Motivation

Free ebook: Focus – a simplicity manifesto in the age of distraction

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I just finished reading this wonderful book by Leo Babauta. It’s an important reminder of the importance of focus in this age of distraction, and how to achieve it. The book is available for free and is ‘un-copyrighted’ by the author so you can share it with as many people as you want. Just click on the image to download the PDF version.

It’s an essential guide for everyone who needs to focus, and covers lots of useful stuff like:

  • the importance of finding focus
  • the beauty of disconnection
  • how not to live in your inbox
  • creating an uncluttered environment
  • strategies for prioritizing
  • systems for getting amazing things done
  • single-tasking and productivity

Download it now.

Happiness, Health and Productivity – best of 2010

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Here’s a collection of links to some of the most popular posts on my blog during the last 12 months. I hope you find them useful and consider sharing with friends. These may have some ideas for your New Year Resolutions too:

On Happiness:

On Health and Nutrition:

On Productivity:

Please let me know which ones did you find most useful.

[Photo taken during a hike in Rotorua, NZ – Nov. 2010]

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

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Watching lots of seagulls recently, I was reminded of this inspiring book I had read a few times during the late 80’s. I just read it again and realized why it’s called a classic. It’s a short and simple story of a seagull called Jonathan Livingston Seagull, but the message is powerful and inspiring. Instead of a review, here are a few excerpts from the book:

…Most gulls don’t bother to learn more than the simplest flight – how to get from shore to food and back again. For most gulls, it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, it was not eating that mattered, but flight. More than anything else, Jonathan Livingston Seagull loved to fly.

…Jonathan Seagull discovered that boredom and fear and anger are the reasons that a gull’s life is so short, and with these gone from his thought, he lived a long fine life indeed.

…’How you manage to love a mob of birds that has just tried to kill you?’ ‘Oh, you don’t love that! You don’t love hatred and evil, of course. You have to practice and see the real gull, the good in every one of them, and to help them see it in themselves. That’s what I mean by love.’

I recommend this book very highly, regardless of your age, interests or profession. Please share what your favorite books are.

[Photo taken at the Rotorua Lake, NZ. More beautiful photos of NZ here.]

5 things everyone can learn from the Aussies

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Having spent ten days in Australia, I was reminded of the many good things about the Aussies:

  1. Good day, mate! It’s the local greeting but also an attitude of happiness and friendliness. You can only greet each other with enthusiasm if you are really happy and grateful with your life. Otherwise, it will be the usual ‘how are you?’ and ‘not bad’. That attitude is also reflected in their choice of vocabulary. It’s not ‘nice’, it’s ‘fantastic!’ or ‘awesome!’ Simply put, ‘life is good!’
  2. Work to live. Most Aussies don’t live to work. A standard working day for most offices is 8-4:30 and 9:30-5:30 for most shops. This means more time for life outside of work – family, socializing, sports and hobbies. Yes, many Australians actually have hobbies like gardening, woodworking etc. Do they get less work done compared to those who regularly work overtime in many other countries? I don’t think so.
  3. Sunday is family day. Unlike many of us, most Aussies actually have a ‘plan’ for Sundays. And the key elements of the plan are family and outdoors – beach, picnics, parks, hikes. That’s not only great bonding time for the family, but also very healthy.
  4. No worries, mate! That’s also more of an attitude than just another local phrase you hear often. Aussies seem to genuinely believe that no problem is big enough to worry; given some time, most situations sort themselves out; getting stressed doesn’t make things easier. I wonder if they have one of the lowest rates of stress-related illnesses in the world.
  5. Play to win. Aussies are clearly one of the most competitive people, and it’s not just in sports. I think they generally like to excel at whatever they do – be it making a coffee, raising a child or winning an olympic gold. This is also obvious in a higher standard of services.

I am sure some readers will have many negative things to say about the Aussies. Every one of us, every nation, every place has negatives and positives. But I find myself much happier when focusing on the good rather than the bad, particularly when I am traveling. Please share your positive thoughts about your favorite place.

[Photo taken from a boat in Sydney. You can see some more spectacular photos here.]

