The second amongst the 10 Things To Create Your Dream Life is:

2. AFFIRM TO YOURSELF

(If you have not yet read the first of this series, here is the link which you could go through later. Both posts are independent of each other, so you can always read that after you have gone through this one.)

First, let me share a short explanation of the word ’affirmation’ from Wikipedia to set the stage: 

‘Affirmations in New Age and New Thought terminology refers primarily to the practice of positive thinking—fostering a belief that “a positive mental attitude supported by affirmations will achieve success in anything.”^[1] 

More specifically an affirmation is a carefully formatted statement that should be repeated to one’s self and written down frequently.’ 

Since now we all know what an affirmation is, let me give you a few of my affirmations: 

‘I am the happiest person on Earth.’

‘I have enough time in my hands to do what I want to do.’ 

‘Every day in every way I am getting better and better.’

‘I am living the life of my dreams.’ (I actually am! God has been kind.)

Etc…

Don’t ask me all of them… I have too many!

For anyone to affirm something, the first thing is to know clearly what one wants from life. If you haven’t decided what you want to achieve in life, then affirmations may not be able to do much.

Hence, it’s important to think deeply as to what you want in your life.

If you coud spare 5 minutes to yourself, you can find out what actually you want to achieve.

could get you going:

But, if you have ever struggled to come up with what you want to do in life, or where you want to go, try asking these simple questions to yourself:

1. If time or resources were not a problem, what would I rather do, be or have?

2. What am I passionate about? What is it that I do where ‘time flies’, when I am in the ‘flow’, what I love doing all day long without getting tired, whenever I think of doing it I am all smiles.

(Watching TV, chatting with friends, web surfing, ‘Facebooking’, sleeping etc. don’t count!)

3. What (Who) is stopping me?

You could also go through a post I wrote some time back, “Mind Blowing Questions to Ask Yourself”.

I won’t elaborate much on the questions, but the bottom line is that one has to have clear goals and preferably BHAG: BIG HAIRY AUDACIOUS GOALS. 

You could have goals on any or all aspects of your life. In fact you must have them. Only then you know where you want to go and where you are going.

Once you have your goals defined, write each one of them down in a journal/diary/notebook etc.

By the way, do you have a notebook that you write everything on? Yes? Good…

No? Please get one. Make sure it is NOT the cheapest one. You don’t want to write your future on a ‘cheap’ notebook! Kidding… But, see that it’s a decent one, which lasts you a long time. Write your thoughts on it. It will surely help. All successful people do. You can’t trust your memory all the time.

Try to remember what did you have for lunch the day before yesterday?

See what I mean?

Now back to affirmations. We now need to convert these goals into affirmations.

For example, you have a financial goal of saving 100,000 by the end of a particular year, say 2012. Lets convert it to an affirmation. But before we do, first we have to know what are the basics of affirmations:

1. Affirmations have to be positive.
2. Affirmations have to be in the present tense.
3. Affirmations have to be repeated at least twice a day.

‘I will save Rs. 100,000.’ Which is not correct.

‘I will try to save Rs. 100,000.’ Again not correct.

Correct one is: ‘I have saved Rs. 100,000.’

Or… “I now have Rs. 100,000.”

Have you watched a documentary called The Secret? Or read its book version by the same name? It became a New York Times Bestseller. Not to be missed.

Ever heard about The Law of Attraction?

Or read another book Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill? If not then you can download a copy here. It’s a gem.

Please watch The Secret and your download a copy of Think & Grow Rich asap. This weekend, preferably!

I would also recommend another book by Rhonda Byrne, The Power.

Affirmations are an integral part of the Law of Attraction. I dont want to get into the mechanics of how affirmations work through our subconscious mind. But, the thing to remember is that your subconscious mind is your ‘stupid servant’, (yaani bewaqoof naukar). It will believe anything that you choose to tell it.

We keep telling ourselves that our lives are not good, we are not lucky/happy, we dont have good friends, my parents dont love me, I wont be able to do good in the exams, my boss doesn’t like me, I am about to be fired, he doesn’t love me anymore… et al.

Any negative thought you have is being relayed to the servant. And it processes it in the same way as it would “I am the happiest person on Earth”.

