Breaking through during tough times

“When someone tells me "no," it doesn't mean I can't do it, it simply means I can't do it with them.”  Karen E. Quinones Miller

Each time when we have big dreams or goals, there comes a time when we face obstacles/barriers. Sometimes these barriers seem so large that they affect our progress its during these times we either break down or break through.

A lady was driving along with her father. They came upon a storm, and the young lady asked her father, What should I do?" He said "keep driving"..Cars began to pull over to the side, the storm was getting worse. "What should I do." The young lady asked? "Keep driving," her father replied. On up a few feet, she noticed that eighteen wheelers were also pulling over. She told her dad, "I must pull over, I can barely see ahead. It is terrible, and everyone is pulling over!" Her father told her,"Don't give up, just keep driving!" Now the storm was terrible, but she never stopped driving, and soon she could see a little more clearly. After a couple of miles she was again on dry land, and the sun came out. Her father said, "Now you can pull over and get out." She said "But why now?" He said:"When you get out, look back at all the people that gave up and are still in the storm, because you never gave up your storm is now over.

This is a testimony for anyone who is going through "hard times". Just because everyone else, even the strongest, gives up. You don't have to...if you keep going, soon your storm will be over and the sun will shine upon your face again.

“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.”  Vince Lombardi

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Secrets To Effective Public Speaking : Comments

The seminar was well arranged. The facilitator was very encouraging and helpful. He gave individual and personalized feedback that enabled us to improve on our weaknesses and become better. Overall the whole seminar was very educational and organized. 

I would recommend this seminar to a friend. In fact, I have already told a few few friends that they missed out on a great opportunity where useful tips on public speaking were given, including techniques to conquer fear on stage and in front of crowds.  Shahista Somji

Purposeful speaking was one such training a valuable resource to anyone who aspires to be a good public speaker. With great facilitation we learnt to polish skills we already have and learn new ones too, most importantly how to conquer our fears Truly one of the best seminars I have attended.

 

Thank you very much Mujtaba for this insightful journey in the field which many of us were scared to take up but now can do it with confidence.                           Masuma Hussein

Definitely would recommend..it was a an excellent experience..I feel sometimes one needs a source who can dig out a potential which one never realizes exists within...and Mujtaba has the capacity to do it..I can imagine some of the participants who looked as if they had never spoken a word loud,and never will ever..but by end of the day they were in front of the audience with a mike..unbelievable!I myself would love to attend again..                        Masuma Bharwani


The program was good and quite informative, especially the tips on how to deliver a speech and conquering your fears. It was good experience talking in public over short notice. The facilitator was polite and encouraging. It would be of great help if these kind of programs were conducted more often for different age groups, also more impromptu talking would be of great help.
I would recommend it to a friend. Helps to conquer the fears of public speaking and teaches how to speak effectively in public.                                                                Akila Giga

Too Blessed to be stressed

Stress is an ignorant state.  It believes that everything is an emergency. 

Natalie Goldberg, Wild Mind

Modern life is full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations, and demands. For many people, stress is so commonplace that it has become a way of life. Stress isn’t always bad. In small does, it can help you perform under pressure and motivate you to do your best. But when you’re constantly running in emergency mode, your mind and body pay the price. You can protect yourself by recognizing the signs and symptoms of stress and taking steps to reduce its harmful effects.

Hasn’t stress increased over the years rather than decreasing

Stress is the trash of modern life — we all generate it but if you don't dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your life.

Terri Guillemets

Story – Let it go!!

Once upon a time there were two holy men strolling down a wooded path in a forest outside Naples, Italy. Their heads were bowed, and the hoods of their robes cut much of the world off from view as they strolled along, softly mumbling their orisons.

Coming to a narrow stream, they stopped. A young lady stood beside the creek. She had on a new pair of shoes and a long peasant dress and seemed reluctant to cross the stream lest she muddy her garment. Without a moment’s hesitation, one of the monks picked up the young woman and carried her across. He put her gently back down on the path. She smiled her thanks and he nodded in response.

The two continued their walk in silence. After some time had passed, the other monk, who was obviously highly agitated, broke the quiet. “How could you do that?” he asked, his face in a grimace of disapproval.

The first monk, deep in thought, looked at his companion in astonishment. “Do what?” he asked.

“How could you touch that woman? You picked her up and handled her, and you—you touched her.” The holy man’s mouth was set and compressed.

“Oh, are you still carrying that young lady?” the first monk responded, a twinkle in his eye. “I put her down an hour ago.”

The stress management tip illustrated by this story is very clear. Simply let go. When you think about something you give it energy. It is up to you to either give positive or negative thoughts energy. So one stress management tip, Power of Self Mind Control graduates follow is to control and monitor their their thoughts carefully.

Step back – when in a stressful situation step back, avoid making a decision. The ability to make an objective decision when stressed is difficult. Stepping back allows you to diffuse the situation.

Talk to someone about it, this helps taking the load of your back and enables you to get a clear picture of your situation. T also stands for triggers – each individual has unique situations that make them stressed.  You must identify the situations that make you stressed.

Relax – take a stroll refresh your mind/ meditate

Emotion – 10% of our life are the things that happen to us or circumstances, 90% is how we respond to it.

Strategy- stress occurs due to overload of work. Write down the list of tasks that you need to perform.  Then prioritize the tasks that need to be performed by you and those that can be delegated.

Step by step – One task at a time. Multitasking is a cause of stress and reduces productivity. 

Stress occurs when you continuously think about yourself and your problems, life is not always about ME it’s about WE. So go out and help others, make a difference in the lives of other people. 