Jeff Bezos: What matters more than your talents

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In this Princeton University graduation address, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos makes the case that our character is reflected not in the gifts we’re endowed with at birth, but by the choices we make over the course of a lifetime. A short but inspiring talk:

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5 things to do while looking for a job

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Version 3

Whether you are starting fresh, have just been set free (fired) or are in between jobs, looking for a new job can be extremely frustrating. Here are some tips to keep you sane, make the most of the time and even increase your chances of landing a job:

  1. Make the best of your time. While most people complain about not having enough time to do everything they want to do, you have all the time in the world. You can waste it by sleeping more, watching more TV, spending more time on the Internet etc. Or you can do more productive things like reading, writing, exercise, travel etc. But the best investment of your time is in learning things that will increase your ‘market value’ e.g. learn a language; teach yourself advanced computer skills; start a blog on something you care about… Wake up at six in the morning and do one or more of these as a “job”.
  2. Stay motivated. You hear about the bad economy, increased competition, unemployment rate, market conditions etc. but you manage to motivate yourself and start sending lots of applications. After a few interviews the ‘facts’ start to sink in and you start getting depressed. You allow your self-esteem and your confidence level to drop. Now you are not as enthusiastic and motivated at interviews; you get some more rejections; you get even more depressed… and the cycle repeats itself. Don’t let that happen. Be prepared for 100 interviews before getting a job, and do your best at every one of them. See each interview as part of the process, as another step towards the destination.
  3. Use all the resources. Remember that somebody somewhere wants to hire someone exactly like you. The more you reach out, the better your chances of connecting with that someone. Find job listings in every newspaper, magazine and website. Talk to headhunters – they are not just for top-level jobs. Connect with everyone you have ever known; social media like Facebook, Linkedin etc. make it easier than ever to find long lost friends and make new ones. Don’t be shy in letting the world know that you are looking for a job.
  4. Volunteer. Whether for a cause that you care about or at a job that interests you, volunteering allows you to keep busy, stay motivated and make new connections with potential employers.
  5. Try direct sales. Most direct selling companies are always hiring people without any relevant experience, regardless of the economic conditions. Good direct selling companies offer free training, excellent products, above-average income potential and regular motivation, and do not require more than 4-6 hours of daily commitment. It’s an excellent way to improve your communication skills, learn how to motivate yourself, make lots of new contacts and even make some money while looking for “the job”.

In summary, get out and get busy; have some daily routine; stay active and in touch with your field; learn new skills; try new things. Any employer will prefer to hire someone who has been busy and active, who has been doing ‘stuff’ while being ‘jobless’. Don’t wait to get lucky; the harder you work, the luckier you will get. Good luck!

Mobile Phone Salesman Goes After His Dream!

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You may have heard the story of Paul Potts who has literally taken the world by storm. Since his astounding first audition on Britain’s Got Talen, his humble nature and awesome talent has inspired many. He pulled on the heart strings of viewers who have enjoyed seeing someone overcome self confidence issues and adversity to fulfill a lifelong dream.

Watch this inspiring and uplifting video of his first audition through this link, because I could not embed it here. Over 15 million people have watched it!

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Watching Fish Can Reduce Stress

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Studies have shown that gazing at aquarium fish reduces stress and subsequently lowers blood pressure. Even watching a video of fish has been proven to have therapeutic effects.

During our recent holiday in Dubai, we went to see the much-hyped aquarium at the Atlantis. And it was quite an experience! I also recorded a couple of amateur videos to share the beauty of some of the best fish I had ever seen. Here’s one…

See another one here, and let me know what you think.

Daniel Goleman on Compassion

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An inspiring talk by the award-winning author of Emotional Intelligence. Daniel asks why we aren’t more compassionate more of the time…

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10 Inspiring Quotes on Forgiveness

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Millions of Muslims around the world are celebrating their Eid (pronounced as eed) Festival today. It’s a day of family, friends, feast, festivity and forgiveness. I hope the following quotes inspire you to forgive others, and yourself, for all the wrongs of the past.