So, write down your affirmations and say them aloud every day. Early morning and before going to bed. But only after you have been grateful for everything you have at the moment.

So, now you know two of the 10 things which could change your life forever. Try to do these every day.

I will soon be back with the rest of the 10 things in the coming weeks/months.

Dare to dream.

Follow your passion.

Stay blessed.

Nuruddin Abjani

Photo: http://www.tracey-keefer.com

In an interview on Dawn News some time back & during various talks I have shared 10 Things To Create Your Dream Life which is usually liked by a lot of people.

Now I have decided to elaborate on these 10 things that could change your life, for real. I know, you think its all #$%%^&*#. But, if you try this every day for the next 45 days, you will see the changes, promise!

Getting something extraordinary in life was never easy. Think of these 45 days as the equivalent of years of practice a world-class champion puts into his game to win the Gold Medal. Similarly, if you were to excel in every sphere of your life, these 45 days you will have to put a little more effort in your life than you would otherwise. You might have to give up a little of Facebook, TV, chatting with friends and a few games (?) that you love ‘investing’ your time in every day. And do something that gives more RoI (Return on Investment).

Since putting it all in one post would have been very lengthy, I have decided to divide them in several posts. Hope you get some goodness out of it.

Dont forget, you will have to practice most of these things every day to get the full benefit. With Passion & Love. Looking at your Dream Life, as you always wanted it.

Good Luck.

1. THANK GOD

Why thank God?

I am sure we all have a list of stuff that we dont have and would definitely want for ourselves. That our friends and their friends have.

And even if we can read this on a PC, laptop or a WiFi/GPRS-enabled cellphone/iPhone/Pad/iPod/Blackberry etc in the comfort of our room/house/apartment/university/office/coffee shop/restaurant/car etc. And it is assumed that the place we are at the moment is clean, decently temperature controlled, with comfortable furniture, lighting and having something to eat or drink when feel like it.

Ever wondered how fortunate are we to be able to even read? Wear clean clothes? To be able to wash ourselves every day? Live under a roof?

Or being able to wish for something to eat and being able to eat it the same day or at least the same week! Not worrying about food on the table, usually?

Most of us are blessed with all the limbs and the rest of the parts in a human body, which some people are not blessed with – unfortunately.

Remember this one:

“I complained that I had no shoes, until I met someone who had no feet.”

You will be surprised at how happy you have suddenly become by beginning your day with a big ‘Thank You God’, coming from the bottom of your heart.

I dont think we can even begin to count the blessings that we all have been bestowed upon, yet we curse our qismat (luck) most of the times, even at the slightest pretext. And we are, at times,ungrateful. Which, to me, is no less than a sin.

The problem begins when we focus our thoughts & energy on the things that we don’t have, rather than being grateful for things that we already have & have taken for granted. I am sure we have all heard our elders teaching us always to look at people who are below us, who do not have much to eat, wear, drink or who cant even think of ‘hanging-out with friends’, using their BBM on their BBs for hours, playing games on their computers, watching TV, going to a better school/university etc. than looking at people who are economically above us.

The secret to fulfillment & happiness is to be grateful, every hour of the day.

Hence, before going to bed at night & first thing in the morning, say a Big ‘Thank You” to God. Doesn’t matter which religion you belong to. Just…. Be Grateful for everything you are and have.

And experience all the happiness that will surround you during the day.

Do this for the next 45 days and share your experience with all of us in the comments section below.

Did it improve your over all day?

Did you feel happier than you were earlier?

Did you see others in a different light?

Please share… You never know, you could change someone’s life by sharing your experience.

Stay blessed. Be grateful.

Dare to dream.

Nuruddin

PS: Next part will be posted soon. Stay tuned and dont forget to practice being grateful.

While browsing through the Fast Company magazine, I came across this beautiful manifesto by Holstee | Lifestyle Goods, Designed with a Conscience.

I couldn’t help but share it with you:

Dare to dream.

Follow your passion.

Nuruddin Abjani

The Great Steve Jobs died today making a difference in this world, as to how we live our lives. People can never forget the iPhones, iPods, iPads and the Macs he gifted to us.

I posted this one almost a year back. Here is a repost – for Steve Jobs:

While researching for a topic that is always on our minds, yet a very few of us really do something about it, “Work-Life Balance”, I came across the transcript of Steve Jobs commencement speech at Harvard in 2005. What he said made me realize what goes in his mind and how he feels things.

