This is Part III of the 10 Part series called, “10 Things to Create Your Dream Life”. These are 10 Things if done every day, will improve our lives drastically.

We have already discussed the last two parts, i.e., Gratitude & Affirming to yourself. You can click on the links to go through the posts.

Before I go further, I would like to mention the “10 Things…” again for everyone’s benefit:

1. Be Grateful.

2. Affirm your dreams & goals.

3. Think for 3o Minutes.

4. Shoot for the moon, but be happy (now!).

5. Sleep less, live more.

6. Watch less TV.

7. An hour for yourself.

8. Don’t sweat the small stuff… And its all small stuff.

9. Forgive everyone everything!

10. Give back: Charity does not have to be money only.

Simple, right?

All the things mentioned above are normal every day things that we know we should do, yet we don’t put our hearts to it and are not able to do them religiously. Its all a combination of various advices I have been given in the span of around 47 years…Yes, I am ANCIENT!!

Now, lets talk about thinking.

I earlier wrote a post called Start Thinking in 8 Simple Steps.

We have been conditioned to believe that ‘thinking’ can only be about something, as in,

I am thinking about that problem, office shifting, employee problem (also includes ‘boss problem’!),

I am thinking about YOU etc…(we all know thats not thinking! Lol)

Imagine if you sat down and began to think…. Yes, just THINK. Not about something or somebody but just think.

If you have read about successful people, one of their strongest points was to think. Think clearly. Effectively. They could think about anything.

The opposite of thinking is meditation, where you try to clear your mind of everything. More on that some other time.

You must be wondering, why thinking? What’s so ‘sexy’ about it? And what do you get in return besides ‘wasting’ your precious minutes which you could have utilized being on Facebook, chatting with friends, Twitter or a game of your choice (on your computer of course).

Here is my take on thinking:

The quality of your thoughts define the quality of your life. If you think good thoughts, your life will be good.

If we only think of what can go wrong, then rest assured it will go wrong.

In order to think, you have to first sit down in a quiet place, where you know you will not be disturbed unless there is a fire or an earthquake. This can be a place in a room, a room  or even the balcony or sitting anywhere. A tea/coffee shop. A bench or rock by the sea, close to nature or even your bathroom (if you know you will not be disturbed there!). A friend gets his best ideas on the throne. So, chose your place.

Take a plain paper and a pencil/pen.

Close your eyes and try not to think.

It will take some time to take your mind off the things that you were thinking.

Gradually your mind will wander to assorted stuff. Things that matter more than you had thought.

You will be reminded of things that you had to do and had forgotten about them – Write them down, if you think they are important.

You will think of errands, petty stuff – Write them down.

Go deeper. Think deeper. About things that matter to you. You may not have ever thought about those things before. They are a little difficult to think about. Our fears – resistance/lizard brain – do not let us dwell there. Hence, it is doubly important to keep thinking about them. And not to ignore them.

Think about the future, your future. Where you would be – or want to be – in the next 2 years. Five years. Ten years. Yes, I know its scary. Leaving the comfort of the known to the unknown.

If you keep thinking every day, your thinking becomes sharp. Not only will you reap the benefit in thinking about better things and improving your life, but you will also realize that when confronted with a problem you’d rather sit quietly & think about it rather than solving it without giving it a a second ‘thought’.

You will also notice that by thinking deeply about your life improves its quality. You gravitate towards the things that matter in life rather than worrying about superficial stuff & thinking about ‘what people will think’. It has been truly life-changing for me, at least.

You can also sit down with a specific problem in mind and solve it during your ‘thinking time’.

You could write down your one year, two year & five year goals by thinking about them.

You will realize that since you are giving more time thinking about your life in general, you are being exposed to the areas which need improvement. Your weaknesses come to mind and you may think about getting more training in certain fields. Yes, life-long-learning. Ever heard of it? I should be writing soon on it.

I don’t want you to read too much about thinking. You’d rather think more now!!

Think about it.

See if you could put aside your iPhones, Blackberries, Strawberries and other berries that you can’t seem to live without. And give yourself 20-30 minutes of ‘quality time’!!

Love you all,

Stay blessed.

Nuruddin

Picture courtesy: dreamstime.com

I received an awesome New Years greeting on my cell phone from a dear friend, Wajid Mahmood. Its called Handbook 2013.

I agree with most of what is advised:

HANDBOOK 2013

HEALTH

Drink plenty of water

Eat breakfast like a king; Lunch like a prince; Dinner like a beggar

Live with 3 E’s: Energy, Enthusiasm, Empathy

Play more games

Read more books than you did in 2012

Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes every day

Sleep for 7 hours (I beg to disagree here!! 5 should be alright!)

