Somethings just happen for a reason!

Ten Principles To The Zen Of Attraction

2007-11-08T22:43:00.000-08:00

Promise Nothing
Just do what you most enjoy doing.
Hidden benefit: You will always over-deliver.
Offer Nothing
Just share what you have with those who express an interest in it.
Hidden benefit: Takes the pressure off of wanting other people to see you as valuable or important.
Expect Nothing
Just enjoy what you already have. It’s plenty.
Hidden benefit: You will realize how complete your life is already.
Need Nothing
Just build up your reserves and your needs will disappear.
Hidden benefit: You boundaries will be extended and filled with space.
Create Nothing
Just respond well to what comes to you.
Hidden benefit: Openness.
Hype Nothing
Just let quality sell by itself.
Hidden benefit: Trustability.
Plan Nothing
Just take the path of least resistance.
Hidden benefit: Achievement will become effortless.
Learn Nothing
Just let your body absorb it all on your behalf.
Hidden benefit: You will become more receptive to what you need to know in the moment.
Become No One
Just be more of yourself.
Hidden benefit: Authenticity.
Change Nothing
Just tell the truth and things will change by themselves.
Hidden benefit: Acceptance.

The Fight Inside

2007-09-03T20:27:00.000-07:00

http://www.turtle\zen.com/twowolves.html

An elderly Cherokee Native American was teaching his grandchildren about life...

He said to them, "A fight is going on inside me, it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

One wolf is evil -- he is fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, competition, superiority, and ego.

The other is good---he is joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.

This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too."

They thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied: "The one you feed".

Lesson:

Change your Thoughts - Change your Outlook;
Change your Outlook - Change your World.

Seven Secrets ("Home made" ) Of Success !!

2007-07-30T17:55:00.000-07:00

Roof said : Aim high!

Fan said : Be cool!

Clock said : Every minute is precious!

Mirror said : Reflect before you act!

Window said : Think out of the box !

Calendar said : Be up to date!

Door said : Knock, there might be a great oppotunity on the other side.

Facts of life

2007-07-07T11:01:00.001-07:00

http://www.vivaconsulting.com/wellness/25factsoflife.html

At least two people in this world love you so much they would die for you.

At least fifteen people in this world love you in some way.

The only reason anyone would ever hate you is because they want to be just like you.

A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.

Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.

You mean the world to someone.

If not for you, someone may not be living.

You are special and unique.

There is someone that you don't even know exists, who loves you.

When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it.

When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely

turned your back on the world.

When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you believe in yourself, probably, sooner or later, you will get it.

Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.

Always tell someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know.

If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.

Pilot's Crib Sheet

2007-02-07T20:27:00.000-08:00

http://www.tallrite.com/LightRelief/pilotcribs.htm1.

Every takeoff is optional. Every landing is mandatory.

2. If you push the stick forward, the houses get bigger. If you pull the stick back, they get smaller. That is, unless you keep pulling the stick back - then they get bigger again.

3. Flying isn't dangerous. Crashing is what's dangerous.

4. It's always better to be down here wishing you were up there, than up there wishing you were down here.

5. The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

6. The propeller is just a big fan in front of the plane used to keep the pilot cool. When it stops, you can actually watch the pilot start sweating.

7. When in doubt, hold on to your altitude. No one has ever collided with the sky.

8. A "good" landing is one from which you can walk away. A "great" landing is one after which they can use the plane again.

9. Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live long enough to make all of them yourself.

10. You know you've landed with the wheels up if it takes full power to taxi to the ramp.

11. The probability of survival is inversely proportional to the angle of arrival. Large angle of arrival, small probability of survival - and vice versa.

12. Never let an airplane take you somewhere your brain didn't get to five minutes earlier.

13. Stay out of clouds. The silver lining everyone keeps talking about might be another airplane going in the opposite direction.

