Jeremy Rifkin is president of the Foundation on Economic Trends and the author of 17 bestselling books on the impact of scientific and technological changes on the economy, the workforce, society and the environment. I haven’t read any of his books yet, but I found this talk/animation very informative, useful and even inspiring:
Life
Smaller the Better
Why do they keep only small size plates with food in most airline lounges? Do they expect people to eat less while traveling, or do they want them to eat less? I think the latter. There’s only so much you can fill up in a small plate; and there are only so many rounds you can make to the buffet tables. I think it’s an effective strategy. And I believe the concept could apply to many things in life…
A smaller apartment could encourage you to minimize your possessions. A smaller office could help you keep it clutter-free. A smaller bag could mean traveling light. A smaller wallet would have fewer essentials. A smaller fridge could help eat more fresh foods. What else can you add to the list?
Of course, not everything is better when smaller.
[Photo of my new half-size, two-pocket wallet :)]
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The Bonus Hour (Inspiration from Garuda Flight 343)!
Couple of days ago, at the end of a flight from Denpasar (Bali) to Surabaya, the pilot announced a one-hour time difference between the two cities. And while I was changing the time on my watch, I suddenly realized (for the first time, though I have done this many times) that I was going to live that one hour all over again! I was given a bonus hour! What was I going to do with that extra hour? Well the problem was, the rest of my day was already planned as per the local time 🙂
But for the rest of the afternoon, I was somehow more aware of every hour and of making the best of it. The soup at a roadside cafe tasted like the best soup I had ever had. The flowers at the hotel entrance looked more beautiful than ever. I was able to notice and admire the trees I could see from the lobby while in a business meeting. Everyone seemed a lot nicer. The whole world seemed to have slowed down a little bit. I’ve had an amazing couple of days, as I’ve been trying to live every moment, and I hope it lasts!
What would you do if you had an hour, or a day, to live all over again? Would you spend it at work – meetings and emails – or with a loved one? Would you do something for which you haven’t had the time, like calling or writing to someone, or reading that book…? (Please share through comments)
Why wait for a flight to a time zone behind us? Why not do it today? You know, you really do have that bonus hour, whenever you wish.
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An Inspiring Talk by Jacqueline Novogratz
Jacqueline Novogratz tells a moving story of an encounter in a Nairobi slum with Jane, a former prostitute, whose dreams of escaping poverty, of becoming a doctor and of getting married were fulfilled in an unexpected way.
Please leave your comments if you found this inspiring.
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What’s Normal? (by Paulo Coelho)
I had first posted this exactly a year ago, and it continues to be one of the most visited posts. So here’s a repost. It was written by Paulo Coelho on his blog:
I decided to conduct a survey among my friends about what society considers to be normal behavior. What follows is a list I have made of some of the absurd situations we face in day-to-day life, just because society sees them as normal:
1] Anything that makes us forget our true identity and our dreams and makes us only work to produce and reproduce.
2] Making rules for a war (the Geneva Convention).
3] Spending years at university and then not being able to find a job.
4] Working from nine in the morning to five in the afternoon at something that does not give us the least pleasure, so that we can retire after 30 years.
5] Retiring only to discover that we have no more energy to enjoy life, and then dying of boredom after a few years.
6] Using Botox.
7] Trying to be financially successful instead of seeking happiness.
8] Ridiculing those who seek happiness instead of money by calling them “people with no ambition”.
9] Comparing objects like cars, houses and clothes, and defining life according to these comparisons instead of really trying to find out the true reason for being alive.
10] Not talking to strangers. Saying nasty things about our neighbors. Continue reading
Nick Vujicic’s Inspiring Video on Winning and Losing
Inspiration from a man with no limbs…
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Reflections from the World Refugee Day
Sara wrote this inspiring piece on her website a couple of days ago…
How many of us are aware that there are more than 6,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Hong Kong at the moment? How many of us realize that even within HK there are still people suffering, people who are in limbo, who have no country to call their home, people whose lives’ are controlled not by them, but by government. Then there are those selfless people, who are blessed with goodness and purity, who within this ridiculous money-driven society are still willing to give their all – their efforts, their time and devote their lives to improving other people’s lives, without ever asking anything in return! But they are rewarded, with the gratefulness and the prayers of the lives they touch every single day with their passion and their commitment!
