Arvind Devalia's Blog, page 4
February 14, 2016
Life-Changing Love Wisdom for Every Day from Around the World
This is my 600th blog post!
To mark my 600th blog post, I could not have chosen a more appropriate topic for me – love.
And on Valentine’s Day too!
I looked around at many Facebook pages to get the best image quotes to share with you on this momentous day – and I found a real treasure trove for you all!
Firstly, what does the word love mean to you?
Does it evoke a vision of red roses, serenading in the park, moonlit walks and champagne?
In our world of glossy magazines and glitzy media, where we are constantly bombarded with images of the ideal, love struck and “perfect” couple, is it any wonder that the real meaning of love has been so diluted.
Love for some is about being starry eyed and going gaga over someone. The actual being in love becomes more important than ever truly loving someone.
Some people are even in love with the idea of being in love!
I have shared these words before on my blog and I make no excuse for sharing again these famous words from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (by Louis de Bernieres):-
“Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides.
And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.
Because this is what love is.
Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion, it is not the desire to mate every second minute of the day.
That is just being “in love”, which any fool can do.
Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.
Those who truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from the branches they find that they are one tree and not two.”
The question is what will it take for you to be able to love like this?
And what will it take for the world to wake up to the true meaning of love?
Remember that you can have at least 23 top ways to be love today and every day, not just on Valentine’s Day.
So Just What is Love?
Love is the most amazing thing in our lives. It is what makes us human, what makes life worth living. Nothing else truly matters. The size of our homes, bank balances, the beauty of our spouse, the speed of our car – all these things pale into insignificance when we face the splendour of what it is that makes us tick.
Love does not make the world go around – it simply makes the ride worthwhile!
Love is not the highly commercialised circus we see around Valentines Day. It is much deeper and much more profound than sending someone a dozen roses at hugely inflated prices. It is much more than candle lit dinners and fancy chocolates.
We all yearn for that deep connection with others, those moments of bliss, joy, completeness. We crave to have more of those delicious moments we may have had with a romantic partner. And yet, such moments seem so rare and forlorn.
We all remember the blissful moments when strangers have shared their love and made a difference. We all remember the feeling of gratitude in the eyes of someone whom we have helped. We remember how great it feels to do something for someone without expecting anything in return.
We cry when we see happy stories on our TV screens of families reuniting. Such stories touch our hearts and yet they are so rare, as we continue to get bombarded with so much doom and gloom by all the negative media around us.
We remember the sheer joy of children playing and the love in their eyes. Our hearts skip a beat, we get goose pimples and we get teary eyed when we witness an act of sheer love, pure, unadulterated and unconditional.
Such Moments Literally Take Our Breath Away
Love is much greater than what we feel romantically. It is what makes us sing, dance and makes us human.
The world today is just not working – our tried and tested methods have failed. We need to review our core values and to see just where we are headed.
If there was enough love in the world, we would simply not tolerate a single human being starving.
“There is enough for everyone’s need, but not for everyone’s greed” – Gandhi
However, there is enough love in each of our hearts to heal the world. We have simply forgotten this as we all strive to get bigger, better and to get somewhere which we think will make us happy.
Usually though when we get there and have these things, we find forlorn emptiness. Yet there is a better way. Open your heart to what is possible.
There are so many simple things we can all do on a daily basis to bring more love into our lives. Together we can all make this an even better and more beautiful world than it already is.
“Love WILL conquer all – if you let it!” – Arvind Devalia
Once you become aware of the miracles that love can produce you will want more of the same. Your situation will change, people around you will change and you will change. You will become human again.
“The love you fail to share is the only pain you live with right now in your life” – Shore Slocum
Let us all become human again together, and manifest even more love in our already magnificent world.
A world of love, and love always.
After all, nothing else matters.
———————————————-
Now please join me in my mission to share and spread more love in the world.
Please check out all the amazing image and love quotes below and share them with your friends.
And do also visit all the Facebook pages for more inspiration and wisdom.
Let’s all transform the world together and bring more love into the world. You know it makes sense to do so:-).
Love Wisdom from my Facebook Friends Around the World
So here is the love wisdom from my fabulous Facebook friends around the world
2. Amit Sodha Unlimited Choice
9. Change Your Destiny in 6 Days
28 Day Relationship Adventure
In Feb 2011, I wrote 28 articles in 28 days – all around them the theme of love and relationships.
Here are the complete 28 articles – please do check them all out:-)
1 – Become Aware of Your Relationships
2 – Love Yourself First Before Loving Anyone Else
3 – Love Yourself Without Becoming Full of Yourself
5 – 9 Simple Tips To Create Energising Relationships
6 – Why Decluttering your Friends is Good for You and Them
7 – Stop Bending over Backwards for Other People!
8 – Be Special to Find the Special One
9 – 10 Key Secrets for Becoming Likeable
10 – Don’t Fall in Love – Create Love
11 – Do you Believe in Soulmates?
12 – Open Your Heart and Find the Special One
13 – Create your ideal Valentine’s Day
14 – Make it a Fun Valentine’s Day Everyday!
15 – Make Your Relationship Even More Special
16 – Learn to Love Unconditionally
17 – 11 Keys to Improve ALL Your Relationships
18 – Why the Human Touch is Key
20 – Share Your Love with Your Loved Ones Everyday
21 – Stop Judging, Start Loving
22 – Simple Trick to Instantly Improve All Your Relationships
23 – Why No One Is Ever An Ugly Duckling!
24 – Why World Compassion Begins With You
25 – Why Teamwork Always Begins with YOU
26 – How to Let People Go From Your Life
27 – Thank the Divine Every Day
28 – Stop Being An Approval Seeking Machine
Please Help Spread the Word
Please tell your friends about Make It Happen by using the share buttons below.
Every Retweet and Facebook share helps me grow my blog. I look forward to seeing you here again soon. Thank you for reading! – Arvind
The post Life-Changing Love Wisdom for Every Day from Around the World appeared first on Make It Happen.
Life-Changing Love Wisdom for Valentine’s Day and Every Day from Around the World
This is my 600th blog post!
To mark my 600th blog post, I could not have chosen a more appropriate topic for me – love.
And on Valentine’s Day too!
I looked around at many Facebook pages to get the best image quotes to share with you on this momentous day – and I found a real treasure trove for you all!
Firstly, what does the word love mean to you?
Does it evoke a vision of red roses, serenading in the park, moonlit walks and champagne?
In our world of glossy magazines and glitzy media, where we are constantly bombarded with images of the ideal, love struck and “perfect” couple, is it any wonder that the real meaning of love has been so diluted.
Love for some is about being starry eyed and going gaga over someone. The actual being in love becomes more important than ever truly loving someone.
Some people are even in love with the idea of being in love!
I have share these words before on my blog and I make no excuse for sharing again these famous words from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (by Louis de Bernieres):-
“Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides.
And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.
Because this is what love is.
Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion, it is not the desire to mate every second minute of the day.
That is just being “in love”, which any fool can do.
Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.
Those who truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from the branches they find that they are one tree and not two.”
The question is what will it take for you to be able to love like this?
And what will it take for the world to wake up to the true meaning of love?
Remember that you can have at least 23 top ways to be love today and every day, not just on Valentine’s Day.
So Just What is Love?
Love is the most amazing thing in our lives. It is what makes us human, what makes life worth living. Nothing else truly matters. The size of our homes, bank balances, the beauty of our spouse, the speed of our car – all these things pale into insignificance when we face the splendour of what it is that makes us tick.
Love does not make the world go around – it simply makes the ride worthwhile!
Love is not the highly commercialised circus we see around Valentines Day. It is much deeper and much more profound than sending someone a dozen roses at hugely inflated prices. It is much more than candle lit dinners and fancy chocolates.
We all yearn for that deep connection with others, those moments of bliss, joy, completeness. We crave to have more of those delicious moments we may have had with a romantic partner. And yet, such moments seem so rare and forlorn.
We all remember the blissful moments when strangers have shared their love and made a difference. We all remember the feeling of gratitude in the eyes of someone whom we have helped. We remember how great it feels to do something for someone without expecting anything in return.
We cry when we see happy stories on our TV screens of families reuniting. Such stories touch our hearts and yet they are so rare, as we continue to get bombarded with so much doom and gloom by all the negative media around us.
We remember the sheer joy of children playing and the love in their eyes. Our hearts skip a beat, we get goose pimples and we get teary eyed when we witness an act of sheer love, pure, unadulterated and unconditional.
Such Moments Literally Take Our Breath Away
Love is much greater than what we feel romantically. It is what makes us sing, dance and makes us human.
The world today is just not working – our tried and tested methods have failed. We need to review our core values and to see just where we are headed.
If there was enough love in the world, we would simply not tolerate a single human being starving.
“There is enough for everyone’s need, but not for everyone’s greed” – Gandhi
However, there is enough love in each of our hearts to heal the world. We have simply forgotten this as we all strive to get bigger, better and to get somewhere which we think will make us happy.
Usually though when we get there and have these things, we find forlorn emptiness. Yet there is a better way. Open your heart to what is possible.
There are so many simple things we can all do on a daily basis to bring more love into our lives. Together we can all make this an even better and more beautiful world than it already is.
“Love WILL conquer all – if you let it!” – Arvind Devalia
Once you become aware of the miracles that love can produce you will want more of the same. Your situation will change, people around you will change and you will change. You will become human again.
“The love you fail to share is the only pain you live with right now in your life” – Shore Slocum
Let us all become human again together, and manifest even more love in our already magnificent world.
A world of love, and love always.
After all, nothing else matters.
———————————————-
Now please join me in my mission to share and spread more love in the world.
Please check out all the amazing image and love quotes below and share them with your friends.
And do also visit all the Facebook pages for more inspiration and wisdom.
Let’s all transform the world together and bring more love into the world. You know it makes sense to do so:-).
Love Wisdom from my Facebook Friends Around the World
So here is the love wisdom from my fabulous Facebook friends around the world
2. Amit Sodha Unlimited Choice
9. Change Your Destiny in 6 Days
28 Day Relationship Adventure
In Feb 2011, I wrote 28 articles in 28 days – all around them the theme of love and relationships.
Here are the complete 28 articles – please do check them all out:-)
1 – Become Aware of Your Relationships
2 – Love Yourself First Before Loving Anyone Else
3 – Love Yourself Without Becoming Full of Yourself
5 – 9 Simple Tips To Create Energising Relationships
6 – Why Decluttering your Friends is Good for You and Them
7 – Stop Bending over Backwards for Other People!
8 – Be Special to Find the Special One
9 – 10 Key Secrets for Becoming Likeable
10 – Don’t Fall in Love – Create Love
11 – Do you Believe in Soulmates?
12 – Open Your Heart and Find the Special One
13 – Create your ideal Valentine’s Day
14 – Make it a Fun Valentine’s Day Everyday!
15 – Make Your Relationship Even More Special
16 – Learn to Love Unconditionally
17 – 11 Keys to Improve ALL Your Relationships
18 – Why the Human Touch is Key
20 – Share Your Love with Your Loved Ones Everyday
21 – Stop Judging, Start Loving
22 – Simple Trick to Instantly Improve All Your Relationships
23 – Why No One Is Ever An Ugly Duckling!
24 – Why World Compassion Begins With You
25 – Why Teamwork Always Begins with YOU
26 – How to Let People Go From Your Life
27 – Thank the Divine Every Day
28 – Stop Being An Approval Seeking Machine
Please Help Spread the Word
Please tell your friends about Make It Happen by using the share buttons below.
Every Retweet and Facebook share helps me grow my blog. I look forward to seeing you here again soon. Thank you for reading! – Arvind
The post Life-Changing Love Wisdom for Valentine’s Day and Every Day from Around the World appeared first on Make It Happen.
December 17, 2015
8 Powerful Strategies That Will Make You That High Achiever that Everyone Loves to Hate
Have you ever hated someone who was just so good at everything they did?
They couldn’t do anything wrong whilst there was poor you, struggling with the most mundane of things.
You know what I mean – that smart ass kid at school who annoyingly always got straight As. That hot girl who everyone wanted to date, was super at all sports, knew all the latest dance moves and came top of the class.
And worst of all while you slaved away every day immersed deeply in your books during your college days, these smart students never seemed to study. Instead they were out partying every night – they were the smart in-crowd.
It was as if they were born high-achievers.
Yes, we have all been there. And didn’t you just hate these guys and gals?
Of course it doesn’t end there – at work there is always that one smarmy work colleague who just knows it all – and you hate to admit it but he really knows far more than you do. Like him or not, you grudgingly accept that he is simply brilliant. And sadly you are not anywhere near their level.
Yet deep down you know that you are as good as them. In fact you just know you are better than them. You even feel smug knowing that you are actually smarter than them – it’s just that no one has discovered this about you.
Worst is this pain of knowing that you could be so much more in life – it hurts you to the core of your being to know that life is passing you by whilst you are being mediocre. And others are getting the glory.
Life seems so unfair – you are from the same gene pool. What have they got that you don’t?
