Make It Happen » Lessons from inspirational people

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

Arvind Devalia — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 12:38:55 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving Day everyone!

As you spend this day of thankfulness and togetherness celebrating with your loved ones, I would like to offer you the collected wisdom from my blogger friends.

They are some of the best known, established and renowned bloggers in the world today. And you are in for a thanksgiving treat.

Now I appreciate that you may not even be celebrating Thanksgiving Day today – if so, then please do take some time out to get present to all the goodness in your life.

This is the fourth in my series of five special posts for thanksgiving week.

Check out the first three posts here:-

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

To start with, here’s a question I invite you to reflect on:-

What is the greatest gift you can give to the world on this day?

I asked my blogger friends exactly this question and invited them to share their favourite articles from their blogs for today and explain why they had chosen that particular post.

The outcome is that they have a contributed an awesome bounty of wisdom that will stand you in good stead always and not just today.

I am not given to exaggerating, but your life will never be the same again!

Please do bookmark this page and take your time to go through their articles. Reflect on and absorb their wisdom and teachings into your life. And let me know how you get on.

I feel fortunate to know and call all these bloggers my friends; though amazingly from the list below I have only ever met two of them in person – John Sherry and Jennifer Gresham.

I know that this will change over the years to come as I intent to meet to them all:-)

All these bloggers are committed to making a difference and I invite you to explore their work and also subscribe to their blogs.

As I think about these blogger friends, the words that come to my mind are inspirational, caring, passionate and fun.

I am proud and honoured to present to you these pearls from these friends.

Here they are in alphabetical order, except I chose to put Zeenat at the top as with a name beginning with Z, she usually ends up at the bottom:-)

Enjoy!

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Zeenat Merchant-Syal – How to be YOU no matter what – 7 simple tips

“Being authentically YOU is not always the easiest thing to be and I know this cause I’ve had a hard time in the past just being me until I found out who I was – sharing this article in your thanks giving post is just my way of acknowledging and giving thanks for the uniqueness of each and every beautiful individual.”

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Abubakar Jamil - An Open Letter to Sabrina – A Departed Soul

“My open letter to Sabrina shows the value of accepting and being thankful for the people that come into your life for some unknown reason and change your life forever.”

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Alex Blackwell – The Best Things in Life

“The best things in life aren’t the things we have, but rather who we get to share these things with. The best things in my life are sitting with me on Thanksgiving Day.”

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Amit Sodha – 10 Magnificient Messages to Spread Across the Globe

“I want to share this article with the world as it encompasses every core belief that you, I and most other people in the world of personal development will hold dear.“

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Anastasiya Goers - Inner Peace: Your Simple Guide

“If there is one thing you can make happen today – let it be a step towards your inner peace. Everything else – happiness, balance, serenity – will sprout from it.”

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Andrea DeBell – A Brief Guide to Loving Everyone

“Besides giving thanks, the Thanksgiving holiday is also an opportunity to express love since we’re grateful for the love the Indians showed towards the pilgrims and the love we share with our dear ones.”

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Angela Artemis – Always Keep Your Dreams Alive.

“On Thanksgiving, remember to give thanks for your dreams because whether we realize it or not, dreams fuel our lives; without them there’s no passion and not much point in going on.”

SPECIAL BONUS Article from Angela for thanksgiving – The Amazing Grace of Thanksgiving

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Barrie Davenport - Make 2011 the year of you

“I chose this post because this season is a time of reflection and preparation for a new beginning, and I want to support readers in making bold, positive changes for 2011.”

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Chris Guillebeau - The decision to be remarkable

“Because the world is waiting.”

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Courtney Carver – Lessons from love and marriage

“I am most grateful for love and hope my story inspires others to think about the love in their lives.”

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Dave Ursillo – 11 Ways to Pay Daily Alms Without Paying a Dime

“A piece that expands upon the religious rite of alms-giving and turns the idea of giving to very human, spiritual, non-financial ways.”

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Dragos Roua – Why Less is More

“Because we really need to focus more on what we have, and less on what we don’t.”

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Farnoosh Brock – Celebrating 100th post with 100 lessons about life and blogging

“I never thought I’d feel so grateful about blogging and that I would learn so much about life through blogging, so I marked the occasion. Here I share a milestone celebration with my readers and reflect on the 100 lessons I have learned along the way.”

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Gail Brenner - Generosity Unleashed – Everywhere

“When we are able to be generous with ourselves, our hearts are full, and we naturally express generosity toward everyone and everything.”

