What About Life Before Death?

July 28, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Winston Churchill

There was this farmer who always won the best corn prize in his county fair year after year. What was his secret? He did something that surprised the reporter of the local TV station who asked this very question.

The farmer replied he gave all his neighbours his foundation seeds to also have good corn crops that were robust and tasty. The reporter, a little surprised, asked, why would you do that? Why would the farmer be giving his best seeds to his competition?

The farmer said that might be, but it works best in all our interests because the wind blows the pollen from the corn across farms. The cross-pollination of good seeds affects all farmers in a beneficial way. The better one farmer’s corn is, the better all of the corn becomes. In other words, the farmer understood that if he is to do well, he must help his neighbours to do well also.

This story reminds me of this verse in the Holy Quran about corn:
The similitude of those who spend their wealth for the cause of Allah is like the similitude of a grain of corn which grows seven ears, in each ear a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies it further for whomsoever He pleases; and Allah is Bountiful, All-Knowing. ⎯The Holy Quran, Chapter 2 verse 262

The wealth we have to share is not just money. It can be many things including our time, our experience, and our advice. The rewards that we get could be in the future or even in the present through a life well-lived and a feeling of personal contentment. This is the ‘wealth’ that keeps growing in your life like a healthy cornfield.

So here is the takeaway.

This lesson of life illustrated by the corn farmer allows us to really live before we die through generosity of spirit and attitude.

The essence of a life well-lived is to have helped others around us, whether by a smile, spending time to give them company or encouragement, spending in the way of the less fortunate, building relationships, or just building people. The possibilities are infinite!

The clock of life is ticking by for all of us. The final moment is never known. This is why we need to live before we die. It’s natural to think about life after death but what about life before death?

How might you define it for yourself?

Take some time out today to answer that fundamental question and make your remaining days really matter!

Action Steps:

On a piece of paper, write the question down. What matters most to me for my life to be lived before I die?
Then, do some brainstorming and write down any answers that pop into your mind under that heading. Look at that list and see what you feel inspired to focus on.
Edit your list to make a final list full of the most inspiring ideas you will try to live out!

Just like an ear of corn contains within it a field of corn, you too are filled with an ability to multiply the good in your life and the lives of many others. This just might be the secret of a good life before you die. What say you?

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What Will Your Sacrifice Be?

July 21, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

Life is a series of trade-offs and decisions also known as SACRIFICES. In youth, we sacrifice our time for knowledge, experience, and then money. In our middle years of life, we trade some of that saved income to get time back until we reach our Senior years when all of the focus is about gaining more time in the day by sacrificing our wealth and possessions. It’s a delicate balancing act and no two lives are the same. The well-educated and the poor farmer in a small village somewhere all make sacrifices all day long.

It’s necessary to make these decisions and to do so with intention, wisdom, and the future in mind. We can have all the things we need in life as long as we are willing to make the required sacrifice to obtain them. There is no lasting pleasure in getting things we did not have to struggle for and there is no great accomplishment that isn’t preceded by a series of hurdles and forks in the road. Every choice we make cuts off another path. Sometimes it’s permanent and there’s no going back. Other times it is simply not practical to backtrack to the point we made a choice and do things a different way. Think of a boiled egg that cannot be made raw again. In contrast, a decision about which subject to major in University is something that is more flexible in terms of the decisions you make.

Think of your life as intentional decisions made in your own best interest and the interests of everyone you care about. Live with the knowledge that you are making sacrifices that are part of your greater purpose and make them boldly with no regrets. In the end, your sacrifices will be worth it.

Make Things Happen Before They Happen: One Easy Idea!

July 14, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

One of my childhood activities was going to Cub Scouts. It was a very positive experience, and we earned badges that my mother would sew onto my Cub’s shirt. I still have that shirt, by the way. The badges represented a skill that you learned, and believe me, they all came in handy as you grow up. I owe a lot to that early training. Here is a link to see the type of things we learned: https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/cubscouts/pdf/Wolf_Addendum.pdf

Not surprisingly, The Boy Scouts have a motto: Be Prepared. Likewise, the US Coast Guard has a similar slogan: Always Ready.

You may appreciate many things you know because they help you live your life better and can even save your life!

Have you ever heard of someone falling unexpectedly out of a boat and drowning? This is a colossal tragedy. However, sometimes, it is determined that the person did not know how to swim and could have survived if they knew how.

So, there are specific skills that need to be learned before they are required.

Swimming is one such skill among many.

Can you think of certain skills you are glad you have?

Now that you think of it, are there any skills that you should acquire?