I can forgive, but I cannot forget, is only another way of saying, I will not forgive.  Forgiveness ought to be like a cancelled note – torn in two, and burned up, so that it can never be shown against one. (Henry Ward Beecher)

The weak can never forgive.  Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. (Mahatma Gandhi)

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you. (Lewis B. Smedes)

Forgiveness is the sweetest revenge. (Isaac Friedmann)

Never does the human soul appear so strong as when it forgoes revenge, and dares forgive an injury. (E.H. Chapin)

Always forgive your enemies – nothing annoys them so much. (Oscar Wilde)

Forgiveness is me giving up my right to hurt you for hurting me. (Anonymous)

Never forget the three powerful resources you always have available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness. (H. Jackson Brown)

There is no love without forgiveness; and there’s no forgiveness without love. (Byrant McGill)

Forgiveness is the economy of the heart – forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits. (Hannah More)

Which one did you like best? Do you have a favorite quote on forgiveness? Please share through comments.

[Photo of a popular shrine in Iran, taken in July 2009]

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What Does it Take to Achieve Your Goals?

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I have wondered about these questions for many years: Why most people can’t fulfill their dreams? Why most goals are not achieved? Why most plans don’t work out? Why so much action doesn’t produce the desired results?

Working with thousands of salespeople and sales managers for over 20 years, I have learnt that there are only four reasons. Whether it’s about your career, health, money, relationships or any other goals that you fall short of, it is because:

  1. You don’t really want it. Whatever ‘it’ is that you are after. Are you having sleepless nights thinking and planning for it? What if you don’t get it? Will you settle without it? Do you have a specific time frame in mind? These questions can help you determine if you really want something badly enough. Otherwise, it’s not even a goal – just one of those wishes which may or may not be fulfilled. And you will be OK either way.
  2. You don’t believe it’s possible. It’s an inner voice that tells you, you can’t do it. ‘I can never lose so much weight.’ ‘I don’t think I am made for this.’ ‘It’s just not worth it.’ You believe you don’t have what it takes – the talent, opportunity, looks or whatever. 
  3. You don’t know how. You don’t have the knowledge or the skills required to achieve the goal, and worse still, you don’t know that. Like the salesperson who doesn’t put in the time and effort to learn the product or the skills. Or like someone who spends an hour working out every day without knowing the basics of fitness or nutrition.
  4. You aren’t willing to pay the price. In other words, you don’t take any action towards your goal. You are lazy; you procrastinate. As someone said, ‘If you are only interested, you will do what’s convenient. If you are committed, you will do whatever it takes!’

Do you know of any other reasons? Knowing what’s holding you back is a big first step towards achievement of your goals – unless you are #4.

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Are You a ‘Maybe’ Person?

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I know someone whom I have started calling a ‘Maybe Person’.

“Are we meeting this weekend?” “Maybe. I’ll let you know.”

“Are you planning to take any days off?” “Maybe. I am still thinking.”

“I really need to start exercising. Maybe I’ll start jogging, or perhaps swimming, hopefully soon.”

“I don’t want to miss that movie. Maybe this weekend. Or maybe next Tuesday.”

“I may be late.” “I may want to borrow that book.” “I may not be able to do that.”

I am not close enough to this person to figure out whether it’s lack of commitment or procrastination or just indecisiveness. But there’s an obvious lack of certainly and absence of any passion for life. Can a Maybe person ever lead others, inspire someone, be fun to be with, be reliable and dependable? I doubt it.

Do you know anyone like that? How does it feel to be with a Maybe person?

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Power of the Human Will: 100km Trek for Fundraising

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Three university students, Hamza, Tom and Chris, trekked the 100km MacLehose Trail of Hong Kong to raise funds for the millions affected by the floods in Pakistan. It’s the same trail that’s attempted by over 10,000 people every year who participate in the Oxfam event – only 3,000 or so are able to complete it within the 48 hours time limit, despite many months of training.

Hamza, Tom and Chris walked and climbed for 38 hours, without much rest or sleep, in extreme weather conditions (hot and humid during the day; cold and stormy at night), without any training, experience or professional gear! There were times when they wanted to give up due to bad weather, dehydration, blistered feet, sprained ankles, sleep deprivation… but it was sheer will power, absolute commitment to the goal, and the support of family and friends that kept them going. And their only purpose was to raise awareness and funds for the millions affected by the floods in Pakistan. So far, they have raised GBP5,000 against the very ambitious target of GBP10,000! You can read the full story and still support them here.

