for that crucial meeting.

Don't wait for when you are in the mood to do things. Instead, start TIME BLOCKING and see how much more trees you can chop.

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10 Habits of Awesome Men and Women

November 30, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

There are many habits people follow but not all of them make a person successful and stand out from the crowd. Many habits are actually negatives and make people average or below average. Certain habits are empowering and highly productive to living well. Some would say these are the habits practiced by the Top 10% or perhaps 1% of human beings. I’m going to share my perspective on the Top 10 habits of such high-value people. I’m measuring success in terms of overall health, happiness, stable family life, and enough income to support the people they love. Try some or all of these habits as part of your routine and see how Awesome you can be!

They always have consistent personal grooming habits in terms of hair, nails, skin, and teeth. They aren’t necessarily the most handsome or beautiful people like a celebrity or a model. They ARE very aware of the fundamentals of cleanliness and proper grooming every day of the week.
They wear clothes that fit and are made of natural materials. They don’t care much about big brands and logos. They make sure the clothes they wear flatters their body and are comfortable wearing each piece which projects confidence. They never wear ripped/torn clothes no matter what the fashion trend is. They will often dress up a little better than others in a crowd to demonstrate a little more class and refinement in their appearance without overdoing it.
They take health and well-being very seriously. Such people are regular in physical training and mental focus exercises every day. Stretching and flexibility work is a must for them also. They consume the healthiest foods with the occasional ‘cheat’ meals for fun.
They practice calmness and are polite in all situations. They demonstrate the best manners and use language in an appropriate way. Neither passively or abusively. They are hard to rattle or anger and rarely if ever, found swearing.
They are always learning and growing because they believe in constant improvement. This means reading and listening to the best info from contemporary people and also from ancient wisdom and practices.
They wake up early and have a plan for the day. They have long-term goals and are achieving them. These go beyond money or fame. They are focused on the person they are becoming and living a life of purpose which is their daily motivation. They know they cannot take time or resources for granted so they don’t waste either of these as they carry out their daily mission to be more valuable as human beings.
They have strong relationships that last for many years. They focus on quality friendships they build and maintain over time. Their friends are other High-Value people and those that want to be. They actually care about their network and use it to benefit themselves as well as others as they slowly grow it over time.
They speak clearly and confidently about topics they know. They listen well and are capable of writing well and presenting ideas with convincing points. Such people are always trying to improve their language and speaking skills to better understand the Art of Communication with all kinds of people and ideas.
They can adapt to different situations without complaints or being stuck. They figure out a way to navigate or surf whatever the situation is. They aren’t rigid and don’t follow any dogma but they do have a consistent set of beliefs for living well. They don’t require everything to be perfect for them to get ahead and actually enjoy a certain amount of surprise from time to time as it makes them sharper and keeps them alert.
They have coaches and mentors helping to reach even higher levels of success and to get timely feedback so they know they are always moving forward with the best advice from other high value people.
A BONUS Habit:
They are comfortable saying NO to low-value people and activities. They don’t need to please everyone all the time or to simply be “busy”. They have control over their time and thinking and will make people chase them rather than being slave to the schedules and attention of others. High-Value people become more valuable the less average or low-value things they are doing. By focusing their attention and resources on mostly the important things in their life, they achieve lasting joy and lower stress in life.

I hope you found my list useful and that you can relate to a few of these habits in your own practice. It won’t take a lot of time or money to adopt these but the payback will be at least 10X the effort you put into each of them, over time. Try them out and Live Awesome!

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How to Become a “Brand Name” Kind of person

November 23, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

“Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me, Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.” Tom Peters

So much has changed in the past 3 years. What an understatement! Each of us is a ‘brand’ of sorts. We represent things and create an image in people’s minds when they think of us. How we behave, speak, and move is part of the brand that makes up the person we are. Time for some ‘branding’ changes to make yourself even better! A Brand New Start!

Why? Because you’ve experienced a lot and have grown (hopefully) during this global pandemic. You are not the same person you were when this global health crisis began. You need to recognize this and grow forward.