I must have watched this video a couple of years back, however, the transcript got me cornered!
This is how icons and people who have been able to change the world think. With their thinking and the will to do something about it, they have been able to achieve everything that you and I could only dream about. And even THAT we don’t do… Because…Loag kya kahengay! What will people think. To know more about dreaming big, please read my earlier post, ‘Do people laugh at your dreams?’.

Steve dropped out of college and yet made it big. He says, I never graduated from college and this is the closest I have come to a college graduation.

I’d like you to click on the link here & read the transcript, or click here to watch it on Youtube.

He tells 3 stories about his life.

1. Connecting the dots
He says do whatever you love doing. In the end the dots will connect. He learnt calligraphy in college and dropping out of everything that he was supposed to do. In his words:
“It wasn’t all romantic. I didn’t have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends’ rooms. I returned Coke bottles for the five-cent deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the seven miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on.”

2. Love and Loss
Most of us know that Steve Jobs was kicked out of Apple when he was 30. Imagine being fired from a company that you created in your parents garage which made it big to a US $2 billion company.

He says: “I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. 
The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. 
It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods in my life. During the next five years I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. 
Pixar went on to create the world’s first computer-animated feature film, “Toy Story,” and is now the most successful animation studio in the world…
Apple bought NeXT and I returned to Apple and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple’s current renaissance, and…
Lorene and I have a wonderful family together.”


Makes sense? YOU think you are a failure? At what age? Lost everything? RETHINK!

3. Thinking of Death Makes You Follow Your Heart! 
Steve got diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas. “I didn’t even know what pancreas was!” Yet, luckily it was a rare kind which could be cured through surgery. In his words:
“When I was 17 I read a quote that went something like 
“If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” 
It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “no” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important thing I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life, because almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.
Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

And his famous words:

In the end, he says he read this at the back of an old magazine 40 years back which said:
‘Stay Hungry… Stay Foolish.’

This is a must read for everyone. Means everyone!

So, please take time out and read the whole transcript or watch the video. You won’t regret it, I promise.

Nahi to paisey wapis!

God bless you.

Dare to dream…

Follow your passion…

Kal ho na ho…

Nuruddin Abjani
www.powerofthought.org

“Of course, I am!” Thats what you would say, wouldn’t you?

But… ARE YOU?

Really?

Let me tell you a story:

A friend of mine, Masood (not his real name) works for a decent sized company which exports garments to various countries.

Masood’s boss got an offer from abroad & resigned from the company. Since Masood always dreamt of taking that ‘chair’, you can imagine Masood’s happiness when this was announced. 

However, when the management decided to promote Saquib – one of his juniors – to the position, Masood was shattered and couldn’t hide his disappointment.  He confronted the management.

And the reply he received was, “You were not ready for this promotion.”

He was confused & couldn’t understand why.

On pondering about this for over a week & discussing with someone who he considered a mentor,  he gradually understood why the other guy was promoted and not him.

Masood realized that:

1. Although he was a good worker, he never took extra responsibility.

2. He had also refused some voluntary projects on the pretext of being ‘busy’, ‘committed’ or ‘family issue’.

3. He rarely came up with ideas during meetings & discussions. Meetings always ‘bored’ him. Usually others talked in these meetings & Masood would just listen. Whereas, his junior Saquib was usually well prepared for most of the meetings. To the extent of presenting his ideas in a power point, prepared in advance. (A couple of Saquib’s ideas had also been executed & the company benefitted tremendously from it.)

4. He was ‘smart’, but not for the organization. (His friends considered him very ‘intelligent’, but that was outside office. In the office he was a ’9 to 5′ person, doing what he was told. “Tension-nahi-leneka”-type, meaning ‘NO PAINS’.)

5. He finished his job in time – at least most of the times, and did what he was told.

6. He could be considered ‘average’ at best, based on his every-day output. And was happy with it (up till now!).

7. He always did what he was told, but rarely took initiative.

8. The company routinely offered training courses & also paid for higher studies for anyone interested, but Masood considered them a ‘waste of time’. He always thought it was ‘useless’ to develop oneself, especially when you are past ‘university age’ & have entered ‘practical life’. (Masood is 32 now)

9. He loved to ‘relax’ in front of the television every evening and was more than ‘well-informed’ about the ‘political scenario’ of the country. 

