What Makes You Come Alive?

Hi, My Final post for this week. I like to leave you  with a positive thought.

Here’s a great way to think about the process of figuring out what you want from life. Imagine that I presented you with a blank canvas and asked you what it represented.

No matter how much you analyze and think about this canvas, it’s impossible to determine what it represents because you have no reference points to work with.

On the other hand, imagine that I gave you this canvas and asked you to figure out what it represented.

This time you’d be able to join the dots to reveal a star – Clearly, it is the dots that make all the difference.

The process of figuring out what you want from life is similar. Sitting in a room and trying to come up with a ‘life plan’ rarely works. It’s like staring at the blank canvas – You have no reference points to work with.

The secret to figuring out what you want from life is to gain some additional dots on your life canvas. In the real world, these dots come from experiences.

Each time you have a new experience you gain an additional dot on your life canvas, and once you have accumulated enough ‘experience dots’ you can often join the dots and identify your true passion.

Here’s an example that illustrates this process:

John had read dozens of personal development books and attended his fair share of seminars. He felt he had a good understanding of how to set goals. The only problem was – John didn’t really know what he wanted.

In an attempt to clarify his goals, John spent many hours trying to decide what he should do. However, after expending a great deal of emotional energy, he finally realized that it was impossible to sit down and ‘figure out’ life.

Instead, what he really needed to do was to get out of his room and collect some new ‘experience dots’ for his life canvas.

For John, this was the turning point.

Instead of trying to figure out his overall life plan, he made the liberating decision to just explore different things that interested him.

He joined a local film club simply because he’d always loved old movies. He also did an introductory computer course at his local library because he wanted to learn more about the Internet.

After accumulating a wide range of seemingly unrelated new experiences, John was able to look back and join the dots to discover that his true passion was to create his own Internet business focusing on classic films, actors and memorabilia.

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.

Because what the world needs are people who have come alive”

So today, if you’re not quite sure what you want from life, here is what I’d suggest:

(1) Stop trying to sit down and ‘figure out’ life – it really doesn’t work
(2) Give yourself the freedom to explore your interests and accumulate life experience and thereby gain additional dots on your life canvas.
(3) Over time, you’ll be able to look back on your life experiences and join the dots to identify your true passion.

I hope this approach releases you of the burden of having to try and ‘figure out’ life and that you enjoy finding what makes you come alive.

Have a great weekend.

Are you Upset or Disappointed Today?

I was really down yesterday, lost my temper, yelled a bit, cursed a bit, Being down with a viral flue, unable to utter few words due to tonsillitis, my wife also down with the flu and an attack of the wheeze, drove around town without using the A/C in the car, got a bit frustrated. Sounds Familiar? So what did I achieve by being frustrated? Nothing!. Well at least I am being honest to accept my mistakes. So I thought of sharing these few words of encouragement with you today.

Every day, we have opportunities to get upset, be frustrated or get offended. Maybe you had plans that didn’t work out, or someone was rude to you at the office. Maybe you were doing something that should have taken one hour, and it ended up taking three. Life is full of inconveniences, but even though we can’t always control our circumstances, we can control our reaction.

I heard somebody say, “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond.”

We should always go out each day with a positive attitude, full of hope and expecting God’s favor. But at the same time, we should recognize that most days are not going to go exactly as we planned. Remember, we were created to live in peace. Peace is our position of power. If you get stressed because you got off schedule or upset because your child wouldn’t eat his breakfast, or frustrated because somebody offended you, you’re are giving away your power. Instead, make the decision to release those offenses and disappointments so you can live in peace and enjoy the day as a blessing God prepared for you!

So Cheer Up! As a colleague of mine would always say,

Life is like a cocktail, you need to sip it to enjoy it. Take each day at a time, Live life to the fullest, Hope every day will be a great day.

Success City

One of the most important lessons you can learn on your road to success is that failure is not a final destination, but rather a place you pass through on your way to achieving your goals.

Here is a picture to show you what I mean:

This simple picture illustrates a number of very important points about the relationship between failure and success:

1. There is only one road to Success City

2. The road to Success City passes through FailureVille

3. One of the main reasons people never reach Success City is because they are so afraid of driving through FailureVille that they never begin their journey.

                                                                                                                                                                                                     

So what does this mean in the real world?

It means that failure is not the opposite of success as many people assume. On the contrary, failure is an important part of achieving success. In fact, it is usually through the process of trying and failing that we learn the lessons we need in order to ultimately achieve our goals in life.

My favorite quote regarding the relationship between failure and success comes from the legendary basketball player Michael Jordan:

"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed." - Michael Jordan

When you understand the fact that success lies on the other side of failure you will be much better prepared for the journey that leads to achieving your most important life goals.

A Story on Trust

Here's an inspirational story I would like to share with you about trust.

One day, a mountaineer was going up a very high mountain.

He was so proud; he was climbing all by himself.