The world’s worst disease

                                                            

“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.” –Elbert Hubbard

Have you wanted to achieve a goal, then got the thought : I am not intelligent enough to achieve it…What if  I try and fail…..I do not want to make a fool of myself….I do not want to embarrass myself ….Other people can do it better.  Fear robs people of their dreams and sends people to their graves without realizing  their full potential.

Story

Two seeds lay side by side in the fertile soil.

The first seed said, "I want to grow! I want to send my roots deep into the soil beneath me, and thrust my sprouts through the earth's crust above me ... I want to unfurl my tender buds like banners to announce the arrival of spring ... I want to feel the warmth of the sun on my face and the blessing of the morning dew on my petals!"

And so she grew...

The second seed said, "Hmmmm. If I send my roots into the ground below, I don't know what I will encounter in the dark. If I push my way through the hard soil above me I may damage my delicate sprouts ... what if I let my buds open and a snail tries to eat them? And if I were to open my blossoms, a small child may pull me from the ground. No, it is much better for me to wait until it is safe."

And so she waited...

A yard hen scratching around in the early spring ground for food found the waiting seed and promptly ate it.

Fears keep us in our comfort zone, the keep us small and prevent us from growing to our potential.

Overcoming fear:

Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to face your fears and overcome them.

Tips:

FEAR exists only in the subconscious mind, therefore when overcoming fear you can use the below tips.

F – Focus – when you think of that particular goal, write down the first thing that comes to your mind?

People aren't afraid of heights, but they're afraid of falling.
People aren't afraid of swimming, but they're afraid of drowning.

Shift your focus from internal (what you have or do not have) to external (what you would like to do, how you can serve others, the benefits people would obtain)

E – Emotion – when you constantly focus on what you do not have, how does it make you feel?

Sad, depressed, scared

However when you focus externally, how can I help others or contribute, how does it make you feel?  Inspired, energetic, enthusiastic

A – Action – Our emotions ultimately determine our actions. When you are sad or scared you will do less to achieve your goal than when you are inspired and energetic.

R – Result – The more actions we take to achieve our goals the better the outcome.

“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” Les Brown

The Secret : Never work another day in your life

“If you love what you do, you will never work another day in your life.” — Confucius 

How frequently have you heard these statements: “oh, its Monday another long week!!” …. “The weekends are getting shorter and shorter…” “Another day of work..”  “I look forward to retirement…”… “I look forward to the weekend…”

The key question is do you love the occupation that you are in? Or are you go there to earn money?

Can you relate to the below:
1.     Do you constantly look at the clock thinking, “when can I get out of here I have so much to do….”
2.     You leave work feeling drained and de-energized?
3.     You envy people with other jobs?
4.     Wake up in the morning when the alarm clock rings wish you had some time so sleep in
5.     Hate working overtime
 
What the below people have in common?
Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Thomas Edison, Alexander Grahmbell, Steve Jobs, Steven Speilberg, Martha Stewert, Micheal Jordan.

Rich, famous, very intelligent, talented, incredibly lucky or had the right contacts.

NO, None of the above is correct.

They discovered The Secret to never working another day in your life, they found what they really loved to do and the dedicated the rest of their life perfecting their ability to do it.


Tips on discovering your passion?

1.     As young child what have you dreamt about doing?
2.     When you do it you lose track of time (get so engrossed in it)
3.     Sparks creativity and innovation in you
4.     Makes you feel alive (energized)
5.     You look forward to doing it
 
 
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know w hat you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” Steve Jobs

You are never too young or too old to start working on what you are passionate about. Take the path less traveled – life is too short to regret.

Remember: Money, fame and respect cannot be pursued, commit your life to an occupation that you love and money, fame and respect will pursue you.

LOST TREASURE

LOST TREASURE

The Attitude of Gratitude

"If ye are grateful, I will, Add more (favours) unto you;”    Sura Ibrahim Holy Quran

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.”  William Arthur Ward

In today’s fast paced life where we are constantly in a hurry, on the move, achieving a goal, completing a task, from one project to the next, people constantly complain of the lack of resources in their life.

Looking back as we have progressed we have forgotten some of the basic aspects of humanity.  One of the lost treasurers is the “attitude of gratitude”. Gratitude is a powerful emotion as it brings peace and contentment into our lives and it eradicates greed, stress and worry.

A man attended a seminar where he learnt about the appreciating others, he recalled a teacher who had taught literature in the eighth grade, she has distinctly made an impact in his life. As a result he planned to track her down and thank her.

After a few months he found where she lived and wrote her a letter. The teacher received the letter and responded

“Dear John,

You will never know how much your letter meant to me. I am 83 years old, I am living alone in one room. My friends are all gone. My family is gone.

I have taught for 50 years and yours is the first thank you letter I have gotten from a student.

Sometimes I wonder what I did with my life. I will read and reread your letter till the day I die.”

After reading the letter John was shocked, “she was everyone’s favorite teacher”, “we loved her”.

EVERYONE LOVED HER HOWEVER NO ONE TOLD HER…..

Does this sound familiar, do you know a person who made an impact in your life or someone whom you love/ care about.

We normally remember people after they have died, we speak of how they made a difference or inspired others or how generous they were….BUT ITS TOO LATE.  

WHY WAIT!!!, appreciate them when they are still here with you. You will make a difference in their life

Useful tips:

1.      Make a list of items that you are grateful for in your life- be very specific what you are grateful for. 

2.      Read this items out every morning when you wake up and before going to sleep

3.      If you feel sad or depressed during the day read your gratitude list

4.      Extend a kind word or gesture: Show gratitude towards others, recognize every small thing that they have done, appreciate their efforts, commend them, and encourage them. Build people through your words.  

I dare you to forward this message to a person who has made a difference your life appreciating them for what they have done.

Thank you for reading this message.

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