Do you consider yourself too old to succeed in life? Or too young?

Maybe you even think that you are too grown up to paint!

It’s a cliché but age is only in the mind – only last weekend Lydia Ko became the youngest player ever to win a professional golf tournament at the mere age of 14.

It was a stunning achievement by someone just starting out in life – she beat many players who were twice her age.

To me, age is no barrier to greatness. Only this afternoon I was interviewed by my friend, Kavit Haria who is an inspiration to me and so many others.

I have watched Kavit’s progress from a mere 17 year old, just a few years ago and he has now blossomed into one of the world’s top marketers, both online and offline.

Then recently I was contacted by Yongho Shin who just blew me away with his wisdom, focus and drive.

Yongho interviewed me for his blog which you can check out here.

Today, I am delighted to share with you Yongho’s inspiration and wisdom. Sit back, read and make some notes:-

1. Yongho Shin, you seem to have done so much personal development and self-growth as such a relatively young age. I wish I had the same awareness and wisdom when I was your age! How did this journey begin for you?

Haha, I wish I knew what I know now, five years ago. But I’m still very happy with where I am.

I grew up in Ridgewood, New York – a pretty ghetto small neighborhood on the border of Queens and Brooklyn. Between the time my family moved here when I was 1 year old, up until junior high school, I’d been mugged, seen my friends get shot, had bullets pierced our apartment windows, attacked on the street, had our car accessories stolen, doors broken into.

I just assumed this was how everyone’s life was, because it’s all I ever saw for 17 years. I lived pretty sheepish, angry, complained about a lot of things. I lived a “life of quiet desperation” I can honestly say, looking back.

My first biggest AHA! with personal development was with my weight loss. I used to be a fat Asian guy, 5’5″, 199 pounds. No muscle. Not the sexiest guy on the block. I used to sweat a lot, probably because I had to carry so much lard on my belly.

Do you know Nerds candy? The sugar coated little candy pebbles sold in the little boxes?

My parents would buy them not in boxes, but CASES! In bulk from Costco. There are 24 Nerds boxes per case, and I averaged eating 2 cases per week for nearly a year. It’s pretty crazy I managed to do that. I ate 50 Nerds boxes a week!

I was so embarrassed to visit my dentist every 6 months, because he would always shake his head in disapproval, telling me to take better care of my teeth. But I always gave in to the sugar addiction, and my teeth just got worse and weaker, and my belly got larger and wider.

I looked into how to lose weight, and I saw the usual nonsense: weight loss pills, surgery, miracle foods, yadda yadda. It all looked too dangerous and complicated, so I started with something really small. We had a treadmill at home, so I said “how about I just walk half a mile?” Half a mile was doable, even though I never exercised.

I did it! I think it took me about half an hour to finish, and it felt funny exercising for so long, but I was glad I did it. I kept at it and stopped eating so many Nerds and eating healthier. Fast forward 4 months, and I lost 35 pounds!

Pretty exciting and I was in my best shape that I’d ever been in.

(Secret tip – If you want to lose weight but can’t get yourself to eat right/exercise: START SMALL! Don’t try to change your life, just change one meal. Or walk half a mile. It’s small but it’s doable, and it’ll get you moving in the right direction)

2. I am particularly intrigued by your cultural background and family heritage. Please tell us more about your roots and your family.

I’m Korean. Whenever I say that to people I meet, 90% of them ask:

“North or South?”

It’s incredibly difficult to leave North Korea unless you have special permissions. I’ve only met one North Korean in my whole life, and his family left by sneaking onto a cargo ship from N Korea to China, then another cargo ship from China to US.

But I’m from South Korea – the land of high-density foot traffic, endless rounds of Soju (Korean alcohol). And inverted California rolls, which happen to be my favorite food – it’s called “kimbab” if you want to Google it to see how delicious it is. Born in Seoul, South Korea and moved to the US when I was 1 year old, so I’m pretty Americanized.

3. Your name is very symbolic. Please tell us more. In your culture, what’s the symbolism of a dragon? And a tiger?

My name is “Yongho.” I used to hate my name because so many people misspelled and mispronounced it. In high school, I hated it so much that I told everyone to call me David, a nickname I made up on the spot in Spanish class. I always wondered why I couldn’t get a name easier to pronounce, like John or Bob.

One day, my father explained to me why he named me Yongho. Here’s something very few people know:

If you travel to ancient temples in South Korea, you’ll often see “Yongho” written on their front doors. Why?

In Korean, “Yong” means dragon and “ho” means tiger. Dragon and tiger represent the ultimate combination of offence and defence, a team so strong that people believed any temple protected by these two creatures was impossible to break into.

…and just like that, I went from hating my name to loving my name.

I have the most badass name on the planet! Who else has a name so powerful ancient Korean emperors pasted them on their castle doors?

Do you think a name like “Arvind” would protect you from hordes of soldiers?

Don’t think so.

Just kidding, Arvind!

4. You have been exposed to the work of some of the world’s top personal development experts. Can you please share some of their wisdom? (How about one piece of life-changing advice from say 12 different teachers?)

My library is overflowing with books on personal development, marketing, entrepreneurship, social psychology, leadership, and just kicking ass in general. I’ve learned from so many great teachers who’ve made a huge impact in my life, from Tony Robbins to Jim Rohn to Brian Tracy and Stephen Covey.

I’d love to share all I know, but from speaking and promoting seminars for over 35,000 people now, I know that dumping information will only confuse you. There’s so much clutter and nonsense and spam going on today, so I’m not going to give you 12 pieces of advice, because it’ll just add to your confusion.

Instead, I’ll share what I’m pretty confident is most helpful for 99% of the people reading this, and probably you:

Decide what you’re NOT going to do.

Consciously take time aside and decide what goals you won’t do, what relationships you won’t keep up, what dreams you won’t pursue, what projects you won’t invest time in. When you decide what is NOT on your list, it frees your time to work on what’s most important for you.

It’s why I don’t have a Twitter or Facebook account, and check email rarely. Having an extra 1000 casual Twitter followers is not as valuable (for me) as meeting someone face to face and building a true, deep relationship.

I’m also a pretty ruthless minimalist, and I’m down to a record low number. Some people are proud to only own 50 things, some are even lower, and Gandhi had less than ten. I won’t say what my number is now, but if you’re a minimalist, come to my website and subscribe, because I’m going to share what number I’m at and how I reached it.

5. So what’s next for you? When do we get to attend YOUR lectures and workshops?

I’ve spent the past 2 years promoting seminars and events for other experts, from Chris Guillebeau to Jonathan Fields to Chase Jarvis and Jenny Blake, and it’s been awesome – I loved attending each one. I’ve also been on the official TEDx Team for TED Conferences, where I helped manage over 4000 TEDx events in the world.

The biggest piece I see for opportunity (and this is the space I’m going to fill) is live interaction with the audience. So many seminars are about pushing one way from speaker to audience, but the real magic happens when the audience participates.

I’m grateful to have sold out every event I promoted in the last two years, and for 2011 and beyond, I’ll be coming out from behind the scenes. I’ve already got a hot interactive training program in the works now about being productive, performing at your best, and boosting your physical, mental, and emotional energy to live your best life, so you can look forward to that program! (If you’re lucky enough to sign up before it’s full)

6. If you had some final words of wisdom for us what would that be? If you could change the world in a big way in 2012, how would you do it?

I’d love to get to know you personally (yes, YOU, the person reading this right now) because with just a blog post, I’m forced to give general advice that hopefully helps everyone reading. But I can’t touch on a lot of specific things that would really make a difference in your life.

So I’ll share something personal, and an issue that people tend to not reveal about themselves.

In the past, I would go in and out of episodes of strong depression. It was pretty bad, from “eh, there’s not much living for” to “I’m causing shame for everyone”. I won’t go into details, but if you ever find yourself in a similar situation, I just want you to know that I can relate to that, and know what that feels like.

Here is one incredibly valuable tool that’s helped me get out of depression and give a new sense of purpose in my life, in a pretty weird but exciting way:

“Everything that happens to you is neutral and meaningless. The human brain gives meaning to meaningless events. If something is making you happy, excited, angry or depressed, it has nothing to do with the event itself. It’s an emotional response that your brain creates.”

If you feel angry, sad, disappointed, or any negative emotion right now, please read the sentence above again.

Here’s what I mean by that statement, and no it’s not just some airy-fairy positive thinking:

Let’s say I tell you right now “You are the most disgusting person I’ve met.”

What does that mean to you?