14. Reliable sources also report that mountains have been known to hide out in clouds.

15. Always try to keep the number of landings you make equal to the number of takeoffs you've made.

16. There are three simple rules for making a smooth landing. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.

17. You start with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before you empty the bag of luck.

18. Helicopters can't fly; they're just so ugly the earth repels them.

19. If all you can see out of the windscreen is ground that's going round and round and all you can hear is commotion coming from the passenger compartment, things are not at all as they should be.

20. In the ongoing battle between objects made of aluminum going hundreds of miles per hour and the ground going zero miles per hour, the ground has yet to lose.

21. Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, experience usually come from bad judgment.

22. It's always a good idea to keep the pointy end going forward as much as possible.

23. Keep looking around. There's always something you've missed.

24. Remember, gravity is not just a good idea. It's the law. And it's not subject to repeal.

25. The three most useless things to a pilot are altitude above you, runway behind you, and a tenth of a second ago

26. There are old pilots and there are bold pilots. There are, however, no old, bold pilots.

Law of Attraction

2007-02-07T19:58:00.000-08:00

100 Quotes from "The Secret"

http://www.universallawstoday.com/100%20Quotes.html

1. We all work with one infinite power

2. The Secret is the Law of Attraction (LOA)

3. Whatever is going on in your mind is what you are attracting

4. We are like magnets - like attract like. You become AND attract what you think

5. Every thought has a frequency. Thoughts send out a magnetic energy

6. People think about what they don't want and attract more of the same

7. Thought = creation. If these thoughts are attached to powerful emotions (good or bad) that speeds the creation

8. You attract your dominant thoughts

9. Those who speak most of illness have illness, those who speak most of prosperity have it..etc..

10. It's not "wishful" thinking.

11. You can't have a universe without the mind entering into it

12. Choose your thoughts carefully .. you are a masterpiece of your life

13. It's OK that thoughts don't manifest into reality immediately (if we saw a picture of an elephant and it instantly appeared, that would be too soon)

14. EVERYTHING in your life you have attracted .. accept that fact .. it's true.

15. Your thoughts cause your feelings

16. We don't need to complicate all the "reasons" behind our emotions. It's much simpler than that. Two categories .. good feelings, bad feelings.

17. Thoughts that bring about good feelings mean you are on the right track. Thoughts that bring about bad feelings means you are not on the right track.

18. Whatever it is you are feeling is a perfect reflection of what is in the process of becoming

19. You get exactly what you are FEELING

20. Happy feelings will attract more happy circumstances

21. You can begin feeling whatever you want (even if it's not there).. the universe will correspond to the nature of your song

22. What you focus on with your thought and feeling is what you attract into your experience

23. What you think and what you feel and what actually manifests is ALWAYS a match - no exception

24. Shift your awareness

25. "You create your own universe as you go along" Winston Churchill

26. It's important to feel good ( ( ( (((good))) ) ) )

27. You can change your emotion immediately .. by thinking of something joyful, or singing a song, or remembering a happy experience

28. When you get the hang of this, before you know it you will KNOW you are the creator

29. Life can and should be phenomenal .. and it will be when you consciously apply the Law of Attraction

30. Universe will re-arrange itself accordingly

31. Start by using this sentence for all of your wants: "I'm so happy and grateful now that.... "

32. You don't need to know HOW the universe is going to rearrange itself

33. LOA is simply figuring out for yourself what will generate the positive feelings of having it NOW

34. You might get an inspired thought or idea to help you move towards what you want faster

35. The universe likes SPEED. Don't delay, don't second-guess, don't doubt..

36. When the opportunity or impulse is there .. ACT

37. You will attract everything you require - money, people, connections.. PAY ATTENTION to what's being set in front of you

38. You can start with nothing .. and out of nothing or no way - a WAY will be provided.

39. HOW LONG??? No rules on time .. the more aligned you are with positive feelings the quicker things happen

40. Size is nothing to the universe (unlimited abundance if that's what you wish) We make the rules on size and time

41. No rules according to the universe .. you provide the feelings of having it now and the universe will respond

42. Most people offer the majority of their thought in response to what they are observing (bills in the mail, being late, having bad luck...etc..)

