Hi!

Iâ€m currently listening to the audiobook, Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferris. 

For guidance as well as to up his game, Tim reached out to his A-list of achievers (Larry King, Ray Dalio, Ben Stiller, Ayaan Hirsi Ali) and asked them a list of perceptive, insightful questions.

He asks questions like:

• What is the book that you most gave away as a gift and why?
• How has a failure set you up for later success? Do you have a favourite failure?
• What advice would you give to a smart, driven, young college student graduating?

Heâ€s compiled these answers into the thought-provoking volume, Tribe of Mentors. One of his questions is, “If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it, what would it say and why?”

Debbie Millman (writer, designer, and artist) answered: â€œMy billboard would say, Busy is a decision.“ 

She explains:

“Of the many, many excuses people use to rationalize why they canâ€t do something, the excuse “I am too busy” is not only the most inauthentic, it is also the laziest. I donâ€t believe in “too busy.” Like I said, busy is a decision. We do the things we want to do, period. If we use busy as an excuse for not doing something what we are really, really saying is that itâ€s not a priority. Simply put: You donâ€t find the time to do something; you make the time to do things.”

Powerful. But a tad bit simplistic. Indeed, being busy is a decision just like anything and everything is our decision. However, dropping oneâ€s busy schedule is not as straightforward as Debbie puts it out to be. 

You will be Crazy-Busy! If youâ€re a:

• Single parent with two kids, holding down a job to make sure that bills are paid and there is food on the table. 
• Founder CEO of a startup and youâ€ve got a fire to put out every five minutes.
• Second-generation entrepreneurs establish systems in their organisations while transitioning from legacy processes.

Sure, it is your choices that got you into your situation. And you would like to bring sanity to the chaos around you. However, itâ€s not simple as “Busy is a decision” and one can simply walk out. (Iâ€m off kids, from now on you can raise yourselves, love you, goodbye!)

Highly irresponsible to say the least, perhaps downright cruel to walk out on oneâ€s commitments. 

So whatâ€s the way out? Are you stuck for eternity in a life of busyness? Would it take forever to make meaningful progress on your situation?

Fortunately, there is a road to salvation.

The trick lies in:

• Getting all your commitments out of your head.
• Clarifying your goals.
• Making meaningful choices to make immediate progress on them.

The process is simple. Yet it packs a wallop! 

Allow me to elucidate:

Step 1

The reason youâ€re overwhelmed and stuck in Crazy-Busy is that you donâ€t have the mind space to “Focus”.  As a result, you just hop to the latest & loudest thing in front of your face.

Therefore to get the space of Focus, all you need to do is get all your commitments out of your head.  So the question to ask yourself is:-

What are the different areas in your life that you have commitments/responsibilities towards?

Eg. Work, Family, Health, Hobbies? Write down everything that comes to mind about these.

Step 2

Once you do that, you will feel a sense of the room. You will have the space to finally “Focus”.  But, what do you focus upon?  Hence you clarify, whatâ€s important to you.

A great question to ask is – What is your vision of success by the end of 2022? Or what are your goals?

Step 3

Now that you have your goals clarified. Then answer, what 3 actions are you going over the next 7 days to make progress on your goals?

Yes, the rest of the stuff will get done, but now youâ€ll be focusing on the most important and meaningful stuff as a priority. 

There you go! From a state of overwhelmed, crazy-busy, you are now Focused, In Control, Relaxed and making meaningful progress. 

So while Debbie Milman is right, being Busy is a decision. But to get out of busy, one needs a plan and it would help tremendously to have help along the way.

If youâ€d like one of our coaches to help you, to guide you through your busyness to a state of relaxation and focus, click here to learn more about our Focus Coaching services.

Till next time…Keep smiling!

How has 2021 been for you? For me, if there is one word that describes 2021 it is – Bewildering.  Iâ€ve had wins, Iâ€ve had losses and most of all Iâ€ve had lots and lots of surprises. 

This year I really had to introspect. Look deep within myself. I had to re-orient myself as to what I really want. What keeps me meaningfully engaged? Where is my True North? What do I want for my children? What will provide me with sufficient income for me and my family? 