Well, what if I told you that there was a way to become just like them? To become even better than them?
If you wanted to, you too could become such a high-achiever. Indeed you could ruffle so many feathers with your brilliance and your success that others would love to hate you too.
The good news for you is that it really does not take much to raise your game and become a high achiever yourself.
And you know what, you owe it to yourself to do so. Remember, the clock is ticking.
“We all have two lives. The second one begins when you realise you only have one” – Tom Hiddleston
But first you have to be ready to play all out to finally become a high achiever and start creating amazing things in your life.
Now what I have learnt is that highly successful people always strive for more.
They work hard and play hard – and if that sounds like you, then read on.
So consider this right now – where in your life can you raise your game?
4 Underlying Principles for Becoming a High Achiever
There are 4 underlying principles for becoming a high achiever and transforming your life – Clarity, Commitment, Focus and Action.
I have learnt that achieving things in life is actually relatively quite simple – get clear about what you want, get committed to do whatever it takes to get this, become laser focussed and take action until you get there.
Of course it’s simple, but not easy – not everyone is willing to do the work and take the necessary steps. Which is why there are so many people mired in mediocrity. But you no longer need be one of them.
1. Clarity
Clarity is POWER – the clearer you are about what you want, the more likely you are to achieve it.
Knowing what you want in life is key – but most people don’t even know what they want!
There are only a small number of people who do know what they want.
But there are only a TINY number of people who actually take the actions necessary towards getting what they want.
Most people go through life in a fog, meandering from day to day and before we know it, their life has gone by. And then they come and bury you.
Once you have the clarity about what you want in life, the rest is about creating a sensible strategy and taking action.
Getting that clarity in the first place is key.
Incidentally, when I first started coaching clients, I used to think that self-belief was the starting point i.e. you had to believe in yourself.
I have known some high achievers who were totally plagued by low self-belief in themselves and yet they were creating incredible things in their life.
Other times, I have worked with clients who couldn’t even get started as they had such low self-belief.
So get this once and for all – self-belief is not a pre-requisite to success and achievement in life. Neither is confidence.
Confidence is an outcome and not a pre-requisite for success in life.
So here are some key questions for you to consider right now to get more clarity for your life:-
What dreams did you have when you were a child?
What gives you joy today?
What have you given up on?
2. Commitment
The second principle for a life of high achievement is Commitment.
“Commitment is an act, not a word.”
Your commitment is something you renew every morning, and it’s not just a passing, fancy fad.
So pause right now and ask yourself –
What does commitment mean to me?
What I mean by commitment in this context is not just another word you throw around loosely – but it’s a way of being and something you take on for the rest of your life.
Let us look at the lives of 2 of my all-time heroes.
Mahatma Gandhi was totally committed to a free India – and he achieved that in his lifetime
Check out 11 Key Lessons from Gandhi for leading a Powerful Life of Commitment
And Mr Nelson Mandela was committed to a free united South Africa – and despite spending 27 years in prison, he achieved that.
During that time in prison he remained totally committed to his lifelong vision.
Commitment is about declaring your word to something bigger than you.
The question for us is really not even about what Gandhi, Mandela and others like them have achieved in their lifetime – but what made them stand out from the rest of us?
So this is really an inquiry about what allows you to be totally committed to what you say you are committed to.
You simply have to take action daily to renew your commitment on a daily basis.
You have to be persistent and keep going till you get there. Even if takes you the rest of your lifetime!
WHO you are is not absolute nor set in stone – it’s a choice.
And you can choose to be whoever you want to be – and today you can choose to become a high-achiever and transform your life.
3. Focus
When you truly focus on what you what, everything else falls away.
Nowadays we have more distractions than ever before.
“Absolute focus is the key to all great human achievement – whilst preoccupation is the enemy of all achievement”
And let’s just check in on you guys right now – whilst reading this blog post, have any of you checked out your Social Media notifications since you started reading it?
Come on – own up. It’s okay – I let you off this time :-).
But remember – how you do one thing is how you do everything.
First comes the clarity. You then declare your commitment and remain focussed on this until you’ve achieved success in your quest.
Once you are focussed, you simply do not deviate from your path.
There are so many distractions these days to stop you from focussing on the key things!
For example, if I didn’t switch off all my social media inputs, every time I try to write an article, I would have Twitter, Facebook and email notifications stealing my attention.
Not keeping your focus on your goals will lead to ineffective efforts – and you already know that ultimately this is the road to mediocrity. You might as well give up and stop reading this article if you are so easily distracted.
So here are some practical ideas for you right away.
Next time you need to stay focused, switch off your TV, log off social media sites and blogs and turn off your smartphone.
Even turn off your computer if you don’t need it for your work.
Simple really. That’s how you create time for the important things.
Commit to starting and finishing one key task at a time.
Create a powerful statement for yourself such as:-
“I’ll have 100,000 subscribers to my blog and I will not stop taking focused action until I do”
4. Action
You can have complete clarity and be committed to getting what you want in life.
But all that would be pointless if you do not take focused action every day!
Most of us procrastinate – some of us are even world class at procrastinating!
But the clock is ticking – we have very little time to waste.
“The trouble is you think you have time!” – The Buddha
Success in life is actually quite simple – focussed, relevant actions on a daily basis taking you to where you want to go.
So here’s something for you to do by the end of today. Start or finish off something you have been putting off for a while –make sure you do not go to sleep tonight until you are done.
You really have to do whatever it takes to get what you want in life.
So to summarise – my 4 underlying principles for ultimate success and high achieving in life are:-
Clarity – Get clear on what you want
Commit – Play full out
Focus – Get and remain focussed
Action – Take daily action
So these are the foundational principles for becoming a high-achiever – and to put them into practise, here are my 8 practical strategies:-
1. Review Your Starting Point
Start by focussing deeply on what’s happening in your life currently
Take stock of all the powerful and fulfilling things you have done and continue to do.
What’s already really working right now?
Where do you want to step up?
What are your current challenges and blocks?
To start with, remember that you are already successful in your life!
However, let’s look deeper:-
Where are you stuck?
What’s holding you back?
Where is there room for improvement?
Take an HONEST look at what’s really going on for you.
Getting this extra clarity will allow you to review and start again if necessary.
2. Get Clarity and Create a Bigger Vision
Now let’s look at the vision you have for your life.
What’s the powerful vision for your life? For today and the future?
To help you get a clear idea about what one thing you must do in your lifetime, I invite you to reflect on these questions:-
What do you want to look back on when you are 80?
If you had all the time and money in the world, what would you do?
What’s your ultimate game?
And this is the KEY question I would like you to keep reflecting on during the next few days:-
Just what one thing MUST I do in my lifetime?
And once you have an idea of what you want to do in your life, you have to go after it single-mindedly and let nothing get in your way!
3. Harness the Ultimate Mindset
Once you are clear about the ultimate vision for your life, it’s time to get committed to it!
Most people in life are NOT committed to anything!
Indeed most people go through life half-hearted committed to what they think they want.
And most people don’t even know what they want in their life!
So ask yourself just what are you committed to in your life?
What’s the one thing you are committed to make happen in your lifetime?
“It helps to be positive and upbeat every day, but unless you are committed to something bigger in your life, you may well spend the rest of your life in mediocrity” – Arvind Devalia
So it’s your choice – a life of mediocrity or a life of excellence!
4. Develop a Winning Strategy
What got you here may not necessarily help you to reach the bigger game you are committed to!
Once you’ve got clear of just what you want to do in your life and in your lifetime, how are you going to win at your ultimate game?
The key is to create a winning strategy to help you get there. And to correct your course if necessary.
It’s about bringing your best game to the table and to create your own rules for your game of life. And for transforming your life.
And YOU get to choose just who is going to help you become a high achiever and win your ultimate game.
What are the special rules of YOUR game of life?
What steps will YOU take to win the game?
WHO is going to play with you?
5. Become Streamlined and Strong
To become a high- achiever in all areas of your life, you need to be in prime condition, physically, mentally and emotionally.
What we are looking at here is you being fully energised and highly optimised.
You also need to be streamlined and de-cluttered in all areas of your life.
Do an honest review today of what and who you can let go off from your life.
A coaching client living in the English countryside in Sussex took on de-cluttering her life. It turned out that she and her husband had so much junk, they were actually paying a lot of money to hire a large warehouse to store their stuff.
Within a month, they were able to get rid of most of their stored stuff and the warehouse was completely empty. And amazing things began to happen in her business once she had cleared all this unwanted junk.
So this is really, really important – I cannot emphasise this enough – please start to simplify your life in all areas from today onwards.
Here are 20 simple questions to help you simplify your life for ever.
Streamline all your commitments and start letting go of things that no longer serve you.
And to play your best game in the game of life, you also need to have an optimum self-care regime.
Please be clear that I am talking about talking TOTAL self-care here – there can be NO half measures when it comes to being your best mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Finally, it’s about having congenial relationships so that all your interactions with others are powerful and they support your quest.
Remember, you have to be intentional about creating the best and optimal environment for high level achieving.
It’s about calling on external resources where necessary so you can focus on what’s really important.
Crucially, it’s about not doing certain things at all.
And it’s about slowing down to speed up.
6. Create and Follow a Powerful Action Plan
You could have a really inspiring vision for your life and you can have the best strategy and your life could be really streamlined. But if you don’t take any action, your life will NOT transform!
There is no point in having compassion for something or someone if you don’t actually take a stand for them.
In the same way, being committed to something that really resonates with you is useless unless you take daily action.
Your commitment has to be renewed every day.
Most people go through life stopping and starting on their projects – or they keep going around in circles, never getting anywhere.
So it is vitally important to have your goal broken down into discrete and simple steps with clear deliverables.
“Most people never ever take the one simple action step which they know will change their life dramatically” – Arvind Devalia
It is about doing the simple things and doing them well – but doing them only as well as is absolutely necessary.
Take discrete and simple steps with clear deliverables.
Be creative and really think outside the box.
And always remember – strive for excellence rather than perfection.
7. Get Accountability and Project Manage Your Life
Your life of high-achieving is your own little project – it’s what you are going to create. Your own masterpiece.
As with any worthwhile project you must plan and manage your project – and you may need accountability to others.
Ultimately the only person who you are accountable to is YOU.
So check in with yourself just how committed you are to become a high-achiever and to create your legacy and your dream life.
And stick to the course and re-evaluate as necessary.
Remember that to get there, your mind-set has to be focussed on success come what may!
8. Celebrate Life, Review and Plan Your Next Steps
Most high-achieving people rarely stop to celebrate.
It’s so easy to get totally and heavily involved in your work. Especially if it’s your passion.
But it’s all about working hard and also playing hard.
So how do you celebrate in your life?
How do you mark the big victories in your life?
I invite you to celebrate life over the next 24 hours in any way that excites you. It could be as simple as a nice cup of tea or that bar of chocolate you have been denying yourself.
Your big successes in life and your super achievements are worth celebrating big time.
Review daily how far you have come.
Express gratitude and appreciation for all you have.
And then perhaps it is time to step up your game even further.
You can create the next steps for an even bigger game – no point stopping now, right?
The Way Forward
So there you are – a rapid exploration of how to become a high-achiever – how to go from struggling in the shadow of all these so called high achievers – and learning not only how to be like them but even out-smarting them.
“Revenge” in your mind over those alleged high-achievers who made you feel small will be sweet.
But also watch out – don’t become smarmy and arrogant. Be nice to those not as smart and high-achieving as you – you never know just how quickly and when they could outdo and outsmart you :-).
It’s time for you to soar…
The post 8 Powerful Strategies That Will Make You That High Achiever that Everyone Loves to Hate appeared first on .
8 Strategies That Will Make You That High Achiever that Everyone Loves to Hate
Have you ever hated someone who was just so good at everything they did?
They couldn’t do anything wrong whilst there was poor you, struggling with the most mundane of things.
You know what I mean – that smart ass kid at school who annoyingly always got straight As. That hot girl who everyone wanted to date, was super at all sports, knew all the latest dance moves and came top of the class.
And worst of all while you slaved away every day immersed deeply in your books during your college days, these smart students never seemed to study. Instead they were out partying every night – they were the smart in-crowd.
It was as if they were born high-achievers.
Yes, we have all been there. And didn’t you just hate these guys and gals?
Of course it doesn’t end there – at work there is always that one smarmy work colleague who just knows it all – and you hate to admit it but he really knows far more than you do. Like him or not, you grudgingly accept that he is simply brilliant. And sadly you are not anywhere near their level.
Yet deep down you know that you are as good as them. In fact you just know you are better than them. You even feel smug knowing that you are actually smarter than them – it’s just that no one has discovered this about you.
Worst is this pain of knowing that you could be so much more in life – it hurts you to the core of your being to know that life is passing you by whilst you are being mediocre. And others are getting the glory.
Life seems so unfair – you are from the same gene pool. What have they got that you don’t?
Well, what if I told you that there was a way to become just like them? To become even better than them?