Take a 10-30 minute walk daily. And smile when you walk!

PERSONALITY

Don’t over do. Keep your limits.

Dont take yourself seriously. No one else does!

Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip

Dream more while you are awake

Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need

Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner their past mistakes. This could ruin your present happiness

Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Love everyone

Make peace with your past so it doesn’t spoil your present

No one is in charge of your happiness except YOU

Smile & laugh more

You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree

RELATIONSHIPS

Call your family often

Each day give something good to others

Forgive everyone everything

Spend time with people over 70 & under 6

Try to make at least 3 people smile each day

What others think of you is none of your business

LIFE

Do the right thing

God heals everything

However good or bad a situation is, it will change

No matter how you feel, Get Up, Dress Up & Show Up. 

The best is yet to come

When waking up, thank God for it

You inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Some of the above advices are by Regina Brett which I have posted earlier in this blog. You can read them here. Others, I am not aware of. If any of you know who wrote them, please let me know to give credit to the awesome person/s.

I am sure you were already doing most of the things mentioned above. If you have missed any, get on with it!! Life’s too short!

I wish for you a life blessed with happiness, love, health, peace, prosperity & contentment.

And may you dream big dreams & achieve them.

And may you become the person you aspire to.

Stay blessed. Stay happy.

Nuruddin

PS: No, I won’t talk about new years resolutions!!!

Picture courtesies: 123greetings.com & luckywp.com

Ever thought why we always suffer?

And the person who has hurt us the most is the one closest to us. Right?

Think about someone?

I am sure…

Now, lets examine what the problem IS.

You have someone who you feel is a very good friend or you are in a relationship or simply engaged or married. In all of these cases, the person who has hurt you is your friend or someone very close to you.

But, is it his/her fault?

Lets examine various ways that you get hurt.

If the person says something which you think is not right, you get hurt.

Sometimes, she does something and you feel she shouldn’t have done that. Then again, you are the one who gets hurt.

Then, there is another whole dimension to it: When the person doesn’t say or do something that you thought she should’ve said or done, then again you get hurt.

Rings a bell?

Before I go on, I am sure you know what  am talking about.

It is not prudent to expect things from people. Simple.

But it doesn’t seem to be easy.

Most of us know this but can’t stop ourselves from expecting and in the end… get hurt.

I don’t have a solution to ‘how to stop expecting from people you like/love’.

But I have one clue:

If the relationship is important to you, then talk to them about it. Nine out of ten cases they will say they didn’t realize it was that important to you. And most of them will apologize for not being aware of your feelings. Apology accepted. End of story. And if you are one of those who don’t forgive people, then read this post might help.

However, the problem is exacerbated when you decide not to even talk to them about it and you sulk in your own inner turmoil, whereas, the other person has no clue as to what a big sin has just been committed!

And then you also start expecting the same person to come & apologize to you for doing (or not doing) something that he didn’t know he was supposed to do (or not do!).

If you think about it, the logic here is very simple.

But since we want to make it complicated, it becomes as complicated as we want to make it!

And in the end, the relationship becomes weak & may break if this goes on for a long time.

Solution?

This could help:

Life is too short to hold grudges. Especially against people you love.

Cherish people in your life, they may not be here tomorrow.

You may not be here…

No one is perfect. Including YOU.

Holding regrets doesn’t help, forgive people. It helps you more.

Talk to people if you think they have done something wrong. You will realize how most of them care for you.

And if some don’t, then let them be happy. Be happy for them.

Stay blessed.

Love,

Nuruddin

Picture courtesy: thesocialmediaguide.posterous.com

I was pleasantly surprised when a gentleman that I have known for ages got up to shake hands with me. I kept saying ,”Its alright… Please keep sitting…”. He was sitting at a table with 9 other people & it was awkward for him to stand & shake hands with me. But he did, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Then he said, “I have never greeted anyone sitting down.”

That got me thinking. Why a respectable gentleman – and I am proud to take his name here, Vice Admiral Muhammed Shafi HI (M) – would want to stand up & greet everyone that he meets. That would also mean (no, actually mean!)- standing up to greet people who are below him in stature or age etc. Because you would get up and greet people who are above you any way. Right?

If we think harder, a small gesture could change a lot – and for the better. Although I don’t think its a small gesture at all. Generally, the reason is that we Edge God Out (E G O!) from our lives and think of ourselves as superior beings, especially when we are blessed with a decent position, wealth or power.