Maybe you need to learn how to get up and speak in front of people. Or perhaps you need to know how to drive a car. What about taking up a bit of First Aid training or cybersecurity skills to protect you from scams and identity theft? Perhaps most importantly, how to think on purpose so you enjoy the moments of your life.

May I challenge you to think of at least three skills you need to acquire over the next 3 months and present you with a dose of motivation with a concept of the 3 Ps of Skilling?

3 P’s of Skilling:

Proactive approach to identifying your gaps in skills.

Prepare in advance, so you survive and thrive.

Performance when it counts.

So here is the game plan for your 3 Skills Challenge

Proactive: Start thinking. Consider some excellent results you need in your life and identify the skill you need to learn to attain it. A golfer might need to learn how to chip onto the green closer to the pin.
Prepare: Feel the excitement of doing the skill. Then, get started on training for the skill. Take the course or get the lessons or get a coach or whatever you need to do.
Performance: See yourself doing the skill in your mind's eye. When you need to chip onto the green and leave yourself with an easy one-foot putt to win, you will do it because you proactively prepared and got the performance when it counts most!

Most people have the skills to live a life that will be just fine.

You, however, are now more aware of how learning new skills before you need them will lead to a more Awesome Life!

Work on Your Craft

July 7, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

“Don't worry about being famous or making money; the most important thing is being the best. You have to become a master of your craft, and everything else will come.” Anastasia Soare

We were all made for some greater purpose in this world. That is my personal belief and motivation in life. Do you know what your great contribution is or will be? How do you show up each day to fulfill that purpose? One thing is for sure, effective communication will be a big part of your life’s purpose so we all need to work on that because we cannot achieve any greater goal without communication skills.

Make sure your reading great work from modern times and the past. Learn to understand key points and details in the writings and wrestle with possible subtleties in whatever you read. Reading between the lines and seeing the bigger picture will help you to become a better thinking and also better writer as you practice your communication. Whatever your life’s focus is it probably has something written about it so get immersed in the best works that interest you. This ensures you learn more about your topic while learning how others have communicated key info about it.

Just like anything else, if you want to get better at anything, you have to work on this regularly through deliberate practice. Make a commitment every day to spend as little as 30 minutes improving your skills in your given field or desired subject. Make sure you can articulate why it is part of your mission in life in the clearest words possible. That’s how you become Awesome!

How To Have A Good Day Every Day

June 30, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

The way your day goes can really be unpredictable. Sometimes you have an ordinary day where it's all about work and no play, and other times you're on a mission, like shopping for someone's birthday gift.

“Great days add up to great weeks, and that starts off great months and a great year ahead.” B A

Depending on what happens during the day, you may feel like the day went well or not so well.

In fact, one of the most popular phrases we hear from folks that meet us is “how is your day going?” Of course, the answer to that question can and should be it is going great if you understand how to make every day a great day.

Think about this, even people that you would think should have a great day everyday may not be living their life this way. Tragically, we see this a lot when we hear about famous people. They have it all, money, fame, friends and adoration. You might like to look up the 1970s heart-throb David Cassidy. He had it all. A TV Show, a music career and all the trimmings. When he passed away, his daughter said his last words were “so much time wasted.”

So here is a set of ideas that you can try and see if they work for you:

First off, when you wake up in the morning, take a few moments to simply say to yourself that you intend to have a great day. The power of setting your intentions will shield you from minor setbacks and annoyances that indeed pop up for all of us. Let's say someone is rude to you or you are late for an appointment because of traffic. Instead of letting these things disturb you and your intention, you simply recall your intention and let these minor annoyances slip off your back like water on a duck.

Next, after your intention is set, list two or three things you want to get done today: high payoff activities for your work or business or family. In one sense, when we are productive, we often feel fulfilled. So, rather than just perform work expected on any given day, try to identify a few things that will be really impactful. Maybe it is calling a client or perhaps doing some marketing for new clients, or it is cooking a great meal for the family instead of the usual same old.

While you are at it, you can also add in one thing you will do later in the day that is just for you. Maybe you want to go for a bike ride, or call an old friend, or watch a show on TV or whatever floats your boat. The idea here is to do something that gives you personal joy and happiness. Too often, we forget to do this and then wonder why we are not having a good day.

So far, you may notice I am asking you to set your intentions, identify a few activities that relate to your practical responsibilities to others in life, identify one activity that is just for your personal amusement and, in a sense, to do all of this before you jump out of bed in the morning.

This could be the best three minutes you will spend all day!

And here is the final tip: mainly for the keeners, the dreamers, the achievers and the Sea-Hawks!

Check-in several times a day to see how you are feeling and performing.