• If you view it as a personal attack, you may become angry and defensive. (because someone is criticizing your identity)

• If you view it as a statement of who you honestly are, you may become sad. (because you don’t want to be disgusting, yet you feel powerless to change it)

• If you view it as a regular sentence that has no meaning, then you might not be affected by it at all. (because it’s like staring at a piece of dust on the floor)

• If you view it as a joke, then you may laugh. (because you see it as a playful banter)

The words themselves have no objective meaning, it’s the MEANING your brain subconsciously give them that makes you feel depressed or excited or sad or happy.

You always have the power to change that meaning (“reframe”), and so you always have control for how you feel about anything “negative” or “positive” someone says.

You can choose to hate when someone hugs you, or choose to love when someone hurts you.

It’s up to you, not outside circumstances.

Isn’t that awesome? It’s like you’ve discovered a superpower to never be sad or upset, no matter what happens.

7. Finally share with us something you have never told anyone else?

You’re pushing the envelope here, Arvind! But I want to taste your fine Indian cooking one day, so I’ll let you (and your readers) in on a secret:

(I’m telling this in public for the first time, and I’ll probably mention it nowhere else so read this while it’s hot!)

Freezing-cold rain. Hurricane-worthy winds. Darkness.

I’m wearing a razor-thin shirt so drenched I can’t stop my body from shivering. My goosebumps look like peas. I’m not alone – more than a hundred people are with me, wondering when this torture will be over.

What am I doing here?

It’s 2009, and I was representing Carnegie Mellon University’s varsity rowing team in a national rowing competition in the United States. Rowing races are usually done in the mornings, and that day just happened to be unusually cold.

But here’s my secret:

I was never supposed to be part of that race because I failed the test to get into the team.

Every member of the rowing team is required to know how to swim, so just in case a boat flips over in the middle of rowing, we don’t drown.

I failed the swim test, so technically I couldn’t join the team at all. But nobody brought it up during training, so I continued training and kept quiet about the swim test, and eventually was invited to join the varsity rowing team for my school.

(I still don’t know how to swim.)

Remember the reframing tool I mentioned earlier? I used the same thing here. After I failed the test, I could’ve become sad and interpreted that event as “I’m not good enough to be on my school’s rowing team. I should just give up”.

But the meaning I gave that event was “This test is meaningless. I can become a great rower even if I don’t know how to swim.” And I felt empowered to challenge and grow myself, rather than cry and complain about the swim test requirement.

So there it is: I joined my school’s varsity rowing team even though I didn’t even qualify to train.

I also didn’t qualify to work at a rather well-known organization that I mentioned somewhere in this post, but… I’ll save that secret for a future time. I’ll let my subscribers know about it, so if you’re curious, hop on over to my website and subscribe to my newsletter.

Thanks Yongho for a great interview! I wish you well on your journey and we look forward to hearing more about your adventures and projects.

Please click here to learn more about Yongho. And be sure to also check out my interview with him.

And as I said at the beginning of this post, youth is no barrier to success – and neither is “old age”!

From today onwards, put your age out of your mind and go for your dreams – you know it makes sense.

Please Help to 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

Top Image courtesy of iotae

Related posts:

1. Green Juicing – Your Secret to Health, Vitality & Youth in 2012
2. Why There Are No Ordinary People – Just Look for Their Greatness
3. How to See the Beauty and Greatness in Any Tragedy

Today I am interviewing Tess Marshall from The Bold Life on her new e-course, Take Your Fear and Shove It: How to Be Bold, Play Big, and Shine Bright

This is in line with my intention to help all of you live a BIG life in 2012 – check out my special post:-

Why You Should Make 2012 all about YOU.

Welcome Tess!

 1. How did you become so bold?

 I grew up on a produce farm with nine siblings. We were all very competitive for our parents love and attention. It was speak up or lose out. We also worked in the fields and at the Farmer’s Market when we were young children. Again we had to speak up, being bold was a necessity. We became experts in sales by the time we were 13 years old!

 Those skills have benefited me in ways I couldn’t imagine then…

 2. Tess, sounds like you have had quite an upbringing – bold indeed!And you have clearly come a long way since then.

Tell us what’s the biggest fear you have managed to overcome since then?

I married very young. I was mom to four daughters by the time I was 22 years old. The last pregnancy was twins. One of the twins was born without a right hand. I was afraid for her. I knew life would be difficult at times and of course you want to save your kids from pain. I pushed her to do things she didn’t think she could. She also was determined to do what her sisters did.

Kristy learned how to play sports using her stub. She played basketball and soccer. She went on to the University of Chicago and played there for two years as well, before she reached her limits. Now she runs marathons and participates in triathlons.

3. How did you do it?

I didn’t let Kristy off the hook. Didn’t let her make excuses. She used to say when she was a little girl, “I can’t do the dishes because I only have one hand.” I’d reply, “Oh yes you can, it will just take you longer.” The way I overcame all my fears around my parenting and marriage was one step at a time. Our fortieth anniversary is January 14^th.

4. Of all of your accomplishments what brings you the most joy?

My family brings me the  most joy. All of our hard work paid off and now we feel like we’re on easy street! We only have to relax, have fun and enjoy each other’s company.

5. Tell us about your new ecourse, Take Your Fear and Shove It.

I wrote this course to help those who are paralyzed by fear and allow it to dictate their lives. The course contains the map, tools and techniques to overcome fear and gain the confidence and courage to run to live the live you desire.

We often look up to brave, bold, and successful people. It’s time to become one of them!

6. Why did you write your ecourse?

For the last 20 years I’ve had a successful career as a therapist, coach, speaker and writer. My family, friends, and clients have asked me repeatedly, “How do you do it?”

This course is the culmination of everything I’ve learned. I suggest action-oriented steps that will help you experience less doubt, worry, and fear and more peace, love, and happiness.

 The course is for those who want to know the answer to “How I did it?” You only need to apply it to your own life.

 7. There are so many ecourses out there nowadays. Why do people need YOUR course?

 Because it goes beyond working through your fears, today people are more terrified than ever. The course will show you how to go from negatively predicting the future to expecting the best, in the midst of these tumultuous times.

8. A lot of people don’t think that they have fears in life. Do you have a quick method to identify “hidden” fears that sabotage happy and bold living?

When you lack trust, feel dismay, dread, or procrastinate it’s about fear. When you are envious, greedy, or bothered by rejection you are fearful.  There are really only two emotions, fear and love. When you feel joy, contentment, happy, etc. you’re coming from love. When your want to attack, gossip, hurt, get even, etc, you’re coming from fear.

9. Tess, can you share your favorite technique for fighting fear in life?

I wouldn’t fight fear. I would accept it as normal and examine my thoughts. Then I would identify the core beliefs from where my thoughts come. I personally have two core beliefs that get me in trouble. They come from growing up in a big family: I’m going to be left behind and There’s not enough for me. Once I recognize those fears I can change my story to I am enough, I have enough, and I do enough. In the present moment, I am safe.

10. How can you keep fears from coming back into your life? Or is is just a fact of life that one always has fears?

Yes we always have fear however you can there are several things you can do. Think of an iceberg, the part you see above the water is your conscious mind, those are the fears you’re aware of. The part of the iceberg under the water is your subconscious mind. Those are our fears that will blindside you.

 11. What parting words can you offer?

 It’s time to positively anticipate your future. When you let go of fear and learn to be bold, play big, and shine bright…anything is possible!

12. What’s the next BOLD thing for YOU in 2012?

My word this year is create. I’ve got two books for Kindle that I need to get together. I’ve had this fear (yes me) of putting videos out. I’m going to overcome that by doing 28 videos in February, one a day. That’s enough for now. I have to leave some surprises!

Thanks Tess!

You are welcome…I feel like I just wrote another book;)

Sign up for here Tess’s course -  Take Your Fear and Show it

Also, Tess has kindly agreed to give away 2 FREE courses to 2 commentators chosen randomly from below.

So here’s what you need to share – what one BOLD thing will you do in 2012? And why?

Thanks everyone for playing bold.

Tess Marshall is a speaker, author, fear shattering, calculated risk taker and is obsessed with being happy and bold. Her blog, The Bold Life is a juicy mix of inspiration, spirituality, and personal development.

Sign up here for Tess’s life changing course -  Take Your Fear and Show it

Related posts:

1. Why You Should Make 2012 all about YOU
2. Green Juicing – Your Secret to Health, Vitality & Youth in 2012
3. Why Playing Big Helps you Let Go of Small Things
4. Big Brother and Small Sister – Lessons about Racial Unity

Happy New Year everyone!

We are now well into 2012 and perhaps like most people you have started planning for a “new” you in the New Year.

Just what do you want from the coming year? How sure are you to achieve your New Year resolutions?

You may have thought up a few New Year resolutions, but like most people some of you may have already let these go!