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Henri Junttila – How to Enjoy Life

“Thanksgiving is all about enjoying life. Life is about enjoying life, but especially thanksgiving, and sometimes we need to be reminded of the fact that we’re here to do stuff we love”

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Jai Kai – The Art of Sustainable Giving – Enhance Your Success and Wellness

“We should all learn how to give in a sustainable way because giving sustainably is about creating and sustaining relationships with people and all other living things.”

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Jennifer Gresham - Don’t Go Don’t In Fame: 5 Warning Signs You’re Too Ambitious

“When we take time to reflect on what makes us most grateful, we usually credit the people who surround and support us, not the accomplishments we achieved in hopes of impressing them.”

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John Sherry - Why I Want Love

“I believe in love and as a man, it is said we don’t show it enough. I want to stand up as a male not afraid to show it and want it and welcome it in my life. I want to do more in the name of love.”

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Karol Gajda – How To Stop Having Problems or “The Eighty-Fourth Problem”

“For whatever reason the Holidays, while bringing out the best in people, also bring up a lot of “problems” and “situations.” This article can help.”

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Katie Tallo – How to Be A Girl

“I am thankful that I grew up free to go to school, free to choose when I married, free to decide when to have a child — choices some girls don’t have.”

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Leo Babauta – Breathe

“I think with the busy-ness of the holidays, it’s good to remember to breathe.”

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Linda Hewett – Thanks Dad for the Memories

“I was blessed to have my lovely, modest dad and I know he would be touched and surprised that I’ve written about him for all the world to read.”

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Lisa – Monograms and Doc Martens

“I wish for everyone the chance to become friends with their inner goblins, especially those who cannot be defeated.”

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Lisa H (RunningBear) – Be Grateful for What You Have

“I have selected this article because it is a good reminder for us to be grateful for what we have and to give to others on this day. To me, that is what Thanksgiving is all about.”

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Lori Deschene – 50 things to love about life that are free

“There’s a lot to appreciate in life that doesn’t cost a dime.”

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Mary Jaksch – How to Make a True Friend (Worth More Than 14.6 Cents)

“Because making true friends and nurturing bonds of love and affection is a priceless gift to others, as well as to ourselves.”

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Sandra Lee - 101 Rays of Gratitude

“Inspiration for exercising your gratitude muscle.”

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Satya Colombo – On building a juicy container for getting amazing sh** done + extreme gratitude

“Because it’s juicy and delicious, it has a mouth-watering picture, and it’s the only post I’ve written that mentions making-love on a bed of orange blossoms.”

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Scott Dinsmore – The Beginner’s Guide to Being Congruent

“Few people take the time to truly figure out who they are, why they’re here and how they should spend they’re time, but without this understanding, this congruency, it is almost impossible to make the dent in the world you are designed to make.”

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Stacey Curnow – Thanks for the Memories: How (and Why) to Keep a Special Memories Journal

“The Special Memories Journal serves the same purpose as a gratitude journal—the mere act of writing down precious moments reminds you that they have happened, and that your life is full of them.”

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Tess Marshall – On a Rampage of Gratitude and Appreciation

“The exercise I offer in the article takes the focus off our own greed and puts it on giving to others who have less.”

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There you are – hearty contributions from bloggers around the world to add that extra zest of wisdom and gratitude to your Thanksgiving Day and indeed any day.

Please do check out their generous contributions to you and me on Thanksgiving Day – and also share their work with the world.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, today and everyday.

And a happy life:-)

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Please do also check out the first three posts here:-

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

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I look forward to seeing you here again soon. Thank you for reading! – Arvind

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Think Different to Make It Happen!

Arvind Devalia — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:36:21 +0000

What makes one person a Gandhi or a Dr Martin Luther King? Is it pure coincidence or do such inspirational historic figures have some special powers?

Well, this afternoon a friend linked to a short but inspirational YouTube video on Facebook which may give us some clues. The video has this description:-

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify and vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as crazy, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX9GTUMh490[/youtube]

So there we are – in my quest to make it happen, I am looking for lots of crazy people who think they can change the world!

Are you one of them?!

And how will YOU change the world?

Lessons in Leadership from a 90 Year Old Man!

Arvind Devalia — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:33:02 +0000

There is a man celebrating his 90th birthday today in a village in South Africa. But it is not just any man. It is indeed Mr Nelson Mandela, the man who cleared his country and the world of apartheid and also united his country without the much feared bloodbath.

South Africa too is celebrating with him as are many people around the world. Here is a man who dedicated his life to his people and his country. Since his “retirement” from public life, he has played a major role around the world as the most respected and revered elder statesmen of our time.