What does this mean?

Are you feeling relaxed and happy?

You should because that was your intention in the morning. If not, go inward and give yourself a pep-talk.

Are you feeling productive?

You should because you identified a few things to check off as done and even set aside something just for you. If not, work on your tasks with a feeling of gratitude for having the health to do it and make sure you schedule your personal fun item before the clock runs out and you get too tired.

All work and no play make Jack and Jill dull and sporadically happy. Every day is a great day if you intend to make it so, fill it with a bit of productivity and something that blows your hair back.

Actions:

Do the above every day: your morning should begin before your jump out of bed. 180 seconds is all it takes.
Make a list of High Pay Off Activities to refer to. You know what they are, but a list can concentrate your focus on ideas.
Make another list of your hobbies, joys and whimsical dreams. This can be very helpful to remind you that life is indeed short and putting off your personal pleasures means you lived a few days when you could have lived them all.

It’s never too late. Start now and make every day a great day!

Are You Daring Greatly?

June 23, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;

who strives valiantly;

who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;

but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions;

who spends himself in a worthy cause;

who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,

and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly,

so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

The Man In the Arena Speech by Theodore Roosevelt

The above lines are from a very famous speech many people know and are inspired by. I like it because it challenges us all to live our lives to the fullest with courage and resilience rather than passive acceptance of the passage of time. We should not and cannot take this life for granted. It will pass us by and we’ll regret all the great things we never did out of fear or laziness.

Make a commitment today to spend your days with enthusiasm and courage. Make a pledge to live with possibilities of a better outcome and better world. Don’t fear moments of stumbling of failure. Pick yourself up and keep moving forward towards your goals and mission in life. In short, Live Awesome!

You Are What You Consume

June 16, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

How was your day? Did you experience a juicy, action-packed adventure day with a satisfying ending to your work or school tasks? Did you have nutritious activities and exciting bursts of flavour in your work? It may be too much to ask that every moment of every day be like a delicious meal but you can certainly ‘enjoy’ a day by consuming the right kinds of things from beginning to end, to actually fuel your day with excitement and guilt-free pleasures.

What am I talking about? Start with the thoughts you put in your head when you first wake up. Do you grab the phone or your TV remote? Do you listen to News Radio as you eat breakfast or earlier? This will likely taste like bitter herbs first thing in the morning so you should avoid these things. Drink a plain or slightly salty glass of water to hydrate and wake up your system.

Next, do you eat sugary carbs as your breakfast? I’m talking about checking your twitter feed or FB notifications. It can feel nice and be a treat but you shouldn’t consume this as breakfast just like you shouldn’t consume muffins and pie if you want to fuel yourself with the right things. Make the first meal of your day a mindful gratitude session of no longer than 10 minutes followed by the sunlight and fresh air. These things will feed your soul.

It’s afternoon now and time to consume something else. Do you grab a giant cup of coffee and a big cookie which is what it’s like to gossip with friends and engage in backbiting? Try having a better snack in the form of an inspiring song or poem. How about reading your favourite motivational blog to get energized?

You are winding down the day and it’s time for the final meal. Will you try to drown your stress or worries in some substance which is what it’s like to binge-watch 3 hours of tv at night. Instead, have good conversations for at least 1 hour with someone you care about. Call them on the phone if you can’t meet with them in person. The interactive discussion is more fulfilling than watching hours of streaming video.

So there it is. An idealized Information diet that can transform your day. Why? Because we become like the food and information we regularly consume. I’m assuming you don’t want to become a self-absorbed manic with the constant need for drama. If you want it to be exciting and healthy, make your diet better than it is today. I predict that you will become fitter in your mind and body.

How To Keep Your Positive Attitude Throughout The Day

June 9, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

Two friends are walking down the street, and one of them trips on a banana peel. Then he slides into a muddy puddle, and his entire outfit is ruined. The other friend helps him up and tries to make him feel better. Standing up, looking at his muddy clothes, he let out a big laugh. So this morning, I promised myself to enjoy my day even if I slip on a banana and slide into a muddy puddle. And the two friends carried on.

Like most people, you are always trying to make the most of your day and enjoy it as much as you can. After all, today is all we have. We may not have this evening or let alone tomorrow.

Perhaps you are the kind of person that takes a few minutes in the morning to set your intentions and visualize the things you plan on doing for the next 16 hours before you go to bed again. In other words, you plan on having a great day and are grateful for your blessings.

This approach is a great way to start the day; however, something or someone messes up your state of mind every now and then. You went from chill and exuberant to tense and triggered. You lose your groove, and sometimes you don't find your way back for hours, days, or even longer!