Firstly, you may have noticed that there has been so much talk of 2012 being a year of major shifts in the world with a lot of talk of doom and gloom.

But just know this – you don’t have to listen to all this negative talk!

Remember that there’s so much goodness out there and so many opportunities to prosper, thrive and be successful. It’s just up to you to focus on that and make the good things happen.

So the first point I emphasise for 2012 is that it’s up to you to make the best of your life this year, and indeed any year.

Of course, the beginning of a new year offers you a good starting point – a benchmark which you can easily track as the months progress.

And though getting a fresh start at the beginning of a new year is a good starting, you can choose to transform your life at any time you choose.

For now, let the first couple of weeks of January 2012 be the starting point for a new you – just decide and choose what your new beginnings will be and what sort of year you’ll have.

Here in London, 2012 promises to be quite a year with the Olympics in August and also the Queen’s Diamond jubilee celebrations in June.

What sort of momentous year is ahead of you?

Actually, a more powerful question to ask is this:-

What would you like to have ahead of you in 2012?

My point is that it is up to YOU to create the sort of life you want.

Maybe this is the year when you’ll finally start out on your own and launch your own business or an NGO? Or you will follow your passion and find just the sort of fulfilling work you always wanted to do?

Perhaps this will be the year you will go travelling and visit some exotic lands. Maybe you’ll decide to start a family?

The exciting possibilities for your life are truly endless!

Most importantly, this is the year for you to focus on YOU.

After all if you are not doing your best and if you are not thriving, how can you support and help others?

Check out some simple tips on how to make 2012 your best year ever.

It is time for you to make your life BIG.

Remember that:-

• You were NOT meant to play small.
• Your goals have to excite you.
• Your goals have to scare you.

And ultimately, your life and your goals should make a difference to others.

What is it that YOU can do in 2012 that will transform your life and impact the world in a positive way?

What will it take to ignite you in 2012?

And playing small will not serve you or the world.

Who are you to not let your light shine?

Remember that your life counts – and make it count.  You are unique. There is no one like you on this planet. Never has been and never will be.

Do not sell your self short. Do not sell the world short. This is your life – love it, live it. One life, one chance – grab it.

Get the life you love – and live it.

Here are three questions I just shared with a coaching client which will interest and inspire you too:-

1. What will you create in 2012?

2. What will you do differently in 2012?

3. If I was to meet you for tea in Dec 2012, what sort of year will you tell me you have had?

I invite you to spend some time reflecting on these questions and then I invite you to share your answers with the world in the comments section below .

Alternatively you can email your answers to me via the contact page.

I can guarantee that if you can focus on being the best you can be over the coming 12 months, your life will be transformed.

Despite all the doomsayers, there is so much for us to look forward to in 2012. Human beings are amazing and we are all so courageous, resilient and powerful.

In 2012, be happy, healthy and inspired! And strut your stuff like a peacock!

My Coaching Offer:-

I am now opening up my coaching practice for more clients – please contact me for an initial discussion.

My commitment is to walk with you in 2012 and give you everything I have to help you find your greatness, and to help you make the world a better place at the same time.

You only have one life – are you ready to make yours BIG?

Read here what other clients have said about my coaching.

Related posts:

1. Time to Be Bold and Play Big in 2012!
2. Green Juicing – Your Secret to Health, Vitality & Youth in 2012
3. Make 2008 your Best Year Ever
4. 12 Keys to Make 2009 Your Best Year Ever

This is a guest post from Stuart Mills

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” – Leo Tolstoy

You want to make a difference in this world, right?

I’m no different from the rest of you in this respect – in fact, I’m probably more likely to claim this statement. Ever since I realised the mass potential of our lives, I’ve sub-consciously carried a mission to change the world and leave it a better place than when I found it.

However, recently I’ve had a re-think.

This desire to change the world all sounds very heroic and noble and grand. But is it possible? Is it really possible to change the world, to make huge differences so that people hail us and shower us with praise?

Yes and no. I think it is possible to make a difference in the world, perhaps to a small handful of the world’s population. But on the other hand, I don’t think it’s possible to change the world. There’s a difference between changing the world, and making a difference in the world, which is important to recognise because I believe you can do one but you can’t do the other.

Let me explain with a famous story which you might have heard already

The Starfish Story

There’s a story of a man throwing starfishes into the sea, which I’ll do my best to remember for you here:

An elderly man was walking along the beach, admiring the beautiful view. As he walked, he noticed that a large group of starfishes had been washed ashore by the receding tide, and they were struggling to get back to the water. The man was saddened by this turn of events, but accepted that there was nothing he could do to change anything.

The man walked on, continuing to notice the large numbers of helpless starfishes, until he saw another man in the distance standing at the water’s edge amongst the starfishes. Curious, the elderly man walked over to him, wandering what he was up to.

As he got closer, the elderly man could see that the younger man was picking up starfishes, one by one, and throwing them back out into the sea. Astonished, the elderly man got close enough for the other man to hear him, and then he called out.

“Hey! What on earth are you doing?”

The younger man turned to him and smiled, then turned back to the sea, still continuing his duty of picking up and throwing starfishes.

“I’m helping these starfishes get back into the ocean.”

The elderly man couldn’t believe it, why was this man wasting his time throwing starfishes back? There were thousands of them here, it would take him days! He voiced his thoughts.

“Why are you throwing them back? There’s thousands of them here, it’ll take you forever! How can you possibly hope to make a difference to these starfishes?”

Remaining calm, the younger man continued his duty without looking at the elderly man. Just as he threw another starfish back into the ocean, he replied.

“I made a difference to that one.”

The moral of the story sums up my point about wanting to make a difference. We can make a difference to individuals, even to groups of people. A rare few of us may even influence whole communities and societies. But to change the world outright? To throw thousands of starfishes into the ocean single-handedly? I’m afraid this isn’t possible.

Why isn’t this possible? Part of it is because of the nature of the world right now – there are many global aids and charities in effect today, and they have made significant and important strides towards solving the world’s ailments. But, no matter how much more work they achieve, I fear that the ailments will still exist. There will still be problems. Remove a corrupt leading group, and another one springs up in its place. Lift up a third-world country from poverty, and another one falls back into it. Save a species from being hunted, and the hunters find another species to kill.

But there’s another, bigger reason. The other reason why changing the world isn’t possible, and I believe this is the main reason, is because we need to change ourselves first.

This is the defining element of change – change begins within.

We Can Only Change Ourselves

Do you remember the Mother Teresa quote? It goes something like this:

“If everyone only cleaned their own doorstep, the whole world would be clean.”

What does this say to you? To me, it says that we can only change ourselves, and our first priority should be changing our ways and beliefs, cleaning our own doorsteps.

How can I lead others if I can’t lead myself? How can others trust me, or I trust others, if I first can’t trust myself? How can I love others if I can’t love myself? All these require change within to achieve.

Remember this, it’s not the world that needs to change, it’s ourselves.

If you change the people within the world, the world then changes as a result – it’s not the other way round. I admire the great charities of this world for doing what they do, and for what they’ve accomplished, but ultimately it’s pointless UNLESS those involved change themselves first.

“Be the change you want to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi

How To Change

Over the months and years I’ve made some changes in my life, and it has made my surrounding environment a much better place to live in. I believe this is testament to the thinking I’ve offered in this post, and I believe you can do the same with your own lives.

Here are two ways that you can change yourself, and change the world as a result. I only offer these as my own interpretation – feel free to use both, or just one of these ways:

• 1. Practice forgiveness

All of the conflict in this world has been due to misunderstandings, which have been due to a lack of communication, which has been due to fear. Fear of losing out, fear of being controlled, fear of looking weak.

Just think, by changing ourselves to being more forgiving, we could do a lot of good. If we could practice forgiveness more often, and forgive the person who has wronged us rather than seek to cause conflict, this would reduce the amount of conflict in the world.

To help us practice forgiveness, here’s how to speak with a kind heart.

• 2. Go one day without complaining

We all know of the world’s problems – global warming, terrorism, recessions, etc. But what are we actually doing about it? For the majority of us, all we do is complain.

The simple fact is that complaining will get us nowhere. As much as it may seem to be enjoyable and relieving, all it does in the long term is to make us complain more, and become more run-down and depressed. Complaining leads to more complaining, the spiral runs on, and nothing ever gets done.

So why not go one day without complaining? Tomorrow, make a vow to stop complaining, and get on with the day. Sure, there will be problems, but instead of complaining about them, focus on solving the problem. Or if you can’t solve it, move on. Just don’t complain about it.

To help us be happier in life and complain less, here’s 31 ways to bliss and lightness

So what can YOU do to change yourself?