It was very dangerous to climb up a snowy mountain all alone, but he was so proud, he believed he didn’t need anyone.

By nightfall, common sense dictated that he set up camp. But he kept climbing because he wanted to reach the summit quickly.

But in his exhaustion, his foot slipped.

And he found himself free falling through the air. He closed his eyes and saw flashbacks of his life.

All of a sudden, he felt a jolt—and violent pull around his waist. The rope tied around his belt saved him!

In total darkness, he was now hanging onto his rope.

And he shouted, “God, if you’re up there, save me!”

Suddenly, he heard a voice say, “If you believe that I can save you, do what I tell you to do…”

He answered, “What should I do?”

The voice said, “Cut your rope.”
“Wha…what?” he said.

“Cut the rope and let go,” the voice said.

After a few moments, he shouted again, “Is there anyone else up there?”

The next day, mountain climbers saw his limp body, hanging by the rope, frozen to death. The curious thing about what they saw? He was hanging only 2 feet from the ground.

Moral of this story:
Let's try not to be so proud even in the point of death. Many people are like that: They trust in their rope more than in their God. They trust in their money, in their abilities, in their connections, in their intelligence more than in their God

Dear Mom & Dad: Advice to Parents from a 13 year old

Happy week to everybody.

My wife came across a book of poems written by our son Darren when he was 13 years of age. (He’s 18 now). I have selected one that is very close to my heart, It’s titled “Advice to my parents”, which I would like to share with you today

Dear Mom and Dad,

It’s not the same as before,

Rock music, drugs and wild parties, all may seem easy to conquer and explore.

Be not afraid, as neither my love for racing nor the new game of love I found, will not lead me astray.

The tolerance and patience, you have molded me with, will be my shining star.

Computer games or Internet, Hot chicks or rocking parties, none of them will corrupt me.

As your son’s got self-discipline and I shall behold the memories of childhood as time flies away.

The moral of this post.

We live in a society where values are not in abundance. Many kids lack discipline and respect for elders. My wife and I have spent a lot of time with our kids to teach them humility, respect and discipline. I may not have Millions in the Bank, but I am blessed with 2 awesome kids and a great wife, and I feel like a million bucks!

“Good influences will create good teens, just as much as bad influences create bad teens”

Don't forget your thank-you's,PLEASE!

This is something that lacks in abundance. This I believe is an issue with attitude, cultivated by the environment one is associated with.

I would like to share this wonderful story with you today!

I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels. My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, "This is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received."

I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world.

Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section. The angel then said to me, "This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them."

I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.

Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing. "This is the Acknowledgment Section," my angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed. "How is it that? There's no work going on here?" I asked. "So sad," the angel sighed. "After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments. "How does one acknowledge God's blessings?" I asked. "Simple," the angel answered. "Just say, "Thank you, Lord."
"What blessings should they acknowledge?" I asked.

• "If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep ... you are richer than 75% of this world."
• "If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy."
• "And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity."
• Also...."If you woke up this morning with more health than illness .... you are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day."
• "If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation ... you are ahead of 700 million people in the world."
• "If you can attend a church meeting without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death ... you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people in the world."
• "If your parents are still alive and still married you are very rare."
• "If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you are unique to all those in doubt and despair."

Ok, what now? How can I start?

If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.

Have a good day, count your blessings, and if you want, pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.

Have a Great Weekend!

The Last Lecture - The Randy Pausch Story

I am sure most of you have heard of Randy Pausch, a 47 year old, Computer Sc. lecturer from Mellon University, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2008. He wrote a book titled 'The last lecture" before he died. It became one of the bestsellers in 2007.

What a legacy to leave behind… 

In a letter to his wife Jai and his children, Dylan, Logan, and Chloe, he wrote this beautiful "guide to a better life" for his wife and children to follow.

May you be blessed by his insight.

Personality: 

1. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 
2. Don't have negative thoughts of things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment 
3. Don't overdo; keep your limits 
4. Don't take yourself so seriously; no one else does 
5. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip 
6. Dream more while you are awake 
7. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
8. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner of his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
10. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present 
11. No one is in charge of your happiness except you 
12. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
13. Smile and laugh more
14. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
Community:
15. Call your family often
16. Each day give something good to others 
17. Forgive everyone for everything 
18. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6 
19. Try to make at least three people smile each day 
20. What other people think of you is none of your business 
21. Your job will not take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.
Life:
22. Put GOD first in anything and everything that you think, say and do. 
23. GOD heals everything 
24. Do the right things 
25. However good or bad a situation is, it will change 
26. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up 
27. The best is yet to come 
28. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful 
29. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it 
30. If you know GOD you will always be happy. So, be happy. 

While you practice the entire above, share this knowledge with the people you love, people you school with, people you play with, people you work with and people you live with, not only will it enrich YOUR life, but also that of those around you.
Remember,
Good things are for us to share.