Here is a timeline for Mr Mandela’s amazing and inspirational life.

During a series of public appearances around the world over the past few weeks, Mr Mandela’s life and work have been celebrated around the world. People from all walks of life recognise how this one man got rid of apartheid without bloodshed, and also how he united South Africa despite being imprisoned for 27 years.

However by his own admission there is so much work still to be done both in his own country and around the world. If one man can achieve what Mr Mandela did in his lifetime, just think what we can all do?!

So what inspiration do we need and what lessons can Mr Mandela offer us?

For a start, do check out his 8 Lessons of Leadership.

And as for inspiration, I have previously written about “Our Light” , some inspirational words from Marianne Williamson from her best selling book – A Return to Love (Amazon UK / Amazon USA)

I also wrote how it was time for each of us to let our own light to shine.

Nelson Mandela is said to have used some of the words below, either during his inauguration as South African president, or soon after. But there is no record of this in any of his official speeches.

However, these are probably the sort of sentiments he would have shared. And it makes a good story .

These powerful words make us all realise once again just how powerful and amazing we all are:-

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 frightens us.

We ask ourselves

Who am I to be so brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually who are we not to be?

You are a child of the universe…

Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.

There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that others won’t feel insecure around you,

We are all meant to shine, as children do,

We are born to manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we’re liberated from our fears, our presence automatically liberates each other.

To end, here are THREE questions for you to ponder on:-

So how will you let your light shine from today?

What lessons can you learn from Mr Mandela’s life and work?

What do YOU wish to have achieved by the time you are 90?!

Muhammad Yunus – Creating A World without Poverty

Arvind Devalia — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:51:17 +0000

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?

Well, Professor Yunus is on a mission to create a world without poverty. He launched the Grameen Bank over 20 years ago and literally rescued millions of families from poverty. He created the concept of micro-credit which is now similarly being applied in over 100 countries world-wide.

Below I present some of the key points from Professor Yunus’s talk which he started with a lovely quotation:-

“We are all captains in the Armada of Love”

The challenge of tackling poverty

The challenge for mankind is how can we create a just / safer / healthier place for the next generation? However we can easily get overwhelmed when we realise just how much needs to be done.

Poverty is the denial of all human rights and the greatest injustice in the world today and the solution is to do something, anything and not be overwhelmed. Help one person at a time, even if only for one day.

There is a simple cure to global warming and also world poverty if only we were all willing to embrace it – a lifestyle shift.

Professor Yunus outlined how he first started Grameen bank after learning how the lives of 42 people and their families were at the behest of moneylenders who were owed just $27 in total. These families were suffering so much for relatively very little money. He paid off their debts and created what he calls $27 dollar miracle.

In his words, he learnt how to become an angel for just $27!

With a 99% repayment rate, almost all the loans were always fully repaid by the poorest of the poor.

Grameen Bank

He then asked the question – why not do this on a wider scale. After many years of challenges, he finally succeeded in creating Grameen Bank, which means Village Bank.

The rest is history, with Grameen Bank today giving loans to around 7.5 million poor people, 97 percent being women, in 73,000 villages around Bangladesh.

He focused on lending to women as this was found to bring most benefits to the families.

Whereas for western investment banks, the customer profile is normally a rich man with lots of credit information, the typical Grameen Bank customer is a woman, very poor, illiterate, and with no background information.

Professor Yunus recounted some stories of how through the work of Grameen Bank, illiterate mothers now have a daughter who is a medical doctor or a son who is an engineer.

The bank has given out over 21,000 education loans for students now studying medicine and engineering whereas before they had little or no hope for any higher education.

Poor people are NOT stupid people

What he stressed was that there is NOTHING wrong with these poor people – they just want to be given a fair and equal chance at succeeding.

So called poor people are capable of far more than we ever give them credit for. Professor Yunus highlighted his point by outlining another Grameen initiative –cellphone loans to women so that each village now has a “telephone lady”. Initially, this led to resistance amongst the telecommunications companies as the women were perceived to be illiterate and incapable of using cellphones.

As professor Yunus emphasised again, the women may be illiterate, but they were NOT stupid. Soon these women had established thriving businesses providing telephone services in remote villages and connecting them with the rest of the world.

At a meeting to review their progress, one telephone lady challenged Professor Yunus to blindfold her and then ask her to dial his cellphone number! If she got it wrong, he could simply take away her cellphone (and her business).

So who created poverty?

In simple terms, the system, the institutions and concepts we have developed over decades and centuries. As he said, it is so easy to undermine the capability of others without knowing them – and this is the cause of poverty!