How? Do some self-analysis and figure out what your 3-5 lessons learned are. What did you do well over these few anxious years and what do you wish you could do better? Most importantly, what kind of person have you become today as a result of what you have been through? Do you like this person?

Where do you go from here? That’s up to you. There’s no going back in time and you can’t un-see or forget what has happened to you and the rest of the world. You can use this to develop new ‘superpowers’ and wisdom about yourself so you come out ahead. Think of it as your personal “Post Traumatic Growth” experience of a lifetime. There will probably be more so take good notes and have serious look at yourself to figure out where you want to be.

Some people’s personal “brand” can be defined with a single word like Excellence, Innovation, or Joy. For others, it might be a Life-Long Learner, Trusted Advisor, or Wise Counsel. Figure out the words and phrases that define the brand you are trying to be more of. Use those words more often in your own speech and the way you behave. They will become part of your identity and will drive your ambitions when you do.

A brand is not just a logo, a jingle, or a shape. It’s a life lived intentionally with the best information you have available along with the application of all the good things you know to be true. In short, you should be branded the most Awesome version of yourself over and over again.

Every Day is Voting Day!

November 16, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

Perhaps not literally in terms of local or federal level elections but you and I are “casting ballots” of sorts each and every day. The choices we make about what to watch, where to eat, what to wear, and even who to spend time with, are all a kind of ‘vote’ for something. It’s done through our purchases, our investment of time, and even the energy we bring to a situation.

Somewhere out there in the web of advertisements, marketing, and data analytics algorithms, our daily choices are being tallied up to ‘elect’ a person or service into existence. Perhaps they are already holding positions of power and we are just reinforcing that with our daily routines.

At some point, we will change our minds and behave differently about food or fun, or maybe who our friends are. That’s when we start to support someone or something else in this never-ending election of ideas, services, and emotions.

Just be aware of this fact. Political elections aren’t the only time when your vote counts. You and I hold a lot of power each and every day!

Are You Going To Do Well In Life?

November 9, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

Have you ever felt that the progress you made in your life is not to your expectation?

You can add up your achievements and take comfort in all the things you have done so far. But what about the things you still want to do? When you focus on this, you might get motivated to do more.

It's ok to have things left on your list when your life ends, but what about in between now and then? There is still time left.

You can do more, be more, and have more.

The only thing is that a lot of what we want is hard to do, and we may need more skills or confidence to make it happen. So we go back to feeling unfulfilled and make convenient excuses that only fool us.

This state of inertia and unfulfillment does not have to be your reality. You still have time to go for it; get a few bruises and feel great for making an effort. Others around you are doing what you want to do. Why can't you? Why not you?

Why not?

Can you make a list of your unfulfilled projects, dreams, and goals and do it today, even if you are busy? Sure you can.

Will you feel uncomfortable making this list of essential items left to do in your life? Of course, you will.

But, do it anyway, please.

Many of life’s richest rewards are available to you. But you must ask for it.

There is power in making an intention and acting on your intentions. All hesitation and doubt can be reduced once you ask for what you want.

Asking life for what you want is the attitude that will increase your altitude and make you the bigger success you want to be.

So, answering the question, "are you going to do well in life?" depends on what you do next and what you do today.

Get started by doing the following:

Make a list of all your projects, dreams and goals that you still want to do.
Chalk out which one you will do first, second, third etc.
Create a plan. Do some research. Get a coach and do whatever it takes!
Ask for what you want!
Expect to get it because you are doing something others have already done

I sure hope you do this today. Because if you don’t, no one else will do it for you.

You Are Worthy

November 2, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

All of us want to change something about our lives. It could be our wealth, our educational level, or our fitness capabilities. Everyone is looking for something to improve or change for the better. The most fundamental thing, in my opinion, is to start by knowing your value just as you are today. We all need to begin with love and respect at the very start of any great transformation journey.