Have you ever noticed a change in your world once you’ve changed yourself? Let us know via your comments below!

Stuart is a personal development blogger who wants to help you improve at life. He thinks you’re awesome. You can often find him at Unlock The Door, where he writes constantly to make it a better day for everyone, and you should subscribe to his content here.

Please Help to Spread the Word

Related posts:

1. Be the Change You Want the World to Be
2. Feel the Fear and Change the World Anyway
3. How to Change the World in Less than 8 Hours and 27 Miles
4. Change the World Through the Young People of Today

Do you know what your greatest gift to the world is?

We all have so much to offer the world, if only we could see our own greatness. And yet so many of us tend to hold ourselves back, in case we stand out too much.

We don’t want our light to shine. But as Marianne Williamson said, who are you not to let your light shine?

We all have greatness within us and the challenge most of us face is accepting and acknowledging that greatness.

It’s okay to start projects small and grow them incrementally. They don’t have to be world changing from day one!

Everyone one of us has a gift for the world – and the adventure we face is to find this gift.

“Happiness is a by-product of a life lived as a gift to everyone.” -  The Money Shaman

Maybe not everyone has to become a Gandhi or a Mandela. Maybe it’s okay to just shine in our own world and make a difference in our own way, no matter how “small”.

I have been away from the world of blogging for a few weeks whilst I took some time out. I am working on some new projects in the pipeline and more of that in the coming weeks.

During my time away, whilst taking some time out, I have also been reviewing just what my own gifts are to the world.

What I have learnt is that it’s okay to be me and not try and be something I am not. The biggest realisation has been just what matters to me and what’s important in my life.

From my perspective, one of my gifts is the ability to connect with people from all walks of life and to bring them together.

I am at my happiest when I am amongst people. It’s just what I do and enjoy. So possibly my greatest gift to the world is to bring people together and teach others to do the same.

“The happiest life is that which consistently exercises and educates what is best in us.” – Philip G. Hamerton

If you have read The Alchemist by Paulo Coello, you will have read how the main character goes on an epic desert adventure, only to find that the treasure he has been seeking was in his home all along.

In the same way, our greatness and ultimate happiness is within us and the clues are all around us.

So ask yourself these questions:-

What am I really, really good at?

What’s my greatest gift to the world?

“Live your life in such a way that you make a difference to people whilst you sleep.” – Jaz Rasool

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!

All that matters at the end of the day is what YOU bring to the world.

It’s time to ask yourself some powerful, life changing questions as follows.

My contribution and my impact:-

What contributions am I making to my loved ones?

What impact am I having on the environment?

My legacy for my children and the world:-

What sort of legacy am I creating?

What am I doing that one day my children will be proud of?

Living my best life:-

What will it take to live my best life?

What does living my “best” life mean to me?

These are all life changing questions only you can answer.

Take some time out and look within – you already have all the clues you need to find out just what your gift to the world is.

Then go out and share your gifts with the world. And allow yourself to become the greatest gift to the world.

Please do share – what’s YOUR greatest gift for the world?

Related posts:

1. Give Someone the Gift of Life One Day
2. Thanksgiving Week Lesson 2 – How To Let Yourself Give and Receive
3. Give your Best no Matter What!
4. How to Contribute to the World from the Heart and not Just the Pocket

All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible. - T. E. Lawrence

Are you a night time dreamer or a day time dreamer?

Today in the world many people in the world are concerned about peace and have a wish to bring an end to war, violence and people hurting other.

Every day I meet people who have this yearning to make a difference to others and want to truly follow the calling of their heart.

Maybe like meets like, or maybe that’s just what I am looking out for.

Ultimately I believe everyone wants to be happy and want others to be happy too. It’s about caring and seeking for others what you wish for yourself.

If it really is as simple as that, then why is there so much turmoil and unhappiness in the world today?

If all we want is happiness for us and for others, then why do we suffer so much?

I have been reflecting a lot on this – and as regular readers will know I passionately believe in making it a better world for us and others.

I also believe that all it will take to dramatically improve our world today is a few committed people who really believe in their dreams and who’ll do whatever it takes to make those lofty dreams come true.

“When you work on a truly worthwhile dream, the dream is also working on you.”

Who can ever forget Dr Martin Luther’s Kind stirring speech – I have a Dream?

I dream of a better world

A world in which we can all live together in peace.

A world in which we celebrate each other’s uniqueness

A world in which we co-operate and over come the most severe challenges ever faced by our race.

A world in which our children no longer die of starvation.

Remember this famous line from John Lennon’s eternal song – Imagine all the people living life in peace.

“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will live as one.” - John Lennon

Today, the world needs more daytime dreamers than ever before. Dreamers who will do, or die to make their dreams come true.

Are you one of them? And what’s your big dream for yourself and the world?

Dream big.

Dream in the daytime.

And then take inspired actions to make it happen.

Share in the comments section below your big dream for your self and for the world.

You know you want to.

Please Help to 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

Related posts:

1. The 10 Most Powerful Short Words in the World
2. What is Your Vision for the World?
3. Feel the Fear and Change the World Anyway
4. Be the Change You Want the World to Be

Every now and then I come across a person who really moves me and comes up with an idea which completely resonates with me.

You have probably experienced such moments in your life – something touches you deeply and you know that there is something really profound going on. And you are never the same person again.

Call it whatever you like but it is as if your soul or your spirit is calling you to listen and pay attention.

Something is happening in the month of March which could profoundly change you, me and the world.

My friend and blogging mentor Alex Blackwell of The BridgeMaker is launching his 31 Days of Kindness Project today

What better way to start the month of March than to have the intention of spreading more kindness in the world?

On this auspicious day, I am truly honoured to interview Alex on my blog, so he can share his world changing project with us:-

1. Alex, I have known you through the world of blogging for over a year now. Tell us a bit more about what you do and your blog.

First, thank you Arvind for spreading the word about the 31 Days of Kindness project. Your kind spirit has always drawn me to you and your blog.

I live in Overland Park, Kansas (USA) with my wife, Mary Beth. We share four beautiful children. Our oldest child, Brandon, lives in Denver; Caitlin is a senior and Andrew a freshman in college. That leaves us with one child at home – Emily, who is 12 years old.

By day I’m the director of marketing for a publishing company. By night, I write for the incredible readers of The BridgeMaker.

The BridgeMaker is the result of a personal journey recently completed. On the brink of divorce several years ago, I needed to make a few changes within myself before my life could change.

Knowing that creating positive change was necessary, I started down the path of learning how to appreciate exactly what I have. So, many of the articles on The BridgeMaker deal with the themes of offering forgiveness, relying on faith during difficult times and appreciating the preciousness of each moment.

My blog is my gift to the world. The BridgeMaker connects people who are looking to find faith, share inspiration and celebrate personal change.

2. Alex, you have come up with an idea which totally resonates with me – launching the 31 Days of Kindness project.

Tell us more about your world changing project. What inspired you to create this?

On the personal journey I mentioned before, I found my life changed for the better when I adopted kindness as a daily habit. I also realized my heart was buried under so much shame that it forgot how good kindness could feel. Today, the relationships with my children are alive and Mary Beth and I are approaching our 26th wedding anniversary.

I believe in the life-changing effect kindness can have, and I want to share this belief.

3. You want to encourage people to make kindness a daily habit. Please share some simple ideas that my readers can begin to implement today.

29 bloggers (including you, Arvind) contributed 132 simple ideas to the project. These ideas can be found in A Manifesto for Making Kindness a Daily Habit.

This is a FREE download and an email address is not required to receive it.

Here are a few ideas from the manifesto that speak to my heart:

• Assist your older neighbours with yard work.
• Take your child to visit an elderly person living alone.
• Buy a lottery ticket for a stranger.
• Put some coins in someone else’s parking meter.
• Treat a friend to the movies for no reason.
• Give another driver your parking spot.
• Buy an inspirational book for a friend.

4. I feel that there is no reason why your project can’t become a really big thing all around the world. Where do you see your project going?

I am a person of faith. I believe this project is bigger than any one person because its mission is so important to the world. Therefore, I’m surrendering the outcome so I can focus on the delivery.

Your readers can get involved in the 31 Days of Kindness project, too. I encourage folks to write about the power of kindness and then share the link to their posts here by using the Linky tool found at the bottom of the page. By doing so everyone involved in the project can read all of the amazing posts.

Additionally, I am inviting people to share how they are making kindness a daily habit on The BridgeMaker Facebook page and on Twitter (please use the hashtag #31Kindness after the Tweet).

5. Finally what’s next for you? What other life changing projects have you lined up for us?

Good question Arvind. For me, it’s one project at a time. Part of the answer also involves seeing what happens in March. There may be the need to extend this project, or start a new one; or do both.