If you wanted to, you too could become such a high-achiever. Indeed you could ruffle so many feathers with your brilliance and your success that others would love to hate you too.
The good news for you is that it really does not take much to raise your game and become a high achiever yourself.
And you know what, you owe it to yourself to do so. Remember, the clock is ticking.
“We all have two lives. The second one begins when you realise you only have one” – Tom Hiddleston
But first you have to be ready to play all out to finally become a high achiever and start creating amazing things in your life.
Now what I have learnt is that highly successful people always strive for more.
They work hard and play hard – and if that sounds like you, then read on.
So consider this right now – where in your life can you raise your game?
4 Underlying Principles for Becoming a High Achiever
There are 4 underlying principles for becoming a high achiever and transforming your life – Clarity, Commitment, Focus and Action.
I have learnt that achieving things in life is actually relatively quite simple – get clear about what you want, get committed to do whatever it takes to get this, become laser focussed and take action until you get there.
Of course it’s simple, but not easy – not everyone is willing to do the work and take the necessary steps. Which is why there are so many people mired in mediocrity. But you no longer need be one of them.
1. Clarity
Clarity is POWER – the clearer you are about what you want, the more likely you are to achieve it.
Knowing what you want in life is key – but most people don’t even know what they want!
There are only a small number of people who do know what they want.
But there are only a TINY number of people who actually take the actions necessary towards getting what they want.
Most people go through life in a fog, meandering from day to day and before we know it, their life has gone by. And then they come and bury you.
Once you have the clarity about what you want in life, the rest is about creating a sensible strategy and taking action.
Getting that clarity in the first place is key.
Incidentally, when I first started coaching clients, I used to think that self-belief was the starting point i.e. you had to believe in yourself.
I have known some high achievers who were totally plagued by low self-belief in themselves and yet they were creating incredible things in their life.
Other times, I have worked with clients who couldn’t even get started as they had such low self-belief.
So get this once and for all – self-belief is not a pre-requisite to success and achievement in life. Neither is confidence.
Confidence is an outcome and not a pre-requisite for success in life.
So here are some key questions for you to consider right now to get more clarity for your life:-
What dreams did you have when you were a child?
What gives you joy today?
What have you given up on?
2. Commitment
The second principle for a life of high achievement is Commitment.
“Commitment is an act, not a word.”
Your commitment is something you renew every morning, and it’s not just a passing, fancy fad.
So pause right now and ask yourself –
What does commitment mean to me?
What I mean by commitment in this context is not just another word you throw around loosely – but it’s a way of being and something you take on for the rest of your life.
Let us look at the lives of 2 of my all-time heroes.
Mahatma Gandhi was totally committed to a free India – and he achieved that in his lifetime
Check out 11 Key Lessons from Gandhi for leading a Powerful Life of Commitment
And Mr Nelson Mandela was committed to a free united South Africa – and despite spending 27 years in prison, he achieved that.
During that time in prison he remained totally committed to his lifelong vision.
Commitment is about declaring your word to something bigger than you.
The question for us is really not even about what Gandhi, Mandela and others like them have achieved in their lifetime – but what made them stand out from the rest of us?
So this is really an inquiry about what allows you to be totally committed to what you say you are committed to.
You simply have to take action daily to renew your commitment on a daily basis.
You have to be persistent and keep going till you get there. Even if takes you the rest of your lifetime!
WHO you are is not absolute nor set in stone – it’s a choice.
And you can choose to be whoever you want to be – and today you can choose to become a high-achiever and transform your life.
3. Focus
When you truly focus on what you what, everything else falls away.
Nowadays we have more distractions than ever before.
“Absolute focus is the key to all great human achievement – whilst preoccupation is the enemy of all achievement”
And let’s just check in on you guys right now – whilst reading this blog post, have any of you checked out your Social Media notifications since you started reading it?
Come on – own up. It’s okay – I let you off this time :-).
But remember – how you do one thing is how you do everything.
First comes the clarity. You then declare your commitment and remain focussed on this until you’ve achieved success in your quest.
Once you are focussed, you simply do not deviate from your path.
There are so many distractions these days to stop you from focussing on the key things!
For example, if I didn’t switch off all my social media inputs, every time I try to write an article, I would have Twitter, Facebook and email notifications stealing my attention.
Not keeping your focus on your goals will lead to ineffective efforts – and you already know that ultimately this is the road to mediocrity. You might as well give up and stop reading this article if you are so easily distracted.
So here are some practical ideas for you right away.
Next time you need to stay focused, switch off your TV, log off social media sites and blogs and turn off your smartphone.
Even turn off your computer if you don’t need it for your work.
Simple really. That’s how you create time for the important things.
Commit to starting and finishing one key task at a time.
Create a powerful statement for yourself such as:-
“I’ll have 100,000 subscribers and I will not stop taking focussed action until I do”
4. Action
You can have complete clarity and be committed to getting what you want in life.
But all that would be pointless if you do not take focused action every day!
Most of us procrastinate – some of us are even world class at procrastinating!
But the clock is ticking – we have very little time to waste.
“The trouble is you think you have time!” – The Buddha
Success in life is actually quite simple – focussed, relevant actions on a daily basis taking you to where you want to go.
So here’s something for you to do by the end of today. Start or finish off something you have been putting off for a while –make sure you do not go to sleep tonight until you are done.
You really have to do whatever it takes to get what you want in life.
So to summarise – my 4 underlying principles for ultimate success and high achieving in life are:-
Clarity – Get clear on what you want
Commit – Play full out
Focus – Get and remain focussed
Action – Take daily action
So these are the foundational principles for becoming a high-achiever – and to put them into practise, here are my 8 practical strategies:-
1. Review your Starting Point
Start by focussing deeply on what’s happening in your life currently
Take stock of all the powerful and fulfilling things you have done and continue to do.
What’s already really working right now?
Where do you want to step up?
What are your current challenges and blocks?
To start with, remember that you are already successful in your life!
However, let’s look deeper:-
Where are you stuck?
What’s holding you back?
Where is there room for improvement?
Take an HONEST look at what’s really going on for you.
Getting this extra clarity will allow you to review and start again if necessary.
2. Get Clarity and Create a Bigger Vision
Now let’s look at the vision you have for your life.
What’s the powerful vision for your life? For today and the future?
To help you get a clear idea about what one thing you must do in your lifetime, I invite you to reflect on these questions:-
What do you want to look back on when you are 80?
If you had all the time and money in the world, what would you do?
What’s your ultimate game?
And this is the KEY question I would like you to keep reflecting on during the next few days:-
Just what one thing MUST I do in my lifetime?
And once you have an idea of what you want to do in your life, you have to go after it single-mindedly and let nothing get in your way!
3. Harness the Ultimate Mindset
Once you are clear about the ultimate vision for your life, it’s time to get committed to it!
Most people in life are NOT committed to anything!
Indeed most people go through life half-hearted committed to what they think they want.
And most people don’t even know what they want in their life!
So ask yourself just what are you committed to in your life?
What’s the one thing you are committed to make happen in your lifetime?
“It helps to be positive and upbeat every day, but unless you are committed to something bigger in your life, you may well spend the rest of your life in mediocrity” – Arvind Devalia
So it’s your choice – a life of mediocrity or a life of excellence!
4. Develop a Winning Strategy
What got you here may not necessarily help you to reach the bigger game you are committed to!
Once you’ve got clear of just what you want to do in your life and in your lifetime, how are you going to win at your ultimate game?
The key is to create a winning strategy to help you get there. And to correct your course if necessary.
It’s about bringing your best game to the table and to create your own rules for your game of life. And for transforming your life.
And YOU get to choose just who is going to help you become a high achiever and win your ultimate game.
What are the special rules of YOUR game of life?
What steps will YOU take to win the game?
WHO is going to play with you?
5. Become Streamlined and Strong
To become a high- achiever in all areas of your life, you need to be in prime condition, physically, mentally and emotionally.
What we are looking at here is you being fully energised and highly optimised.
You also need to be streamlined and de-cluttered in all areas of your life.
Do an honest review today of what and who you can let go off from your life.
A coaching client living in the English countryside in Sussex took on de-cluttering her life. It turned out that she and her husband had so much junk, they were actually paying a lot of money to hire a large warehouse to store their stuff.
Within a month, they were able to get rid of most of their stored stuff and the warehouse was completely empty. And amazing things began to happen in her business once she had cleared all this unwanted junk.
So this is really, really important – I cannot emphasise this enough – please start to simplify your life in all areas from today onwards.
Here are 20 simple questions to help you simplify your life for ever.
Streamline all your commitments and start letting go of things that no longer serve you.
And to play your best game in the game of life, you also need to have an optimum self-care regime.
Please be clear that I am talking about talking TOTAL self-care here – there can be NO half measures when it comes to being your best mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Finally, it’s about having congenial relationships so that all your interactions with others are powerful and they support your quest.
Remember, you have to be intentional about creating the best and optimal environment for high level achieving.
It’s about calling on external resources where necessary so you can focus on what’s really important.
Crucially, it’s about not doing certain things at all.
And it’s about slowing down to speed up.
6. Create and Follow a Powerful Action Plan
You could have a really inspiring vision for your life and you can have the best strategy and your life could be really streamlined. But if you don’t take any action, your life will NOT transform!
There is no point in having compassion for something or someone if you don’t actually take a stand for them.
In the same way, being committed to something that really resonates with you is useless unless you take daily action.
Your commitment has to be renewed every day.
Most people go through life stopping and starting on their projects – or they keep going around in circles, never getting anywhere.
So it is vitally important to have your goal broken down into discrete and simple steps with clear deliverables.
“Most people never ever take the one simple action step which they know will change their life dramatically” – Arvind Devalia
It is about doing the simple things and doing them well – but doing them only as well as is absolutely necessary.
Take discrete and simple steps with clear deliverables.
Be creative and really think outside the box.
And always remember – strive for excellence rather than perfection.
7. Get Accountability and Project Manage your Life
Your life of high-achieving is your own little project – it’s what you are going to create. Your own masterpiece.
As with any worthwhile project you must plan and manage your project – and you may need accountability to others.
Ultimately the only person who you are accountable to is YOU.
So check in with yourself just how committed you are to become a high-achiever and to create your legacy and your dream life.
And stick to the course and re-evaluate as necessary.
Remember that to get there, your mind-set has to be focussed on success come what may!
8. Celebrate Life, Review and Plan Your Next Steps
Most high-achieving people rarely stop to celebrate.
It’s so easy to get totally and heavily involved in your work. Especially if it’s your passion.
But it’s all about working hard and also playing hard.
So how do you celebrate in your life?
How do you mark the big victories in your life?
I invite you to celebrate life over the next 24 hours in any way that excites you. It could be as simple as a nice cup of tea or that bar of chocolate you have been denying yourself.
Your big successes in life and your super achievements are worth celebrating big time.
Review daily how far you have come.
Express gratitude and appreciation for all you have.
And then perhaps it is time to step up your game even further.
You can create the next steps for an even bigger game – no point stopping now, right?
The Way Forward
So there you are – a rapid exploration of how to become a high-achiever – how to go from struggling in the shadow of all these so called high achievers – and learning not only how to be like them but even out-smarting them.
“Revenge” in your mind over those alleged high-achievers who made you feel small will be sweet.
But also watch out – don’t become smarmy and arrogant. Be nice to those not as smart and high-achieving as you – you never know just how quickly and when they could outdo and outsmart you :-).
It’s time for you to soar…
The post 8 Strategies That Will Make You That High Achiever that Everyone Loves to Hate appeared first on Make It Happen.
September 15, 2015
Peace in Our Time – Special Evening of Peace with Eva Schloss
“Peace in the World begins with you and me – every single peaceful action you take makes the world a better place” – Arvind Devalia
Today there is more conflict and strife in the world than ever before. At the same time, we are all more stressed out. It almost feels hopeless as we all strive to improve our lives.
So where do you even begin to bring more peace into the world? And what needs to change?
This is a question I have struggled with almost all my life – it seemed so daunting and overwhelming I had no idea where to even start.
Then I realised a few years ago that change begins with me – and I can only do what I can – and I can make a huge difference to others by my inspirational words and powerful actions.
To this end I have written a number of articles, such as 9/11 remembered – 11 articles to sow peace and healing.
Yet I still feel I could be doing much more, especially in light of the current world situation and the refugee challenge in Europe right now.
So I am excited and yet humbled to announce my first ever Peace Evening.
Join us on Sunday 20th September for an inspirational and uplifting evening of Peace, Love and Joy to mark “Peace One Day“.
Tickets are only £5 (plus booking fee) and all profits will go to our chosen charities.
Please book your ticket here:-
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/peace-in-our-time-tickets-18392928745
(You can also pay at the door on the day but please book in advance to be sure of your place)
Eva Schloss, 86-year old holocaust survivor and step-sister of Anne Frank will be sharing her profound message of peace, love and reconciliation.