As long as things go your way or mostly your way, your peace of mind stays intact.

So if things go off track and you find yourself feeling less relaxed and optimistic, what can you do to get that morning mindset back?

Please think and then read below. What should you do?

Here is a simple and effective idea:

When things in your outer world agitate you, go back inward. Take a private time out. Remind yourself of your morning intentions and affirmations:

Just say something like the following:

I am a happy and relaxed person.

My mind and spirit work for me.

I am resilient and full of potential.

My Creator is with me.

I live in this moment, where everything is just fine.

I am happy, healthy, and peaceful.

Make this a daily ritual. Start your day with your version of setting your intentions and visualize all the things you plan on doing. See yourself being effective, happy, and composed. Then take several personal time-outs to check inwards and replay the morning message to your mind.
To keep your positive attitude throughout the day, even if things fall apart, you got to figure out a way to get back on your feet. Just like you can't randomly exercise and expect to build your best health, you can’t just set your intentions only once at the start of the day.

Try this for the next 5 days, and let us know if you found it to be a helpful idea.

Write Your Own Ending

June 2, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

“Let us prepare our minds as if we’d come to the very end of life. Let us postpone nothing. Let us balance life’s books each day. The one who puts the finishing touches on their life each day is never short of time.” Seneca

We don’t usually think about it and when we do, we shudder, panic, and generally avoid the topic as much as possible. It’s the question of “How does this end?” and it can be about your job, your professional career in a sport, your business, or your existence here on Earth. You need to think about the End Game to know where you are ultimately headed. It’s going to come one day so why not plan for it as best you can?

Everyone gets injured in sports which causes them to quit or take ‘early retirement from the one thing they have probably been focused on for 15 years or more. Those athletes with successful mindsets, good educational foundations and habits are able to pivot to another phase of life without being depressed, broke, and hopeless. Become like a successful sportsman who knows his days are numbered and the last day of competition for him or her could be as soon as age 30! This could be 10 years or less playing time in the sport they love.

But I’m not an athlete of any kind, you say! Doesn’t matter, the end of days is coming for us all. It can be in mid 50’s when older people at a company are cut because the Sr. Management wants younger talent and cheaper labour. It could even happen in your own business where you are forced to step down from the top job due to personal health issues or perhaps family responsibilities. You could also be voted out in favour of someone else the Board of Directors wants to run the show for the next 10+ years. It doesn’t matter how strong you think your current position, title, job or status in life is. You will face the end so just prepare for it.

What are some of your hobbies and things you wish you had more time for? How many of them can be translated into a coaching/teaching opportunity to help others like younger generations while giving you an opportunity to do what you love? How good are your communications skills today and where could you improve? It could be video calls that is your weak point or perhaps public speaking. Whatever it is, work on that now. What is your current level of savings and debt? Could you handle a pay cut or losing your job/business right now?

By thinking about the inevitable end state we are all heading to, we can be mentally, physically, and financially prepared so it’s less of a shock to our life. We can’t always control the ending, whenever it happens, so don’t think that’s what I’m suggesting will be possible. Doing something about that last day through planning and revising the plan once a year until you need to put it in motion, saves you a lot of stress, time, and energy. It may still surprise you when that unexpected injury or shuffling of staff in your department happens. Isn’t the planning worth the effort and uncomfortable process of thinking about it right now so you are not completely caught off guard? Make time to have an honest conversation about what the various Endings look like in your life and then spend the required energy to make them as positive as possible. It is very likely that they become new Beginnings and Adventures for you to celebrate instead of any kind of last day at all.

How To Get Through Life’s Difficulties

May 26, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

“Just as nature takes every obstacle, every impediment, and works around it — turns it to its purposes, incorporates it into itself — so, too, a rational being can turn each setback into raw material and use it to achieve its goal.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Imagine for a moment that you and a few friends and family members go off on a day trip that goes all wrong. I'm not talking about a country drive and a flat tire but instead being plunged into a situation of survival and impossible odds.

The two real-life incidents that I want to quickly point you to is the Antarctic Expedition in 1914-1917 that imperiled the crew of Ernest Shackleton. The second one is the unfortunate plane crash of an Uruguay Ruby team in 1972, where 16 survivors made it out of the Andes mountains by their fellow team member Nando Parrado. In the first case, the survival story spanned over 2 years, and in the second instance, it was 72 days. Unfortunately, both groups were assumed dead, and the search efforts by authorities were suspended.

A movie about the Andes plane crash survivors is available and came out in 1993. You can find the link here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P95R76Mstg4

Legend has it that Shackleton had posted an ad in a London newspaper looking to form a crew that described the ill-fated discovery expedition: "Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success."