Right now, my plan is support the 31 Days of Kindness and the people involved to the best of my ability.

6. Thanks Alex for all your love and kindness. Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thank you for sharing me and this project with your wonderful readers. A project like this one takes a substantial grass-roots effort to make it successful. I sincerely appreciate your kindness and generous support.

So there you are – go and get Alex’s Kindness Manifesto – and make every day in the month of March and indeed every day after that, a day of kindness and love.

My kindness contribution for the next 31 days:-

My act of kindness for the next 31 days is to send out a hard copy of my best selling book “Get the Life you Love” to anyone, anywhere in the world, who has carried out the most inspiring act of kindness that day!

Alex and I will decide who this person is every day. All you have to do is state your act of kindness for that day on the  BridgeMaker Facebook page for Alex’s 31 Days of Kindness project.

So folks, start carrying out your acts of kindness!

Please Help to 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

Related posts:

1. Carry out Random Acts of Kindness Daily
2. Eat your Sprouts Daily!
3. How to Get to Your Nirvana Through Kindness
4. 31 Ways to Carry Out Random Acts of Kindness Every Day

Just how passionate are you?

Do you live life with a lot of zest and energy or do you find yourself struggling to get going each day?

Today I am delighted to introduce you to my friend Barrie Davenport who writes a blog at Live Bold and Bloom.

Barrie is launching her step by step course to help you create the life of your dreams.

I have known Barrie for almost a year now and watched her remarkable growth as a blogger. I took this opportunity to interview Barrie about her new course and to ask her to share her tips about living a life of passion.

1. Barrie, welcome to my blog and thanks for accepting my request for an interview.

There seems to be so many ebooks and e-courses nowadays. But yours seems so different, thorough and inspirational. Please describe your product in more detail.

Barrie: I am so glad you like it Arvind – thank you!

I think what makes it different from other “find your passion” books or courses is that I ask the student to do a lot of self-discovery and clean-up work before they begin taking real steps toward their passion.

Before we can discover and act upon what we are passionate about, we must really know ourselves.

We need to know what motivates and inspires us, as well as what is limiting us and preventing growth.

I take the student through a process of learning about their personality type, their skills, values, joys and interests. They also begin to focus on a life purpose with some specific exercises for clarifying that, and they will create a vision and mission for their lives.

A challenging part of the course is digging into limiting beliefs, blocks, and unresolved issues so that one can have a clean slate before launching on this exciting new life.

I help the student synthesize all of this information so they can begin the action steps both for the “clean up” process and the passion discovery. The course helps them create weekly actions for a full year.

If they do the work, next year should look pretty bright!

2. What’s the most passionate thing you have done in your own life? (Keep it as clean as you wish)

Barrie: In my personal life, it would be having and raising children.

Professionally, starting my coaching business and my blog, Live Bold and Bloom, has been incredibly fulfilling. I never knew you could feel so jazzed about work, but I really can’t get enough of it.

3. How do you follow your own passions?

Barrie: The wonderful thing about passions is that you don’t have to follow them. They lead you. When you feel so much enthusiasm and joy around something, it pulls you toward it, and nothing can stop that from happening.

4. Do you ever have days of being dull, boring and devoid of passion? If so how do you snap out of it?

Barrie: I used to all the time. But once I took the time and space to really know myself better and create rather than react to my life, I rarely have those days.

If I do, it’s usually because I’m not feeling well physically for some reason. Occasionally, my brain feels drained, and I have to step away from the computer or the phone. But it doesn’t take long to re-charge! I really love what I’m doing.

5. You have a rapidly growing blog and you are active in so many other things. What drives you?

Barrie: The love of what I am doing. I am having so much fun and meeting so many interesting and engaging people (like you Arvind!).

I really get so much fulfilment from helping people grow and have a better, more satisfying quality of life.

When I get an email from a reader thanking me for a post, it makes my day. It is very humbling to know that your words can have an impact on others, but it is thrilling as well. I want my words to be used for good.

And what’s next for you?

Barrie: Well, I haven’t showered yet today, and it’s already nearly 2:00 p.m.! (That’s how passionate I get.)

Beyond that, I will continue writing for Live Bold and Bloom and working with my coaching clients.

I also am a partner and editor for another blog, The Daily Brainstorm, and we are working hard to continue to build the readership and quality content there.

I really enjoy writing and creating products, so I see myself creating something else beneficial for my readers in the next several months. Who knows? Life is full of wonderful possibilities.

6. If you had to share just one thing with Make It Happen readers that you have never ever told anyone before, what would that be?

Barrie: I’m kind of a blabbermouth, so there isn’t much I haven’t told my close friends, and what I haven’t told them can’t be told.

I will share that I wish I had known earlier in my life the importance of living in the present moment and not worrying about what others think of you.

I spent too much of my 20’s and 30’s living up to expectations rather than seizing life.

Whatever you want to do or achieve in life, whether you are 15 or 50, do it now – don’t wait for someday!

Also, I wish I could have been a professional dancer. Both of my daughters are ballet dancers, and I live that dream vicariously through them. It’s a profession that you must train for at a very young age, so it’s too late for me. But my oldest daughter is on the way to a professional career. So that’s thrilling for me to watch.

7. Final question Barrie. We have known each other for almost a year now. You are an incredibly giving and generous person. And you are super efficient and highly capable.

You are my prototype superwoman. So what are your key secrets to being a superwoman?

Barrie: Haaaaa!!! You’ve got to be kidding Arvind!

I am very flattered, but gosh, I don’t think in those terms about myself.

If I am efficient and capable, it’s because I love what I’m doing. I’m having fun. If I’m giving and generous, I credit that to having received so much great support from people like you and Mary Jaksch (of Goodlife Zen and the A-List Blogging Bootcamps) and Leo Babauta (of Zen Habits) and Geri Langlois (of The Daily Brainstorm and My Rapid Printing).

What goes around comes around.

Blogging is one of the few professions that really encourages sharing and collaboration. That is something that really attracts me to the blogging world.

There are many areas of my life where I am not so capable or efficient, but they are generally areas that don’t interest me much (like laundry or changing the tires). But thank you for your kind words. I will happily be your prototype superwoman!

Thank you Arvind. This was fun:-)

Thank you Barrie.

To enrol on Barrie’s course, please click here.

Good luck everyone – and please share below your own tips for generating passion in your life.

Discover Your Passion: A Step-By-Step Course for Creating the Life of Your Dreams.

Related posts:

1. How to Create a Passion Based Freedom Business – Learn from the Best
2. Create a Vision for your Life
3. Dig Just a Little and You will Discover Gold!
4. How to Create an Effortless Life – Effortlessly

So how was Thanksgiving Day for you?

Whatever you did and whoever you shared the day with, I bet you experienced some moments of gratitude for what you have and the people in your life.

But what about the people sitting around the global table? What can you do from now on to contribute to them?

This is the fifth in my series of five special posts for thanksgiving week – and this article 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.

Also, through my work and my writing I would like to feel that I am doing my bit for the world.

However, service is not just about doing charity work, or even “looking good”. It is about creating something sustainable and leaving a legacy for those to follow.

Service is about empowering people and giving them their dignity.

So what’s stopping you from doing even more for the world? Are you fearful of changing the world?

Then feel the fear and change the world anyway!

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill

The beauty of being of service is that anyone can serve. You just need the willingness and the desire to make a difference. You don’t need much to get started. Just ask Dr Martin Luther King:-

“Everyone can be great, because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace – a soul generated by love” - Dr Martin Luther King

I am not sure who said this but I remember these poignant words – if you serve wholeheartedly, you are bound to succeed as there is so little competition.

It is not even about “succeeding” – it is about doing what you can to make a difference to others.

At the same time, there may be little competition right now, but I really believe that this is changing rapidly.

I am meeting more and more people who want to serve and make a difference. You only have to check out my last post and read about all the amazing bloggers committed to making a positive change in the world.

There is definitely a change in the air and a major shift happening in the world, as we all wake up to the realization that we are all one, and serving each other is the least we can do for humanity.

So ask yourself:-

How can I begin TODAY to serve others wholeheartedly?

What ONE thing, small or big, can I do today that will make someone’s life easier?

What can I do EVERY day from now onwards to serve others?

Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Thank you everyone who has read and commented on these series of 5 thanksgiving articles. I hope you got a lot out of these posts.

Please also check out the other 4 articles:-

Thanksgiving Week Lesson 1 – How To Embrace What You Already Have

Thanksgiving Week Lesson 2 – How To Let Yourself Give and Receive

Thanksgiving Week Lesson 3 – How To Add a Little Sizzle to Your Relationships

Thanksgiving Week Lesson 4 – How To Harvest the Wisdom from My Top Blogger Friends

Thanks!