43. You have to find a different approach to what is through a different vantage point

44. "All that we are is a result of what we have thought" - Buddha

45. What can you do right now to turn your life around?? Gratitude

46. Gratitude will bring more into our lives immediately

47. What we think about and THANK about is what we bring about

48. What are the things you are grateful for?? Feel the gratitude.. focus on what you have right now that you are grateful for

49. Play the picture in your mind - focus on the end result

50. VISUALIZE!!! Rehearse your future

51. VISUALIZE!!! See it, feel it! This is where action begins

52. Feel the joy .. feel the happiness)

53. An affirmative thought is 100 times more powerful than a negative one

54. "What this power is, I cannot say. All I know is that it exists." Alexander Graham Bell

55. Our job is not to worry about the "How". The "How" will show up out of the commitment and belief in the "what"

56. The Hows are the domain of the universe. It always knows the quickest, fastest, most harmonious way between you and your dream

57. If you turn it over to the universe, you will be surprised and dazzled by what is delivered .. this is where magic and miracles happen

58. Turn it over to the universe daily.. but it should never be a chore.

59. Feel exhilarated by the whole process .. high, happy, in tune

60. The only difference between people who are really living this way is they have habituated ways of being.

61. They remember to do it all the time

62. Create a Vision Board .. pictures of what you want to attract .. every day look at it and get into the feeling state of already having acquired these wants

63. "Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions." Albert Einstein

64. Decide what you want .. believe you can have it, believe you deserve it, believe it's possible for you

65. Close your eyes and visualize having what you already want - and the feeling of having it already.

66. Focus on being grateful for what you have already .. enjoy it!! Then release into the universe. The universe will manifest it.

67. "Whatever the mind of man can conceive, it can achieve" W. Clement Stone

68. Set a goal so big that if you achieved it, it would blow your mind.

69. When you have an inspired thought, you must trust it and act on it.

70. How can you become more prosperous?? INTEND IT!!

71. 'Checks are coming in the mail regularly'... or change your bank statement to whatever balance you want in there... and get behind the feeling of having it.

72. Life is meant to be abundant in ALL areas...

73. Go for the sense of inner joy and peace then all outside things appear

74. We are the creators of our universe

75. Relationships: Treat yourself the way you want to be treated by others .. love yourself and you will be loved

76. Healthy respect for yourself

77. For those you work with or interact with regularly .. get a notebook and write down positive aspects of each of those people.

78. Write down the things you like most about them (don't expect change from them). Law of attraction will not put you in the same space together if you frequencies don't match

79. When you realize your potential to feel good, you will ask no one to be different in order for you to feel good.

80. You will free yourself from the cumbersome impossibilities of needing to control the world, your friends, your mate, your children....

81. You are the only one that creates your reality

82. No one else can think or feel for you .. its YOU .. ONLY YOU.

83. Health: thank the universe for your own healing. Laugh, stress free happiness will keep you healthy.

84. Immune system will heal itself

85. Parts of our bodies are replace every day, every week..etc... Within a few years we have a brand new body

86. See yourself living in a new body. Hopeful = recovery. Happy = happier biochemistry. Stress degrades the bod.

87. Remove stress from the body and the body regenerates itself. You can heal yourself

88. Learn to become still .. and take your attention away from what you don't want, and place your attention on what you wish to experience

89. When the voice and vision on the inside become more profound and clear than the opinions on the outside, then you have mastered your life

90. You are not here to try to get the world to be just as you want it. You are here to create the world around you that you choose.

91. And allow the world as others choose to see it, exist as well

92. People think that if everyone knows the power of the LOA there won't be enough to go around .. This is a lie that's been ingrained in us and makes so many greedy.