There are so many mixed messages and often negative tones about people at the start or the middle of life-changing journeys. Many people on fitness challenges will start by literally hating their body or their whole being and wanting a change. Other people may condemn themselves for their lack of education or their limited financial capabilities. All of this creates a weak and unstable foundation for the required changes. So what should we do instead?

Here’s how I do it and I strongly believe you should consider it too. First, I start by accepting the person I am today and whatever resources, life experiences, and health I have in the here and now. Next, I create what my ideal outcome would be in a given aspect of my life such as my health and fitness. I also associate a strong WHY for the changes I want to realize in one or more aspects of my life. What do I hope to BECOME in the process of the life transformation and why does it matter? Until I like the person I am today and desire a change to become an even better person with more energy, happiness, and fulfillment in life, I won't be successful in the process. I have to know and truly believe that I’m good enough as a human being. I don’t want to be ungrateful or pessimistic in the beginning because negativity cannot fuel positive change or an enjoyable process. I don’t have to sugarcoat anything or lie to myself about who I am but I shouldn’t beat up myself because that serves no purpose.

When we start from a position of love and kindness to ourselves, we can make our journey and all the struggle we are bound to face, much more manageable. We are ALL WORTHY of Love and also Progress. Since we can all improve ourselves at any point in life, we need to recognize this and move forward with this in mind. I wish you all the most Awesome of Life Transformations. Smile and enjoy the ride.

The Voices in My Head

October 26, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

I hear things in my head all the time. You probably do too. Relax. You are probably not suffering from any mental health disorder since we all have ideas, thoughts, and programming in our subconscious that influence who we are. I want to share some of my voices and how they help drive me forward.

I’m the youngest child of immigrant parents. I was just 5 years old when my parents came to Canada and we have seen a lot of hardship and challenges in the early days. My parents had to do physical labour jobs to pay for basic housing, food, and clothing for my siblings and I. I’ve seen my parents push themselves hard each day for decades and actually become stronger as a result. My parents have grit, determination, and a clear mission to make life better in Canada for the family. They have achieved this, By the Grace of God!

My experiences since childhood shaped a resilient group of voices in my head which is a good thing because I could have easily become fearful, resentful, and even ungrateful for all that my family went through in the early years. Instead, I observed, remembered, and absorbed the key lessons and the voice in my head keeps reminding me to PUSH FORWARD when times are tough. My inner thoughts tell me things like, “My parents didn’t come this far to just come this Far!” and “Falling, hitting speed bumps, and facing adversity are all part of the process of growth. I only FAIL if I give up!”. Sometimes I hear things like, “You have to live up to your full potential and what you are doing today isn’t helping!” These kinds of very honest and empowering thoughts help me develop the hardness in my mind. Sometimes the voice is practically YELLING AT ME to make a course correction or to get back up and on track. As a result, I refuse to accept failure in myself and believe that every experience I face is an important life lesson on my Awesome journey.

My parents have retired but they still inspire me with how stoically they faced the challenges over the decades and how they are still able to maintain a sense of gratitude and peace about the experiences. With the right perspective and hard work, we can be driven forward by the voices in our head and become the kinds of people we were supposed to be. It’s worth paying attention to the voices in your head and taking the right actions to keep moving FORWARD!

The Secret To More Success In Any Field

October 19, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

Have you ever wondered why some people do well while others don’t? Is it because they are disciplined or are more committed than others?

What is their secret? What clues might we discover that explain their extraordinary results?

A study of top performers might point you to a host of reasonable ideas for success.

For example, you can have a motivating vision and commit to an action plan. You can implement a time management system and become more productive. You can even learn to sell better by adopting a consultative approach and closing more deals. And if you like, you can become a master negotiator and reach new heights.

But there is one thing that leaves all these things in the dust⎯being a good communicator.

The most critical and rare ability that a person can possess is the gift of speaking well!

You will stand out when you can communicate with others in a clear and memorable way.

Not only will you stand out, but you will get paid better than your peers, whether in terms of money, recognition or bigger promotions.