Help to Spread the Word

Related posts:

1. Thanksgiving Week Lesson 1 – How To Embrace What You Already Have
2. Thanksgiving Week Lesson 2 – How To Let Yourself Give and Receive
3. Thanksgiving Week Lesson 3 – How To Add a Little Sizzle to Your Relationships
4. Thanksgiving Week Lesson 4 – How To Harvest the Wisdom from My Top Blogger Friends

Are you passionate about what you do in work or business life? And are you clear about where you are going in your life?

No matter where you are in your business or work life, it clearly helps to be passionate about what you do.

The ideal for many people would be to create a business based on sharing their passion and knowledge with the world, teaching others and making a sustainable income from what they really love spending their time doing.

This is definitely my ideal and it may also be for many of you.

My friend Satya Colombo who recently wrote a great guest post - 9 powerful steps to get whatever you want in life – has now been true to his word and is trail blazing the path for others to create such a “passion based freedom business”.

What Satya has done is brought together 12 remarkable online leaders who have already attained super-high levels of success in doing exactly that – creating passion based freedom businesses.

These 12 people are now sharing the learnings from their journey and their strategies for success.

I personally know some of these 12 people and they are all really cool people who are making a big difference in so many people’s lives, and in the world.

Indeed they are great role models for all us.

Though Satya has chosen to focus on 12 leaders who are doing their stuff mainly online, their lessons also apply to the offline world. Indeed some of them are also sharing their wisdom stuff offline via their books, talks and workshops.

I managed to fire off some probing questions to Satya whilst he was frantically working non stop for the last 7 days.

1. Satya, you recently wrote a fabulous guest post on Make It Happen, so the readers here already know you.

You are now launching the Freedom Business Summit 2010, which you describe as an opportunity to learn the most remarkable strategies available for building the life of your dreams, from the greatest leaders of our time.

Now that is quite a claim!

Please tell us more about your vision for your summit and how it came about.

Sure — I know, it sounds pretty grand, but it is really.

Actually, the vision for the summit came to me in the middle of the night, about two months ago.

There was a mountain with a sun, and the words “Freedom Summit.” In fact, this would have been just before the time I was writing that guest post for Make It Happen.

As I mentioned at that time, I had created a free product about creating more freedom and income from your business and passion, and I was preparing to create a premium version.

When this summit vision came to me, I sketched it out and the whole thing shifted. It sort of felt like a divine mission was handed to me, and I really had to do my best to get out of the way and let it come through in full force.

2. You seem to have led quite an interesting life so far – tell us a bit more about your own journey and how it’s ultimately led you to do what you do now.

That’s a great question. I’ll have to really focus my answer or risk turning this into another 3,500 word post like my last one…!

I’ve been really taken with personal transformation and the search for Truth for many years. At one point I was so obsessed with my quest that I abandoned all real work and spent many months immersed in meditation and shamanic journeying.

This was in New York in the strange years just after 9/11. It was quite surreal, and I was living just a few blocks from ground zero.

I had been spending a lot of time producing “alternative media,” shedding light on social movements, and political atrocities in the US and around the world.

I was always driven to make a difference and transform society… and that hasn’t changed.

Now it’s more about taking all the knowledge, and adapting it to new mediums — and having an even more tangible direct impact.

3. You have brought together quite a collection of online leaders. How did you choose these leaders? What qualities attracted you to them?

Well, it’s simple really — I love them all, and I really respect them. They’re all super high-integrity people, with amazing messages, and really driven to serve from the heart.

I feel a strong heart resonance with them. That’s the number one thing.

I really started small with just a few core people in mind, and then started slowly adding the others. Actually, it wasn’t too hard to choose them.

The hard part was working up the courage to actually approach them! Once I started, there was no turning back.

I was really blessed, though, because so many of the participants were so gracious with their time, and happy to help. (That’s why they’re so amazing!)

I owe a special debt of gratitude to Gwen Bell, who really pushed me to up my game and bring my work and the summit to an even higher level.

(I wrote about some of my experiences with her and Leo Babauta in this post called Life-changing conversations on going big, and catching the muse).

4. Tell us more about the actual working of the summit. Who is it for and who is likely to benefit most. What will participants get at the end of it?

As an online business (and transformation) consultant, I tend to work with people who are heart-centred entrepreneurs, yoga teachers, coaches, creatives, interesting people who are driven to make the world a better place.

So that’s the kind of person who will really resonate with this material. It’s a very holistic approach to entrepreneurship, really, as it’s based on building a heart-centred business from what you really love.

The key focus is on taking your mission to the next level, so there’s a lot of juicy discussion on how to do that, and how these people have been able to do it themselves. But there’s also a lot of emphasis on developing the core foundation in who you are, what your motivation is, and how to overcome various obstacles to really expressing your truth.

I think you’ll really get out of it what you put in. For those who decide to dive deep into the work offered by the full access, and really look at how to apply it in their lives, the possibilities are truly limitless.

My goal is that everyone will benefit from this, no matter whether you stop in for one interview, or commit to the whole program.

5. What’s your suggested approach for taking part in the summit?

I suggest you go and check out some of the interviews now, and if you feel called to go further, signup for the full program!

If you’re not ready for that commitment yet, you can always sign up to the list, and I’ll keep you posted with updates on the free content and other resources for your journey.

6. What’s next for you in your own journey?

Hmm. I think it’s in the hands of spirit, really….I love Leo’s approach, where he really doesn’t know what’s up ahead beyond a month or so, and he doesn’t want to know!

Being open to the myriad possibilities of the universe, without having to be locked into an agenda, allows for so much potential for growth and possibility.

I’m piloting the terrain with an open heart, and committed to sticking to my core mission, whatever that looks like.

Anything else you want to add?

I will say that my biggest secret goal is to really get good at what I’m doing, and be able to finally rest and settle in 100% into this life of mine, no matter what is going on. That would make me really happy.

7. On a personal note, I would love to have achieved so much myself in the next 12 months that I too am included in Business Summit 2011!

I would like nothing more than that Arvind! I love your enthusiasm and dedication to your work.

Thanks Satya!

See you all at the summit – check out more details here.

Please also share what you are passionate about in your life, your work and your business.

What lessons and tips can you share with us below?

Satya Colombo is on a mission to live a life of 100% freedom, and help shed some light on the path for others wishing to do the same. He’s really hoping you enjoy the Freedom Business Summit this year, and that you keep making amazing stuff happen!

Middle image courtesy of Only Sequel

Related posts:

1. Discover Your Passion to Create the Life of Your Dreams
2. Warning: Freedom Is NOT Everything
3. While Poverty Persists, There is No True Freedom
4. Apply the Four Agreements in Your Life to Get Personal Freedom

Do you ever do things that make other people remark about you?

Do people rave about you and tell others about you?

To be a remarkable person is to be someone worthy of notice, someone who is unusual, extraordinary or exceptional.

In contrast someone “ordinary” is a person who just does mundane, insignificant or everyday things.

What would you rather be known as – remarkable or ordinary?

Lately, I have been studying what makes some people stand out from others.

At the same time, I have been meeting some truly remarkable people.

Over the last three weekends, I have had the immense pleasure and honour of attending talks and workshops by Sadhguru Vasudev, Eckhart Tolle and Anil Gupta.

On a daily basis, I am honoured to follow the life changing and world impacting work of many remarkable blogger friends.

I shall be writing a separate article soon about my remarkable blogger friends, but in the meantime please do check out Ridiculously Extraordinary where my friend Karol teaches you to live an extraordinary and remarkable life.

The question is what makes a person seem “remark-able” to us?

In the simplest terms, it’s when someone does something out of the ordinary i.e. someone who does extraordinary things. It’s someone who goes the extra mile and who touches us at a deeper level.

Simply by you doing remarkable things for yourself, ultimately those around you benefit too.

Doing remarkable things doesn’t always have to be about making a difference to others, though it does help.

The key is to stand out!

Do something different and take a stand for something that really, really matters to you, be it creating world peace or clearing the rubbish dump in your neighbourhood.

Go out there and make it happen.

Make a difference to yourself and others.

• Stop poisoning your body with junk food and alcohol – eat fresh, energising food and notice the difference
• Stop gossiping with others and instead share your innate wisdom.
• Stop wasting your time on TV and endless emails – get out there and do something remarkable.

Look for ways of helping your fellow human beings rather than fighting for your share of our limited resources.

I dare you to stand out from the crowd!

After all who are you to not let your light shine?