Our ego makes us think:

- I am superior so why should I stand up? He should be the one who should!

-  Now I am in a superior position than her, now I will teach her a lesson!

-  He never greets me standing up, why should I bother?

- It won’t help my ‘image’ if I went to her & said hello.

- What will they think of me if they saw me smiling & greeting someone who is far below….

- Now he has to come to me & say hello because of where I am & he doesn’t have a choice!

It could sometime also mean sitting at one place and not roaming around because you want the other person has to come & greet you rather than vice versa.

Petty stuff that we all could live without. Life is too short & beautiful for these petty things to think about.

Bottom line: Our ego makes us feel that we rule the world & giving respect to people would make us look (or feel) inferior.

In fact, the opposite is true.

Lets talk about you.

If YOU meet someone who has airs about him (her!!)  & who doesn’t greet you properly. Would you do something – anything – for him smilingly? Or with all your heart?

We have all watched hidden videos of badly treated waiters and how they grudgingly added ‘stuff’ to the food before serving them.

Isn’t that proof enough?

Or, for that matter, how YOU behaved behind someone’s back when they ‘forgot’ or ‘didn’t see you’ or deliberately ignored you?

Now, turn it around & think of yourself as always being nice – genuinely – or extra nice to people below you or people who you know could hardly help you in any way besides the work that they do for you. Do you think it will hurt you, your reputation or your relationship with them if you were a little kinder to them? A little warmer? A little less ‘bossy’?

Your relationship with that person can go only one way: UP. There will be more love & respect & the person will do whatever they do for you in a more cheerful, if not improved/profitable way. And imagine the free publicity you get when the person talks highly about you in front of your bosses, clients, friends or people who earlier thought negatively about you…

Now, lets look at at it from an entirely selfish perspective. And this quote says it all:

“Be nice to those you meet on the way up because you will need them on the way down!”

Do I need to say more about this one?

Think about the worst-case scenario if you begin respecting people below you. And see if you can handle that?

Usually things are in our minds & not real. Most of our fears are in our minds.

Get them out of your mind & live like a true human being.

We have life stories of all the leaders that have lived before us. Everyone perished. Only a few left a legacy. What would you want people to say about you when you are no more? (There’s a post on legacy that I wrote some time back. Check it out)

I am sure you must have come across these beautiful words. It couldn’t have been said more beautifully:

These are called

The Paradoxical Commandments

I have heard people of all ages complain about two things:

1. I don’t have time!

2. I am bored.

Of course, the list of complaints that we all have can go on and on.

I have already shared my views on the first one in “I Don’t Have Time!”. Let’s talk about the second & more important one now.

First of all, is ‘being bored’ a physical condition which has to be cured?

I guess not.

So, we agree that it is something that our mind does to us. Meaning a mental condition?

This is the frame of mind that a lot of people find themselves in & do not usually know how to change it. Or, sometimes, don’t want to change it.

This also happens when one has lot of serious stuff to do. Serious as in ‘work’ (or ‘art’ as my GuruJee – Seth Godin puts it) that one doesn’t enjoy doing. Even if your career depended on it! Because you are plain bored… 

Or is it something you don’t want to do because its difficult & you somehow can’t muster enough strength to begin. And hence, you are bored.

Does this make sense?

One can get bored with:

My life

My work

My friend

My friends

GF/BF… Or both…(!)

You can add your own reasons for boredom here…

I see people spending (read: wasting) time on a lot of activities that are not beneficial in the short or long term.

Why did I talk about benefit here?

Some of you will scream: Why not just have FUN & forget about benefits, for now at least!

You will say, “I worked all day, listened to my boss screaming at me for something that I didn’t do! And I come home and read this blog of yours & you talk to me about benefits!”

Its alright if you don’t feel like that. But, even if you do, it is ok to feel like that.

But then, is there a way out?

You have your usual days in a ‘routine-type’ life.

You go to work.

Finish work by 6,7 or sometimes even 8 in the evening.

Come home.

Have dinner.

Watch TV.

Go on Facebook, Twitter, Chat with friends etc.

Or play one of those addictive games till you drop dead…

Or you have your own version of stuff to do in your spare time. And yet you feel that you are not enjoying it. You keep searching for something new and different to play with. And once you do, you are hooked for a couple of days/weeks or even months but then its the same boredom.

Rings a bell?

Good.

Now, lets talk about ‘spare time’ and ‘stuff to do’.