Listen to Eva’s interview about the peace evening:-
https://s3.amazonaws.com/arvinddevalia.mediacoverage/EvaSchlossPeaceInterview4thSep2015.mp3
And I’ll be presenting my own practical steps towards bringing more peace in the world today:-
https://s3.amazonaws.com/arvinddevalia.mediacoverage/ArvindDevaliaPeaceInterview21Aug2015.mp3
(Please also check out my Peace Evening Media page)
Plus we’ll have wonderful contributions of songs, music and inspirational words from our peace loving friends:-
Revd Aidan Platten (Priest St Mark Church)
Esther Platten (Singer and Musician)
Renu Gidoomal – International Singer
St Marks Choir – to be confirmed
(This line-up and timing is subject to change)
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Please check out my interview of Eva Schloss here:-
Lessons in Life, Love and Peace from a Holocaust Survivor
Please join us with your family, friends and neighbours – and help us reach full capacity in this magnificent Victorian-Gothic church in St Johns Wood.
All Profits from this evening will be donated to our chosen charities, including Nirvana School in South India and charities supporting the Syrian refugees.
(Eva Schloss and I will also be around afterwards for book signings).
Venue:-
St Marks Church
114 Hamilton Terrace
St Johns Wood
London
NW8 9UT
.
Date:- Sunday 20th September 6.00pm to 8.30pm
.
Please book your ticket here:-
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/peace-in-our-time-tickets-18392928745
Also, please share and invite your Facebook friends:-
https://www.facebook.com/events/1668698290011491/
———————————————————————————
FAQs
What’s the intention behind this Peace evening?
The intention is to bring more peace into the world by empowering each person to individually focus on bringing more peace in their life.
And to spend an uplifting, inspirational and fun evening with like-minded people!
What time does the event begin and end?
Doors open at 6.00pm for a 6.30 start. We intend to finish the event by 8.00/8.15 leaving you with some time to mix and mingle and also purchase books and CDs.
Are there ID requirements or an age limit to enter the event?
There are no ID requitments and there is no age limit to enter this event. Children and adults of all ages are most welcome:-).
What are my transport/parking options getting to the event?
The nearest tube stations are Maida Vale on the Bakerloo line (5 mins) and St Johns Wood (7 mins). You can also park on residential spaces and single yellow lines on Sundays outside the church and surrounding roads, but just double check when parking.
Where can I contact the organiser with any questions?
Please contact Arvind Devalia with any questions or media enquiries using the contact organiser button on the right.
——————————————————————————–
Please book your ticket here:-
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/peace-in-our-time-tickets-18392928745
The post Peace in Our Time – Special Evening of Peace with Eva Schloss appeared first on Make It Happen.
Peace in Our Time – Special Evening of Peace with Eva Schloss (20th Sep 2015)
“Peace in the World begins with you and me – every single peaceful action you take makes the world a better place” – Arvind Devalia
Today there is more conflict and strife in the world than ever before. At the same time, we are all more stressed out. It almost feels hopeless as we all strive to improve our lives.
So where do you even begin to bring more peace into the world? And what needs to change?
This is a question I have struggled with almost all my life – it seemed so daunting and overwhelming I had no idea where to even start.
Then I realised a few years ago that change begins with me – and I can only do what I can – and I can make a huge difference to others by my inspirational words and powerful actions.
To this end I have written a number of articles, such as 9/11 remembered – 11 articles to sow peace and healing.
Yet I still feel I could be doing much more, especially in light of the current world situation and the refugee challenge in Europe right now.
So I am excited and yet humbled to announce my first ever Peace Evening.
Join us on Sunday 20th September for an inspirational and uplifting evening of Peace, Love and Joy to mark “Peace One Day“.
Tickets are only £5 (plus booking fee) and all profits will go to our chosen charities.
Please book your ticket here:-
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/peace-in-our-time-tickets-18392928745
(You can also pay at the door on the day but please book in advance to be sure of your place)
Eva Schloss, 86-year old holocaust survivor and step-sister of Anne Frank will be sharing her profound message of peace, love and reconciliation.
Listen to Eva’s interview about the peace evening:-
https://s3.amazonaws.com/arvinddevalia.mediacoverage/EvaSchlossPeaceInterview4thSep2015.mp3
And I’ll be presenting my own practical steps towards bringing more peace in the world today:-
https://s3.amazonaws.com/arvinddevalia.mediacoverage/ArvindDevaliaPeaceInterview21Aug2015.mp3
(Please also check out my Peace Evening Media page)
Plus we’ll have wonderful contributions of songs, music and inspirational words from our peace loving friends:-
Revd Aidan Platten (Priest St Mark Church)
Esther Platten (Singer and Musician)
Renu Gidoomal – International Singer
St Marks Choir – to be confirmed
(This line-up and timing is subject to change)
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Please check out my interview of Eva Schloss here:-
Lessons in Life, Love and Peace from a Holocaust Survivor
Please join us with your family, friends and neighbours – and help us reach full capacity in this magnificent Victorian-Gothic church in St Johns Wood.
All Profits from this evening will be donated to our chosen charities, including Nirvana School in South India and charities supporting the Syrian refugees.
(Eva Schloss and I will also be around afterwards for book signings).
Venue:-
St Marks Church
114 Hamilton Terrace
St Johns Wood
London
NW8 9UT
.
Date:- Sunday 20th September 6.00pm to 8.30pm
.
Please book your ticket here:-
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/peace-in-our-time-tickets-18392928745
Also, please share and invite your Facebook friends:-
https://www.facebook.com/events/1668698290011491/
———————————————————————————
FAQs
What’s the intention behind this Peace evening?
The intention is to bring more peace into the world by empowering each person to individually focus on bringing more peace in their life.
And to spend an uplifting, inspirational and fun evening with like-minded people!
What time does the event begin and end?
Doors open at 6.00pm for a 6.30 start. We intend to finish the event by 8.00/8.15 leaving you with some time to mix and mingle and also purchase books and CDs.
Are there ID requirements or an age limit to enter the event?
There are no ID requitments and there is no age limit to enter this event. Children and adults of all ages are most welcome:-).
What are my transport/parking options getting to the event?
The nearest tube stations are Maida Vale on the Bakerloo line (5 mins) and St Johns Wood (7 mins). You can also park on residential spaces and single yellow lines on Sundays outside the church and surrounding roads, but just double check when parking.
Where can I contact the organiser with any questions?
Please contact Arvind Devalia with any questions or media enquiries using the contact organiser button on the right.
——————————————————————————–
Please book your ticket here:-
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/peace-in-our-time-tickets-18392928745
The post Peace in Our Time – Special Evening of Peace with Eva Schloss (20th Sep 2015) appeared first on Make It Happen.
August 7, 2015
Friends & Friend’s Friends Picnic 2015 (Year 14!)
Time for my annual picnic in Regents Park!
Called “Friends & Friend’s Friends Picnic”, it is held every year – and this is YEAR 14!!!
This year it is to be held on Sunday, 9th August 2015.
13 years ago, I had a vision of bringing people together in community in a spirit of fun and contribution – and so I invited all the people in my life to a picnic. And I asked them to invite all their friends too.
So my “Friends & Friend’s Friends Picnic” was born!
That first year, around 60 people came, despite it being a cold and rainy June Sunday.
Then in 2013, I had over 400 people attending – and it’s getting bigger every year!
Thanks to all of you who bought into my vision of bringing people together.
It’s actually a very simple concept.
The idea is to get a lot of friends and their friends together. I invite all my friends and they invite all their friends and they invite their friends and so on……and before we know, there will be 100’s of friends, new and old, having a lot of fun.
Everyone is invited to bring their own food and drinks plus some extra to share. We will also be playing Frisbee, frisbee etc for fun, so bring those trainers and sports gear. And of course children are most welcome. If you haven’t got any, borrow some for the day 
I recently got some Hula Hoops so it should be entertaining watching some people have a go!
There are lots of things you can do in Regents Park. There is boating on the lake, heronry and waterfowl collections to visit, and of course the world famous Rose garden.
We will also be having some African drumming and singing. Bring along any musical instrument that you would like to play.
This year we’ll have some laughter yoga, bhangra dancing, singing lessons and a quick yoga session. A friend’s friends is even bringing cake for everyone from her shop. Yes, cake for over 200 people!
Check out the picnic photos from 2013!
Please note that this picnic will be happening no matter what the weather is on the day!
A heat wave is forecast for this week so it should be a great day out for all of us.
The details are as follows:-
Date: Sunday 9th August 2015
Time: 1pm till 9pm
Location: Regents Park at the London Mosque end. Use the Mosque as your landmark, as its minaret is visible from almost anywhere else in the park.
Directions:
Enter the Park via Hanover Gate, turn left and you are there. You will see a children’s play area. The chosen picnic spot is the whole of this semi-circular area of grass and there is room for at least a 1000 people.
Parking – You must pay for parking within Regents Park even on Sundays till 6.30pm. Alternatively, you CAN park free on single yellow lines on Prince Albert Road, and around St Johns Wood High St.
Nearest Tube stations: – St Johns Wood and Baker Street
For further clarification, please call me on 07803 950 250. Keep this number with you on the day, in case you are lost – remember that Regents Park is huge.
Please invite all your friends and ask them to invite their friends. And so on – this could be the start of something big.
You can also register on Facebook to confirm you are coming.
This is the 14th year running that I have organised this Friends and Friend’s Friends Picnic. It is now an annual event and is held every year in July or August.
If you are not able to come to London for this picnic, then no matter where you are in the world, how about organising your own?
Check out my simple guide on how to hold your own picnic anywhere in the world
For further information and clarification, just contact me
Let us make it happen so that more and more people come together in such events so that ultimately we get to see that we are all really the same – and our differences simply makes the world a more interesting and colourful place.
Help me bring more people together!
Thank you:-)
The post Friends & Friend’s Friends Picnic 2015 (Year 14!) appeared first on Make It Happen.
June 17, 2015
101 Ways to Make It Happen and Rock your World
How is your life going?
What’s missing in your life? And what are you doing about it?
If you are like most people, you are having another day of challenges, deadlines and being overwhelmed. Or worse still, yo are having another day of boredom. And despair.
Just what happened to all your childhood dreams? How did they get vanquished and forgotten over time?
Pause for a moment and look around the world you live in today. Turn on the daily news and all you get is more doom and gloom around you.
The world seems to face so many challenges that you might despair and feel completely hapless as to just what one individual like you can do. Especially when you have so much going on in your own life.
Just where do you begin to create the sort of life you want, and to live in the type of world you want?
Where does one begin from this point?
The answer is actually quite simple – you begin exactly where you are at right now.
Your future and all the things you desire, dream of, wish for and want to create don’t exist anywhere other than here, right now.
That future is created here and now – not just for yourself but for those around you.
It’s simply all about you deciding to change – and choosing to make it happen for yourself and the world.
You see in life, you are either reacting or creating. Always.
Next time you are in a crowd in any setting – social, family or work, notice how people are either complaining about something or ranting.
On much rarer occasions, the conversation is about moving forward, resolving challenges and heaven behold, even about creating something majestic and lasting!
So are you going to be reacting and ranting – or stepping up and creating?
Your life transforms the moment you choose to transform. The moment you decide that enough is enough and you are going to make it happen for yourself.
That time is here now.The time to rock your world.
It is time for you to step up and be the sort of person you have always wanted to be – and be the leader you know you were born to be. And then one day you too can rest in eternity, just like one of the greatest human beings who ever lived.
“I have worked hard enough, so I can now rest in eternity” – Nelson Mandela
You too can aspire to be a “Nelson Mandela” too!
Yes, quite a challenge, but why not?
Mr Mandela has left quite a legacy – and you can begin to walk in his footsteps by adopting some of his lessons in leadership.
So where do you even begin to follow in Mr Mandela’s footsteps? You start by first making your own life the best you can – a life based on high moral and ethical values.
At the same time, you do your best for the world around you and you create our legacy.
To help you get started, I have created a treasure collection of my all-time, best life-changing articles I have ever written. This is an extra-ordinary anthology to help you get more out of all areas of your life and to make it happen.
I looked through all the almost 600 blog posts I have written over 8 years and I have picked out what I consider the best 101 articles.
It was quite a challenge to pick these out and organise them into one post but this has been a labour of love for me – and I sincerely hope you get a lot from the 101 articles below. These are life-changing articles you can return to again and again.
I have put them under some relevant categories but there’s clearly a lot of crossover.
I suggest you read a few articles at a time and bookmark the ones that resonate with you – and please do share them. It would be a crime not to share these life-changing “secrets” :-).
1. Simplify Your Life
1. 20 Questions to Simplify your Life For Ever
2. 5 Key Lessons in Simplicity from Gandhi the Ultimate Minimalist
3. If Less is Best, Why Do I Still Want a Porsche?
4. Why Decluttering Your Friends is Good for You and Them
5. Stop Wasting Time on Petty Stuff: If I Can Do It, So Can You
6. Don’t go Through Life so Fast!
7. Find Your Path to Happiness By Saying NO
8. Why Playing Big Helps you Let Go of Small Things
9. Take off your Superman Cape and Become Human Again!
2. Take Optimum Self-Care
10. 14 Simple But Powerful Tips to Take Total Self Care of Yourself – Before It’s Too Late!