If nothing else, go for a walk or a run in your local park – do something remarkable for your body and your health.

Actually, let’s revisit that – what’s “remarkable” about doing something for your body? Surely you should be taking the best possible care of your body anyway?

Finally, be remarkable for the sake of being remarkable – and not because you want people to rave about you – even though that may well happen anyway.

What remarkable thing will you do today?

Editor’s note: – Talking of being remarkable, I am making some changes to my blog which I hope will make it more “remark-able”.

This Saturday is Indian New Year’s Day and all being well, the new design will go live then.

It’s an auspicious day for new beginnings and I would welcome your feedback.  In line with the new design, I will also be bringing you more life changing articles, interviews with other remarkable people and guest posts from inspirational people.

Over the coming weeks and months, I will also be introducing my own new products and services to help you all become even more remarkable people in the world.

I am striving to make my blog remarkable so I can reach even more people. So this is what I would like from you – your valuable input about the direction for Make It Happen.

What sort of articles would you like to see on Make It Happen?

What works for you on my blog?

How else can I serve you?

Thank you.

Please Help to 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

Related posts:

1. Do Something Remarkable Without Being Buried Alive!

This is a guest post by Satya Colombo of Fierce Wisdom.

I am delighted and truly honoured to be hosting Satya’s first ever guest post.

“Satya” means truth in Sanskrit and there is a lot of truth and wisdom in Satya’s long and detailed article. Please enjoy and apply in your life.

“All good things are wild, and free.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

This article is a close-up look at how to build a life of freedom on your own terms, and how to set the stage to make it happen no matter who you are or what you do.

This article is only meant for those people who are truly ready to make the jump and to fully embody the life they were put on this earth to live.

Firstly, let me set the scene and explain a bit more about where I am coming from. Then my 9 powerful steps to get whatever you want in life will make even more sense.

I’ve been through some truly insane experiences and tough times in my long quest for true freedom. But I’ve learned so much along the way, it’s time for me to give back now in a real direct way. So I’m glad to have this opportunity right now…

In my Passion-Maker Life Purpose Test, I ask 10 simple questions to help you identify and commit to your true life purpose. Questions #7 & 8 refer to your big goals for the next 6-12 months, and they ask what’s stopping you from achieving them. But question #9 may be the most important one:-

What are you committed to doing to turn it around and make it happen?

A passion-driven purpose is what makes it all possible, but without a commitment from you to turn around your life and overcome the obstacles, the rest is just a waste of time.

There’s no unwritten rule that you have to find the spark of your passionate bliss, live a life of freedom and inspiration, and change the world.

It’s up to you to make the decision to cultivate that spark and fan the flames of your passion until it sets you — and the world — on fire.

I created this post, and the 9 powerful steps, to outline an approach to what I believe is possible for just about anyone to achieve. These steps have worked for me, even though I’m still polishing the edges!

Only a small percentage of those who read this will actually do the work that’s required.

Will you be one of them?

The real question is how badly do you want your freedom? It’s really up to you to make it happen!

This is what “True Freedom” looks like:

The way I see it, true freedom is the ability to do whatever you want, whenever you want.

Could you put it any simpler really? With that kind of freedom, your thinking might be somewhere along these lines:

‘I need a break, I think I’ll plan a little trip over to New York to visit some old friends…. You know, I REALLY need a break, so after that, it would be so good to spend a few weeks in that little secluded holy town at the foothills of the Himalayas in North India. I’ll just have to bring the team up to speed on what to expect while I’m gone. Afterwards, I can come back fully refreshed, and excited to work on that new book proposal…’

Doesn’t sound half-bad, right? Actually, that’s exactly what I’m thinking for myself right now. Not sure exactly how it’s going to unfold, but that’s what I’m planning as soon as my latest project is launched and wrapped (hint: it has something to do with creating a life of freedom).

I’m really not trying to toot my own horn, I’m just really trying to show you what I mean by living a life of freedom. I have spent the better part of the last few years working 60-70+ hour weeks building an online media company and working on some very high-pressure projects – the kind of projects that make you seriously consider jumping off very tall bridges.

Before that, I was unemployed, and working hard to make ends meet as a freelance cameraman and media producer, after quitting the world of “Reality TV” production in Los Angeles, and never going back. I wasn’t doing too hot…

My quest for the Secret to True Happiness (aka enlightenment)

Before I landed in LA, I spent a few years on an epic quest in search of the secret to enlightenment that pretty much dragged me kicking and screaming through the streets of New York City, and eventually landed me on a ten-month journey through India.

By the time I actually HAD learned the secret, I was fully in the nectar of eternal bliss, and had no worries in the world…. At least I thought so at the time.

The only trouble was, it wasn’t at all sustainable. It was the kind of bliss you can only have when you’re on a spiritual quest in a beautiful country, living your dream, and with few cares in the world. Pretty much full-time nirvana. But that can only last so long when your funds aren’t inexhaustible.

It sure as heck doesn’t work when you‘re trying to survive on your own in a city like Los Angeles, where I ended up when the inevitable time came for me to return.

This was only false, temporary freedom. It gave me a taste of immortality, and the illusion of freedom. But as one of my great spiritual teachers, Ramana Maharshi, once said:

“What comes and goes is not real.”

So, it was back to the drawing board…

If At First You Don’t Succeed, Don’t Try Again – unless…

I’ve failed more times than I can count. I can now finally say that I’ve learned how to succeed at one thing: Failing miserably.

At the failure-point I’ve usually dusted myself off, hung low for a bit, and then tried something completely different.

The problem with just trying again “if at first you don’t succeed…” is you’ll likely just end up with a tumble and fall again, if you don’t take a really hard look at what you’re doing.

You’ve GOT to do the inner work, see what you’re doing for what it really is, and change course if it ain’t working. Learn to master your psychology, and build a foundation of true clarity. That’s when the really juicy stuff starts to emerge.

It was only recently that I finally figured out what I was doing wrong, completely reorganized my business and hit the reset button on my approach to EVERYTHING in life and work, to make it actually work for me.

The one thing that changed everything

It was earlier this year when I was sitting in meditation, that I came to the realization that the only thing that was stopping me from really living the life I envisioned was my approach to my work.

I had been looking at things from the perspective of growing a business, and leveraging my resources to generate more income. Sounds reasonable, right?

Although my business is geared towards helping people who are doing great work in the world, and I was and still am completely dedicated to that mission, there was a big hole in the picture. A missing link per se…

The missing key was the element of real service: The acknowledgment and embracing of the fact that I was in this to make an impact, and I was willing to do whatever it takes to use my know-how to make a difference.

That’s the difference between a limp mission statement, and a purpose-driven mission that encapsulates the essence of who you are and what you’ve been sent on this earth to accomplish!

That passionate mission is what fuels all beautiful, magnificent, larger-than-life things that otherwise ordinary people can accomplish in their lives.

That commitment is what changed everything for me. But there’s one thing to watch out for…

Manipulating the system for what you want versus allowing what’s meant to happen

The difference between manipulating the system for what you want, and enabling the circumstances for your purpose to unfold, is huge. It’s a subtle dance between the two, but they represent very different approaches!

The first, most common approach is to say, ‘hey, I want this thing, and I will stop at nothing to get it!’.

The second approach is more along the lines of, ‘hey, I feel this strong calling in my heart to do this thing that can really help make a difference in the lives of so many people, and I’m going to do my absolute best to make it happen!’

I think you can see the difference pretty clearly.

One is driven by greed and desire. The other is driven by passion and purpose.

When you commit your life to getting something done, you better take a real good look at what you’re out to accomplish, because it’s going to be a whole lot easier if you’re doing something that’s genuinely for the greater good.

That way, there’s a lot less energetic resistance to face, and the ‘universal energy flow’ is free to come in and help carry you along the journey.

I know now without a doubt, the most important thing by far is to pay attention to the aspect of your work that calls from the deepest part of your soul.

It’s the joyously passionate part of the work, the part that just bubbles up from within you. Your calling is also the bedrock and foundation of the following nine steps – follow and develop that, and you cannot fail!

The 9 Steps to Getting Whatever You Want, Whenever You Want It.

1. Know Your Passion-Driven Life Purpose

Know this in your deepest heart of hearts, and let it set you on fire. Find the muse, the passion that calls from deep within you, and pushes out from your very existence. This is the foundation of EVERYTHING else.

Take this passion, indulge it (and make sweet love with it). You will be rewarded with sheer acts of glimmering beauty beyond your wildest dreams; beauty that emanates from places within you and the world that you didn’t know exist.

It’s quite marvellous, really. You’re allowing for the world to blossom in so many vibrant colours before your eyes.