As the year ends, Iâ€m looking forward to doing the MOST IMPORTANT exercise that I do every year. An exercise that I have been doing for the last 11 years. 

If youâ€re a regular reader you probably know about it already. I call it: Design Your Year – 2022. 

Completing the Design Your Year exercise, helps me set the direction for 2022. It helps put a vision in place for the year. 

Once I have a vision in place. I can then chart my ship towards the right course. Yes, there will be storms and tidal waves. Some days the water will be smooth. Other days the water will be choppy. But in every scenario, I am not lost. I am not confused. I will always have a destination to orient myself towards. 

Does doing the Design Your Year exercise guarantee thatâ€s how oneâ€s year will turn out? Of course not. But the more intentional I am about my future, the greater chances I have of achieving it. 

This process sets the rhythm, the pace and the direction for the year to come.

At the Design Your Year exercise:

• We reflect on how the year has gone by
• Then plan and design how we would want 2022 to look. 

This activity has been key to the breakthroughs weâ€ve experienced in our business and personal lives.

You can join us at this yearâ€s Design Your Year workshop.

Logistics

Days: The workshop is being offered over a period of 3 days: 20th, 21st & 22nd Dec (Mon, Tue & Wed).

Time: Two hours each day. 3pm to 5pm IST.

Location: It will take place on Zoom. So you can attend it no matter which part of the world youâ€re in.

This exercise WILL get you to a Flying Start into 2022. Weâ€ve had a good number of registrations already. Looking forward to you joining us too!

Click here to register for Design your Year 2022.

Do you have regrets in life? 

Do you wish you had done things differently?  Made different choices than the one you did? Different choices during school?  Marriage?  Career?

Maybe if only…you studied harder and got into that ivy-league college.  Then life would be so much better.  Corporate doors would bang open for you to proudly strut through.  You would be working on the most exciting, cutting edge ideas in the world.  And your career & money problems would be ancient history.

Or if only…you married a different person.  Someone who understood you better.  Someone who would support you.  Instead of challenge you.  Life would be ever so blissful. 

Or if only…you dared to follow your passion.  Sport. Art.  Music. Sure the money may not be great.  But who knows, the money may be great too. Regardless, at least youâ€d feel alive!

I donâ€t know about you, but I have regrets.  Things I said, I did, that I wish I hadnâ€t.  Stuff that I didnâ€t say and didnâ€t do, that I wish I did. 

Of course, life rarely turns out the way we plan.  Deep down we know that every decision has consequences that we hadnâ€t envisioned.  But even then. If only, I had another chance to grow up once again.

Spoiler alert:

Following is a review of The Midnight Library.  I have shared a bit of the plot.  Depending on your tolerance for spoilers, read further or stop right here.

About the Midnight Library:

In the book, the Midnight Library, Nora Seedâ€s regret was intense.  Leaving her depressed.  Driving her insane.  To commit suicide. 

The cosmos and greater reality in her favour, instead of death, Nora wakes up in a library. A library that allows her to revisit her life.  Revisiting it as if she had made different decisions: 

• If she decided to follow her passion. 
• If she decided to marry. 
• If she did make several different career choices.

Being a movie and story buff, the plot does get predictable.  But Matt Haigâ€s storytelling is masterful. It keeps me going.  I turn yet another page. Read the next chapter. I have to get to closure. “What would Nora decide?  Which life would she choose?” 

And in the process, I am rewarded with epiphan-ettes.  I realise that:

• I can spend an obscene amount of hours ruminating on “what if ?”.  All the while glazing over “what is.”
• The grass is not greener on the other side.  But itâ€s greener on the side that I water it. 
• The idea of perfection is exactly that…an idea. Rarely translates to reality the way we imagine it.
• The power of dogged determination, grit, persistence. 
• Never underestimate the big impact of small actions.

Reminiscent of Frank Capraâ€s classic “Itâ€s a Wonderful Life” with a dash of Pixarâ€s “Soul”, thrown in.  The Midnight Library celebrates life and the joy in everyday living.

Give it a go. Iâ€m glad I read it.