The World Refugee Day 2010, was organized by Christian Action Hong Kong’s only drop-in service centre for refugees and asylum seekers. It’s a place of love, laughter, healing and more than anything else… it’s a place of hope. Along with providing all the basic necessities of everyday lives – things that we so easily take for granted such as food, clothing and shelter, these people ensure that none of these refugees and asylum seekers ever feel alone. They provide them with something us humans need the most – love, care and affection.
Doing henna at the World Refugee Day really opened my eyes Continue reading
Flower Girl in Vietnam
She is a 15-year old girl who goes to school in the morning and sells flowers at night. She lives with her aunt who gives her ten bouquets every night. And she can’t return home until she sells them all. It can take her anywhere from two to six hours to sell all ten bouquets, depending on the day of the week and time of the year. The price of USD1 per bouquet doesn’t make it any easier. She goes to the road-side restaurants and coffee shops around the Cathedral in HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City), where she can find foreigners who are usually better customers.
She considers herself fortunate to be be living in a city, to have an aunt who takes care of her, to have a job that pays for her food and school, to have customers who buy her bouquets.
Do you feel a little more fortunate, if not incredibly blessed? Please share your thoughts through comments.
[An estimated 300 million children worldwide are subjected to violence, exploitation and abuse including the worst forms of child labour in communities, schools and institutions. As reported by UNICEF]
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Over 100 million homeless people!
Over 100 million people are homeless throughout the world, the majority of them women and dependent children. Overall, at least 600 million people live in shelters that are life threatening or health threatening in developing world cities. Every day, some 50,000 people die as a result of poor shelter, polluted water and inadequate sanitation. Some 70 million women and children live in homes where smoke from cooking fires damages their health. There are over 23 million refugees worldwide, and 27 million internally displaced people- within their own countries.
Please remember this, the next time you feel like complaining for lack of space. Another reason to be grateful.
[Photo taken in Bangkok yesterday]
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We love you, Zain!
Our dear friend Zain Naqi passed away this month, at the age of 22. We all remember him as an extra-ordinary young man who was very loving, friendly and always full of life. Zain used to spread cheer and laughter wherever he went. He was always ahead of the others in studies, sports and any other activities that he participated in. Zain always made his parents proud. Everyone dies, but not everyone lives. Zain lived every day of his life, which was rather short.
I have put together some photos and a video of Zain, though his smiling face will always live in our hearts. These were taken during 2002-2006 in Hong Kong. If you were fortunate to have known Zain, please leave your thoughts and prayers as comments.
“You can shed tears that he is gone, or you can smile because he has lived. You can close your eyes and pray that he’ll come back, or you can open your eyes and see all that he has left. Your heart can be empty because you can’t see him, or you can be full of the love you shared. You can remember him only that he is gone, or you can cherish his memory and let it live on. You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back, or you can do what he’d want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.” (By David Harkins – British poet and painter)
10 Essentials of Life by Leo Buscaglia
From Living, Loving and Learning by Leo Buscaglia:
- Right Knowledge, to supply you with the tools necessary for your voyage.
- Wisdom, to assure you that you are using the accumulated knowledge of the past in a manner that will best serve the discovery of your presence, your ‘now’.
- Compassion, to help you accept others whose ways may be different from yours, with gentleness and understanding, as you move with them or through them or around them on your own way.
- Harmony, to be able to accept the natural flow of life.
- Creativity, to help you to realize and recognize new alternatives and unchartered paths along the way.
- Strength, to stand up against fear and move forward in spite of uncertainty, without guarantee or payment.
- Peace, to keep you centered.
- Joy, to keep you songful, and laughing and dancing all along the way.
- Love, to be your continual guide towards the highest level of consciousness of which man is capable.
- Unity, which brings us back to where we started – the place where we are at one with ourselves and with all things.
To me, life is God’s gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to God. Make it a fantastic one.
What do you think is essential in life? Please share through your comments.
[Photo: Tree outside the Heathrow Airport, March 2010]
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Looking for a Cause?
Did you know that there are 41.2 million refugees and internally displaced people in the world? And 12 million stateless people living in limbo without citizenship rights? Recently, I had an opportunity to do a motivational session for a youth refugee group in Hong Kong. And I realized that people forced from their homes by conflict are among the world’s most vulnerable who all have individual stories of loss, heartache and survival.
Officially there are 6,500 refugees in Hong Kong. Most of them are asylum seekers who have suffered human rights abuses, persecution, torture or sexual violence! They usually come from South Asia (Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan) and Africa (Somalia, DR Congo, Eritrea, Burundi, Rwanda, Cameroon, Ivory Coast).