So, what was the common thread in these two stories of survival? What drove these two men to take the lead and keep their friends alive long enough to be saved? How did they face the fear and the continuous disappointments they endured while trying to survive? How did they make the choices they had to make when their future looked so bleak, and their physical condition was worn down to skin and bones?

The resounding quality is RESILIENCE!

I recently listened to a keynote speech on Resilience by Dennis Mosely-Williams. You can find the link here http://www.seriousshiftsummit.com/dennis-free

(I think you will thoroughly enjoy it and profit from it all your life.)

My question to you is, what does the word RESILIENCE mean to you? What picture comes to mind? What experience might you identify with?

Here is the definition according to the dictionary: the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.

But, as Dennis said, and I also wonder, did the definition match what you thought the word meant?

Resilience is not just about being strong or tough; it has more to do with bouncing back and not giving up when the tough gets going. When life's events don't go your way, you have two choices, and the best one is to not give up.

You have to have the ability to withstand adversity. It’s not a matter of not experiencing stress, sadness, difficulties, or bad luck; it’s simply getting on even when these things happen!

As the author of Warrior of Light, Paulo Coehlo, mentions: “Try to live with the same intensity as a child. He doesn’t ask for explanations; he dives into each day as if it were a new adventure and, at night, sleeps tired and happy.”

The good news is most of us will never be in a situation like Shackleton or Parrado; however, we do face our own challenges like the one the whole world is going through these days.

In the scheme of things, if you are on safe ground and can get out of your bed each day to face the world, regardless of your woes and difficulties, you should have the capacity of RESILIENCE if you dare to summon it. You can overcome hardship.

As always, here is a quick hit list of things you can do starting now to make yourself more RESILIENT

5 Things to do so you can have RESILIENCE in your life!

Believe in your capabilities and remain flexible to acquire more skills
Call on your Higher Power; the weight of the world does not need to be on your shoulders.
Reflect on your Purpose: As Dr. Alan Zimmerman, coach and author of Pivot, says: “the purpose of life is a life of purpose.” Plan your life out and go back to your plan when you feel lost!
Be future-based and grow. Don’t think about the past. Think about the Immediate next step and see yourself doing that thing. Keep doing this for every stage and keep making progress. Sing your songs while you work. Remember to live fully till the final curtain call.
Remain hopeful; “he/she who has hope has everything.” So fill up your gas tank every day with hope!

As we go collectively through this global challenge and become tired of it, rest assured that the antidote to getting on the other side is to be RESILIENT!

And remember, we DO need resilient societies and resilient support structures and it starts with you as an individual, developing your grit, persistence and endurance on a daily basis.

The Benefits of Small Experiments

May 19, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

“If I experiment enough, I get a deeper understanding.” Terence Tao

Have you ever felt something lacking in your life like a puppy/kitten, sports car, or a family cottage? Are you tempted to jump in and make the purchase tomorrow to fill that void in your existence? STOP! Don’t do it…yet.

Reflect and write down the reasons you really want something. What value do you think having this thing adds to your life? Can you achieve some or all of the gains through some other way such as renting a sports car or weekend cottage when you need to? How about playing with a relative’s dog or neighbour’s puppy to see what the experience is like? I strongly suggest you slow down and run a small experiment or place a ‘small bet’ to start testing the waters.

It can be as easy as spending a day with a cooperative neighbour and their pet so you can see what the experience is like to feed, walk and clean up after a pet. Do this a few times to make sure you don’t just have a ‘lucky' day’ where everything goes perfectly. You want to know what a bad day in the life of a puppy owner is like. What’s the worse thing they have experienced so far and how did they handle it. You need to know the good and the bad of taking care of another living thing such as a dog.

For objects like sports cars, vacation houses/cottages, and other expensive objects, you can run similar experiments. Ask a friendly relative or friend to use their fancy car for the day or the weekend. You could just rent your desired car for some time to see what it’s like to live with for at least 3 days to 1 week. Know what kind of maintenance and general care it needs as well as how it handles in different weather. Similarly for a property like a cottage. Ask to rent in someone else’s place for the weekend a few times. What is it like and how much does it cost them to actually own this? How many people do they have sharing the responsibilities of this property and can you afford it in your situation?

For many people, ownership is NOT the right answer for these desired things. You’re probably going to get as much or more joy from simply having occasional access to a sports car or cottage in a rental scenario. Your puppy fascination may be fulfilled by simply having exposure to a friend’s pets to play on the weekend or to take for occasional walks. You may also like to volunteer at a local pet shop or animal shelter. This saves you from the bigger responsibilities of actually owning and caring for the pet 7/24. The bigger the animal like a horse, the more time you want to give your experiment to truly realize what the responsibilities are in the day in the life of an owner. You may change your mind about ownership altogether.

“Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Don’t stop aspiring to do or have meaningful things in your life. Just make sure you truly explore the real experience in those things so you don’t take on too much and overburden yourself. Make sure you try small experiments when it comes to big-ticket items and life changes like owning pets. You’ll be glad you did. If you do move forward with actual ownership of these things, you’ll be much more prepared for that experience because you had a taste of what it can be like through your experiments. Isn’t that a better way to decide if you really want something?

Are You Getting In Your Own Way?

May 11, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

“Don’t Overthink it!” - Ahsan

I love the quote above from my brother from another mother, Ahsan Khan. It’s so simple and reminds me to not trip over myself on a daily basis. So many times in life, we are our own obstacle or impediment to getting something done. How do we do this and what can we do about it?

“If you can tune into your purpose and really align with it, setting goals so that your vision is an expression of that purpose, then life flows much more easily.” Jack Canfield

The first way we stumble and go off track is to forget our purpose and why we started to do something. So the fix is as simple as this: Remind yourself about your purpose and get back on track! When you reflect on WHY your goals matter, you push forward with a strong motivation to succeed.

"The problem human beings face is not that we aim too high and fail, but that we aim too low and succeed." Michelangelo

The second way we sabotage ourselves is to be pessimistic and negative about achieving things. To tackle this one, we need to remember that if someone else can achieve our goals, so can we. We are all just human beings and if someone has tried to do what I’m doing and succeeded, I can do it too! If it’s something completely new to the human experience, somebody has got to be the first to do it so why not me?!

“If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress. “ Barack Obama

The third way we lower our chances of success is by being weak in our thoughts and actions. We fear discomfort in the journey or shame if we don’t make enough progress as others expect. We may feel that it’s not worth the struggle to even try and accomplish a difficult goal and worse to miss the mark. The antidote for this is to act as if you are stronger than you believe you are today. To realize and accept the discomfort as part of the process and keep moving forward every day, even it is a few inches at a time. Realize there will be hurdles and tension but do not accept defeat and know that victory will be yours if you persist. Align your thoughts, actions, and words with your purpose and true desires.

So, now it’s your turn. Take my advice and get moving to overcome the obstacles in your way every day. You can achieve what you really want and what you believe you MUST become in life. Live Awesome!

What Is Paradise On Earth?

April 28, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

“The ultimate goal of the architect...is to create a paradise. Every house, every product of architecture... should be a fruit of our endeavour to build an earthly paradise for people.” Alvar Aalto

The concept of paradise is a part of every major faith in the world. It is meant to be a reward for believers and a place of peace and happiness.

I am no scholar and can only offer my thoughts about paradise from the perspective of my own understanding and faith.

My central understanding is that, as a Muslim, paradise is described in ways that refer to things we see and enjoy here on earth. For example, gardens, streams, rivers, mansions, tasty fruits, meats, and the company of loved ones.

There is also the concept of continuous personal growth and higher spiritual advancement levels, and nearness to God.

Keeping this in mind, we might take inspiration that paradise is not only a place in the hereafter that we strive for but can be a place in the here and now that we strive for.

In my opinion, we are free to make a heaven out of life rather than its opposite.

“A happy life is but an earlier heaven.”

So how might we be the ‘architects’ of our own paradise, starting now?

As with anything, look at your life and what makes it meaningful. Take some time to think about this.

Next, do the following:

Draw up a list of those things that equate to Paradise for you.
Work on them to make them real and or improved if you already possess/experience them today.
Focus on these efforts with all your heart and life-long struggle.
Pray for acceptance of your efforts.

We are all here for a brief time. Live bravely and go for it. And most of all do your best to find paradise on earth.

Be A Leader and Not Just Another Follower

April 25, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

“The manager administers; the leader innovates. The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective. The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why. The manager has his eye on the bottom line; the leader has his eye on the horizon. The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.” Warren G. Bennis

Once again and forever onwards, the world needs leaders. People who will step up and figure out what the right thing to do is. The world is dynamic and constantly challenging us to be bold. It’s not the same thing as being reckless or careless. The role of a leader starts in the smallest group of friends, the family, and the local community. It’s not a title or special appointment that you need to wait for. Take responsibility in your personal life and you are a leader of the most important person in your life - you! When you can demonstrate self-discipline and good decision-making in life, you are likely to be asked to lead others.