11. The Zen Mantra for Coping with Pain – “This Too Will Pass!”
12. 31 Days to Bliss and Lightness
13. How to be Positive Even If the DoomSayers Tell You to be Miserable
14. How to Suffer Excruciating Pain and Live Again
15. How to Detox in Five Days with Apple Juice
16. Green Juicing – Your Secret to Health, Vitality & Youth
17. How to Detox in Five Days and Enjoy It!
18. How 30 Minutes of Intense Chest Pain Changed My Life For Ever – and Will Change Yours Too
3. Strive for Excellence & Success
19. Strive for Excellence – Just Begin!
20. Warning: This Blog Post May Cure Your Fear of Success
21. How to Succeed at Anything in 15 minute Chunks
22. Warning: The #1 Secret to Success in Life Which You Ignore at Your Peril!
23. How I Overcame My Fear of Public Speaking – and YOU Can Too
24. How to Stop Being a Mouse in Public!
25. Top 10 Reasons Why Losers Give Up: And How Not To Be a Loser Too!
26. 11 Key Lessons from Gandhi for Leading a Powerful Life of Commitment
27. 9 Tips to Create an Extra Hour Every Day
28. Make It Happen in 30 Days – Just Go on an Adventure!
29. Warning: Why Facing Your Fear Doesn’t Always Work – and 4 Things to do Instead
30. How to Keep Standing No Matter What Life Throws at You!
31. How I Got My Mojo Back – and Now So Can You!
32. James McCartney Interview: Inspirational Lessons in Life from a Rising Superstar
4. Create Great Relationships
33. Become Aware of Your Relationships
34. Love Yourself First Before Loving Anyone Else
35. Love Yourself Without Becoming Full of Yourself
36. 10 Key Secrets for Becoming Likeable
37. 9 Simple Tips To Create Energising Relationships
38. The Shocking Truth About Being a Nice Person!
39. Stop Being an Approval Seeking Machine!
40. Why Teamwork Always Begins with YOU
41. Why No One Is Ever An Ugly Duckling!
42. Stop Bending over Backwards for Other People!
43. A Powerful Yet Simple Trick to Instantly Improve All Your Relationships
44. 11 Keys to Improve ALL Your Relationships
45. Do You Believe in SoulMates?
46. Be Special to Find the Special One
47. Open Your Heart and Find the Special One
48. Make Your Relationship Even More Special
5. Find Your Vocation
49. Why YOU are the Greatest Gift you can Give the World
50. Discover Your Ultimate Life Purpose Once and For All
51. How to Make Your Dream Job Happen on Your Own Terms
52. Your Personal Brand – the Secret to Success in Life and Business
53. How to be Like the Buddha and Make It Happen Mindfully
54. Find Your Mojo Through Meditation!
55. How to be Outrageous and Change your Life For Ever!
56. Lighten Up and Light Up the World
57. Warning: Freedom Is NOT Everything
58. Find Your Fire!
6. Find Your Joy!
59. How to Live Your Life as if Everything is a Miracle
60. 17 Tips to Become Happy Right Now
61. Live with an Attitude of Gratitude
62. Why Would You Ever Want to Grow Up Anyway?
63. Find Your Bliss – Just Start Walking!
64. Stop Being a Drama Queen and Become Happy Instead!
65. The REAL Truth About Why You Suck: You Don’t!
66. How to Always Look on the Bright Side of Life – Even if You Don’t Want To!
67. How to See the Beauty and Greatness in Any Tragedy
68. Thank the Divine Every Day
69. Happy Thanksgiving Day Today and Every Day!
7. Strive for Personal Social Responsibility
70. Feel the Fear and Change the World Anyway
71. Personal Social Responsibility is Here to Stay
72. Why We Must All Listen to this MotorBike Crazy Mystic!
73. 101 Ways to Live Cleaner and Greener for Free – Book Interview
74. Why Peace Begins with ME and YOU (9/11 tenth Anniversary)
75. How to Be a Good Parent, Even if You Don’t Have Any Children!
8. Build Your Legacy
76. 6 Key Lessons in Life from a 140 year Old Man – Gandhi
77. Let Your Life Be Your Message
78. Why You Should Never Ever Underestimate the Impact of Your Kindness
79. Why the World Needs More Dreamers Like You and Me
80. Be the Change You Want to See in the World – Before it’s too Late!
81. Change Yourself First to Change the World
82. The REAL Truth About Why You Suck: You Don’t!
83. 6 Key Life Lessons from a 100 Year Old Woman – Mother Teresa
84. Make Kindness a Daily Habit From Today
85. How to Get to Your Nirvana Through Kindness
86. Follow Your Intuition and Change your Life
87. 50 Ways Coaches and YOU Can Change the World!
88. Why You Should Never Ever Feel Sorry for Yourself Again!
89. Why Death is the Great Arbitrator
9. Remember that Love is All that Matters
91. 8 Ways to Bring More Love into the World – Before it’s too Late
92. Don’t Fall in Love, Create Love
93. 10 Ways to Turn a Boring Relationship into a Party of Love!
94. The Ultimate 40 posts for Love Every Day
95. Why Love is all That Matters Beyond 21.12.12
96. Lessons in Compassion and Love from my Father
97. Why World Compassion Begins With You
98. Stop Judging, Start Loving
99. Learn to Love Unconditionally
100. Share Your Love with Your Loved Ones Everyday
101. Carry Out Random Acts of Kindness Daily
Life is a Miracle
So there you are – my 101 all time “Make It Happen” top posts to help you create your legacy and your best life ever.
A friend recently asked me which one was my favourite blog post of all time on Make It Happen. That was quite a challenge but as I pondered on this a bit more, it became quite easy – my favourite has to be #59 from above:-
How to Live Your Life as if Everything is a Miracle
As you move forward in your life, if you take on just one thing from this blog post, I request you to treat everything in your life as a miracle. And watch how your life transforms.
I wish you a life full of miracles always.
Please Help Spread the Word
Please tell your friends about Make It Happen by using the share buttons below.
Every Retweet and Facebook share helps me grow my blog. I look forward to seeing you here again soon. Thank you for reading! – Arvind
Photos courtesy of peasap, US Army, MattJP and aussiegall
The post 101 Ways to Make It Happen and Rock your World appeared first on Make It Happen.
March 31, 2015
How 30 Minutes of Intense Chest Pain Changed My Life For Ever – and Will Change Yours Too
Have you ever had a deep life-changing experience?
An experience which left your previous life in tatters and forced you to face up to life like never before?
There you are – one day simply meandering through life, care-free and thinking that life was going to go on forever.
Then what happens…
Suddenly you are jolted by a thunderbolt – and life is never the same again.
Something happens personally that hits you deeply in the groin of your soul – and you have no choice but to take stock of your life. And then perhaps you can choose to actually start living the life that you really want.
You see we all go through life as if it is going to last forever. In our head and in fairy tales, we get to live happily ever after.
Except that it’s never ever forever. And most of the time, it’s hardly even happy.
And the insane thing is that though logically we know that this life is not going to last forever, we live our lives as if it is going to last forever.
The reality though is that one day we die. And then a few loved ones and many strangers come along to pay their final respects.
They all look as serious and solemn as they can, address your coffin and tell you what a fine fellow you once were.
And soon after all the lofty eulogies which never saw any daylight whilst you were alive, they bury you and throw some mud over you. Or in my case, being of Hindu origin, they’ll burn me. Then scatter the ashes in some polluted river.
The worst and the most harrowing bit is this – like it or not, every day brings you and me closer to just such an ignominious end.
So what comes between now and that solemn but frivolous ending? And when are you going to wake up and get that your clock is ticking?
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick Tock.
“We all have two lives. The second one begins when you realise you only have one” – Tom Hiddleston
Are you ready to wake up and truly live your life? Or are you going to be just like the masses who are living with this illusion of immortality?
So what do you do? Become despondent and depressed that this is all there is and what a failure you have been?
Become fatalistic as it’s all going to go belly up one day anyway?
Or do you finally get clear about your life and focus on the legacy you are going to leave behind? And at the same time, you have a blast and have some rip-roaring, rollicking fun along the way!?
How about living a meaningful life?
Living a life without meaning is like being on a train with an unknown destination. You know you are going somewhere – you just don’t know where you are going to end up!
And you might even arrive at your ultimate destination much sooner than you anticipated. Yes, I am talking about the dreaded D-word.
Living a meaningless life and meandering through the years towards your ultimate demise is demoralising. As well as a waste of time and energy. And an insult to our divine creator, whoever she is and wherever she is right now.
Especially when deep down you suspect that there must be a lot more to this thing called life.
We are born, we eat, we copulate, we die. What was the bloody point of it all!?
But just how and at what point do you wake up to the huge majesty and beauty of this thing called life?
It usually takes a life changing experience. A wake-up call completely different from your morning wake-up call.
It jolts you and wakes you up to life, once and for all.
My Wake-Up Call
This is exactly what happened to me recently, only 2 weeks ago – a day before Mother’s Day and just a few days before my birthday.
My own, gift-wrapped wake-up call. My 30 minutes of intense pain. And with it came a number of life lessons.
Lessons which I am going to share with you. And kick-start your life. In the same way I kick-started mine
My life will never be the same again.
I just know that the best of me is yet to come – as surely as day follows night-time. And as surely as death follows life.
Oops! There I go – I used the dreaded D word again:-).
It happened just a few weeks ago. On a Saturday. In the middle of the day.
The pain in the middle of my chest started slowly but surely. I ignored it. And then I ignored it again. Until it got so painful I couldn’t ignore it anymore.
In such a situation I did what any self-respecting, closet geek would do. I went online and I Googled “chest pain”.
Surely I was not having a heart attack!?
I checked out heart attack symptoms and early warning signs.
I frantically looked through all the symptoms.
My throat was drying up. I was feeling dizzy. And the chest pain was still there. Persistent and hard to ignore.
Damn!
I had 3 of the tell-tale symptoms – and the advice was to call an ambulance if one was not sure at all about a heart attack. Better to be on the safe side.
That’s when I made the first of three life-changing decisions that day. I did the sensible thing – I called for an ambulance.
The man who answered my 999 call was very calm and asked me to go through my symptoms. Even then I kept reassuring him that I didn’t think it was a heart attack but I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t – and I was only following the advice on the website.
He assured me that an ambulance was already on its way even whilst he was still going through the checklist with me.
I was instructed to leave the doors open, eat nothing, take no medicines and just have some gentle sips of water. And wait.
Waited I did. For all of 10 minutes before 2 ambulances showed up and 5 paramedics galloped up to the second floor of the building where I live, fully laden with magical medical gizmos.
Paramedics Party
I thanked them for arriving so quickly – and said that since there were so many of them we could even have a party.
They gave me a quizzical look – I reckon they suspected a fraudulent call-out from some attention-seeking weirdo, who was into partying with women in uniform. But I digress. Maybe that will be another arousing blog post soon:-)
I could tell they really meant business. Jokes and parties could wait. Life was calling. Or was it the dreaded D word calling!?
So I simply invited them to my “friends and friend’s friends picnic” later in the summer. They had now better come and join us all in a few months’ time!
They were really incredibly kind and caring. I had such a feast of love in my own home from five strangers – I could have lapped it up for much longer. But life was calling – and someone else in more dire need of medical attention than myself may be missing out whilst I indulged myself.
They were also super-efficient and business-like. They had clearly done this many times before – but I wonder how many times they had been invited to a party!
One asked all the questions and quickly went through the symptoms whilst another started plonking all these wires and test-pads all over my chest.
She asked for permission to shave some hair off my chest for better connectivity – I said she could but only as long as she shaved me uniformly on both sides.
I was clearly on top form that day – heart attack or not, why would you ever not see the lighter side of life!?
To be honest, the chest pain had already subsided by the time they arrived – and I was already beginning to feel a bit foolish for having called them out.
Within less than 10 minutes the ECG test was done – and my ticker was fine. But the blood pressure was rather high, probably due to the panic and tension of the previous half hour.
The paramedics advised me to get some blood tests done immediately so as to be completely sure. Either I could go to the nearest A&E (casualty) department myself or they could take me in the back of an ambulance.
I suddenly felt a bit silly for having all this special attention given to me. After all surely it was just indigestion?
Through that annoying cloud of not wanting to be fussed over, I did make a mental note to work on some self-esteem stuff. A little voice said to me – just enjoy this Arvind, and let someone fuss over you and serve YOU for a change:-)
And that’s when I made my second life-changing decision of the day – I went for the blood tests in the back of the ambulance.
I expected flashing lights and sirens all the way to the hospital but no such luck. I was no longer considered an emergency and I just had to get there quietly and without any fanfare. Of course along the way, I chatted to the lovely paramedic looking after me and I even gifted her a copy of my book – “Get the Life you Love“.