Human beings are multidimensional – they enjoy making money AND other things. Human beings are NOT just interested in making money.

The way forward

Professor Yunus presented his concept of social businesses and how in order to do good things, we have to think beyond ourselves

There are two types of businesses:-

• Business for profit maximisation i.e. all about me.
• Business for social good i.e. all about others.

Micro-credit is a social business in that it is about helping people get out of poverty. No social business should be about making money by exploiting people.

Whereas the “philanthropy dollar” can only be used once, the “social dollar” can be used again and again.

Lessons for us

If anyone can get rid of poverty from the world, it is professor Yunus. As he said, one day we will have poverty museums and I believe he mentioned by the year 2030.

The clock is ticking towards the day when one day we have “Poverty Museums”

What will YOU do to help the world rid of poverty?

Gandhi’s Message as Relevant Today as 60 Years Ago

Arvind Devalia — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:23:27 +0000

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.

Lessons in Compassion from My Father

Arvind Devalia — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 20:04:59 +0000

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.

Compassion is one of the most important things in our world and yet I think we understand and apply it so little. Indeed a few months ago, when my friend Albert the Urban Monk challenged me and others to write about their last ever blog message, I chose to write about showing more compassion.

Compassion is about putting yourself in the shoes of the other person and seeing the world from their perspective. It is about feeling their pain and empowering them to be their best. It is not about pity or patronizing.

As the Buddha said – “Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike – each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.”

And the Dalai Lama said – “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.”

I strongly feel that it is high time we really questioned how we are living our lives and treating our fellow human beings and the planet. Just how can we learn to treat each other with more kindness, care, consideration and dare I say it with love?

How can we learn from the events in the world today to bring more compassion into the world?

What exactly is Compassion?

“Compassion as an understanding of the emotional state of another. It is often combined with a desire to alleviate or reduce the suffering of another or to show special kindness to those who suffer. It is often characterised through actions, wherein a person acting with compassion will seek to aid those they feel compassionate for”.

“Acts of compassion are generally considered those which take into account the pain of others and attempt to alleviate that pain”. – Wikipedia

By that definition, my family and I have been simply overwhelmed with the compassion shown to us by our many friends and family members over the last few weeks.

I have been contacted by numerous people from my distant past and many friends have sent the most moving messages and cards.

My father was very well known in our community all over the UK for his all many activities in the service of others and it has been heartening to receive so many messages of condolences from so many people who are yet only strangers to me. I am beginning to see my father through new eyes as I realise just what he meant to so many people.

It’s a Wonderful Life of Compassion

On Christmas Day I watched yet again one of my all time favourite movies – “It’s a Wonderful Life!” all about a man who feels like a total failure and just when his spirit is about to be broken, his guardian angel, Clarence, falls to Earth, and shows him how his town, family, and friends would turn out if he had never been born.

Watching this movie did make me wonder and appreciate just how many lives my own father had touched himself through his life of service to others, both in Kenya and in the UK.

Learning about Compassion

The main lesson for me over the last few weeks has been just how compassionate and kind people can be during such a time.

It is really wonderful how human beings have this amazing capacity to be compassionate. For the first few days after the passing away of my father, we all felt incredibly close to each other as we grieved our loss and perhaps also appreciated for the first time our own mortality. Amidst the sadness and grief, there was a feeling of tenderness and closeness amongst my siblings and other family members I had never experienced ever before.

Mystery about Sustaining Compassion

The mystery however is why such compassion and closeness cannot be sustained. Are we scared to show our own vulnerability? If so, maybe it is time to be human and allow ourselves to be vulnerable.

The other thing about compassion at such times is why usually we don’t appreciate people and their positive points whilst they are still alive?!

Also, what about the tidal wave of compassion we get worldwide after an international natural disaster such as Tsunami or Katrina?

It is over 3 years since Tsunami caused so much destruction and death in South East Asia. Whilst 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 later that year there was also a huge earthquake in Pakistan. Again there was a huge “outbreak” of compassion. At the time, inspired by the efforts of two friends I even created a simple website to emphasise that Love is all that Matters.

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?

Is it compassion fatigue … or just a pit stop?

Surely, it is time we really questioned how we are living our lives and treating our fellow human beings and the planet.

The questions we have to answer are:

How can we as humans change our behaviour as a result of such tragedies?
What’s really important to us?
What are our beliefs?
How can we learn from say Tsunami and Katrina, and other such incidents to bring even more love into the world?

What will YOU do in 2008 to bring more LOVE into the world?

