We all die... the goal is not to live forever, the goal is to create something that will...

Each day is an opportunity to make more beautiful memories

There are memories that time does not erase... Forever does not make loss forgettable, only bearable.

Eighteen years ago, I lost my Dad... the man who believed in my strength; I wish I could turn back time to be his little girl again but I know it can never happen to me again. I still remember tears rolling down my cheeks while I sat looking at my Dad lying breathless, helpless as death has embraced him forever. I was unaware of the intensity of my pain and trust me that very moment none who has lost his / her loved one could ever imagine the loss. It is when you wake up the next morning and see the sun rising , you realize that this sunrise and many more to come will still leave your soul dark and your home dull. It is when you sit for your dinner, you realize that the empty chair will never help you heal the loss. The pain gets deeper and deeper till it becomes part of your existence.

Yet most things are forgotten over time. Even the war itself, the life-and-death struggle people went through is now like something from the distant past. We’re so caught up in our everyday lives that events of the past are no longer in orbit around our minds. There are just too many things we have to think about everyday, too many new things we have to learn. But still, no matter how much time passes, no matter what takes place in the interim, there are some things we can never assign to oblivion, memories we can never rub away. They remain with us forever, like a touchstone.

Perhaps, I have yet not accepted the death of my father and so make attempts to keep him alive. I can see him smiling when I live through his noble lessons of life... I can see his teary eyes when life treats me hard and hear him demanding me to be strong and be his happy little girl always.

Friends, what I expect from each one of you is to come out of your pains and losses a little more stronger and a little more better. Let your loved ones in heavens beyond stars sparkle a little more brighter when they see you making this world a little better place than what they had left with you. When you are joyful, when you say yes to life and have fun and project positivity all around you, you become a sun in the center of every constellation, and people want to be near you.

Everyone wants to be excited by something magical and wondrous - to be reminded of how they once saw the world ... but most importantly it is all about how you would leave the world better than you found it.

All in all it is what makes life worth living!!

Each day is an opportunity to make more beautiful memories... aim for iconic, go for legendary!!

IMAGINE with all your mind, BELIEVE with  all your heart, ACHIEVE with all your might.

With my majors in English Literature, I always wanted to be someone known & acknowledged for her mastery in English language. But, the divine script had a different act for me. I started my career in textile merchandising and now it pulsates in my existence.

Over the years I found that merchandising  have many levels of ability of mathematical calculations,  building trust, enduring relationships and the power of words. I knew Im not good in numbers, it was always an uphill task for me to comprehend calculations but I knew I can always present my number sheet to audience with finesse using the power of words.  

One day my boss asked me to travel to Hong Kong for a meeting with buyers of reknown USA sports brands to win football business for Pakistan factories. He gave me a list of a variety of data that I would need to discuss with them; it ranged from export market value to analysis of all kinds. It took me 3 days to complete the task but then he asked me to prepare a coverage on our football industry. I could hear my inner voice screaming to convince me that " this is your game, play it well and win " . 

Friends, I spent a night redesigning the entire presentation; I transformed it from a mathematical business analysis to a real story of FOOTBALL MANAUFACTURING. The day I was leaving for Hong Kong, my boss asked me if Im all set for this big meeting and I still remember answering him " Ten days ago, all I knew about football is that its round in shape but today I know the value of this product".

The meeting was a complete hit, I flew back with huge orders and was the star of the organisation. 

I would have been an absolute failure had I spent my energies in mastering the numbers  for this meeting. I won only because my boss directed my strengths to win over my weakness. All through our lives we err by trying to work on our weaker areas and thus nurture the fear of failing. Why not appreciate our strengths and our weaknesses will become too small and too weak to  stop us from winning our game.

We should dutifully review our scales and some elementary pieces required to improve upon our weaker areas but we should focus, nurture, strive and encourage our strengths to transform our life into a masterpiece.

Your belief in yourself to win over our shortcomings will make you a legend like Mozart . Your fingers will be light on the keys of all challenges in life , they will even dance nimbly on the ivories of joy and love. Embrace your strengths and you will  end in a grand crescendo and immense applause.

We can all make a difference. We all have thousands of opportunities a day to help realize God's plan. So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice: Do we pass along a spark of the Divine? Or do we pass up that opportunity, and leave the world a bit colder in the process? 

With respect, encouragement and tons of great wishes. :)

"Shake it off and step up"

There was an old mule. One day accidentally he fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer has evaluated the situation and thought to himself, that neither the well nor the old mule was worth the efforts to save them. Thus he decided to haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well.

So the farmer called his neighbours and together they started shoveling dirt into the well. The old mule was terrified and hysterical in the beginning. But soon one hopeful idea came to his mind – every time when a shovel of dirt landed on his back, he would shake it off and step up!