I had anticipated being at the hospital for a couple of hours whilst the A&E staff did some more blood tests etc. But little did I know what was to come next.
We got there and I simply walked in. No need for a stretcher – I am guessing not many people come out of an ambulance and just walk in!
14 Hours of Hospital – Waiting Agony and Ecstasy
So began 14 hours of hospital tests and examination.
I had another ECG done and some blood taken by a really pleasant nurse. In my head, I nicknamed her Dracula – in an endearing way of course.
And then two hours later, I had another ECG and yet more blood taken by my favourite Dracula nurse.
I was told I had to wait in hospital for at least 12 hours before a definitive blood test could be done which would confirm either way if I had had a heart attack or not.
Apparently the heart releases a certain protein enzyme called troponin within 6 to 12 hours of any cardiac damage and the presence of this enzyme is a definitive indication of some damage.
So began my stay of 14 hours in hospital – I reluctantly cancelled all my social activities that day. But strangely, I chose to not tell any family members or friends about what had happened. I just had this sense of everything was going to be fine.
And of course I didn’t want to be fussed over – clearly I must look into fuss stuff a bit more sometime:-)
Those 14 hours in hospital seemed to drag at times. But I can tell you that your life and mine will go past much faster. Just like that.
It was actually agony for someone as restless as me to be stuck in one place for so long – but also ecstasy as for once I got to rest for a prolonged period and spend some quality time on my own.
However, in those 14 hours as I rested on a hospital bed and waited for the blood test results, I also experienced many worrisome thoughts and searing feelings.
What if this was it?
First I experienced this feeling of sheer helplessness. How could life get me to such a tragic low – being confined to a sorry hospital bed?
My feelings of loneliness and helplessness were not helped by the looks of sympathy from the other patients and visitors.
Surely they could see there was nothing wrong with me or my heart!?
I then experienced deep sadness as I thought of the loved ones I may never see again. And I cried inwardly at the thought of the pain my loved ones would go through if anything ever happened to me. That day or any day.
I went through a whole range of torrid regrets as I looked back on a life of broken promises, unfulfilled potential and missed opportunities. People I had wronged, neglected, ignored. Abused even.
Regrets of all the things I did – and the things I didn’t do. Places I never visited. Things I put off for another day. Feelings of love I never expressed. Relationships I broke up. Girls I never kissed. And indeed, girls I kissed.
Worst of all was this haunting thought of just who I could have been if only. If only I had woken up sooner to the impending end of my time on this planet.
It was with these haunting thoughts that I must have dozed off for a couple of hours – only to be woken up by the night Dracula nurse at around 3 in the morning. Thankfully she nudged me with her hands rather than with her fangs on my throat.
My blood test results were back from the lab. They were negative. Yeah!
And though I had a sense they would be, my deep sense of relief was incredible. I could have kissed that Dracula nurse! She could have even sucked out some blood from my throat and I couldn’t have cared less.
Though I intuitively knew early on that it was not a heart attack, this final confirmation was such a relief and a huge boost.
It was like being given back my life – Xmas had arrived and Santa had just given me the biggest present ever – a chance to really live the life I want.
I felt ready to take on anything and do anything I wanted!
“Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. When I believe I can, I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn’t have it in the beginning.” ~Mahatma Gandhi.
Joking aside about Dracula, these nurses do an incredible job under the most trying of circumstances and for the most demanding of patients.
Florence Nightingale can be happy with her lasting legacy – and what a legacy.
Suddenly a whole new world opened up for me. It was not too late for me to be who I was meant to be.
To create my own lasting legacy.
Like Florence Nightingale did.
The Dracula nurse offered me the option to rest in my hospital bed till the morning, but I was out of there prompto! Besides it was Mother’s Day and I was paying my mother a surprise visit later that morning:-).
The taxi ride home that cold but fresh night was incredibly exhilarating. Life was full of possibilities – and I felt there was so much love all around me.
The taxi driver who took me home couldn’t believe that I had just spent 14 hours in hospital after a suspected heart attack. He said I looked great. And I felt great. Brand spanking new.
Relieved. Resurrected. Revitalised. Ready to conquer anything.
And to share my life-changing lessons. But first let’s do a little ritual with the proverbial middle finger.
Look at your right hand right now. Stick out the middle finger and fold your thumb and other fingers.
Stick the proverbial middle finger to illness and death! And also stick it to your old life and the old you.
Let us start today with making the most of the life you have.
Knowing that our time on this planet is so limited, it’s time for you and me to finally begin to live:-
1. Your Health is your Wealth
Our bodies are incredible machines – they are designed to last many decades. And barring freak accidents, you and I living in the western world could easily live to 80 years and beyond.
As long as we look after this body and give it optimal self-care and feed it well, it will survive for a long time.
But what good is an able body if the spirit within is dead!?
Funnily enough, whilst I was in hospital a close friend happened to call me – he himself had just recovered from an illness and the phrase he shared with me was that your health is your wealth!
I agreed with him though I didn’t tell him where I was or what I was going through.
The message to me and you is very clear – it’s time to take total self-care now – not tomorrow, not next week, not next month but now.
In that place where broken people come to be fixed, I had this deep realisation of just fragile our lives are – simply hanging on a string, ready to be blown away at any moment at the vagaries of nature.
A lottery of life and death.
I also saw just how ill and broken people can be – broken in both body and spirit.
So please deeply appreciate this – your life is such a gift and is so precious. It is a privilege to have this human body and this human form.
Why would you ever want to abuse your body?
First get a full medical check-up – let’s start with the basics and go from there. Then you can build on that.
Then it is up to you to give your body a chance to give you optimum and lasting service for as long as possible.
Learn to relax – do not stress about anything. Take up meditation to help you relax and get a different perspective on life.
Take up yoga too – this will help you to relax, make you feel and look younger and best of all increase your libido. Believe me – it works!
If nothing else, adopt a daily practice of walking – it’ll do you wonders
And of course, watch what you eat. This is so important and it really drives me mad and saddens me when I see people pumping their body with junk food.
Check out and apply these 14 simple but powerful tips to take total self care of yourself.
Before it’s too late.
As for me, I have already been to my GP who has confirmed that all is well with me though the blood pressure is still slightly on the high side.
I am due to visit him again in 2 months’ time for another assessment and of course during that time I’ll be focusing on even greater self-care. And I’ll be doing even more yoga :-).
2. Just be Yourself
One of my great realisations in that hospital bed was how much I had to offer the world. I kind of already knew this – but it became even more crystal clear and sharp when I was faced with the stark possibility of suddenly being unable to continue to offer the world what I had to offer.
In the same way, YOU have so much to offer the world.
You are unique with so many wonderful qualities. Yes, you:-).
You are so unique that not even the best and the maddest, baddest scientists can ever create another one like you.
Can you even imagine what the world would be like if there was another person with all your unique and wonderful talents and skills?
Do what I did that day in hospital – look back at your own life in earnest. Look at your heritage and your family background. Think about your education and all your unique life experiences that have brought you to where you are today and made you the person you are.
You are unique – there will never be another one like you. Accept that. Acknowledge that. And appreciate who you are.
You are here to serve the world with all your uniqueness.
YOU are the greatest gift you can give the world.
3. Share All Your Love Whilst You Can
One of the saddest insights I had that day was all the people I had let go from my life. And those people I had brought so much pain to.
The people I had mistreated, hurt or harmed, either knowingly or unknowingly.
Though I considered myself a loving being, I still held so many petty grudges. And I still withheld my love from so many wonderful people in my life.
As if my fountain of love was limited and there was only so much to go around.
So it’s time for me and you to share and spread your love.
It’s like when you light a number of candles with the flame of one candle. The light from the original candle is not diminished but augmented.
In the same way, let today be the day you truly begin to share your love and your light. The world needs your love more than ever before. Don’t keep it waiting any longer.
“The love you fail to share is the only pain you live with right now in your life” – Shore Slocum
Tell your loved ones just how much they mean to you. And tell them you love them. It’s as simple as that – but so hard for most people to do.
Regular readers will know that I have written about LOVE many times before. Just know and remember that every day until the day of your and my final reckoning, Love is all that matters.
4. Make Your Life an Epic Adventure
One of my key life values has always been fun – otherwise what’s the point of living?
It’s great to have a childlike attitude and a light-hearted approach to life – but I challenge you to transform your life into an epic adventure!
“Life is either a great adventure or nothing” – Helen Keller
Throw out your limitations, let go of your chains of boredom and apathy, and sail out to the seven seas like the sailors of centuries past.
Don the proverbial Tarzan’s outfit and go and find your Jane in the jungle of life, if you haven’t already found her.
Take on saving the gorillas in the mists of Congo – and having a rumble in the jungle with them.
Do whatever that tickles your fancy and your funny bone. Indeed, when was the last time you were truly tickled by anyone?
Embrace life to the full and do not let a single day pass by without a whiff of adventure, and a life lived to the brink.
A life overfilled with multiple glasses of love, joy and sheer unbridled passion.
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!”― Hunter S. Thompson
Do whatever it takes so that one day you too can look back and say what a ride that was!
5. Get out there and Shine in the World!
As well as being unique, you are also incredibly smart and far more capable than you think.
Can you remember a time when someone has really moved and inspired you?
Maybe you attended a concert or a sporting event when someone just blew you away with their passion, their skill and their soaring spirit.
Well, you too can experience such highs in your life. Just connect to the Great Spirit within you!
To start with, list all those things that you have done and that you can do that no one else can.
Look at your hobbies and interests outside of your work – and you will see just how competent and capable you are.
Do you play the piano? Can you blow a didgeridoo? Do you salsa or tango? Can you do complex maths in your head? Can you walk into a room full of strangers and be the life and soul of the party?
Are you into scuba-diving? Can you recount all the baseball or cricket scores since the eighties?
Maybe you run marathons before breakfast at the weekend? Or maybe you walk the London Marathon every second year like I do.
Well, there you are! There are umpteen things you can do in your social and work life that no one else can.
No matter what pastimes you engage in, you are THE KING when you are in the middle of those.
Stop under-estimating yourself – go out there and strut your stuff!
You no longer have to wait to shine in the world.
Find your fire – and you too can now set the world alight!
You may ask – where do I start?
Well, the place to start is from exactly where you are at now!
YOU are the leader that the world has been screaming for. Rise up to the challenge. You know it makes sense.
6. Enjoy the Journey and Remember to Lighten Up
Whoever told you that life was meant to be hard and a struggle?
No matter what challenges you are going through, just lighten up!
Life is meant to be easy and flowing, albeit with the occasional challenges that we all go through.
So just lighten up – and remember you are still a child at heart. I mean why would you ever want to grow up anyway!?
Here’s a challenge for you – create a fun thing EVERY day from now onwards. It could be going out on a night-out to a play, a musical gig or a movie.
Or something as simple and easy as a short stroll through your local park. Literally stop and smell the roses.
Just learn to laugh at life. And remember to laugh the loudest at yourself.
Stop taking yourself so seriously!
7. Create Your Worthy and Lasting Legacy
My experience of 14 hours in the hospital also opened my eyes to what other people’s lives are really like. And also what goodness there is all around us.
A whole kaleidoscope of humanity went past me that day – a bunch of noisy and playful Arab youths, a grumpy old man suffering skin problems, an Ethiopian monk-like man with a serene face visited by an even more serene but concerned looking young daughter and so on.
And all around them, some incredibly kind human beings, skilfully disguised as doctors, nurses and admin staff, each with an eternal and endearing smile, and genuinely kind words for all the heavy and weary hordes of humanity passing by.
That night just as I was leaving the A&E ward, I got talking to a very upset black guy who had a wound on his head.
I usually don’t refer to people’s colour except in this case it is relevant – he and his brother had been beaten up by a bunch of young guys, and the police were also there, investigating a possible racial attack.
Having had my own blood drawn out by my adorable Dracula nurses so many times that day, I was almost immune to the sight of blood but there was a lot of spilled blood about. My recently okay-ed heart went out to this man and his brother who was still lying prostrate on a ward bed.
Just what sort of a world do we live in? And what world are we creating and leaving behind for our children?
What struck me in that moment of talking to this person was how we were all so connected – and yet our perceived differences tore us all apart – in our relationships, in our families, in our communities and indeed in our countries.
Yet we are all striving for the same thing – to be happy and to be loved. And ultimately we all want to contribute and make a difference to others, though most of us don’t even realise this.
And this is where you come in. Go out and live your life in such a way that your life becomes a celebration of all that’s so great and noble about human-beings.
You don’t have to aim for something huge and grand such as striving for the Nobel Peace Prize (actually, you CAN if you really want to) but start small by taking a stand for something greater in your family, in your community and in your country.
Feel the fear and change the world anyway.
Ultimately when it comes down to it, your happiness comes from what you bring to the world and those around you.
It’s not about the size of your house. Or the speed and engine capacity of your car. Or heaven forbid, it’s certainly not about how many subscribers follow your blog (mental note to self!).
All that matters at the end of the day is what YOU bring to the world.