Ever since I have heard about these people and met some of them, it’s been almost impossible to complain about my small problems and challenges in life. The things that we take for granted – home, family, friends, job, food, clothes, education etc. – are daily struggles for these people. We are extremely blessed if we haven’t experienced war, famine, violence, displacement or other such calamities, and we should be very grateful!
If you are looking for a cause to support or an opportunity to contribute, you should consider Refugees International or Hong Kong Christian Action who are helping thousands of refugees with their basic needs.
Who is Making You Unhappy?
I faced a stressful situation today, and reminded myself: There’s only one person who is responsible for any stress in my life, and that’s me. And guess what, my stress vanished.
There’s only one person who is responsible for the quality of your life, happiness, health, relationships, motivation, job satisfaction, wealth and well being. And that’s you!
And the person who makes you unhappy, unhealthy, stressful, disappointed, frustrated, angry, lonely, lazy or poor is also you!
Who will you choose to be?
9 Secrets from the “Blue Zones” by Dan Buettner
National Geographic writer and explorer Dan Buettner studies the world’s longest-lived peoples, distilling their secrets into a single plan for health and long life. Dan and team study the world’s “Blue Zones,” communities whose elders live with vim and vigor to record-setting age. He shares the 9 common diet and lifestyle habits that keep them spry past age 100, and five out of these have nothing to do with diet or exercise! One of the best and most inspiring videos I have ever come across:
10 Inspiring Birthday Quotes
- May you live all the days of your life. (Jonathan Swift)
- From our birthday, until we die, is but the winking of an eye. (William Butler Yeats)
- Because time itself is like a spiral, something special happens on your birthday each year: The same energy that God invested in you at birth is present once again. (Menachem Mendel)
- Very early, I knew that the only object in life was to grow. (Margaret Fuller)
- Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional. (Chili Davis)
- To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am. (Bernard Baruch)
- When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it happened or not. (Mark Twain)
- If I’d known I was going to live this long (100 years), I’d have taken better care of myself. (Ubie Blake)
- Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you have got to start young. (Fred Astaire)
- And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that counts. It’s the life in your years. (Abraham Lincoln)
Which one do you like best? Please share your favorite quotes through comments.
Also see 10 more inspiring birthday quotes.
For more inspiration, check out my newest book: Dhinchak Life
Two Words That Can Hurt: ‘Never’ and ‘Always’
As in:
“You never listen to me!”- “You never come on time!”
- “You never return my calls!”
- “You always forget my birthday!”
- “You are always on the phone/computer!”
- “You always argue with me!”
You get the point? Such use of the words ‘never’ and ‘always’ exaggerate the reality and blow the situation out of proportion. It usually sparks an argument, or at best, affects the self-esteem of the other person. Next time you are tempted to use these words, try replacing them with ‘usually’ or ‘often’ if you really must use an adverb.
And what if you are at the receiving end of such criticism with one of these words?
- Don’t take them seriously – you know it’s just an exaggeration.
- Avoid the temptation to pick on these words and start a heated argument.
- Simply ask: ‘Do you really mean it?’ or ‘You mean often, not always, right?
- Don’t let it hurt you or ruin your day or affect your self-esteem – you are stronger than that!
The words always and never can also be used in very positive ways to enhance your communication, increase your commitment, and to motivate yourself and others. Please share your views through comments.
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Inspiring Quotes: Life, Enthusiasm and more…
“We are in such a hurry to grow up, and then we long for our lost childhood. We make ourselves ill earning money, and then spend all our money on getting well again. We think so much about the future that we neglect the present, and thus experience neither the present nor the future. We live as if we were never going to die, and die as if we had never lived.” (Jaime Cohen)
“Lord, give us enthusiasm, because enthusiasm is what binds us to the heavens and to earth, to grown-ups, and to children; it is what tells us that our desires are important and deserve our best efforts. It is enthusiasm that reaffirms to us that everything is possible, as long as we are totally committed to what we are doing.” (Paulo Coelho)
“We see the evil in others because we know the evil in ourselves. We say the painful truth to others because we want to hide it from ourselves. We show our strength because, so that no one can see our frailty. That is why, whenever you judge your brother, be aware that it is you who is in the dock.” (Okakura Kakuzo)
[Photo from Mui Wo Ferry Pier, during a bike trip this morning]
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3 Life Lessons from Traveling
This post was inspired during my recent 24-hour journey from Hamza’s place in Cardiff to my home in Hong Kong. Multiple connections combined with various modes of travel always result in exciting surprises. And then the movie, ‘Up in the Air’ provided some more impetus. Many frequent travelers learn a few ‘tricks of the trade’ and develop certain attitudes that help them deal with the stress of traveling and keep sane. And I believe some of these provide useful lessons for life:
- Travel light. It’s perhaps the most important advice on traveling. Packing a smaller bag requires planning, discipline and focus on the essentials. It saves time at check-in counters. It’s easier to unpack. Less clutter means better focus, and fewer chances of leaving something behind. You can also move on at short notice. Doesn’t that apply to life too? Whether it’s your desk/desktop, wallet/purse/bag, wardrobe or the house… fewer things mean less clutter, less time wasted on finding stuff, less energy on the maintenance. The same applies to having thousands of ‘friends’ on Facebook, receiving tons of junk mail, maintaining dozens of credit cards… the list goes on. Less is more; lighter the better; quality over quantity.