Oddly, we all speak, and many of us may take it for granted that we are pretty good at it, but as they say, there is always room for improvement.

It doesn't matter which profession or business you are in. But, if you can explain things well to others, motivate them, help them to consider new ideas and teach them concepts, you can only do better whether you are a teacher, salesperson, doctor, politician, personal trainer or parent.

Top performers and leaders we admire are excellent communicators, and we can join them if we work at it.

Here are a few good ideas to ponder on the road to improving your speaking prowess:

As Zig Ziglar once said, "shy salesmen have skinny kids." Don't be shy. Speaking to an audience of one is usually easier than talking to many, but good communicators are willing to do it. The more you do something, the easier it gets; speaking well and being memorable are no different.

Another idea is to read a variety of things and topics. As you do so, make mental or written notes of what you are soaking in. These things you read about will become great conversation pieces and can supply you with examples or stories to share that may enhance your conversations.

And as the musician asked a stranger how to get to Carnegie Hall was told “you get there by practice, practice, practice.” You too need to practice. Good orators and memorable speakers are not born.

Of course, you can study the art of speaking and even identify a few role models, but in the end, the more you do it, the better you will get. And the fantastic thing, you will develop a style that you will own that is uniquely yours.

So get out there, start a conversation, and see yourself as a great speaker! Life is too short to ignore the opportunities you have to improve yourself.

Write Your Own Ending

October 12, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

We all know that this life is finite and tragically, it’s very short for some people. For many of us, we can expect to live past the age of 60 years and have generally good health. When it’s our time to say goodbye to this existence, we will be remembered by the loved ones we leave behind. Someone may even give a short speech about how our life impacted theirs. Sadly, we won’t be around to hear anything they will say about us. Why not help them write that speech while we’re still alive and with them?

Sounds weird, doesn’t it? The way we will be remembered is based on how we live each day. Let’s make a conscious effort to be aware of mortality and our impact on the significant people in our lives as well as the rest of the world. Pay attention to your inner voice and how you sound. Look around you at all the things going right in your life and be a helper for good when something is going in the wrong direction. Give more of yourself whether it’s your time, knowledge, or a few dollars of assistance to help someone who can really benefit from your kindness and attention. Put aside some time each week to volunteer or care for someone who is lonely or unable to do things for themselves.

There’s no guarantee someone will write wonderful things about any of us when we are gone. If we live the right way each day, there’s a 100% chance that we will be forever written in their heart as someone who mattered to them. In the end, that kind of speech makes all the difference in the world.

How Much Time Do You Have Left?

October 5, 2022 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

The carefree days of youth are filled with dreams that will be accomplished one day in the future. When we think of it, each decade that goes by brings us closer to the final act and curtain call. So, after a certain age, your time is running out.

Fine, that is true for everyone, but what are the implications for you and me?

Well, on the one hand, we should try to make our day-to-day activities highly productive, so we make the most of time, and on the other, we can try to make time count more since it's a precious resource that is ticking away.

May I suggest that you consider your time the only thing you have left and use it wisely?

Here are three high-impact things to adopt in your philosophy of using your time left on this earth.

Think of time as an essential possession. So please don't waste it on useless pursuits and things that add little or no benefit to your life—for example, scrolling social media apps.

Do an audit of your time and identify the things you know are as above and strike them or minimize them and become of the things you know are building your best life. Think of high-impact activity.

Next, delegate things that others can do, so you mostly do the items with your time that cannot be delegated—for example, spending time with loved ones, exercising, building your skills, career or business with your core talents. For example, if you are in sales, you are more valuable to your cause by selling than you are doing paperwork.

Bonus tip: for max productivity and deep work in terms of the one thing, so you enjoy a four and a quarter hour work week: time block high impact activity. Set the time and do the work. Don't wait for inspiration because that train comes late or sometimes not at all.

So there you go, a friendly reminder that "don't waste time," especially if you want to live your most awesome life.

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