93. The truth is there is more than enough love, creative ideas, power, joy, happiness to go around.

94. All of this abundance begins to shine through a mind that is aware of it's own infinite nature. There's enough for everyone. See it. Believe it. it will show up for you.

95. So let the variety of your reality thrill you as you choose all the things you want.. get behind the good feelings of all your wants.

96. Write your script. When you see things you don't want, don't think about them, write about them, talk about them, push against them, or join groups that focus on the don't wants... remove your attention from don't wants.. and place them on do wants

97. We are mass energy. Everything is energy. EVERYTHING.

98. Don't define yourself by your body .. it's the infinite being that's connected to everything in the universe.

99. One energy field. Our bodies have distracted us from our energy. We are the infinite field of unfolding possibilities. The creative force.

100. Are your thoughts worthy of you? If not - NOW is the time to change them. You can begin right were you are right now. Nothing matters but this moment and what you are focusing your attention on.

Destiny

2007-02-01T02:20:00.000-08:00

its a zen story that i read at

http://www.rider.edu/suler/zenstory/destiny.html

During a momentous battle, a Japanese general decided to attack even though his army was greatly outnumbered. He was confident they would win, but his men were filled with doubt. On the way to the battle, they stopped at a religious shrine. After praying with the men, the general took out a coin and said, "I shall now toss this coin. If it is heads, we shall win. If tails, we shall lose. Destiny will now reveal itself."

He threw the coin into the air and all watched intently as it landed. It was heads. The soldiers were so overjoyed and filled with confidence that they vigorously attacked the enemy and were victorious. After the battle, a lieutenant remarked to the general, "No one can change destiny."

"Quite right," the general replied as he showed the lieutenant the coin, which had heads on both sides.

YOU CAN BE, DO & HAVE WHATEVER YOU WISH

A Partial List of Eternal Truths

2006-11-26T09:25:00.000-08:00

A Partial List of Eternal Truths

By Sheldon Kopp

This is it!
There are no hidden meanings.
You can’t get there from here, and besides there’s no place else to go.
Nothing lasts!
There is no way of getting all you want.
You can’t have anything unless you let go of it.
You only get to keep what you give away.
There is no particular reason why you lost out on some things.
The world is not necessarily just. Being good often does not pay off and there is no compensation for misfortune.
You have a responsibility to do your best nonetheless.
It is a random universe to which we bring meaning.
You don’t really control anything.
You can’t make anyone love you.
No one is any stronger or any weaker than anyone else.
Everyone is, in his own way, vulnerable.
There are no great men/women.
If you have a hero, look again; you have diminished yourself in some way.
All of you is worth something, if you will only own it.
Childhood is a nightmare.
But it is so very hard to be an on-your-own, 'take care of yourself because there is no one else to do it for you' grown-up.
Love is not enough, but it sure helps.
We have only ourselves, and one another. That may not be much, but that’s all there is.
How strange, that so often, it all seems worth it.
We are responsible for everything we do.
No excuses will be accepted.
You can run, but you can’t hide.
We must learn the power of living with our helplessness.
The only victory lies in surrender to oneself.
You are free to do whatever you like. You need only face the consequences.
What do you know - for sure - anyway?
Learn to forgive yourself, again and again
And again and again.

Know Thyself

2006-10-15T13:24:00.001-07:00

I was reading a article about high definition TV's that get you the real image, much better quality then the regular TV. It said, now we will have different channels for HDTV flooding the market. Some of the channels have actually been around and many more are on their way to the huge consumer market.

One group of people that found HDTV really troublesome were the actresses. The extent of makeup's they wear is very visible on HDTV, which actually is not visible at all on the regular TV's. Some actresses were really upset that HDTV showed the audience the real images instead of the images they wanted to project.

Many of us do the same when we enter the job market. Through our resumes and interviews, we try to project ourselves as the best suited candidate for the job, which in reality, may or may not be the case. Some of us twist our skills and accomplishments to the requirement of the position, in effect, we project our selves.

