I have often written here about compassion and kindness on my blog.

A while back I wrote about how to carry out random acts of kindness every day and how each act of kindness leads to another.

Being kind to someone is always a win /win situation. The person you are being kind to benefits through your help. You feel good for having helped someone. And the world is a better place through your kindness. Every little bit helps.

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A while ago, I wrote about how it was time to let our light shine - the famous inspirational words, often incorrectly attributed to Mr Nelson Mandela at his inuauguration. The words are actually from Marianne Williamson from her book “A Return to Love”.

Well, a friend has just sent me the above Youtube link where the original words are beautifully presented in sign language.

Another friend has also pulled me up once again for holding myself back and not letting my own light shine! So this message is very timely for me - and my friend is holding me accountable for me to stop holding back and to let me own light finally shine.

OK - it has been a challenging few months, but who am I not to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? And who are you not to be the same?!

Nelson Mandela is said to have used some of these words, either during his inauguration as South African president, or soon after. Though there is no record of this in any of his official speeches, he is sure to have agreed with the powerful message of these words:-

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves,
Who am I?
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God!
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in all of us!
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously
give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.”

Go and let your light shine from today

Every now and then, you come across a story that touches you deeply and your world is never the same again.

I first came across a version of this story in one of Wayne Dwyer’s books - “The Power of Intention”. It has also been doing the rounds on the internet and via chain emails. Then recently, it was sent to me by my good friend the amazing Harry Singha who runs the Youth Coaching Academy.

This story never fails to touch me no matter how many times I read and reread it again. So even if you have read this before, see how it impacts you again this time around. And if it is the first time you are reading this, then be prepared and open to be impacted at a deep level.

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Incredibly it is now already March. How quickly the time is going already in 2008!

As I write this, I am looking out on onto a beautifully sunny day – spring is certainly in the air.

To mark the new season of hope and fresh beginnings, I am running a special offer for my book “Get the Life you Love and Live it” - you only pay what you like, plus postage and packing.

Get your copy today

The book usually retails for £9.99 plus postage, but you can now get it for whatever price you wish to pay plus postage, anywhere in the world. You simply pay what you feel the book is worth to you.

So why am I making this offer?

I feel I am now back in the swing of things after a few months of rest, reflection and recuperation and it is time to celebrate life with renewed vigour and energy. This is my way of giving something back to the people out there who have been so supportive of me over the last few difficult months.

Also, I really believe in the value my book offers, and I want to spread my message and work as widely as possible. My intention is that a lot of people will benefit from this book - and will also get it for their family and friends.

I feel that the pay what you like offer will encourage even more people to buy the book.

And do please help me spread the word

Last Saturday I was lucky enough to hear live a lecture by Professor Muhammad Yunus at the wonderful St James Church in Piccadilly London. Professor Yunus was honoured and recognised for this life changing work amongst the poor of Bangladesh with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.

I was especially lucky to have had front row seats – and you can see more pictures on my Facebook profile.

It was quite an inspirational day - here was an amazing man with the lofty ambition of eliminating poverty from the world and to one day make it simply non existent - so that we would need “Poverty Museums” to show future generations what life used to be like for the majority of people on earth. They will wonder why poverty existed so long in humankind – and how there could have been so much inequality in the world.

That really is a question that bugs me too so often – why is there so much poverty and inequality in the world. And more importantly what we can do about it?

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Over the last few days I have finally got back into the stride of things and getting on with my life once again after the sudden passing away of my father.

It has been a slow but comfortable process and what I have learnt is that I could simply not have hastened this in any way. Try as I could I just could not summon up the energy I needed.

In the last two months I have experienced quite a cocktail of emotions, ranging from utter desperation, sadness, remorse and then gratitude, joy, love as memories of my father and the knowing that he was no longer around kept cropping up.

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It has been two very surreal and eventful months.

After the sudden and untimely death of my father, where do I even begin to descibe the last few weeks?!

Suffice to say that it has been like being in a dark fog for weeks on end, interspersed with the occassional bit of light heartedness and fun.

But sooner or later, I know that I have to move on with my life, not withstanding the gnawing pain and the sense of great loss.