Excerpts:

In case you donâ€t plan to read it, here are a sprinkling of excerpts that connected with me.

“Regrets donâ€t leave. They werenâ€t mosquito bites. They itch for ever.”

“The only way to learn is to live.”

“If you aim to be something you are not, you will always fail. Aim to be you. Aim to look and act and think like you. Aim to be the truest version of you. Embrace that you-ness. Endorse it. Love it. Work hard at it. And donâ€t give a second thought when people mock it or ridicule it. Most gossip is envy in disguise.”

“It is easy to mourn the lives we arenâ€t living. Easy to wish weâ€d developed other talents, said yes to different offers. Easy to wish weâ€d worked harder, loved better, handled our finances more astutely, been more popular, stayed in the band, gone to Australia, said yes to the coffee or done more bloody yoga.

It is easy to regret and keep regretting, ad infinitum until our time runs out."

But it is not lives we regret not living that are the real problem. It is the regret itself. Itâ€s the regret that makes us shrivel and wither and feel like our own and other peopleâ€s worst enemy. We canâ€t tell if any of those other versions would have been better or worse. Those lives are happening, it is true, but you are happening as well, and that is the happening we have to focus on.”

Ps. Thank you Preet, for the recommendation!

Iâ€ve had my share of struggles recently.

What about you? Is there something in your life thatâ€s bothering you?  Is there something in your life that is not the way youâ€d like it to be?  Perhaps you find yourself in a loop.  Maybe itâ€s something that youâ€re doing, day in & out but want something different. Or worse, youâ€re stuck thinking the same thing over & over again.  And want to get out of that pattern.

“How did I get here? My lifeâ€s such a mess! Wish I could just run away from it all…”

Itâ€s dark inside the tunnel.  You donâ€t know what to do.  Which direction to go? Everywhere you look. It looks the same.  Black. 

So, whatâ€s the point of trying anything?  Going anywhere. You end up doing the easiest thing.  You find a rock.  Sit on it.  And feel sorry for yourself. 

Yeah.

You know what.  Itâ€s okay.  Itâ€s hard.  Itâ€s difficult.  Itâ€s screaming insane! 

And yet…itâ€s okay. 

Take your time.  Lick your wounds.  Hug yourself, tight. 

Then realise staying put wonâ€t get you closer.  You canâ€t see the light.  Maybe there isnâ€t even one, yet. 

But what doesnâ€t change though is that the only way out of the tunnel…is through it.  So get up.  Dust yourself down.  Take the first step.  And the next. 

Even if youâ€re unsure, even if youâ€re hesitant, even if itâ€s the wrong direction, even if youâ€re stumbling…keep plodding. 

Grit yourself.  Because itâ€s dark and scary.

Eventually, youâ€ll see a sign.  Youâ€ll meet a friend, read a book, and watch a video.  Or come across a quote.  That will nudge you along the right way.  You know itâ€s right because you feel it.

Embrace that, say a silent prayer and keep moving on. 

Take solace in that youâ€re not alone.  Just like you, everyone else around you is fumbling in the dark, searching their way through.  Facing their own demons.  Attempting to slay (or befriend) their dragons.

As long as youâ€re moving, youâ€ll find that light.  And if there isnâ€t one, youâ€ll smash a hole through the tunnel wall and make the sun blaze in.

Action, alone, is the tinder which ignites the map, the parchment, this scroll, my dreams, my plans, my goals, into a living force. Action is the food and drink which will nourish my success. I will act now.

~ Og Mandino

Over the last several weeks I have been struggling with indecision.  There have been a few transition choices I have had to make and have been plagued with the devil of uncertainty.  To everyone outside, it would probably seem the silliest thing ever.  But it had consumed me completely.

I have started moving.  Stepping out of my comfort zone. One micro-step at a time. But Iâ€ve begun. I have no idea where itâ€s leading me. But it feels right.

Hopefully, itâ€ll all work out.

woo-woo | noun

Definition: Unconventional beliefs regarded as having little or no scientific basis. Those relating to spirituality or mysticism.

Ever since Iâ€ve heard Christian Sundberg, itâ€s been on my mind to share it with you.