The Passion-Maker Life Purpose Test I created will help you identify and commit to your purpose (in about 10 minutes), but what you do with it is really up to you.

If you’re at all on the fence about your passion, purpose and commitment, you should go get the Passion Maker by clicking here.

2. Develop a Rock-Solid Commitment to Living Your Purpose Above All Else!

This is where you will be put to the test, when life’s distractions, your deepest fears, and the opinions of others threaten to throw you off track.

There’s nothing worse than passion and talent gone to waste, or the feeling of defeat when you’ve finally thrown in the towel. I’ve been there, and it sucks!

If you waste away letting your biggest dreams die a slow death, they will kill you too… truly. Your buried dreams will fester and rot, and turn up in other ugly forms, such as addictions, depression, bad relationships and disease.

Don’t let yourself become another statistic! Commit to your dreams above all else. Stick to your purpose even if you have to walk the path on your own.

3. Know Your Self

Your quest to know who you really are, to master your psychology, and to heal your past must never end. The real secret to success is in mastering your inner game, and conquering your dragons. No way around it!

You are a fierce wisdom warrior, who’s being called to fight an epic battle with your own demons.

Will you heed the call?

The hero’s journey is a journey of conquering your own biggest fears, and confronting the dragons of hell. Once you’ve gone there, and conquered, you can do just about anything.

So, get strong enough in yourself to do something worthy of remembering.

Make a stand for what you believe in, and be ridiculously fierce in fighting for that ‘til the bitter end. If your true heart’s calling is pushing you, and you’re working for something bigger than you, the universal energy flow will come in to help you out.

You’ve gotta feel it boiling in your blood: veni, vidi, vici. (I came, I saw, I conquered)

4. Get Clear on Your Goals, and Create a Master Plan

Here’s where it can start to get a bit trickier. Whose advice do you follow? Where is the best place to start? Which goals do you actually follow?

It’s not that hard, really, when you’re coming from a place of real clarity on your passion and purpose. The clarity is key.

If that isn’t there, I recommend you do some more work on that!

Starting with those first three steps above, you’ve gotta take a hard look at what you want to achieve. What’s the big goal?

Set yourself up for some real big goals. Not just something like I want to make X more income this year. I’m talking big dreams, life-changing goals, stuff you might consider out of reach in ordinary circumstances.

Looking at stuff more along these lines: Write a New York Times bestseller; travel around the world for a year and study ways to alleviate starvation; start a non-profit to provide housing and rehabilitation to the homeless in your community, etc.

BONUS TIP: With really big and beautiful goals, you have to study hard and learn from the best to see what they’ve done to make it happen! Then you adapt that for yourself.

One thing you can try is this: Do your research and choose about 10 people you respect and admire, who are doing work that you love. Then start to learn from them, follow them on twitter, read every article they write (and comment if they have blogs).

If you know what you want, and you start to associate with the people who are already in the flow of living their dreams, oddly magical stuff can start to happen. Keep your eyes peeled. Here is a good place to start.

5. Take Action! (Now)

What’s stopping you? The only obstacle is you!

Virtually any obstacle that comes in your way can be overcome by simply staring it down square in the face until it buggers off, or by delegating it to someone else, or when all else fails, manoeuvring around it.

Take consistent action, and be sure to check in and recalibrate on your short-term, medium and long-range goals regularly.

Obviously it helps to break down your goals into smaller tasks, and commit to a schedule of sorts. Just try and focus overwhelmingly on what feels right in your heart, and what you’re called to do. At the same time, you’d be amazed at the results a good partnership, or virtual assistant can bring.

When you focus on what you’re truly good at, and hand over or delegate the other stuff whenever possible, you will consistently outperform your wildest expectations (as long as you are doing the work that lines up with your passion, of course…).

6. Develop Relationships With People Who Are Already Doing Similar Work

This is the hardest part for some people, me included, and potentially the MOST rewarding.

The truth is you can’t go it alone – it takes a global village these days.

Going the lone rebel hero route is also totally over-rated. It’s part of our collective mythology, and there’s great value to believing in yourself and fighting for something bigger than you, of course.

The truth is, though, your work will exponentially grow and reach many more people when you start partnering with others.

Don’t hide out in your safe little cave for too long, its loads of fun to get out and start making meaningful relationships!

It all starts with a simple little conversation. Like – ‘Hi, I like your work, just wanted to tell you why…’

Get out there and start meaningful conversations. You never know where they might lead…

7. Build a Passion-Based Freedom Business So You Can Finally Be Free

You may be a successful business person or executive already or you may be someone who delivers pizzas for a living and loves every second of it.

Unless you’re truly in love with the work aspect of your life, it’s gonna be hard to be truly happy and fulfilled.

If you can’t pretty much do whatever you want, whenever you want, you’re not really free right?

If your goal is to be really free, you can start by creating a small freedom business based on your passion, and work hard and smart to build it into an empire.

If you want to learn some steps to transition your existing business into a freedom business, or starting a new one, you can start with my 5 Steps to Freedom program at my company site, which you can access free by clicking here.

8. Help Others Accomplish Their Dreams

The most beautiful thing of all, I reckon is making a difference, and helping other people out, which makes cool stuff happen.

There’s a karmic flow that happens when you give, and use your skills and talents for good. You set yourself up for more good energy flow coming back to you. It’s just a universal principle.

Here’s a little example: my friend Jonathan Fields starts almost every day with a simple tweet: “Who can I help today?” But the kicker is, he really means it.

It’s not like he just has a bunch of time on his hands. He’s really dedicated to using his talents to make a difference and help people out!

I was inspired by that, and it cemented my respect for him. So, when it came to locking in on MY “top 10” list (see #4), he was right on there, and I featured him in a post about it.

When you switch to the model of being of service, and using your talents for the greater good, that’s when really cool stuff happens! (Like people you’ve befriended online, writing about you randomly in blog posts like this).

9. Let Your Passions Run Wild

If true freedom is what you’re after, you have to want that freedom so bad that it burns!

You’ve gotta let that passion run wild and burn free. When the smoke clears, you’ll rise from the ashes in glorious 3-D.

When you’re crystal clear and laser focused on that passion, you’ve got to give it the freedom to do its thing. Stand out of your own way.

Forget the doubts, and failures of the past, and let miracles happen. Take risks, let go of your schedule, get out of your comfort zone, and take big, wild, glorious leaps.

Your only real obstacles are your own self-limiting beliefs. Accessing your imagination, your convictions and your passion, are all in your hands.

Feel the fear, and Make it Happen anyway!

One Last Reminder

On the day I was invited to write this post, I was struggling with some aspects of my life I really don’t love. The stuff was related to about the last 10% or so of stuff I still have to deal with that sometimes drives me mad – bills, debt, and tricky clients.

What happened, though, is on that day, Arvind’s email turned everything around, and suddenly that last 10% didn’t seem so bad.

The little difference was so minimal, yet so huge: I had hope, and a reminder, that I was in this for something bigger than me, and for that reason, it was all going to work out.

Plus, I had a plan I’ve been formulating for a while to take over the world, and accomplishing this plan was a lot bigger than me and my little worries.

Without a plan, I’d still be lost in trying to manipulate the system to get what I want, instead of creating a system to allow for what is meant to be.

When you’re doing great things, in alignment with your life purpose, it’s pretty common to hit up against a LOT of resistance. But it’s usually 90% your own, and 10% from outside.

That’s because there’s a little voice of doubt that’s been planted in our heads from so many different sources all through our upbringing and into adult life.

That voice is always trying to shoot us down. It’s the mind, trying to prove our biggest fears right.

You just have to put systems in place to quiet the voice, and master your inside game. It’s not that hard, it just takes a little practice.

Like any sport, as you practice more, you get better and your confidence grows. Your confidence then also helps you play better!

It’s the same with your inner game. Never overlook the importance of mastering your psychology, and committing to live a life of purpose and passion.

It is truly the greatest secret to a life of freedom and choice. Combined with a master plan, persistence and consistent action, you can make amazing things happen!

What is your true passion? What are you here for? What would you do with your freedom?

I’d love to hear from you in the comments, and see a whole mess of tweets on this post… let’s make it happen!

With love and gratitude,
~ Satya

Satya Colombo is on a mission to live a life of 100% fearless service to Truth and Freedom. You’re invited to take his Passion-Maker test from Fierce Wisdom, but no results guaranteed. You’ve gotta take what works for you, make it your own, and make it happen!

Related posts:

1. 10 Powerful Keys for a Greater Quality of Life
2. 8 Powerful Ways to Add Vibrant Colour to Your Life
3. The 10 Most Powerful Short Words in the World
4. 9 Powerful Ways To Boost Your Self-Esteem in 2011