10. Since he was sitting at home watching ‘serious’ talk shows & ‘news’ most evenings, he was not up to date on whatever was happening in his industry. (Whereas Saquib would share news reports & international trends with his boss & the management & during meetings – having researched it thoroughly at home.)

11. He was always complaining that he didn’t have time to do everything. And never thought of the television as the culprit. (I dont want to get into his personal problems with his wife who always complained of ‘TV’ becoming her ‘sautan’ [second wife]).

12. He always ate his lunch alone or with two of his old colleagues, never mingling with new people. Hence, people knew him but not well enough. (Since Masood had kept low and had not cultivated friendship/relationship with colleagues outside his department, not too many people knew him well enough to have an opinion about him.)

In short, he realized that although he would have loved to take that seat, he never truly worked towards it.

Has this happened to you, yet?

And if your boss resigns, do you think you woud be considered for the job? Or one of your colleagues would take it?

Hope Masood’s story helps you to grow yourself for the next level.

Dare to dream.

Keep improving yourself.

God bless you, always.

Nuruddin

Picture: solicitr.com

The easiest way (easier said than done!) to improve your will power is to:

1. Try and do something that you DON’T want to do.

2. Try NOT TO DO something that you WANT TO DO.

Thats it. Simple & easy.

I know. Its far from being easy.

FIrst let me explain what this means.

Suppose you do pushups everyday and you have reached a number which you know you have not been able to beat, say 70. Try and push yourself to do just 72 or 73. The idea is to push yourself beyond your perceived limits.

Or you are doing school, college or simply office work. And you feel you have already done enough and your body/mind/mood cant take it anymore. See if you could make yourself do it for another 5 minutes only.

Now the other part of NOT DOING something.

We all love chocolates, ice cream, sweet things, fried stuff (add your favorites here…).

And some of us love hot stuff..(Hot – as in chillies and not what you are thinking!)

I have met people who hate sweets and love tasty – and sometimes not so tasty – hot food. Someone I know loves to nibble at ‘chaat masala’…(for those who don’t know what that is, can imagine a concoction of crushed chillies of all kinds/salt etc. Correct?).

Now how could you stop yourself from doing that.

The idea is to begin with baby steps. I know it has become a cliche’ now. But it helps to gradually improve one’s habits. Especially the ones that you think you can’t quit or overcome.

I didn’t want to give the example of cigarettes & sheesha. But, if you insist…

For cigarettes or anything that has become an addiction, both ways have seemed to work. But I am no expert!

If you already have the will, then by all means JUST QUIT TODAY – NOW. May God be with you.

For others, try to reduce the number of cigarettes, chocolates, bites, injections, sniffs etc. gradually till you know that its NOT something that you cannot do.

Think of your ‘will power’ like a muscle that you need to work on, like in the gym. Muscles that you work at, improve in size , definition & tone.

You can’t tell the coach, ‘No this muscle has always been like this. Never improves. I have always tried and given up. No matter what I do (besides working out!) it wouldn’t.’

Funny?

This also means that when we are sitting like a couch potato watching TV, flipping channels that we don’t like and know we should begin/finish that book, or call a friend, read that article, write down what we want from life, our goals, dreams or finish a project that won’t take more than 15 minutes…

ACT of WILL POWER required?

Just get up and leave the room.

I think the difference between success and failure are these small things. These are the moments that one needs to focus on and worry about. This is where the future lies.

Our will power to do a little more than the people around, will give us the edge.

If everyone else around us is doing the same thing that we are, then we are going to be like them, no matter how worried we are about our future/career/life.

And in todays fast-paced world, the competition is not from people that we meet every day or from the same university/city/school/country.

No.

We now have to compete with the best of the world. Who not only studied at world-class schools, but also seem to be intellectually superior & have better habits and are more in control of their day-to-day life than you and I.

Hence, to improve our will power is the ONLY way to go about it.

It is not an option.

In the end, life is all about choices we make.

Both good and not so good (read: bad).

I wrote an earlier post in a similar vein “Abhi Mood Nahi Hai…Lazy or Stupid?”. Check it out.