Lessons in Compassion from my Father

A month ago I just about managed to do one of the hardest things I have ever done or indeed would want to do – I spoke briefly at my father’s funeral.

In my brief eulogy I said how his greatest gift was his compassion for people. I also urged the attended gathering of over two hundred people that it was now time for the tears to stop and to celebrate his life.

So what are the lessons in compassion that I learnt from my father?

For a start he always had the time and patience to talk to everyone he met. To give someone your total attention is actually quite a gift. And what better way to share any troubles than with someone who you know will totally listen to you without any judgement? That perhaps is a key thing about compassion – you need to be fully present to really understand and empathise with another person’s pain.

Another thing was how he was always genuinely interested in what was going on in people’s lives. He would spend a long time getting to know someone and truly understand them as people. Backed up with his phenomenal memory for names, faces and facts, he created many lifelong friendships with strangers.

Finally, he always had a gift for everyone, ranging from one of his latest books to cards with inspirational words, diaries or beautiful handmade pocket calendars. He remained in touch with many people over the years and he was famed for always sending out personalised Diwali greeting cards and his card was always the first one to be received each year.

However the most important lesson he taught me was his readiness and willingness to really help anyone in distress in whatever way he could. He was actually quite a softie and I could always sense his compassion for others.

Over the years, he directly and indirectly helped and comforted thousands through his many spiritual and philosophical writings.

So looking back on my father’s life he was a very compassionate human being – and I would like to think that somehow he left his mark on me.

Time to Celebrate my Father’s Life

One way of remembering my father and to celebrate his life would be by being as compassionate as he was in his lifetime.

I do believe that we all have this deep capacity for compassion – we just have to get present to it.

To highlight my point here is a story, that has been doing the rounds of the internet and email for many years. Though I am not sure whether this is exactly what really happened or if at all, it does have a wonderful message for all of us.

It also reminds us of the old adage that you can get everything you want in your life, by helping others get what they want. So do grasp the message about compassion from this story, regardless of whether it is fact or fiction:-

Some time ago, at the Seattle Olympics, nine athletes, all mentally or physically challenged, were standing on the start line for the 100 m race.
The gun fired and the race began. Not everyone was running, but everyone wanted to participate and win.

They ran in threes, a boy tripped and fell, did a few somersaults and started crying.
The other eight heard him crying.
They slowed down and looked behind them.
They stopped and came back… All of them…

A girl with Down’s Syndrome sat down next to him, hugged him and asked, “Feeling better now?”
Then, all nine walked shoulder to shoulder to the finish line.

The whole crowd stood up and applauded. And the applause lasted a very long time…

People who witnessed this still talk about it.

Why?

Because deep down inside us, we all know that the most important thing in life is much more than winning for ourselves.

The most important thing in this life is to help others to win. Even if that means slowing down and changing our own race.

So who can YOU help today?

This reminds me of a time when many years ago at a wedding party in India I saw a little Down’s Syndrome child dancing on the floor, splendidly resplendent in a dinner jacket and bow tie. He was a better dancer than me any day, and I later found out that he had won awards for his dancing and music, in competitions for “normal” children.

I went up to him, chatted and made friends. A few minutes later his mother came to me with tears in her eyes and said how much she appreciated me talking to her son, as most people just ignored him.

Maybe this was also a cultural thing, being in India, but whatever it was, to me it seemed the natural thing to do to chat to the boy.

So many times, we all hide our true human feelings and we do not allow ourselves to be vulnerable and compassionate. Try it today – and do write back on this blog with comments about your experiences.

How can we bring more Compassion into the World today?

To end this post, let us look at a simple yet powerful way of bringing more compassion into the world today.

A few months ago I attended a workshop about compassion at the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University. It was quite an inspirational afternoon, and certainly left all of us feeling more compassionate towards ourselves and each other.

The question we have to ask is whether compassion is innately within us or is it learnt? For example, when we hear about starving kids in Asia or Africa, one may well ask what it has to do with me?

Compassion arises with a change of perspective about who we really are and our relationship to the rest of the world.

In the mid-seventies, Betty Williams in Ireland set up an organisation soon after hearing that some children had been shot during the Northern Ireland conflict. She cried – “what kind of people have we become to allow our children to be killed in the streets?”

Within 4 hours, she had galvanised her community and had soon collected 16,000 names in a petition. She later went on to win the Nobel peace prize.

We don’t have to wait to carry out such major acts of compassion either. Though we all have the potential to be a mother Teresa, we can begin today through small acts of kindness and compassion in our own world.