Yesterday, my very wise friend, Azad Lalani, quoted:

“It is not what you do from 9-5, but what you do between 5 to 9 that counts!”

If we ponder over it we’ll realize that everyone does a ‘job’. Either it is your business, a job, studies etc. Everyone is usually busy in the day. And in today’s competitive world it is not enough to work all day and ‘get bored’ in the evening. Ever heard of ‘Life long learning’? No? Some other time…

To survive and excel in these ‘easy’ times, one has to do things that others don’t. Things which others find ‘boring’.

Be it reading a book that you don’t want to, or

Watching a TEDTalk video that you want to but you somehow don’t! Or,

Begin a project that is (was?) supposed to be submitted this week.

Etc..

But, before that, lets talk about your career/job/work. I know I know… You didn’t come here to talk about that. But if you wait for a minute and keep reading, you will understand that there is a direct link to your work & boredom.

Take a piece of paper. Any paper. You can even create a new message on your phone & start writing.

Name the person in your office that is going places & is being promoted every time & does her job well & seems to know everything & is always prepared.

Write her/his name on the paper & then begin writing why she/he is like that?

What are her good points. Why is she/he being doted upon. Why everyone is happy with him/her. Why does she/he seem to be on top her game whereas you can only lag behind or turn green with envy?

Success comes from spending your time wisely.

Everyone has a TV & a computer, but you won’t find wise (successful) people wasting time on Facebook/TV shows and  a lot of similar activities. (Did I mention sleeping? There is a post I wrote “Sleep Less, Live More”. For those who are interested, click here.)

Why?

Don’t they need a break?

Aren’t they human beings?

Don’t they get bored with always being up & running?

In my opinion, yes they are human beings like you & me, but they have their priorities right. They do have fun, but they also invest their time wisely in order to create a better future for themselves & their families.

I will leave you with this thought today:

If you are getting bored then are your priorities set correctly?

If yes…. Great!

If not, then work at it and you will see a ‘New & Improved YOU’, for the better… Forever.

Keep succeeding, keep shining.

Stay blessed.

Nuruddin

Picture: www.sodahead.com

3271518502c994ef0a3d

The other day, I met a highly educated gentleman in one of the mentorship sessions for budding entrepreneurs.

The gentleman was intelligent, educated, smart & was well aware of whatever was happening in his industry. He works very hard & gets results.

Yet, he was worried that he could be fired from his job. He also felt that if he resigns today, his bosses/superiors would not ask him to continue or even ask him the reason for his leaving.

Why?

How is it possible? A hard working, smart person feeling like THAT?

After a little prodding, we came to know that the gentleman in question had a problem with lies (truth, actually!). He doesn’t like people who lie or say something & do something else. Who praise everyone on their faces and say something else behind their backs. Who don’t call a spade a spade!

Sounds familiar, right?

He would also get agitated easily about petty things that people do and get away with. I am sure you understand the sort of person this gentleman seemed to be. Honest, hardworking, sincere & straight. No-nonsense sorta guy.

I am sure you come across people like these every day, or maybe YOU are one of them.

Nothing wrong with feeling this way. The world is full of crooks, liars and bad people & we dont want to be one of them. Right?

But there is a thin line between a liar and someone who uses his words carefully & gets along with people. Which helps him grow/succeed in all directions.

Why to chose words carefully when we have been told to tell the truth, no matter what?

Simple answer: It is not lying exactly, but if you could use better words to tell the truth, its more palatable & doesn’t necessarily hurt others. Resulting in better relationships in the long run.

Some time back I wrote a post called, How You Say It Matters, which emphasizes upon our use of words. Case in point, how would you approach a person who is devoid of the ability to see this world? How would you ask him what went wrong with his eyes?

Consider these two options:

Option 1: Sir, when did you become blind?

Option 2. Sir, since when do you have this problem with your eyes?

Same question, different words. Which one will sound better to the ears? Got the idea?

The person still cant see, but the way you said it changed the situation in your favor. And he feels that someone cares for him. You would still care for him even if you used option 1. But he might not notice/feel it.

Even the kindest of deeds require a little ‘something’… Which surely tilts the situation in your favor. Even a smile could go a long way than we can imagine.

Now, superimpose the same thing to a situation with a boss or a subordinate & imagine if you could use your words a little more carefully, you could easily avoid conflicts at your workplace or even at home with your spouse, parents, siblings or gf/bf.

Try it!

Now, I am NOT asking you to start lying from today because thats the only way to survive…

Not at all!