If youâ€re repulsed by the idea of a pre-life, you might as well stop reading here. Just go ahead, move forward to the next blog post. If youâ€re intrigued, follow me and weâ€ll see how deep the rabbit hole goes.

If I heard this talk some time ago, I may have not given it a second look. I might even have brushed it off as bunkum or blasphemy.

But, there is something about Christianâ€s sincere, calm demeanour as he relates his memory. His memory of existence prior to this. His pre-life experience, if you will.  

I find it in harmony with my reading of spiritual texts and mostly my experience of existence in this realm.

In this talk, Christian relates of his sharp, vivid memories of existing as a spiritual being prior to living in this realm.  He shares that he “chose” to come here.  We all did.  And that coming here is a precious, rare opportunity that very few are granted.  That he came here with a purpose. And he (as well as all of us) willingly chose “a veil” to forget our experience in the past life.

Christian goes into intriguing detail of his Pre-life experience. Interaction with other beings. The presence of Guides.  Choosing to accept “The Veil”. Choosing our characteristics, even choosing the specific challenges of our life circumstances! I donâ€t want to share anymore as itâ€ll ruin the experience for you, in hearing him first hand.

The reasons this talk reflected with me is:

• There is a practicality to it. It deepened my spiritual experience on this planet. I connect further to my soul and disconnect with my material self.

• I was reminded, how connected we all are. We are all souls, whoâ€ve chosen to come here, yearning for growth and fulfilment, trying to attain that growth with the limited faculties we chose. Think about that, next time you read about a tragic incident in the news or when someone cuts you off at the traffic signal, or when youâ€re sitting beside a stranger at a hospital.

• Hearing this talk reminded me of how inconsequential our achievements and material possessions are. While we know we will leave it all behind, yet how conscious are we of this as we wake up and go about our day. Hearing it from Christian, put a new lens to view reality. And make decisions accordingly. 

• What matters is our decisions and how it shapes our souls. How we get lost in the material when making decisions. Whereas the “Soul” should be the focus of our decision criteria. After all, that is the purpose of why we are here. To face challenges and grow from it.

• At a personal level, his experience explains the many traditions I have read in Islamic texts (Choosing to come to this realm, accepting The Veil, growth of the Soul)

If youâ€re intrigued enough, go ahead and hear Christian Sundberg below relate his fascinating journey of Life between Lives.

Ps. There is one little thing that irks me (& excites me) of Christanâ€s talk. But this post has become long enough. If youâ€re keen to know, reply in the comments section and Iâ€ll share more of my thoughts.

Another Ramadhan comes to an end. This has been a strange Ramadhan. And will be a stranger Eid. This Eid, many homes have lost a loved one. And loved ones who have lost their homes. 

Ramadhan is a celebration of the spiritual over the material. That our bodies are transient but our souls eternal. Itâ€s not just our bodies, but everything that you see around you. Your furniture, your home, even your spouse and children. At one point none of this existed. They all came into being. And will one day cease to be. But the soul. The soul is forever. 

Itâ€s something that we all experience. Anytime youâ€ve given something (a gift to a friend or alms to a beggar) and felt so warm and fuzzy inside. Why does that happen? Youâ€re materially less. Youâ€ve given something away. If anything you should be a bit more sad and depressed. Instead, youâ€re happy even fulfilled.

Likewise, there are times when Iâ€ve been selfish and greedy. Iâ€ve been asked for something, but I hold on to it tightly, squeeze it closer to me. Shouting “Go away!” When Iâ€ve done so, I feel miserable. I should celebrate as I have more now. Yet I feel empty inside.

We can forget the Reality but we canâ€t hide from it. We arenâ€t our material selves. But are our spiritual selves. We are our soul. And our soul flourishes or withers depending on how we nourish it. And thatâ€s all that matters. 

Itâ€s a realisation that has deepened for me this Ramadhan. 

Everything that we strive for life, money, comfort, respect. Theyâ€re like wisps of fragrances passing us by. Weâ€re blissful for a moment and then itâ€s gone. 