So how does one simply go about bringing more compassion into our life and into the world?

The first act of compassion is to look at our own needs firsts. Then develop the inner power for the 3C’s – Care, Compassion and Crying in public. By crying in public it is meant being willing and being vulnerable to show your kindness and compassion to the world – being willing to be raw and able to show your humanity.

To get you started today on bringing more compassion into your world and the world at large, here are the simple exercises from the workshop I attended:

1. Think about an event / act of compassion you carried out.

Ask your self – what qualities are already in me to allow me to be compassionate?

E.g kindness, empathy, love, sympathy, goodness, listening, understanding and so on.

2. We are all compassionate and we all have examples where we have been compassionate. But what about the other side?

Think of an incident when you were NOT compassionate.

What characteristics were you showing then?

E.g being judgemental, thoughtlessness, being selfish.

3. Then ask yourself what is stopping you from being more compassionate.

What qualities do I have that stops me from being more compassionate?

E.g. impatience, being judgemental

Remember to be kind and compassionate to yourself when answering this question!

4. Ask yourself what qualities you would like to have MORE of in your life.

What qualities would make me more compassionate?

E.g. patience, understanding.

5. Finally, have the intention to be more compassionate today and every day from now on.

What will you do today to be more compassionate?

For example:-

• Enjoy quality time with family and show them more understanding
• Thank friend and stop judging him / her.
• Be in gratitude for what I have.
• Stop beating myself up! Remember, compassion begins at home.
• Arrange party at home for friends to show my appreciation of them for all their support over the last few weeks.

Enjoy bringing more compassion today into your life.

Just what will YOU do today to bring more compassion in the world today?

As for me, in memory of my father and his legacy, I aim to make the rest of my life, one of compassion and service to the world.

Please tell your friends about Make It Happen by using the share buttons below. Every Retweet and Facebook share helps me spread my message.

I look forward to seeing you here again soon. Thank you for reading! – Arvind

What would Mother Teresa say About the Last 10 Years?

Arvind Devalia — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 07:00:01 +0000

It is ten years today since Mother Teresa passed away amongst her favourite people – the dying and destitute of Calcutta.

As she passed away the same week as Princess Diana, it seemed at the time that her passing away was hardly noticed. Yet, here was an amazing human being who spent decades helping the lonely, the poor and the dying in the worst possible environment for such humanity.

When she was alive, Mother Teresa was called a “living saint” and she even received the Nobel Peace prize in 1979. She accepted the award, but asked that the award ceremony be cancelled and the money instead given towards her work in Calcutta.

Ten years down the line, what would she make of the world today? We have more war, famine, diease than ever before. 9/11 changed forever the world she left behind and aids is still rampant, especially in Africa and her beloved India.

She believed in giving your best no matter what and in a world of abundance for all.

So what would her message be to us today? She would no doubt want us to continue with her work, remain hopeful and believe in positive change. She would want us to follow the example she set us in helping those less fortunate than us.

We all have to continue to believe in our own capacity for good, love and ultimate world peace. And to keep us going, we have some very apt words from her:-

“We, the unwilling, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much,for so long,with so little,we are now qualified to do anything with nothing.”

Follow your Dream

Arvind Devalia — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 15:59:16 +0000

Many years ago a friend sent me a card with a wonderful poem which I still treasure to this day. It is posted on the office wall next to my computer and serves everyday to remind me to follow my dream:-

If while pursuing distant dreams
your bright hopes turn to grey
don’t wait for reassuring words
or hands to lead the way.

For seldom will you find a soul
with dreams the same as yours.
Nor often will another help you
pass through untried doors.

If inner forces urge you
to take a path unknown,
be ready to go all the way,
Yes, all the way alone.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t
draw lessons from the best;
just dont depend on lauding words
to spur you on your quest.

Find confidence within your heart
and let it be your guide.
Strive ever harder toward your
dreams and they won’t be denied.

- Bruce B Wilmer

This poem reminds me of Dr Martin Luther King’s famous speech – “I have a Dream”.

The words above outline the single minded journey he undertook to achieve his dream of equal rights for his people.

Similarly, Mr Nelson Mandela stood by his principles and purpose despite being imprisoned for 27 years and ultimately achieved his dream of freeing his country from apartheid.

So the lesson is to believe in your dream and follow it even if it means doing so on your own. Perhaps loftier the dream, more lone the path

Begin today to follow your own dream:-

What is YOUR dream?

What can you do with your life to change the world forever?

When will you begin?