Girls have a tendency to wear makeup, they do it to make them look more beautiful, so that smart guys give them a good look and ask them out for a date. I am not implying that all of them do it like that, Some of the girls I have seen over the years have been really gorgeous, really beautiful, others just portray themselves as beautiful. One wise man once told me if you really want to see if a girl or a lady is really beautiful, see her first thing in the morning, If she posses real beauty, it will show right there or it was just artificial

Whenever I go to buy a new car, all the sales persons in all different showrooms I visit, try to convince me that the vehicle they are offering meets my needs and suits my interests then any other car n the face of earth. How can so many people with so many different opinions be right at the same time? I did settle for a Honda Accord. It kept me wondering that projections are not only done in humans, but we also do the same for possessions and things.

Sometimes I just wonder, where does reality fits into all this imaginations and projections, it also makes me wonder about the moments in life, when we tend to be real and true to ourselves. Taking a bath and shaving were some of the moments we used to be closest to our true self, just I, me and myself, no clothes or stuff to make me look someone else, but now with so many hairstyling products, hairstyles, beards, specially the different variation of French beards, projecting ourselves has paved its way into our utmost private moments

There was a time when we used to make love to our spouses, those small whispers, lighting arrangement, fragrances, aromas, special preparations……..we used to love, real love, a process. The goal was to love and be loved, we used to be open and loving, it was said to be the moment one is closest to experiencing the divine. Now, all small talk is about sex, performance and orgasm, the peak, the expectations. I believe we are loosing the real love somewhere in the middle. Every one is different, every life is different, I can not stand in any ones shoes, and you have a better understanding of your own life. If it still is really the Love in your life, congratulations, your private moments are still yours, you do value reality

I can not describe, what it means to be real, but trust me, it does feel great, whenever we are closest to ourselves. It’s a great team work, Actor, Observer and Observed i.e. I , me & myself. May be it’s the first rule to achieve the highest fulfillment