What I AM requesting is to choose your words carefully. Just wait 2 seconds before you say what you want to say. That gap will bring positive results in no time.

You could also use it to reduce your anger by stopping & thinking before you go ballistic over an argument!

One can’t work all alone in this world. Even if you own a business, sooner or later you will still have to hire people to work with you. If you dont know how to get along with people, as a subordinate or even as a boss, you could have problems.

As someone said it beautifully, “No one can whistle a symphony, it takes an orchestra to play it.”

But the million dollar question is not how to use it, but is it lying, or being smart or kind or a diplomat?

Thoughts?

Stay blessed.

Nuruddin

I recently gave an interview to a dear friend of mine, Asma Mustafa Khan of  ARY’s “Bakhabar Savera”.

I call her my ‘Ustani’ (teacher). She has been instrumental in getting me to speak at various universities. In fact, my first ever guest speaker session was in one of her classes at Szabist – a university in Karachi, Pakistan.

Here is a video clip of the interview, please feel free to share if you like it:

My Interview with Asma Mustafa Khan of ARY’s ‘Bakhabar Savera’

Stay blessed.

Dare to dream!

Nuruddin

Have you ever forgotten something that you had thought about a minute ago?

Like an errand that you had to run, a flash of a brilliant idea, or an answer to an important question that you had been pondering over?

Yes?

We all have this awesome body part called ‘brain’ between our ears. And It usually plays tricks on us.

When we really want to recall something, it goes blank. And when we are relaxed & thinking on an entirely different tangent, it pops up.

So, if you are an average human being like me, and when you have this sudden flash from your brain should you just leave it at that or do something about it?
Leaving it alone could also help, but the only concern is what if doesn’t come back?

What if you can’t recall it again?

What if you can’t think about it again?
Chances are its gone – almost forever.

I have been using a simple yet very effective ‘technique’ to solve this problem.

I am sure you can imagine what I am about to say now!

Yes!

I use a piece of paper & pen to write everything that I consider important to note. I carry cards/paper with me, everywhere I go. That means EVERYWHERE!

You could use anything from fancy flashcards to a plain A4 sheet. Just fold the sheet to a size suitable to your taste/need & begin writing whenever you think of something.

These points come handy when you actually need them.

And BECAUSE you have already written these points, you remember them as well.

I know this is very simple, yet a lot of people don’t do this.

I can promise you that you will become better at whatever you do just by writing things down.

What makes successful people succeed are habits – both simple & difficult – that they have adopted & internalized.

What are your thoughts about this?

Do you carry this important tool with you?

Keep dreaming, keep shining.

Stay blessed.

Nuruddin

I have been writing about gratitude for sometime now.

I first wrote about it in Thank Him Every Day: Key to A Happy Life then I shared a video in another one, Thank God I am So Lucky: A Touching Video then in my 10 Things to Create Your Dream Life & a detailed version of the 10 things, 10 Things to Create Your Dream Life: Part I (Thank God Every Day).

You must be wondering why I am sharing with you all my previous posts about gratitude.

The reason is simple, most of us still don’t do this simple thing in our lives: Thank God.

Simple, yet so powerful that it changes the whole perspective about life.

I meet a lot of people every day, especially when I am speaking, and the first thing I notice is the lack of gratitude in people’s lives.

In spite of being lucky enough to be born in the top 5% of the population, people – especially youngsters – feel that they don’t have anything.

Most of their dissatisfaction in life comes from possessions, or the lack of them. They feel that since the other guy/girl has a better purse/watch/cell phone/car/clothes they should also have it. If they don’t then they sulk and curse the whole world. I know that you don’t. But I have met people who do.

So, why gratitude?

Why is it so important?

Because, the moment you are grateful for the things you HAVE, suddenly you realize that even these things – which to you have become your ‘birthright’ –  are not available to 90-95% of the population.

Reading this post in a clean room where there is electricity (or generator/UPS…!), a clean bed to sleep in, a refrigerator to nibble stuff from when you feel like it, being able to eat almost anything that you could wish for, or being able to read this post and for that matter – in English…. What else could one want?

Ever thought that there are people who don’t even have the above luxuries? Which to us have become our bare necessities?

Only when we look at people below us we realize how fortunate we actually are…

But we don’t look at the have-nots and be happy.

Why we always look at people above us and then sulk, cry and ruin our days/weeks/months in fact – life?

I know this has gone a bit serious but this is a question that we should ask ourselves today and every morning when we wake up.

We can even do this for a selfish reason: To Be Happy!

Because the key to being happy is not bigger or better possessions, but contentment.