Dare to dream.

Improve daily.

God bless us all.

Nuruddin Abjani

This is yet another daily kindness that I experienced in Karachi a couple of months back.

I had given my wife’s car for a paint job to a very old workshop called Yazdani Motors. Some of you may have heard the name. Its very old and is owned & successfully managed by Mr. Naushir Irani.

No, this is not an advertisement! And I have not been paid for saying all of the above!

The reason for the background will be evident as you read further.

When I entered the workshop and saw the finished car and how it was transformed to an almost brand-new-looking one, I was delighted.

So, when Mr Irani came in, I hugged him and said:

‘You made my day, sir! God bless you!’

He smiled and you could see that he was happy for being complimented. He was actually beaming, cheek to cheek.

Painting a car is like an art form to him. And being flattered and praised for something you love doing certainly makes you feel like you are on top of the world.

Btw, I didnt do anything extraordinary, but something that anyone would do in my situation.

The real story begins now:

When I praised his work, and hugged him, his eyes were shining. Which I couldn’t understand. He must be getting compliments like that every day from all over.

Only when he narrated an incident that happened with him in the very workshop that I understood why he felt differently.

Hope we could all learn from this:

Mr Irani must have done another one of his exquisite paint jobs on another car. A more expensive one for sure.

The guy who was taking the delivery of the car thanked Mr Irani and said:

“Thanks, Mr. Irani. Good work.” and began to sit in his newly painted car. However, there was another gentleman with him, a dear friend probably, who said:

“To kya hua, paisey bhi to liye hai uss ney.”

(“So what. This guy charged you for the work!”)

Since Mr Irani was standing right there, he heard it and kept quiet. But was deeply hurt.

Now, I am not saying that one should praise every shopkeeper, grocer, dhobi, cook, barber that you do business with every day. But, if you really feel that the guy has done good work, praise him/her. Make his day. It wont cost you a thing, yet you would have made his day. And… he will always remember and probably pray for you.

Mr. Irani remembered the guy. But, in a different way.

Imagine, someone meeting 15-20 people every day, but vividly remembers the person who instead of saying something good about great work, said something entirely different. No one can forget this. I am sure you have gone through similar situations where people have hurt you without reason. It hurts. But one eventually forgets.

Waqt guzar jata hai par baat reh jaati hai.

In todays day and age, when there are enough bad things happening around us, isn’t it better that at least WE ensure that nothing bad happens by us, through us? And if possible, do good?

“Be kind whenever you possible. It is always possible.” Buddha

God bless you, always.

Nuruddin

Picture courtesy: http://imageshack.us

I was listening to Dr. Wayne Dyer’s audio ‘Wisdom Of Ages’ where he briefly discusses great personalities of all times. He was speaking of one of the most intelligent, sharpest, most curious and most versatile minds in the world.

Leonardo da Vinci (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519): Italian painter, sculptor, architect, mathematician, musician & scientist & surely one of the greatest intellects in the history of mankind. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time and perhaps the most diversely talented person ever to have lived.

Balance, as we all know, is at the crux of everything. Without it, everything will fall down.

Da Vinci said this about ‘balance’ ages ago:

“Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer.

Since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose power of judgment.

Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller, and more of it can be taken in at a glance, and a lack of harmony or portion is more readily seen.”

To avoid being consumed by anything, walk away from it.

Meditate.

Try to do without cell phones, Blackberrys and iPhones once in a while. It surely helps.

Follow your ambition, work at whatever you need to work on, but do enjoy the journey.

Dare to dream.

Follow your passion.

Nuruddin Abjani

Picture courtesy: www.europosters.eu

You are in your Sunday best & have just arrived at an event/dinner/party. You have been in an awesome mood all day. Looking forward to this day.

And you bump into an old ‘friend’ who says something about how you look or what you are wearing or your hair cut (thank God that doesn’t happen to me!) or how it would have been better if it was another color or style.

Some petty stuff. That shouldn’t bother anyone.

But, it bothers YOU. Me. And everyone around us.

Lo and behold: The ‘animal’ inside you, which we all call ‘mood’, is angry.

And it spoils the evening for you.

In spite of everything.

In spite of the fact that every other person you meet says you look great, gorgeous, handsome, awesome … add some more ‘somes’… And yet, you remember the bad one ONLY.