What’s also inspiring is that three men from three different countries and faiths could be so committed to a humanitarian cause, and to making a difference.

[Photo taken on Friday 20th morning when we met them to replenish their supply of water and snacks. From L to R: Chris Tsao, Tom Owens, Hamza Mush. Some more photos here.]

Update (3rd Sep. 2010): JustGiving named them the Fundraisers of the Month for raising GBP8000 in just three weeks, without much planning or previous experience! Read the story here.

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Inspiring Quotes: Making a Difference

Mush Contribution, Motivation

Being good is commendable, but only when it is combined with doing good is it useful.  ~Author Unknown

It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little – do what you can.  ~Sydney Smith

If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.  ~Mother Teresa

Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something.  ~Author Unknown

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.  ~Winston Churchill

It’s easy to make a buck.  It’s a lot tougher to make a difference.  ~Tom Brokaw

You give but little when you give of your possessions.  It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.  ~Kahlil Gibran

Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.  ~Mother Teresa

Inspired by Hamza’s plan to raise funds for the 20 million people affected by the floods in Pakistan. Hamza and his two friends, Tom and Chris, will be hiking the 100-km MacLehose Trail in Hong Kong on 19th August. It’s one of the toughest hikes that takes up to 36 hours to complete; they plan to do it in 24 hours. They are making good progress towards their target of raising GBP10,000. You can make a difference too – check out details here.

Book Recommendation: Three Cups of Tea

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A very inspiring book by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. There are hundred of beautiful reviews of this book on the Internet. The following represent my views most closely:

“Three Cups of Tea is one of the most remarkable adventure stories of our time. Greg Mortenson’s dangerous and difficult quest to build schools in the wildest parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan is not only a thrilling read, it’s proof that one ordinary person, with the right combination of character and determination, really can change the world.” (Tom Brokaw)

“Three Cups of Tea is beautifully written. It is also a critically important book at this time in history. The governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan are both failing their students on a massive scale. The work Mortenson is doing, providing the poorest students with a balanced education, is making them much more difficult for the extremist madrassas to recruit.” (Ahmed Rashid, best-selling author of Taliban: Militant Islam)

“Mortenson and Relin argue that the United States must fight Islamic extremism in the region through collaborative efforts to alleviate poverty and improve access to education, especially for girls. Captivating and suspenseful, with engrossing accounts of both hostilities and unlikely friendships, this book will win many readers’ hearts.” (Publishers Weekly)

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Inspiring Quotes on Success

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“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint’, then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” (Vincent Van Gogh)

“Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.” (Albert Einstein)

“Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it.The time will pass anyway; we might as well put that passing time to the best possible use.” (Earl Nightingale)

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” (Mark Twain)

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing in the world is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” (Calvin Coolidge)

“You can’t change the direction of the wind, but you can adjust your sails to reach your destination” (Unknown)

Please share your favorite quote on success through comments. Thanks.

[Photo taken recently near Tap Mun Island in Hong Kong]

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The Power of Human Will – Lewis Pugh did it again!

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Another inspiring video from TED! After Lewis Pugh swam the North Pole, he vowed never to take another cold-water dip. Then he heard of Lake Imja in the Himalayas, created by recent glacial melting, and Lake Pumori, a body of water at an altitude of 5300 m on Everest. And so began a journey that would teach him a radical new way to approach swimming, new challenges and think about climate change.

What’s your biggest challenge today? And do you need a radical new way to handle it?

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An Inspiring Talk by Jacqueline Novogratz

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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 the Perfect Time?

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What’s the perfect time…

  • to start exercising?
  • to start eating healthy?
  • to start learning a new thing?
  • to start reading?
  • to get organized?
  • to help someone in need?
  • to stop procrastination?
  • to say ‘i love you’?
  • to say ‘thank you’?
  • to quit smoking?
  • to quit drinking?
  • to follow your dream?
  • to take a vacation, to travel?
  • to volunteer for a cause?

So many people spend their lives waiting for the perfect time to do what needs to be done now. What are you procrastinating?

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Nick Vujicic’s Inspiring Video on Winning and Losing

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Inspiration from a man with no limbs…

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