- Be prepared for surprises. You learn during traveling that everything is not in your control, and things don’t always go as planned. Flights can be delayed or cancelled; your special meal onboard is often mixed up; bags don’t always make the connection; hotels can be over-booked; Internet doesn’t always work… And it’s not because the world is conspiring against you and everyone is out to get you. You can accept these situations with calm or fight and argue and get upset. I often remind upset fellow passengers: There are usually three reasons for a flight to be delayed: there’s something wrong with the plane, or the pilot, or the weather. And I am glad they have found out while we are still on the ground. The same applies to life. Despite great intentions and excellent planning, things do go wrong. And we have to learn to distinguish between situations (that can’t be changed) and problems (that can be solved). Unfortunately, so many people waste so much of their time and energy fighting with situations.
- Enjoy the moment. Just like the unpleasant surprises, there are often unexpected pleasures in traveling. It can be the most beautiful sunrise over the horizon from your window seat, a divine local meal, an unforgettable encounter with a stranger, and other memorable unplanned experiences. At such moments, you don’t want to continue reading the book or checking your email on the iPhone or responding to an SMS. In an age when electronic communications enable us to be permanently connected to (and distracted by) the virtual world, there’s a thrill in throwing yourself into a single place, a single moment. When you travel, you get to embrace the privilege of witnessing life as it happens before your eyes. This attitude need not be confined to travel. For all the pleasures of the virtual world, there is no substitute for real-life conversations and connections with the people and places around you. Even at home, there’s good reason to unplug from the world and really connect with the people you love.
Do you have any interesting experiences from your travels? Or any tips for life? Please share through comments.
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Inspiration from Nana
Nana is the Urdu/Hindi word for maternal grandfather. Every time I go to Dubai, I visit my 97-year old nana who lives with my uncle. We have all envied his health and fitness levels for a long time. Until recently, he used to wake up before dawn for his morning prayers and rituals; he read newspapers and went for walks; he traveled on his own between Bhavnagar (India) and Dubai.
Every time, I would learn about a different part of his life – and each one more inspiring than the other e.g.
- He never went to university, but was one of the most learned men of his time. He never stopped reading and learning. He could speak more than five languages.
- He started his career selling metal at the age of 18. And when he retired at 50, he owned a huge metal business and few shops.
- Soon after retirement, he started working with a few philanthropic organizations. He traveled across India and Africa for fund-raising and built hundreds of schools in poor neighborhoods.
- He had four wives; he remarried after the deaths of each one, except the last one who died about ten years ago. My mom was born from the second wife.
I saw him last week, and he is not the same anymore, physically. He is now bed-ridden, but insists on walking to the bathroom. He can only take fluids, so he is getting weaker by the day. He can’t see properly, or hear or talk. And he doesn’t recognize anyone. He felt my face, arms and biceps. Then he smiled and made a gesture with a punched hand – meaning ‘you seem fit’. When I realized his mental alertness, I tried to say ‘let’s get up and go’ through my body language. He quickly responded through his hands and expressions which I interpreted as, ‘I am done with this life; I am too tired now; I am ready to go’.
I think people have two kinds of thoughts on their deathbeds: I wish I had done this and done that; if I could live my life again, I would do this and that differently. Or I am glad I did this and that; if I could live my life again, I wouldn’t change a thing; I had the best life! And what we would be thinking on our deathbeds depends on how we live our lives today.
[Updated on 2nd April: Nana passed away today. May his soul rest in peace]
Mush Panjwani 