We also feel this way when someone DOESN’T say something that we expect to hear. And if that doesn’t happen, we are suddenly ‘having a bad day’.

Seems like something inside us doest listen to us. And has its own ‘thinking’ and agenda. ‘It’ can spoil an awesome day, evening, night, event etc. Just because ‘it’ wasn’t in the ‘moooooood’…

Yes?

Happens to you?

NO?

GOOD.

(Thanks for visiting my blog. You dont need to read this post any further… Kidding!)

And for those to whom this happens, and quite frequently at that, please read on:

I am sure all of us have possessed a machine, equipment, appliance in the last so many years of our lives.

How do you usually turn it on?

With a power switch, remote, timer, trigger etc?

Now, who possesses/holds/carries the remote/switch….?

The owner or user: meaning YOU.

Now think about this:

Who owns YOUR body?

Your mind?

Your ‘mood’?

Your ‘heart’?

Your thinking?

Your thought process?

And the correct answer is: YOU, of course?

NO WAY!

If that was the case, then we would be happy all the time.

Why aren’t we?

Why does our mood go down & up… For no apparent reason?

I think we are owned by our ‘MOOD’.

For if the above were owned by you, you would have had no ‘bad days’ and ‘mood off’s. And you would have been the happiest person around.

Got the point?

So, if the above is true, what can we do about it?

Everyone goes through this problem but no one seems to have a solution.

Ever met someone who is always smiling, laughing, living life?

Someone who might have a little bit less wealth/money/worldly possessions etc, but lives life to the fullest.

Ask them how can they do it?

Dont they meet the same sort of people that you do?

Dont they live in the same country/city/area that you do?

Dont they go through the same hassles & problems through life?

Same load shedding & street crimes that you do.

You will be surprised if you knew that sometimes these people are having worse circumstances than you do. And yet they decide to be happy.

They have decided to take life head on.

With a smile on their faces.

Come what may.

Yes, the only thing that YOU need to do is:

DECIDE TO BE HAPPY.

I quote Regina Brett, a young-at-heart lady who I admire a lot.

She says:

“No one is in charge of your happiness, but YOU!”

Read her book, “Life’s Little Detours”. Or watch her read it to you on YouTube. Or just visit her blog.

I know two Pakistanis who have trouble performing trivial, everyday tasks by themselves. Tasks that you & I perform everyday & take them for granted, like walking, sitting up, and going to the loo.

They have decided to take life head on, be happy AND change the world!

Bravo!

One is Nooruddin Bhamani a.k.a Munna Bhai and the other is Sarmad Tariq. You can click on their names to know more about them. Sarmad has an awesome blog, please visit & share.

So, coming back to being happy…

What do you think?

Is it difficult to be happy?

Is it really dependent on circumstances? Wealth? Status? A bigger house? A bigger car? Ability to get up every day? Walk? Run?

RETHINK!

‘Happiness is a state of mind.’

Is it?

I’d like to know YOUR take on happiness in the comments section below and lets see how all of us perceive happiness.

God bless you.

Nuruddin Abjani

Picture courtesy: Google Images

I was going through Robin Sharma’s blog and stumbled upon this less than 30 second read which could actually transform one’s life if followed seriously.

60 Seconds Productivity Tactics

1. Have the courage to get great at saying “No Thanks” to any activities that don’t advance your priorities.

2. Take 60 seconds every morning to do a written game plan for a productive day. “The things that get scheduled are the things that get done.”, from The Greatness Guide.

3. Take a few seconds each day to turn off all your technology and work deeply on a key project with zero distraction.

4. Take 60 seconds to breathe deeply and focus on your progress. This will re-energize and refuel you.

5. Take 60 seconds to un-clutter your work area so you create space for your creativity to flow.

Hope this helps you in your everyday life, no matter what you are and what you do. And the best thing is anyone can follow these at any time.

Simple, short and effective.

Thanks Robin for these and a lot of other things that I keep learning from you.

For those who don’t know Robin Sharma: He is one of my gurus and I have learnt a lot from his books, podcasts, videos and blog in the last 5-6 years. God bless him.

Dare to dream.

Follow your passion.

You only live once.

Nuruddin Abjani