By simply choosing to carry out one act of kindness each day, you’ll be making your world a better place. And by the time you are on your deathbed, you’ll have thousands of acts of kindness to look back on:-).
Remember – your lasting and worthy legacy is built not by some grand, noble gesture but by tiny acts of humanity each day.
The Way Forward for Me
During those 14 hours of waiting, I made my third and final life-changing decision.
It was so simple yet so far-reaching – from that point onwards, I simply chose to live the best life I can.
So yes, I already have a great life – my health, a loving family, amazing friends and a beautiful home in the middle of one of the greatest cities in the world. But yet there was a big missing piece.
I was frustrated in my work and not yet achieving what I really wanted. And I am single and I have been single for a while, still searching for that elusive and fabled soulmate:-).
It was my own private joke really – I wrote a best-selling book called “Get the Life you Love” – and yet I was not yet living the life I really wanted!
People have asked me in the past if I had the life I love – and I used to jokingly say that I was a work-in-progress. Though most areas of my life were working, I was still working on some bits – and I was working on making other bits even better.
But the reality was that in my eyes, I was still a fraud. I was still far from living the life I imagined – and though in most people’s eyes I was doing great, I was defrauding myself.
So I am done with being a fraud. Just watch this space…
“It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.” – Tony Robbins
The Way Forward for YOU
The most important question here is this – when will you stop being a fraud?
When will you stop cheating yourself and the world?
When will you start creating and living the life which you really want?
It’s time.
It’s time to wake up and create your life, your legacy. Don’t wait till the day they are throwing mud over your coffin. Or burning you.
Because like it or not, that dreaded D day is getting closer each day.
I shall end by reminding you of this poignant quote I shared earlier from Tom Hiddleston.
(Coincidentally this quote was sent to me by a new friend just days after my life-changing experience, though she had no idea of what I had just gone through. But then again, there are no coincidences).
“We all have two lives. The second one begins when you realise you only have one” – Tom Hiddleston
Let today be THE DAY you begin your second life.
Some Powerful Life-Changing Questions for You
I invite you to take some time out TODAY to reflect on these life-changing questions:-
What would it be like to live the most powerful life I can?
What does it look like?
What does living my “best” life mean to me?
What will it take for me to make it happen?
What am I really, really good at?
What’s my greatest gift to the world?
What contributions am I making to my loved ones?
What impact am I having on the environment?
What sort of legacy am I creating?
What am I doing that one day my children will be proud of?
These are all powerful and life-changing questions only you can answer.
Reflect on these questions and write down whatever answers that bubble up for you.
Then just dive into my special blog post collection of 101 Ways to Help You Make It Happen which will go a long way to help you create the sort of life you can be proud of in the years to come…
And if you are really brave and ready to play a BIG game, then contact me via my Think Big Coaching website.
Your life will never be the same again. Guaranteed.
LIFEPLAN Course Coming Soon
I end this momentous and deeply personal post by sharing what I am currently creating with a friend – a life-changing, online course based on my best-selling book “Get the Life you Love“.
Look out for more details soon.
In the meantime, go well my friends – and may the force of love be with you on every step of your journey.
The post How 30 Minutes of Intense Chest Pain Changed My Life For Ever – and Will Change Yours Too appeared first on Make It Happen.
How 30 Minutes of Intense Chest Pain Changed My Life For Ever – and Will Change Yours Too.
Have you ever had a deep life-changing experience?
An experience which left your previous life in tatters and forced you to face up to life like never before?
There you are one day simply meandering through life, care-free and thinking that life was going to go on forever.
Then what happens…
Suddenly you are jolted by a thunderbolt – and life is never the same again.
Something happens personally that hits you deeply in the groin of your soul – and you have no choice but to take stock of your life. And then perhaps you can choose to actually start living the life that you really want.
You see we all go through life as if it is going to last forever. In our head and in fairy tales, we get to live happily ever after.
Except that it’s never ever forever. And most of the time, it’s hardly even happy.
And the insane thing is that though logically we know that this life is not going to last forever, we live our lives as if it is going to last forever.
The reality though is that one day we die. And then a few loved ones and many strangers come along to pay their final respects.
They all look as serious and solemn as they can, address your coffin and tell you what a fine fellow you once were.
And soon after all the lofty eulogies which never saw any daylight whilst you were alive, they bury you and throw some mud over you. Or in my case, being of Hindu origin, they’ll burn me. Then scatter the ashes in some polluted river.
The worst and the most harrowing bit is this – like it or not, every day brings you and me closer to just such an ignominious end.
So what comes between now and that solemn but frivolous ending? And when are you going to wake up and get that your clock is ticking?
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick Tock.
“We all have two lives. The second one begins when you realise you only have one” – Tom Hiddleston
Are you ready to wake up and truly live your life? Or are you going to be just like the masses who are living with this illusion of immortality?
So what do you do? Become despondent and depressed that this is all there is and what a failure you have been?
Become fatalistic as it’s all going to go belly up one day anyway?
Or do you finally get clear about your life and focus on the legacy you are going to leave behind? And at the same time, you have a blast and have some rip-roaring, rollicking fun along the way!?
How about living a meaningful life?
Living a life without meaning is like being on a train with an unknown destination. You know you are going somewhere – you just don’t know where you are going to end up!
And you might even arrive at your ultimate destination much sooner than you anticipated. Yes, I am talking about the dreaded D-word.
Living a meaningless life and meandering through the years towards your ultimate demise is demoralising. As well as a waste of time and energy. And an insult to our divine creator, whoever she is and wherever she is right now.
Especially when deep down you suspect that there must be a lot more to this thing called life.
We are born, we eat, we copulate, we die. What was the bloody point of it all!?
But just how and at what point do you wake up to the huge majesty and beauty of this thing called life?
It usually takes a life changing experience. A wake-up call completely different from your morning wake-up call.
It jolts you and wakes you up to life, once and for all.
My Wake-Up Call
This is exactly what happened to me recently, only 2 weeks ago – a day before Mother’s Day and just a few days before my birthday.
My own, gift-wrapped wake-up call. My 30 minutes of intense pain. And with it came a number of life lessons.
Lessons which I am going to share with you. And kick-start your life. In the same way I kick-started mine
My life will never be the same again.
I just know that the best of me is yet to come – as surely as day follows night-time. And as surely as death follows life.
Oops! There I go – I used the dreaded D word again:-).
It happened just a few weeks ago. On a Saturday. In the middle of the day.
The pain in the middle of my chest started slowly but surely. I ignored it. And then I ignored it again. Until it got so painful I couldn’t ignore it anymore.
In such a situation I did what any self-respecting, closet geek would do. I went online and I Googled “chest pain”.
Surely I was not having a heart attack!?
I checked out heart attack symptoms and early warning signs.
I frantically looked through all the symptoms.
My throat was drying up. I was feeling dizzy. And the chest pain was still there. Persistent and hard to ignore.
Damn!
I had 3 of the tell-tale symptoms – and the advice was to call an ambulance if one was not sure at all about a heart attack. Better to be on the safe side.
That’s when I made the first of three life-changing decisions that day. I did the sensible thing – I called for an ambulance.
The man who answered my 999 call was very calm and asked me to go through my symptoms. Even then I kept reassuring him that I didn’t think it was a heart attack but I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t – and I was only following the advice on the website.
He assured me that an ambulance was already on its way even whilst he was still going through the checklist with me.
I was instructed to leave the doors open, eat nothing, take no medicines and just have some gentle sips of water. And wait.
Waited I did. For all of 10 minutes before 2 ambulances showed up and 5 paramedics galloped up to the second floor of the building where I live, fully laden with magical medical gizmos.
Paramedics Party
I thanked them for arriving so quickly – and said that since there were so many of them we could even have a party.
They gave me a quizzical look – I reckon they suspected a fraudulent call-out from some attention-seeking weirdo, who was into partying with women in uniform. But I digress. Maybe that will be another arousing blog post soon:-)
I could tell they really meant business. Jokes and parties could wait. Life was calling. Or was it the dreaded D word calling!?
So I simply invited them to my “friends and friend’s friends picnic” later in the summer. They had now better come and join us all in a few months’ time!
They were really incredibly kind and caring. I had such a feast of love in my own home from five strangers – I could have lapped it up for much longer. But life was calling – and someone else in more dire need of medical attention than myself may be missing out whilst I indulged myself.
They were also super-efficient and business-like. They had clearly done this many times before – but I wonder how many times they had been invited to a party!
One asked all the questions and quickly went through the symptoms whilst another started plonking all these wires and test-pads all over my chest.
She asked for permission to shave some hair off my chest for better connectivity – I said she could but only as long as she shaved me uniformly on both sides.
I was clearly on top form that day – heart attack or not, why would you ever not see the lighter side of life!?
To be honest, the chest pain had already subsided by the time they arrived – and I was already beginning to feel a bit foolish for having called them out.
Within less than 10 minutes the ECG test was done – and my ticker was fine. But the blood pressure was rather high, probably due to the panic and tension of the previous half hour.
The paramedics advised me to get some blood tests done immediately so as to be completely sure. Either I could go to the nearest A&E (casualty) department myself or they could take me in the back of an ambulance.
I suddenly felt a bit silly for having all this special attention given to me. After all surely it was just indigestion?
Through that annoying cloud of not wanting to be fussed over, I did make a mental note to work on some self-esteem stuff. A little voice said to me – just enjoy this Arvind, and let someone fuss over you and serve YOU for a change:-)
And that’s when I made my second life-changing decision of the day – I went for the blood tests in the back of the ambulance.
I expected flashing lights and sirens all the way to the hospital but no such luck. I was no longer considered an emergency and I just had to get there quietly and without any fanfare. Of course along the way, I chatted to the lovely paramedic looking after me and I even gifted her a copy of my book – “Get the Life you Love“.
I had anticipated being at the hospital for a couple of hours whilst the A&E staff did some more blood tests etc. But little did I know what was to come next.
We got there and I simply walked in. No need for a stretcher – I am guessing not many people come out of an ambulance and just walk in!
14 Hours of Hospital – Waiting Agony and Ecstasy
So began 14 hours of hospital tests and examination.
I had another ECG done and some blood taken by a really pleasant nurse. In my head, I nicknamed her Dracula – in an endearing way of course.
And then two hours later, I had another ECG and yet more blood taken by my favourite Dracula nurse.
I was told I had to wait in hospital for at least 12 hours before a definitive blood test could be done which would confirm either way if I had had a heart attack or not.
Apparently the heart releases a certain protein enzyme called troponin within 6 to 12 hours of any cardiac damage and the presence of this enzyme is a definitive indication of some damage.
So began my stay of 14 hours in hospital – I reluctantly cancelled all my social activities that day. But strangely, I chose to not tell any family members or friends about what had happened. I just had this sense of everything was going to be fine.
And of course I didn’t want to be fussed over – clearly I must look into fuss stuff a bit more sometime:-)
Those 14 hours in hospital seemed to drag at times. But I can tell you that your life and mine will go past much faster. Just like that.
It was actually agony for someone as restless as me to be stuck in one place for so long – but also ecstasy as for once I got to rest for a prolonged period and spend some quality time on my own.
However, in those 14 hours as I rested on a hospital bed and waited for the blood test results, I also experienced many worrisome thoughts and searing feelings.
What if this was it?
First I experienced this feeling of sheer helplessness. How could life get me to such a tragic low – being confined to a sorry hospital bed?
My feelings of loneliness and helplessness were not helped by the looks of sympathy from the other patients and visitors.
Surely they could see there was nothing wrong with me or my heart!?
I then experienced deep sadness as I thought of the loved ones I may never see again. And I cried inwardly at the thought of the pain my loved ones would go through if anything ever happened to me. That day or any day.
I went through a whole range of torrid regrets as I looked back on a life of broken promises, unfulfilled potential and missed opportunities. People I had wronged, neglected, ignored. Abused even.
Regrets of all the things I did – and the things I didn’t do. Places I never visited. Things I put off for another day. Feelings of love I never expressed. Relationships I broke up. Girls I never kissed. And indeed, girls I kissed.
Worst of all was this haunting thought of just who I could have been if only. If only I had woken up sooner to the impending end of my time on this planet.
It was with these haunting thoughts that I must have dozed off for a couple of hours – only to be woken up by the night Dracula nurse at around 3 in the morning. Thankfully she nudged me with her hands rather than with her fangs on my throat.
My blood test results were back from the lab. They were negative. Yeah!
And though I had a sense they would be, my deep sense of relief was incredible. I could have kissed that Dracula nurse! She could have even sucked out some blood from my throat and I couldn’t have cared less.
Though I intuitively knew early on that it was not a heart attack, this final confirmation was such a relief and a huge boost.
It was like being given back my life – Xmas had arrived and Santa had just given me the biggest present ever – a chance to really live the life I want.
I felt ready to take on anything and do anything I wanted!
“Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. When I believe I can, I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn’t have it in the beginning.” ~Mahatma Gandhi.