How do you start? Just look around you for people who need guidance, mentorship, or counseling. Ask to participate on their journey and you have become a collaborator they will come to for help. Take on responsibilities in your family or community circle to make things better. Take on a special project at work to launch a new product or service or simply improve a process. This is the genesis of how leaders rise up over time.

There will always be many who are willing to follow but a special few will be asked to lead them. Get out there and be known for your leadership skills.

How Do You Look At Things?

April 21, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

Wayne Dyer

This quote is my inspiration for this post and I think it’s very timely given our current situation with the pandemic, the hardship of lockdown, the uncertainty of the future, and life in general. How are you looking at things right now? What thoughts came across your mind today about what kind of day or week it’s going to be? Why did you think that way?

We all want things to be different. To be better than they were yesterday. Sometimes, it’s as simple as changing the way we choose to look at life and opportunities in front of us. Are you scanning for problems and more trouble coming your way or are you preparing for a better version of the future? How about a better version of yourself because you learned how to be more resilient or patient? It comes down to the way you look at things and the story you tell yourself about what you see.

How Do You Define Your Legacy?

April 14, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

When I’m gone, I want my legacy to be a combination of what I’ve earned, what I’ve learned, and what I’ve yearned for. I want my family to celebrate the life I have lived and I prefer we start doing this while I’m still alive. In fact, all of us should reflect and design our lives to live intentionally with a focus on learning more rather than earning more. It begins with having a strong desire which moves us forward - the very definition of yearning.

Don’t go through this life half-awake. Don’t focus on others or what society tells you about what’s important. DO ask yourself what you think is important and what you really want out of life. How much you EARN will be closely linked to what you LEARN about as you design your life based on what you sincerely desire or YEARN for.

Don’t delay, figure out how to live your best life based on what you truly want while you are still able to make decisions and choose a path.

It Was Always Up to You

April 7, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.” Eleanor Roosevelt

You could blame your parents, society, your friends, or someone else for where you are in life. You could also say it’s ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’ and that you are just a passenger or unwilling participant in someone else’s grand plan for your life. That would be the easy and childish way to look at things.

Great people do great things because they realize they have a responsibility to step up and become who they were supposed to be. We are all potentially great people from birth. The difference is that only some of us realize this and even fewer people take the necessary actions to transform the potential into reality.

Stop blaming, making excuses, and looking for someone else to change your life. Take hold of what time remains and write your story each day. Let your Awesomeness manifest itself in your thoughts and words. This is what it means to be a Leader. No one is coming to make things happen for you. There is no superhero rescue or Divine revelation you need to wait for to move forward. This is both terrifying and emancipating at the same time. The choice has always been yours to figure out. It’s your move.

Where Does the Time Go?

March 31, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

“You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.”

Marcus Aurelius

We’ve all thought it and said it many times. hours, days, and even entire weeks are flying by. It seems like just yesterday that the New Year started and today, the first 3 months of 2021 have officially gone forever into the history books by the time you read this.

Are you just trying to keep up or hold onto time? It’s about as likely as trying to contain water with just your two hands cupped together. You might capture some of it but eventually, the water, just like time, will slip through your fingers. So what CAN you do about this? What SHOULD you do about this? Well, if you are like me, you do an audit of how you have spent your time since the beginning of this month and the beginning of the year. Write down the things you did repeatedly and those tasks that took the most time. Next, check back with your personal goals for the year and life in general. Is your written list of time spent matching with actions that actually move you forward to actually achieve your goals? If not, time to make some necessary changes.

Maybe you are lined up with your goals but you are going the equivalent of first gear speed in a car that has 8 speeds to choose from. It’s probably time to change into higher gear for Q2, Q3, and Q4 this year. Don’t count on momentum to keep moving forward. It’s more likely the friction of things to come and unexpected headwinds just around the corner will slow you down even further. Plan for it. Adjust and keep moving forward in a controlled way at a higher speed to achieve your goals. Keep pushing forward to achieve what MUST be done and what you intended to BECOME by the end of this year.

When this year is over, I want you to say that you know exactly how much time, effort, and attention you spent to achieve the next level of your existence. I want you to say that you had an Awesome Time doing it!

How To Have An Organized Mind

March 24, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Ahsan

The other day I walked into my bedroom and got excited. I had been so busy with this, that and the other, that my room was a complete disorganized mess. I immediately got into a cleaning spree.

The best thing about a messy bedroom is the feeling you get after you clean it up.

The room feels clean, and you feel like all is well in the world.

A similar phenomenon occurs with our minds. That is every now and then, just like your bedroom, it needs a clean-up session, and it needs to get organized.