Indeed I exist in a material realm and the struggle for the material is necessary, even noble. Yet I lose sight that it is ephemeral. Even worse I attach my happiness to it. Iâ€d like to grow from here.  Iâ€d like to live from the place that the material world is a gateway to the spiritual world. That these are opportunities to reach the fullness of my existence. To becoming Godly. Godlike.

Eid Mubarak. Thereâ€s immense anxiety, injustice, loss. Yet there is something life-affirming about celebrating despite it all. May the oppressed find peace, justice and freedom. May those who have lost find strength and hope.

Credit: Sidrah

Today, India sees the worldâ€s highest ever Daily Covid cases. 314,835 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours. Deaths rose by 2,104.

Every second tweet in my feed reads:

“Urgently need an ambulance with Oxygen for 15 year old in North Delhi…”

or

“Need a ICU Bed urgently IN BANGALORE. Oxygen level at 44. Please  help!!!!”

The news is filled with video clips of long lines at Hospital patients begging for admission into hospitals.  Or heart-wrenching queues of beloved at funeral pyres waiting to transition to the next realm.

“People are dying on the street, in their houses, before they can see a doctor or even have a test.”

We saw how New York, Spain, UK and others suffer through the crises. But we didnâ€t pay heed. We didnâ€t book enough vaccinations even though we were the oneâ€s producing them. We didnâ€t prepare for sufficient Oxygen cylinders though we have the capacity for it.  

The second wave has grown to a tsunami, and we are paying the price for our carelessness.

In spite of repeated warnings, our Prime Minister paid no heed and held massive election rallies in 5 states. Praising the big crowds that he is pulling. 

It seems weâ€ve got the worst of both worlds. We endured the strictest lockdown and are now going through the worst of the Covid crises.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. 

Yet, in moments of these crises, heroes rise.  

While my Twitter feed is filled with gloom. There are such encouraging moments of humanity. Where individuals quit complaining about the government or anyone else and take it upon themselves to go out to make a difference. Doing the absolute best that they can. With the broadest of smiles on their faces.

Damini Mishra, put out a message that sheâ€s volunteering to cook for Covid Positive patients in her area. And to reach out to her if anyone knows someone who needs it.

Rikit Shashi, is out there running errands for patients in isolation. Taking pride in that he has regular patrons that heâ€s servicing now.

Shahnawaz Shaikh â€œOxygen Man” of Mumbai, after losing his cousin sister to Covid, sold his SUV and bought 160 Oxygen cylinders to provide a free oxygen supply scheme.

Letâ€s take inspiration from these selfless acts of courage and kindness. And do what we can. Letâ€s Join an NGO that are assisting COVID patients. If thatâ€s too much then letâ€s look within our apartment complexes and our neighbourhoods. Letâ€s volunteer to cook a meal. Help run an errand. No act is too small.

Do not feel ashamed if the amount of charity you give is small, because to refuse the needy is an act of greater shame. -Imam Ali (AS)

Thereâ€s the story of a mother. A mother who would always be grateful no matter what. 

One day her son comes over and hands her, his report card. It was perhaps the worst report card any child could give a parent. His dear mother looks at the report card. Looks over it again and again. She doesnâ€t remove her eyes from the poor marks on the report.

After minutes of deafening silence, his mother finally speaks,

"Son, Iâ€m really grateful. 
In fact Iâ€m even a bit proud of you. 
Because this report shows me that you donâ€t cheat.”

For many of you reading this blog, itâ€s still a difficult period. Work, family, relationships, everything is being tested. When overwhelmed with challenges, itâ€s easy to overlook the infinite blessings in our lives. 

We can be so focused on whatâ€s broken, that we donâ€t notice what has been working all along. 

To notice, be aware and reflect on the grace in our lives is a practice that can keep us grounded. Centre us. Bring balance to our perspective. 

More than likely it can make us see that our challenges are actually much smaller than they appear.

Hereâ€s a list of some things that Iâ€m grateful for:

– Parents

Receive a fatherâ€s hug or a motherâ€s kiss and youâ€ve received the world with all the goodness in it. Nothing else needed.