Some Pearls of Wisdom from Kavit Haria

Arvind Devalia — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 10:16:36 +0000

Every now and then I come across someone in my life who impresses me enormously and who has a lot to offer to me and others. My friend Kavit Haria is one such person.

I recently took some time out to interview him for my blog as part of my inspirational interviews. And this is what transpired:-

1. We have now know each other for 4 years – I remember the first time I saw you on stage at an event for Young Jains as a mere 16 year old and you had the audience enthralled with your words of wisdom.

You have come a long way since then. Tell us more about the sort of things that you are now involved in.

Thanks for your kind words Arvind, and yes I have come a long way as I can see it within myself – mentally and emotionally as well as spiritually.

Right now, I spend much of my time writing and speaking about success and marketing in the music industry – how musicians can go to the next level, doing their personal best. Ever since high school, “do your personal best” has always been an important slogan to me as it was mentioned in the only high school assembly that sticks out in my head.

As you know, I’m also a pro Tabla player so I spend a lot of time practicing, playing, and experimenting with different genres. It’s a beautiful instrument and can be very therapeutic too. I also teach the Tabla as well as other drums and do this through a banner called Young Drummers where I organize drum courses, camps and tuition. If your readers are interested, they can find more here: http://www.youngdrummers.com (note to arvind: new website coming up here in next 2 weeks)

I’m also involved in the field of genetics training to be a geneticist and hopefully a forensic scientist.

As you can see, I have eggs in many baskets.

2. You are known as the musicians coach. You are indeed recognised as the number one coach for musicians in the UK. What drove you to be that?

For those who are entrepreneurial, you’ll know that finding a niche is an important thing. The music industry as a niche was home to me through my work as a Tabla player, having contacts and knowing it pretty much inside out. All I had to do was start doing my bit for the world and for the industry by teaching what I knew and had learnt about being successful. That’s what drove me to become a musicians coach. As a coach, I don’t teach music. I simply write and speak about what I think is required to be successful in the industry and in 99% of the time, my guidance works. So with raving success stories and a huge interest in my work, I guess I hold my place there.

3. You are one of the UK’s leading tabla player and teacher. How did you get that position. What tips can you offer other aspiring musicians, indeed anyone who wants to excel at something?

There are now many Tabla players in the UK, most come from India where they have been fortunate to have their training, so not sure I would be called a leading tabla player and/or teacher.

Like all things, I’m not sure it’s a position. It’s more an evolving state of being. For me Tabla is my thing that takes me to a whole new world. It’s like learning a new language, riding a bike, or diversifying yourself. It gives you a whole new outlook on life. I look at Tabla as the best technique to deal with your fears and getting over your obstacles. If everyone learnt to play and really appreciated music, life requires nothing else.

With regards to some tips for anyone who wants to excel at something, for me, the answer is simple: you require three ingredients: desire, dedication and perseverance.

Only real desire for something will allow you to excel in something you love. I don’t believe in excelling at something through force and no desire. The next thing is to realise that when you want to excel at something, it’s not going to be plain sailing. For me, it’s a given. It’s just the way the universe works. But what I do know is that my burning desire will allow me to push forward and realise my goal because I will persevere.

4. Tell us more about your latest talk – “Death of the Music Industry” Where are you coming from?

I’m extremely excited about this new talk I’ve put together. I’ve had a few months now of real, focused research into the music business. I set up a few enquiries to look at how possible it really is to get successful and the traditional and modern routes to success that exist. I’ve found some things that are extremely surprising to me. And I feel that musicians need to know this. The faster they know this, and use the loopholes that I have found, the better chances they have to be successful.

So in exposing the music industry, the talk is entitled, “The Death of the Music Industry – How to avoid the funeral and stay alive!” The industry isn’t dead. Don’t mistake that. But if musicians don’t get the knowledge and realise what’s happening, then it will and the funeral will come.

Is that a good enough answer?

5. You are also very interested in helping the world, peace and unity. What do you currently do in these areas? What have you got planned?

Yes, I am. Brought up living in Nigeria I have seen poverty, racism, violence and poor environments, so naturally I am very committed to helping bring about peace and unity as much as possible. Currently, I’m sharing my ideas and work through my writing to as many people as possible.

I believe that music is a big part of the way the world can change and getting people to take notice, just like Live8 and the other concert series has proved. But it’s not consistent. You come together for peace and unity and you don’t keep at it on a regular basis. My work now and in the future rests on bringing these two elements together – how can music continue to bring about peace and unity more consistently? Watch this space.

6. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

What a powerful question. I’m up for having a vision for my future, but I’m not really up for setting long term goals. Our lives are always changing that goal setting should only really be for the immediate 6 to 12 months at a time.

So my vision for the next 5 years is to continue my writing and speaking on a bigger scale. Not only will I write and talk about the music industry, I’ll also be sharing my ideas and work about love, peace and unity.

7. What final words of wisdom can you offer my readers, not just musicians?

I think the most important thing I have learnt this year, so far, is that love is all there is. It may sound basic, but this concept is profound. If you really get this, you will begin to prosper in ways you have never ever dreamed about.

We are all on this planet to do one thing: to give love. Every situation you find yourself in, whether personal, business or anything else, give unconditional love. Feel and be in a state of love for one and all. Be grateful and thankful for all that you are; all that you have learnt and all that you have.

Thanks for the interview Arvind.

Thank you Kavit – keep up the inspirational work. The world needs you.

Time to Let your Light Shine :-)

Arvind Devalia — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 10:17:03 +0000

Last week I was privileged and honoured to be at a talk by Marianne Williamson, author of “A Return to Love” (Amazon UK / Amazon USA) and famed for having written the words Our Light , often incorrectly attributed to Nelson Mandela. She spoke passionately about her hopes for a better world and finding our higher purpose.

Over the next couple of years, the vision is to have Marianne present her inspirational message at the Royal Albert Hall, so look out for that.

Her talk left me inspired and more optimistic about the future of the world. Here are some of the many things she shared with us in her uniquely evocative, humorous and deeply loving style:-

• Believe in infinite possibility
• Claim the world you want!
• Have faith in the power of healing – it is far stronger than the power of disease
• Believe in the power of the possibility of positive change and be a stand for positive change
• We can be “midwives” for a better world
• To change the world, first face the things in our own lives
• We can make enough of a difference in our lives by taking a step to become what we are meant to be. Our souls will “tingle” when we do so
• As human beings we have a choice to live our lives either through circumstances or a higher vision.
• Time expands with your vision and noble thoughts – the shallower your thoughts, the quicker the time goes.
• False modesty is not a strength
• Be happy to serve god. Ask daily – dear god, how may I be of service? How can I be of maximum service to the world
• There is no worldly joy without god. Meditate daily early in the morning and surrender the day to god / the universe. Ask – how may I be more loving / compassionate today?
• You only discover the joy of being in a relationship when you are united in a common higher purpose.

Something that really resonated with me was when Marianne asked what it would be like if the time had come for the concept of war to end?! Or the concept for the end of world hunger?

In the same way that the world knew that apartheid in South Africa was no longer feasible, there will surely come a day one day soon when we as humanity will decide that enough was enough, and we will wholeheartedly embrace world peace, food for all and social justice.

Let us all work towards making that happen.

In the same way that one man, Nelson Mandela, took a stand in South Africa for the end of apartheid and a peaceful transition, we all need to do our bit and take a stand for what we all intuitively know to be the truth and the right thing to do.

It just takes one person to change the world. Indeed, one of the recurring points in Marianne’s talk was all about letting your light shine.

So how will you begin to let YOUR light shine from today?

The Power of Transformation and the Human Spirit

Arvind Devalia — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 23:35:10 +0000

A few years ago, I came across this story of a woman who did some amazing transformational work in South African prisons.

I found this story very inspiring and was one of the reasons I was so attracted to coaching in the first place. I am so glad the links are still active

Almost six years ago, there was a BBC2 Correspondent programme about
prisoners in South Africa. There were actually two programmes, eight months
apart.

A word of warning – some of the write-up is somewhat harrowing, but there
Is a lot of good that comes out at the end.

The first link below shows the prison rehabilitation work done by a remarkable woman:-

Killers Don’t Cry

Read all the transcripts and also check out the short video clips.

Six months later, some of the prisoners were released, and you can learn what happens at:-

Killers Come Home

I hope you find this as inspiring as I did all those years ago. It was truly spellbinding viewing.

The power of the human spirit knows no bounds. Just remember that as you go through your own life.

Give your Best no Matter What!

Arvind Devalia — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 13:28:46 +0000

Another thing I have learnt from successful people is that they always give their best, no matter what. They do not make half hearted efforts and they play full out.

On this very theme, a new friend has just sent me a quote from Mother Teresa which is very apt and relevant.

The point is that you do your best and do not worry about others judging you or destroying your creation.

“What you spend years in creating, others could destroy overnight – create anyway.

The Good you do today will often be forgotten – do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it may never be enough – give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God – it was never between you and them anyway.”

Are you giving your best today?