Consider this little-known theory.

A well-organized mind offers you three things: greater peace, a sense of well-being and more joy. Although these words sound similar in meaning, they are not. You will appreciate their subtle differences if you keep your mind open.

Imagine if this theory is true. What if you could have lived the rest of your days with joy, with peace and a sense of well-being!

Let’s begin by considering that our mind is where we live and experience life itself. Two people can attend the same family picnic, and one may come away feeling happy and the other feeling angry. The angry one interpreted events to set off their anger. The happy person interpreted things that made them feel happy.

How we experience any event or interaction with people or things is a matter of our mental interpretation of what happened.

Here is another way of thinking about your mind. When you don’t fully understand who you are, you get caught up in the mental process.

You are not your thoughts. If you get angry, it is really because you let something irritate you, and your angry reaction took over. You may think that you got angry because someone or something caused you to be angry, but this is not true.

Your anger was really the result of having an unorganized mind. A mind that is organized will create just enough space to pause and choose to not get angry. A disorganized mind will get triggered instantly. The mind can only be organized with a regular commitment to be cleaned like your bedroom needs to be cleaned regularly.

If you believe and understand what I am saying, your organized mind will cause you to have peace.

Peace is about having the awareness that things are happening outside of you and that you are the conscious "entity" observing what is happening outside and choosing your inner feelings.

Your organized mind will cause you to have a sense of well-being.

Well-being is a state of knowing that you have the resources both internally to be happy and externally because you have life endowing sustenance. Internally you feel just right, and externally, you recognize the air you breathe is a blessing in itself.

Your organized mind will also create a feeling of joy.

Joy is the practical experience of being content with how things are happening in your life. An organized mind recognizes that people and things are not in our control. Everywhere life is happening and unfolding. Sometimes life goes our way, and it is easy to feel joyful. Other days life does not go our way, but the organized mind sees this as an acceptable reality. Joy to the organized mind does not depend on people or things. Why should it, and how can it?

So, if you are wondering what can be done to achieve an organized mind, do not worry.

Here is the formula:

Mind your MIND: Meditate, Investigate, Navigate, Deliberate

Meditate: Take at least 5-20 minutes every day to quiet yourself and slow your thoughts down. Sit up straight so you can breathe deeply and exhale deeply. Focus on a sentence that you like repeating, like: I am not my thoughts; I am the awareness observing my thoughts. Or, I am relaxed and in control of an organized mind.

Investigate: Knowing that you and I are not perfect, the next time you let yourself get carried away by your emotions, try to pinpoint what and why it happened. If you practice this, the next time the trigger appears, don't be surprised if your reaction was in your control.

Navigate: To navigate is to set a direction towards a destination. Your mind should lead you to where you want to go. Get used to giving your mind instructions. Turn left, go right. Be chill. Enjoy this sunset. Be one with the world.

Deliberate: Make sure you fully buy into this advice. Your organized mind is where you live to attain peace, a sense of well-being, and joy. Think about this theory and challenge its truth. Just like a goldsmith inspecting a piece of gold, you should make sure what you hold is indeed gold. Melt down the concept and put it to any test necessary.

Get going because your best life depends on this theory. And hey, if you need to, go clean up your bedroom while you are at it!

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Make 2021 The Year to Level Up!

March 17, 2021 Shazad Ahmad

By Shazad

So what did you think of 2020? How did you get through it and what did you learn? Don’t just make 2021 a year of surviving another year or enduring some hard things. Make this a year of advancing in a meaningful way. You, me, everyone has been tested in many ways in 2020 and the many previous years of our lives. Let’s make sure these big and small tests keep moving us forward.

Each year of my life, especially the 5 and 10-year milestones is where I think deeply of how much I have, or should have ‘leveled up’ in life. If you think of this life as a game of many levels all the way up to 100 or beyond then each year you complete is actually one more level higher you have achieved. How? It’s all about the “experience points” and life skills you have acquired. As I approach “Level 50” in my life’s journey, I’ve been thinking of how I’ve improved in some things and where I need to hustle to make some meaningful gains in other areas. I don’t want to be stuck at Level 42 or 35 in some aspects. It’s very important to me to be moving higher in skill, practice, and understanding each year so that the birthdays are not just about blowing candles and inhaling copious amounts of cake. I need to feel that I’m improving my life by refining myself as an authentic person making the most of this Awesome Life!

Now it’s your turn. Evaluate your life today and consider what “Level” you are at compared to where you want to be. Age is just a single number. Levels of achievement are a better representation of how you can advance in life by gathering experience, memories, some assets and most importantly, wisdom!