Joking aside about Dracula, these nurses do an incredible job under the most trying of circumstances and for the most demanding of patients.
Florence Nightingale can be happy with her lasting legacy – and what a legacy.
Suddenly a whole new world opened up for me. It was not too late for me to be who I was meant to be.
To create my own lasting legacy.
Like Florence Nightingale did.
The Dracula nurse offered me the option to rest in my hospital bed till the morning, but I was out of there prompto! Besides it was Mother’s Day and I was paying my mother a surprise visit later that morning:-).
The taxi ride home that cold but fresh night was incredibly exhilarating. Life was full of possibilities – and I felt there was so much love all around me.
The taxi driver who took me home couldn’t believe that I had just spent 14 hours in hospital after a suspected heart attack. He said I looked great. And I felt great. Brand spanking new.
Relieved. Resurrected. Revitalised. Ready to conquer anything.
And to share my life-changing lessons. But first let’s do a little ritual with the proverbial middle finger.
Look at your right hand right now. Stick out the middle finger and fold your thumb and other fingers.
Stick the proverbial middle finger to illness and death! And also stick it to your old life and the old you.
Let us start today with making the most of the life you have.
Knowing that our time on this planet is so limited, it’s time for you and me to finally begin to live:-
1. Your Health is your Wealth
Our bodies are incredible machines – they are designed to last many decades. And barring freak accidents, you and I living in the western world could easily live to 80 years and beyond.
As long as we look after this body and give it optimal self-care and feed it well, it will survive for a long time.
But what good is an able body if the spirit within is dead!?
Funnily enough, whilst I was in hospital a close friend happened to call me – he himself had just recovered from an illness and the phrase he shared with me was that your health is your wealth!
I agreed with him though I didn’t tell him where I was or what I was going through.
The message to me and you is very clear – it’s time to take total self-care now – not tomorrow, not next week, not next month but now.
In that place where broken people come to be fixed, I had this deep realisation of just fragile our lives are – simply hanging on a string, ready to be blown away at any moment at the vagaries of nature.
A lottery of life and death.
I also saw just how ill and broken people can be – broken in both body and spirit.
So please deeply appreciate this – your life is such a gift and is so precious. It is a privilege to have this human body and this human form.
Why would you ever want to abuse your body?
First get a full medical check-up – let’s start with the basics and go from there. Then you can build on that.
Then it is up to you to give your body a chance to give you optimum and lasting service for as long as possible.
Learn to relax – do not stress about anything. Take up meditation to help you relax and get a different perspective on life.
Take up yoga too – this will help you to relax, make you feel and look younger and best of all increase your libido. Believe me – it works!
If nothing else, adopt a daily practice of walking – it’ll do you wonders
And of course, watch what you eat. This is so important and it really drives me mad and saddens me when I see people pumping their body with junk food.
Check out and apply these 14 simple but powerful tips to take total self care of yourself.
Before it’s too late.
As for me, I have already been to my GP who has confirmed that all is well with me though the blood pressure is still slightly on the high side.
I am due to visit him again in 2 months’ time for another assessment and of course during that time I’ll be focusing on even greater self-care. And I’ll be doing even more yoga :-).
2. Just be Yourself
One of my great realisations in that hospital bed was how much I had to offer the world. I kind of already knew this – but it became even more crystal clear and sharp when I was faced with the stark possibility of suddenly being unable to continue to offer the world what I had to offer.
In the same way, YOU have so much to offer the world.
You are unique with so many wonderful qualities. Yes, you:-).
You are so unique that not even the best and the maddest, baddest scientists can ever create another one like you.
Can you even imagine what the world would be like if there was another person with all your unique and wonderful talents and skills?
Do what I did that day in hospital – look back at your own life in earnest. Look at your heritage and your family background. Think about your education and all your unique life experiences that have brought you to where you are today and made you the person you are.
You are unique – there will never be another one like you. Accept that. Acknowledge that. And appreciate who you are.
You are here to serve the world with all your uniqueness.
YOU are the greatest gift you can give the world.
3. Share All Your Love Whilst You Can
One of the saddest insights I had that day was all the people I had let go from my life. And those people I had brought so much pain to.
The people I had mistreated, hurt or harmed, either knowingly or unknowingly.
Though I considered myself a loving being, I still held so many petty grudges. And I still withheld my love from so many wonderful people in my life.
As if my fountain of love was limited and there was only so much to go around.
So it’s time for me and you to share and spread your love.
It’s like when you light a number of candles with the flame of one candle. The light from the original candle is not diminished but augmented.
In the same way, let today be the day you truly begin to share your love and your light. The world needs your love more than ever before. Don’t keep it waiting any longer.
“The love you fail to share is the only pain you live with right now in your life” – Shore Slocum
Tell your loved ones just how much they mean to you. And tell them you love them. It’s as simple as that – but so hard for most people to do.
Regular readers will know that I have written about LOVE many times before. Just know and remember that every day until the day of your and my final reckoning, Love is all that matters.
4. Make Your Life an Epic Adventure
One of my key life values has always been fun – otherwise what’s the point of living?
It’s great to have a childlike attitude and a light-hearted approach to life – but I challenge you to transform your life into an epic adventure!
“Life is either a great adventure or nothing” – Helen Keller
Throw out your limitations, let go of your chains of boredom and apathy, and sail out to the seven seas like the sailors of centuries past.
Don the proverbial Tarzan’s outfit and go and find your Jane in the jungle of life, if you haven’t already found her.
Take on saving the gorillas in the mists of Congo – and having a rumble in the jungle with them.
Do whatever that tickles your fancy and your funny bone. Indeed, when was the last time you were truly tickled by anyone?
Embrace life to the full and do not let a single day pass by without a whiff of adventure, and a life lived to the brink.
A life overfilled with multiple glasses of love, joy and sheer unbridled passion.
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!”― Hunter S. Thompson
Do whatever it takes so that one day you too can look back and say what a ride that was!
5. Get out there and Shine in the World!
As well as being unique, you are also incredibly smart and far more capable than you think.
Can you remember a time when someone has really moved and inspired you?
Maybe you attended a concert or a sporting event when someone just blew you away with their passion, their skill and their soaring spirit.
Well, you too can experience such highs in your life. Just connect to the Great Spirit within you!
To start with, list all those things that you have done and that you can do that no one else can.
Look at your hobbies and interests outside of your work – and you will see just how competent and capable you are.
Do you play the piano? Can you blow a didgeridoo? Do you salsa or tango? Can you do complex maths in your head? Can you walk into a room full of strangers and be the life and soul of the party?
Are you into scuba-diving? Can you recount all the baseball or cricket scores since the eighties?
Maybe you run marathons before breakfast at the weekend? Or maybe you walk the London Marathon every second year like I do.
Well, there you are! There are umpteen things you can do in your social and work life that no one else can.
No matter what pastimes you engage in, you are THE KING when you are in the middle of those.
Stop under-estimating yourself – go out there and strut your stuff!
You no longer have to wait to shine in the world.
Find your fire – and you too can now set the world alight!
You may ask – where do I start?
Well, the place to start is from exactly where you are at now!
YOU are the leader that the world has been screaming for. Rise up to the challenge. You know it makes sense.
6. Enjoy the Journey and Remember to Lighten Up
Whoever told you that life was meant to be hard and a struggle?
No matter what challenges you are going through, just lighten up!
Life is meant to be easy and flowing, albeit with the occasional challenges that we all go through.
So just lighten up – and remember you are still a child at heart. I mean why would you ever want to grow up anyway!?
Here’s a challenge for you – create a fun thing EVERY day from now onwards. It could be going out on a night-out to a play, a musical gig or a movie.
Or something as simple and easy as a short stroll through your local park. Literally stop and smell the roses.
Just learn to laugh at life. And remember to laugh the loudest at yourself.
Stop taking yourself so seriously!
7. Create Your Worthy and Lasting Legacy
My experience of 14 hours in the hospital also opened my eyes to what other people’s lives are really like. And also what goodness there is all around us.
A whole kaleidoscope of humanity went past me that day – a bunch of noisy and playful Arab youths, a grumpy old man suffering skin problems, an Ethiopian monk-like man with a serene face visited by an even more serene but concerned looking young daughter and so on.
And all around them, some incredibly kind human beings, skilfully disguised as doctors, nurses and admin staff, each with an eternal and endearing smile, and genuinely kind words for all the heavy and weary hordes of humanity passing by.
That night just as I was leaving the A&E ward, I got talking to a very upset black guy who had a wound on his head.
I usually don’t refer to people’s colour except in this case it is relevant – he and his brother had been beaten up by a bunch of young guys, and the police were also there, investigating a possible racial attack.
Having had my own blood drawn out by my adorable Dracula nurses so many times that day, I was almost immune to the sight of blood but there was a lot of spilled blood about. My recently okay-ed heart went out to this man and his brother who was still lying prostrate on a ward bed.
Just what sort of a world do we live in? And what world are we creating and leaving behind for our children?
What struck me in that moment of talking to this person was how we were all so connected – and yet our perceived differences tore us all apart – in our relationships, in our families, in our communities and indeed in our countries.
Yet we are all striving for the same thing – to be happy and to be loved. And ultimately we all want to contribute and make a difference to others, though most of us don’t even realise this.
And this is where you come in. Go out and live your life in such a way that your life becomes a celebration of all that’s so great and noble about human-beings.
You don’t have to aim for something huge and grand such as striving for the Nobel Peace Prize (actually, you CAN if you really want to) but start small by taking a stand for something greater in your family, in your community and in your country.
Feel the fear and change the world anyway.
Ultimately when it comes down to it, your happiness comes from what you bring to the world and those around you.
It’s not about the size of your house. Or the speed and engine capacity of your car. Or heaven forbid, it’s certainly not about how many subscribers follow your blog (mental note to self!).
All that matters at the end of the day is what YOU bring to the world.
By simply choosing to carry out one act of kindness each day, you’ll be making your world a better place. And by the time you are on your deathbed, you’ll have thousands of acts of kindness to look back on:-).
Remember – your lasting and worthy legacy is built not by some grand, noble gesture but by tiny acts of humanity each day.
The Way Forward for Me
During those 14 hours of waiting, I made my third and final life-changing decision.
It was so simple yet so far-reaching – from that point onwards, I simply chose to live the best life I can.
So yes, I already have a great life – my health, a loving family, amazing friends and a beautiful home in the middle of one of the greatest cities in the world. But yet there was a big missing piece.
I was frustrated in my work and not yet achieving what I really wanted. And I am single and I have been single for a while, still searching for that elusive and fabled soulmate:-).
It was my own private joke really – I wrote a best-selling book called “Get the Life you Love” – and yet I was not yet living the life I really wanted!
People have asked me in the past if I had the life I love – and I used to jokingly say that I was a work-in-progress. Though most areas of my life were working, I was still working on some bits – and I was working on making other bits even better.
But the reality was that in my eyes, I was still a fraud. I was still far from living the life I imagined – and though in most people’s eyes I was doing great, I was defrauding myself.
So I am done with being a fraud. Just watch this space…
“It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.” – Tony Robbins
The Way Forward for YOU
The most important question here is this – when will you stop being a fraud?
When will you stop cheating yourself and the world?
When will you start creating and living the life which you really want?
It’s time.
It’s time to wake up and create your life, your legacy. Don’t wait till the day they are throwing mud over your coffin. Or burning you.
Because like it or not, that dreaded D day is getting closer each day.
I shall end by reminding you of this poignant quote I shared earlier from Tom Hiddleston.
(Coincidentally this quote was sent to me by a new friend just days after my life-changing experience, though she had no idea of what I had just gone through. But then again, there are no coincidences).
“We all have two lives. The second one begins when you realise you only have one” – Tom Hiddleston
Let today be THE DAY you begin your second life.
Some Powerful Life-Changing Questions for You
I invite you to take some time out TODAY to reflect on these life-changing questions:-
What would it be like to live the most powerful life I can?
What does it look like?
What does living my “best” life mean to me?
What will it take for me to make it happen?
What am I really, really good at?
What’s my greatest gift to the world?
What contributions am I making to my loved ones?
What impact am I having on the environment?
What sort of legacy am I creating?
What am I doing that one day my children will be proud of?
These are all powerful and life-changing questions only you can answer.
Reflect on these questions and write down whatever answers that bubble up for you.
Then just dive into my special blog post collection of 101 Ways to Help You Make It Happen which will go a long way to help you create the sort of life you can be proud of in the years to come…
And if you are really brave and ready to play a BIG game, then contact me via my Think Big Coaching website.
Your life will never be the same again. Guaranteed.
LIFEPLAN Course Coming Soon
I end this momentous and deeply personal post by sharing what I am currently creating with a friend – a life-changing, online course based on my best-selling book “Get the Life you Love“.
Look out for more details soon.
In the meantime, go well my friends – and may the force of love be with you on every step of your journey.
The post How 30 Minutes of Intense Chest Pain Changed My Life For Ever – and Will Change Yours Too. appeared first on Make It Happen.