What has been amazing and so heartwarming has been the support from family, friends, and strangers. I will write another post another time about the messages of hope, kindness, love and sympathy that I have received.

It is 60 years ago today since Gandhi was assassinated.

What would the world be like if he was around today?

Check out this video to see how he would have spread his message using the Internet!

Turn up your speakers, sit back and enjoy.

Gandhi may not be around but 6o years on his legacy and his message lives on.

Just over a month ago, my father suddenly passed away after a short bout of flu and a chest infection. The time since then has been rather tender and yet surreal as we come to terms with our great loss.

It seems only yesterday that I wrote about Father’s day and how it was time to remember just what your father has done for you

What has kept us going during our time of grief has been the support and love from so many friends and family. It is amazing just what compassion and kindness people are capable of showing at such times.

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It is 3 years to the day today since Tsunami caused so much distruction and death in South East Asia.

On 26th December 2004, the world changed for ever.

As the Tsunami waves caused death and distruction, the world re-discoverd what it was like to be compassionate.

Then in 2005, Katrina devastated New Orleans and the surrounding region; and there was a huge earthquake in Pakistan. Again there was a huge “outbreak” of compassion.

But just how do we harness this force for good? How can we encourage people to carry out acts of kindness and compassion during “normal” times and not just during a natural catastrophe?

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Incredibly it is now December! Just where has this year gone?

To celebrate the festive season, I am running a special offer for my book “Get the Life you Love and Live it” - you pay what you like, plus postage and packing.

Get your copy today

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In my last 4 articles, I have enjoyed writing extensively about the exploits and achievements of Lewis Gordon Pugh, swimmer extraordinaire amongst many things.

In this 5th and final article, it is proper to round up and learn what further tips and insights he can share with us about high level achieving and also what is next for him.

Four months after his historic swim, Lewis wonders how on earth he actually did that swim!?

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In my last three articles I wrote about the many key life lessons to be learnt from the astonishing achievements of Lewis Gordon Pugh. Do check out all three previous articles if you haven’t yet done so.

In part 2, I wrote about Lewis’s training regime which involved both mental and physical prepation.

So just how did he prepare himself mentally for his incredible feat?

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In my last 2 posts, I wrote about the lessons to be learnt from Lewis Gordon Pugh and his amazing feat of swimming 1Km in the arctic in sub-zero temperatures.

So how did Lewis Gordon Pugh actually approach the goal of swimming the 1Km in subzero temperatures?

Lewis did 3 things:-

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In my last post, I wrote about Lewis Gordon Pugh and his amazing feat of swimming 1Km in the arctic in sub-zero temperatures.

So just how how did he do it?

First assemble your Dream Team.

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It is very rare that you meet a person touched by greatness.

Yesterday evening, I was lucky to be at a talk given by such a person. Even better, somehow I had a front row seat, so a friend and I were just a couple of meters from the stage.

If you have not yet heard of Lewis Gordon Pugh (where have you been?!), then make a note of that name – you are going to hear a lot more of him over the coming months and years.

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At the recent Be the Change conference, there was some discussion about “changing the dream”. You can now even attend symposiums which tell you much more about how we as individuals can change the dream we are currently living, thereby avoiding the nightmare that we are all headed towards.

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I wrote recently about saving the copper beech tree in my garden.

I also wrote about about Sadhguru’s inspirational project to plant 114 million trees. As Sadhguru says:-

“Trees are our closest relationship. What they exhale, we inhale. What we exhale, they inhale. This is a constant relationship that nobody can afford to break or live without”

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The 4th and final article in my series on thanks giving is all about serving others

We all have deep within us this calling and a capacity to help others, to make a difference in some way and to make ourselves count.

I always had this urge even when as a child but the urge got submerged as I got on to the treadmill of life. But in recent years, I have got involved with Nirvana School and other charities directly and indirectly.

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So how was thanks giving day for you?

Being in such close proximity of family and friends did anyone have a fallout or argument at anytime?!

The third article in my series of 4 articles on thanks giving is all about improving our relationships with each other and to review how we all get on with each other.

I believe that if we improve the one to one relations with all the people around us, ultimately relationships on a global level will also improve.

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