Being happy with what we have, and not what we don’t have.

Here is a beautiful quote for us to remember:

“He who is not content with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.” Socrates 

Be grateful, every morning and evening and Be Happy. Simple, yet powerful.

Also, another selfish thought: Research has proved that happy people are more successful.

(For more info on this, read Shawn Achor’s The Happiness Advantage)

It won’t even take a minute of your day, but could fill your day with happiness:

Before going to bed & the moment you wake up:

Be grateful for what you have.

Count your blessings. 

Create A Gratitude List.

Stay blessed.

Nuruddin

Picture: http://www.secrets-2-success.com/the-immeasurable-power-of-gratitude/

Apologies for not being able to write lately… But I have been ‘busy’ and couldn’t find the ‘time’ to write!

Did I just say that?

I try and not say anything like this. Because, who am I to challenge time?

We all have 24 hours in this world, like everyone else.

In fact this is one of the few things that we are ‘equal’ with the rest of the mankind.

In fact, the most important commodity is not gold, diamond or platinum which could be bought by paying a price, the ONLY priceless thing is a smile that you put on someone’s face AND    .  .  .

TIME.

I remember a thoughtful quote which says it all:

“No one is busy in this world, it’s all about priorities.”

Makes sense?

So, if all of us have 24 hours then why some people make these very 24 hours feel like 48 and some of us don’t even have time to do our ‘homework’?

Why successful people achieve so much in a day & why most of us lament about not having enough time to even take 30 minutes off & take care of the machine which keeps working non-stop for us, i.e., our body.

Successful people take time out for their family, self development, creating new relationships & business ventures, yet someone of us watch our favorite (read: boring) TV show all evening, or ‘chat’ with friends, ‘invest’ time on Facebook or News Channels and still cry about ‘not having time’.

People say ‘time management’. But is it?

Isn’t it ‘self-management’ that we actually need?

The time is the same for everyone, we just need to adjust ourselves in these 24 hours in a way that all our prioritized stuff gets done.

Whatever gets scheduled, gets done. (Robin Sharma!)

Do we ever schedule our day?

Yeah yeah, I know about the TO-DO List.

Have we made the TO DO list of the stuff that we usually leave out of the list?

Personal stuff?

Taking your spouse out?

Taking time out for the kids, parents, siblings, friends?

Of going for your daily walk/gym/sports?

Reading that important book/article/post that could make your life a little better?

Taking that course which could change your future?

Yes, you do.

Then, what happens?

I know.

Happens with me as well. (Sometimes, Thank God!)

Enter: The Big Boss who rules our world: Our Mood!

(You might want to read my earlier post, “Abhi Mood Nahi Hai: Lazy or Stupid? (Procrastination)”

Thinking about a conversation I had this afternoon with a friend prompted me to write this post.

Let me share it, briefly:

Me: TV seems to be the biggest culprit of all. It takes a lot of our time away.

Friend: Yes, I know and THAT is why I don’t have a TV in my house!

Me: That’s great. So, what do you do when you get home. Don’t you do your work/study/exercise/read?

Friend: Yes, sometimes, when I feel like it. Otherwise, even if I don’t do anything, the night sets in. And the day is suddenly gone.

Got the idea?

Successful people have as many distractions as everyone else has, and I am sure they have many more that money can buy that you & I can only imagine!

Yet, they are extremely focused on their priorities, goals and what they need to do to reach where they want to.

They do all the things that you & I don’t because we have the excuse of ‘I didn’t feel like doing it today‘ and they somehow have taught themselves not to listen to this BS (yes, that is correct!) – anymore.

Its not the TV, laptop, cell phone or Blackberry. It is YOU who is creating excuses, procrastinating & so much so that we don’t even feeling guilty for not doing what we are supposed to be doing.

Make a DON’T DO List. (Courtesy Tom Peters)

You don’t need to answer your cell phone every time it rings. You could always call them back when you are done with importan stuff.

You don’t even need to check emails every five minutes. Even if you check them after every two hours, the sky won’t fall!

Say no to distractions. Friends who call/come in at the wrong time.

Focus relentlessly on the stuff that matters, because that is what is going to help you playing your best game.

Everything else is a ‘waste of time’!

I end this post with this brilliant quote by Charles Darwin:

A man who dares to waste one hour of his life has not discovered the value of life.

Hope this helps.

Keep dreaming.

Follow your passion. But work on it, too!

Nuruddin Abjani

Photo: http://blogs.mulesoft.org/the-developer-testing-paradox/