– Peace

There are several parts of the world that are war-torn and ravaged. I live in a place of Peace and security. I am grateful for that.

– Sleeping Full

Sometimes my trousers hug me tighter than Iâ€d like. Itâ€s because I get to sleep full every single night. I am grateful for that.

– Respect

I have respect and honour amongst folks. Even though in my heart I know that I am not always worthy of it. I am grateful for the status I receive.

– Sincere friends

Diogenes went with an oil lamp looking for an honest man. Likewise true, sincere friends are a rarity. I am fortunate and grateful to have several friends that I can call upon.

– A purpose

So many move in this world aimlessly. Confused and bewildered, on why are they here. Nothing gives them lasting satisfaction. Continuously asking, “What is the point of it all?” I am clear on my purpose. On my higher calling. A direction to to strive for and achieve. I am so grateful for that!

– Children

“The soul is healed by being with children” ~ Fyodor Dostevsky. 

Iâ€m truly grateful for the two little angels that flutter about in my house. Just their mere presence is a reminder for me not to take life to seriously. And that one can always find laughter.

– Struggle & Challenges

Iâ€m grateful for my the struggles and challenges in my life. When they get overwhelming I complain, fret and worry. But I have to admit itâ€s only when a burden is put on me that I muster the strength and I grow.

– Health

“A healthy man wants a thousand things. A sick man only wants one.” ~ Confucius

My body is more intricate, delicate and complex than any device on the planet. And I take itâ€s flawless functioning for granted. It can take a mere blood clot to paralyse me. The fact that I have control of my limbs that do my bidding, organs that carry on with their function (without me reminding or even aware of them) is a mighty blessing that Iâ€m immensely grateful for.

– Access to Infinite Learning

We live in an era that we have access to learn anything. Elon Musk, learnt to fly a rocket via books.  And that actually IS ROCKET SCIENCE! If there is something I donâ€t know, I can go out and learn it, apply it, even master it. Iâ€m grateful to be living in a time when this is possible.

Do any of these resonate with you? Do reply back and share, what are some of the things that you are grateful for? 

Nothing hits you quite as hard as a devastating Problem. 

It beats the wind out of you. Leaves you stupefied, confused and stuck. And when youâ€re hit with one problem after another. Itâ€s like a series of non-stop punches. Pummeling you to the ground. Without a moment to recover.

Iâ€m personally going through a series of challenges. Challenges that are disrupting my routine, clouding my thinking and taking over my peace of mind.

However, Iâ€ve found solace in a book.

One night, flipping through my Kindle, I came across the title “The Greatest Salesman in the World.” 

“Iâ€m not much of a salesman,” I tell myself.  “Selling is a useful skill. Maybe I could learn a thing or two about selling from this book.” I start reading.  

Itâ€s a tale of a masterful Salesman, Pathros wanting to pass down his wisdom to an apprentice, Hafid.  Pathros gives Hafid a challenge to sell a robe in the city of Bethlehem. After four days of being constantly rejected by the tough & ruthless markets, Hafid is left dazed. In despair he asks himself:

“Why do they close their door before I have said five words?  Why do they lose interest in my talk?  What is this fear that seizes me when I approach a closed door?”

Pathros eventually takes on Hafid as his apprentice and hands him 10 timeless scrolls. And itâ€s in these scrolls that I found Love, Strength and Courage.

Here are excerpts:

The Scroll on Love:

Henceforth will I look on all things with love and I will be born again. 

I will love the sun for it warms my bones;  yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit. 

I will love the light for it shows me the way;  yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars. 

I will welcome happiness for it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul. 

I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge. 

I will greet this day with love in my heart.

And how will I speak? 

I will laud mine enemies and they will become friends; 

I will encourage my friends and they will become brothers. 

Always will I dig for reasons to applaud; never will I scratch for excuses to gossip. When I am tempted to criticise I will bite on my tongue; 

when I am moved to praise I will shout from the roofs. 

Is it not so that birds, the wind, the sea and all nature speaks with the music of praise for their creator? 

Cannot I speak with the same music to his children?

I will greet this day with love in my heart.