He repeated these words to himself again and again: "Shake it off and step up“. This way he could struggle the panic and encourage himself. After some time, the mule had stepped over the well‘s wall. Although terribly tired, he was the winner, he saved his own life. He decided to face his adversity positively and not to give up, and thus he won. What seemed like it would bury him, actually saved him, owing to his own confidence and efforts.

Some people will intentionally or unintentionally make efforts to bring us down but we have to keep moving and we will emerge as a winner, a savior for someone, a support and inspiration to a few more. The stories that we tell ourselves and each other sound remarkable, don’t they? They romanticize us. They sweep us off our feet. They persuade us to believe that if we dive head first into an intimate relationship, a big financial purchase, greasy foods, imported beers, or whatever it is that temporarily pacifies our worried mind from reality, then we will somehow find what we are truly looking for.Our obvious dilemma is that reality is not temporary. Reality keeps on coming. That intimate relationship will have our heart blissfully skipping beats until it doesn’t any longer. That big financial purchase will be fun and exciting until it isn’t any longer. Greasy foods and beer will comfort us until they don’t any longer.

Some people come into our life disguised as angels, and sometimes angels come into our life disguised as people. It is possible to see God anywhere. All it takes are open eyes and ears and the willingness to see miracles. They are everywhere. God is as available as we are. Having friends that inspire us to rise to higher and greater levels is an awesome gift. Surround yourself with people that inspire you to do better and inspire your friends as well. It is a profound truth that the people we spend time with, shape the path that we travel.

Like that old mule, struggle through the worst and emerge as a winner; some people will aim to shatter us but they are not stronger than the people who are sent in our lives as angels to walk us through all the thick and thin. We have to cast our faith in our God and make our world an Eden of happiness.

You can change the world – maybe not all at once, but one person, one animal, and one good deed at a time. Wake up every morning and pretend like what you do makes a difference. It does!

Cheers to a stronger you!!  :)

 

"To be what you were born to be and to explore your full potential each day is life’s only goal"

Recently, my sons developed craze for cactus plants and each bought one. The 13yrs old has the cactus plant in his room because he read on the internet that if cactus plant kept near laptops / PC etc, it helps reduce the radiation effect.Apart from the reason that his elder brother has one, the 6yrs old has the cactus plant because he doesn't like flowers.

Its the same cactus but it is approached and seen with distinctively different reasons. Similarly, what tests God put us through may appear painful to us but God has to offer us some beautiful insights into life through His tests and is probably preparing us for something more beautiful and vibrant.

As cactus is usually grown in deserts, its anatomical and physiological features are in accordance to support its life span which varies from 25 to 300 years. Similarly, humans are born to live through variety of experiences in life and so God has tuned every single human being with the strength to live and shine. We not only have to help ourselves but as we go along the journey, it is our duty to spread help, encouragement and love to our fellow beings.

I still remember, 25 years ago, I was walking home from high school in the pouring rain without an umbrella. I was just walking behind an elderly man who had an umbrella. As we both passed under the overhang to an apartment building, he stopped, turned around and handed me the umbrella. He said, "this is my stop and it looks like you need an umbrella. Pass it along someday when the opportunity arises."

We have to acknowledge the variety of facets that we are blessed with; each has uniqueness and power to pull us through anything and everything. Your soul always have the answers; your life's purpose is just under the surface waiting to be explored and realized. Don't cast your opinion about people and things as the world gossips about each of those... live wholeheartedly , look out for beauty and truth and you will be amazed by your discoveries about this world.

Cheers to a unique YOU :)

Believe in yourself....

As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.

He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”

The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?

This story was read to me when I was 12 years old; at that age it helped me get an A+ in Mathematics as I always believed I was not a number friendly student. It was then deep seeded in my subconscience and had helped me many a times to find out solutions than to give up. But I realised that this little story has the power that pulled me through all thick and thin. Had I been hostage to the facts of diabetese, I would not have lived a normal life, made babies, danced endlessly and ate fine food. Had I believed the weakness of being a lonely woman in a man dominated society essenced by mean interpretations of faith, I would have lost the pride of raising two fine little boys and the joy of their laughters. So to all of you, the living souls out there , no matter how hard life treats you, step out of your comfort zone, believe in your uniqueness and live a fuller and brighter life.

The ground coffee beans are unique. After they are exposed to the boiling water, they change the water and create something new, something more desirable, more acceptable, more useful than just being coffee beans lying in a bottle.

Failure is part of learning; we should never give up the struggle in life.When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.the surest way to make more of your life is to become more aware of what’s in you- and to expand your definition of what’s possible.I’ve truly come to believe that if we can find the courage to do the things that make us feel most alive, we do not only do ourselves a favor but the world a favor too.

Till we meet again, Stay true to your deepest values and best ideals:)

Blessings be with you and your families  :)

You can't be it if you can't see it..


I grew up with the thought that "If you look at a tree long enough, it will move." We see what we want to see.