The Scroll on Living Each day as if it is my Last:

I will live this day as if it is my last.

This day is all I have. These hours are now my eternity. 

I greet this sunrise with cries of joy as a prisoner who is reprieved from death.

I lift my arms with thanks for this priceless gift of a new day.

So too, I will beat upon my heart with gratitude as I consider all who greeted yesterdayâ€s sunrise who are no longer with the living today. 

I am indeed a fortunate man and todayâ€s hours are but a bonus, undeserved. 

Why have I been allowed to live this extra day when others, far better than I, have departed?

Each minute of this day will I grasp with both hands and fondle with love for its value is beyond price. 

What dying man can purchase another breath though he willingly gives all his gold?

I will avoid with fury the killers of time. 

Procrastination I will destroy with action; doubt I will bury under faith; fear I will dismember with confidence.

The duties of today I shall fulfil today. Today I shall fondle my children while they are young; tomorrow they will be gone, and so will I. 

Today I shall embrace my woman with sweet kisses; tomorrow she will be gone, and so will I. 

Today I shall lift up a friend in need; tomorrow he will no longer cry for help, nor will I hear his cries.

I will live this day as if it is my last. And if it is not, I shall fall to my knees and give thanks.

Read the book, friends.  Even better, listen to it! I found the Audible version of the book read by Mark Bramhall, really impactful.  In fact, itâ€s thanks to the audible version that I finished the book.

Hello everybody,

Here are my thoughts for this blog:

“Youâ€re a human doing…not a human being”.

Think about it. You canâ€t help but ‘Do’. You’re always, always, ALWAYS doing something. You are always spending energy, burning calories, moving something. Changing something.  

You are in constant motion. Try to be still. Go on, try it.

You canâ€t!  

Even if you could be physically still, (oops you blinked), your mind is hopeless at it. Your thoughts are racing away. Reminding you of all the things you havenâ€t done but have to do.  Or perhaps just reminiscing of the days prior to annoying, self-righteous emails.

Or you might be the enlightened sort. You may be present with your thoughts.  Watching them as fluffy clouds passing by.  Perhaps every once in a while acknowledging them.  But observe….youâ€re still DOING that!

You are never doing nothing. Youâ€re ‘doing’ sleep, ‘doing’ meditation.

”Itâ€s IMPOSSIBLE to do nothing. So next time, when someone replies to you, “Oh, Iâ€m doing nothing”. Theyâ€re Lying!

So What?

Well, the so what, is this…If youâ€re feeling guilt, regret, anxiety frustration. Itâ€s probably because…youâ€re not doing, ‘what youâ€re supposed to be doing’.

Common sense…but think of it this way:

Since youâ€re always in a state of ‘doing’, just change what youâ€re doing. Youâ€re going to be ‘doing’ something anyway. Might as well be ‘doing’ that which gets you to higher states of excitement, energy and gratefulness.

Change what you do. 

Change how you feel. 

Thatâ€s why I (and the rest of the planet) are attracted to GTD® so much. David Allen has algorithm-ised, this very process.  

David asks us first to pay attention to what has your attention. Just notice that youâ€re off.  Youâ€re uncomfortable. Uneasy. You sense a disturbance in the Force. And itâ€s bothering you.  Then ask yourself: What is it?

When you know that, then ask: Whatâ€s the Desired Outcome here? What would you like the situation to look like?

After that ask, Whatâ€s the Next Action? Whatâ€s the very next step that will take you forward towards a more harmonious state?

Identify those next steps (it might be a phone-call, a conversation, a call to a meeting). Begin moving forward. Just the very act of taking those concrete steps, tears you away from a ‘victimised, helpless-princess’ state of mind to one where youâ€re action oriented. Where you take charge of your world.

Regardless of the outcome, youâ€re empowered.  You begin to feel Awesome about yourself. Carry on with this process. 

Keep asking yourself :-

• What has my Attention

• Whatâ€s my Desired Outcome

• Whatâ€s my Next Action

And youâ€ll see yourself continuously creating a world that aligns with your higher visions and purpose. After all youâ€re a Human Doing…So Do with Purpose.