My younger son who is just 5.5yrs was chosen to act the role of a “KING” in his pre-school drama evening. He was very happy that evening because he had to start his rehearsals from the very next day. After two days his teacher called me that I have to prepare his costume for a “RAT” and not of a “KING”. Upon getting into details, I was informed by the teacher that during the practice, my little one chose to become a “RAT”. Like the teacher, I was also surprised as what made him take this decision.

The same evening, while I was cuddling with my two sons, I asked the little one if he has opted to play the role of a “RAT”. To my surprise he nodded in confirmation. His elder brother started laughing and called him silly. But the little one said in his innocent words “Mama, I sat on the throne with a hard face, nothing to do. It was so boring. But the kids who were playing the role of rats were dancing and they made the king and his son smile too. I decided to join them.”

My elder son made fun of him that your friends will call and tease you as a “RAT” , to which he replied “no, I am the rat like Stuart Little”

Later he performed in the drama evening as “RAT” and did his performance so enthusiastically that the entire audience giggled, smiled and clapped. He won as “The Most Cutest Rat” while the king was just a character in the play. He knew he will be a “celebrity rat” like his Stuart Little and he made it.

       

This entire event tell us that nothing controls our lives more than our self-image. We are what we think we are. If you don't think you'll see being successful, you won't. You can't be it if you can't see it. Your life is limited to your vision. If you want to change your life, you must change your vision of your life.

When James Carville was a kid he was obsessed with political campaigns the way other kids were obsessed with sports. During the 1992 Presidential campaign there was no greater superstar-whacko than Clinton's political operative, James Carville. With his shaved bald head, sharp facial features, and his deep Louisiana accent he seemed like a man out of the Twilight zone!

He's now considered to be one of the greatest political operatives of a generation. But, before he ended up on that fateful campaign in his early 40's he was dead broke, had won only a handful of elections, and had never even been approved for a credit card. On paper, he looked like a complete failure. By not giving up,he ended up in the White House.


"No one will ever accuse James Carville of taking himself seriously." - James Carville







Oprah Winfrey’s childhood was frightful and filled with horrible abuse and poverty. But, like most successful people, Oprah doesn't dwell on stuff like that.







"I don’t think of myself as a poor deprived ghetto girl who made good. I think of myself as somebody who from an early age knew I was responsible for myself, and I had to make good." - Oprah Winfrey









I'll close with another quote by Michael Jordan..

"Some want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen." - Michael Jordan

Now go make something happen…
Believe in yourself and how your distinctive style can change the direction of the winds and make you a WINNER, a STAR and a WONDER.

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If you cannot put your heart in it, take yourself out of it...

Often we are subjected to the strong perception built by so-called practical people that heart misleads and brain leads to right decisions. Somehow, this belief is accepted universally and we have all the logics to prove it right.

Sit back calmly and think if brain is what you all need to make a difference, to start afresh, to do the extraordinary or to succeed? Surprisingly, we all will find the answer to be a "NO". World's most successful people did not reach the top with their brains or skills alone but what took them to the top was their passion to make the difference. Your dream, your passion, your inspiration are pulsated in your heart. When passion and skill work together, the end result is often a masterpiece.

There are people who live in a dream world (followers of heart), and there are people who face reality (practical); and then there are those who turn one into the other and these are the people who make history, discover the hidden, innovate and invent and stand significantly successful in life. Neglecting passion blocks creative flow.  When you’re passionate, you’re energized.  Likewise, when you lack passion, your energy is low and unproductive.  Energy is everything when it comes to being successful. 

Its when you break down and no matter how many times you break down, the little voice inside you that says, “NO, you’re not done yet!  Get up one more time!” That’s the voice of passion and courage; what lifts you is not your skills or brains... what gets you going is your heart that believes in the power of your brains and finesse of your skills. 

If you find yourself working hard and loving every minute of it, don’t stop.  You’re on to something big.  Because hard work isn’t hard when you concentrate on your passions.Any lack in skill can be more than made up for by how hard you work towards a goal you care about.

There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart.If you are passionate about it, pursue it, no matter what anyone else thinks.  That’s how dreams are achieved.. that's how Oprah won millions of hearts, that's how Steve Jobs stood successful, that's how Einstein invented, that's how Mother Teresa served, that's how Gandhi made the difference and  that's how you will shine. When we focus on leading a passionate, meaningful life, we are also inadvertently creating a spectacular ripple effect of inspiration in the lives around us.  When one person follows a dream, tries something new, or takes a daring leap, everyone nearby feels their passionate energy; and before too long, they are making their own daring leaps while simultaneously inspiring others.

Try not to underestimate your heart and overrate your brains... be true to your heart and it will instill passion in your work and you will be SUCCESSFUL.Your work is to discover your work and then, with all your heart, to give yourself to it.

To all beautiful souls out there, blessings to you, your work, your passion and all who will benefit from it:)