The two words on the top of the sacred Delphi temple

KNOW THYSELF

Its about the REAL self

Miracle

2006-10-12T21:54:00.001-07:00

Rizwan, How are you? It has been a while we have talked.
I know, it has been a long time.
So did you enjoy the movie?
I sure did
You cried so many times during the movie
Yes
It was just a kids movie, you are a grown up now, why you would cry at such a kids movie
I don’t know, I just did
What made you cry?
No clue, it was just impulsive
You mean that you did not choose to cry, it just happened
Yes
Do you have any idea why would a kid’s movie based on “Spelling Bee” would make you cry impulsively?
Honeslty no idea
When was the last time you cried while watching a movie?
I rememdber crying during a movie before, but don’t remember when
Hmmm, interesting, lets discuss it
Discuss what?
Impulse, Lets talk about impulse
It is something right now, sometimes you yourself cannot explain certain things, but you know you have to do it; you just don’t have any reasons to explain
Therefore, you mean you take the decision without any reason
Right
So if you do not have any reason, are you sure you are the one taking the decision
What do you mean?
In plain language, I am asking you that are you the one taking impulsive decisions
Yes I am
Then why don’t you have any reasons for your decisions
Because they are impulsive
You mean to say you do not have a say in your impulsive decisions
No, I do not
But you still insist these are your own decisions, even if you don’t have choice or say in those decisions, that doesn’t make any sense, your decisions would be the ones that you choose or at least have a say in it.
But my mind makes those decisions for me, these decision are made at subconscious level, they are not made by my conscious mind
Ahaaan, so since it your own subconscious making decisions for you, therefore you believe that you own those decisions
Yes
So if I understand correctly, your subconscious is your own, very unique to you
Yes
I will not go in those psychological details now, debating with you on the words, rather I would choose to help you understand the much larger picture
What exactly are you talking about?
You do not own consciousness, you experience it
What do you mean by that?
Just as you cannot own happiness, joy and love, you cannot own consciousness; you can experience it and be a part of it, if you choose to
But we were talking about impulse and here you are explaining consciousness to me
We are getting there Rizwan
Ok
You are part of a collective consciousness, that includes all creations, every being, you are being guided all the times
Guided, for what, by whom
Guided by the divine consciousness, to help you be aligned with your true self
Aligned, you mean…
I mean getting in harmony with the universal consciousness, getting the continuous non-stop guidance from there
Hmmm
Since you are in the skies right now, flying high in the airplane, let me explain you with the airplane metaphor, it would be easier to understand that way
Ok, go ahead
Where did you start your flight?
Houston TX
And where are you flying
San Francisco CA
You know the pilot who flies the plane for you, has a defined path, which would take him directly to the airport at San Francisco, and if he flies on the same path, he would get there exactly as you need to go
Yes they always do
I know they always do, but what if I tell you that during the flight 90% of the time, the plane is off its path
What, if 90% of the time it is off its path, how do most of them get to their correct destinations without getting lost
They just keep coming back
What
Yes, they keep coming back, all the time
How
they have a central control tower, that has the live data of al the flights in the air with their respective positions any given point in time, it monitors all the flights, provides pilots with a projected path and makes it easier for them to know if they are deviating from the path and helps them come back without going much astray
Interesting
Then they have people monitoring all the flights from the tower, so incase pilot doesn’t give attention to the defined path, and starts getting astray, they call him right away to let him know the situation and ask him to correct immediately
Hmmm, yeah I have seen control towers in some movies
It is a beautiful metaphor Rizwan; this metaphor will help you understand the phenomenon of divine guidance and support
How
Impulse Rizwan, spontaneity, 6th sense, whatever you may choose to call it
I did not understand
Some of your folks also call it inner voice, do you know what voice I am talking about
I guess I do
It is the voice that comes from within, on trivial or important matters, sometimes you listen to it; sometimes you do not listen and ignore it
Hmmm
It is the mechanism of the universal consciousness to keep you aligned, keeps you connected all the times
Would that mean we could never go astray?
Yes in ideal conditions, but Rizwan, you are a step ahead, you are not a puppet, that follows instructions and has no choices, rather you have your own sets of choices that is potentially unlimited, and unfortunately, one of your choices widely used is to ignore those inner thoughts and feelings
Ignore
Yes, you just ignore it, its just like radio frequency, you just change the station to the material world full of illusions and choose to ignore the divine interventions, then there comes a time, when you fail to even remember that such a station ever existed, since you become so used to your fancy, materialistic, illusory world, you choose to tune into that all the time.
So you are telling me that I have choices all the time, and if I choose to listen, the divine will guide me all the time
Not that it will, it always does, it is your choice if you choose to realize your inner self, your inner channel of communication with the divine
Does that mean, whenever I have an impulse, its divine intervention, and I should listen
Not all your inner voices are divine; not all your impulses are real
You mean there is someone else who also speaks to me
Some of the impulses are artificially created by the man made world, like advertisement, promotions, music, they make you do thing which you believe are impulses and you choose to label it that way, actually they are the influences on you, some even at your subliminal level, you need to differentiate between the two
I have read a few things about subliminal advertisement; it reaches your mind directly while your ears cannot listen to it
However the divine intervention reaches your heart, it guides you,
How
Through your feelings
Feelings
Have you ever felt uneasy about some situations without any reason, have your ever had an event where your 6th sense guided you for something and it turned out to be right
Yes, I have had those incidences
Have you ever had coincidences?
Yes lots of time, someone I need meets me out of nowhere, something I need to happen, happens right away, it amazes me so much
Those are divine interventions too, but what if I tell you that you have a big say in making those coincidences happen
I have a say in it, which means I can create my own coincidences
Rizwan, you can create your own miracles, you can make any thing happen, you have choices, which come from a realm of infinite potentiality, your choices are unlimited, we have talked about it earlier as well
Yes, I remember
First you have to realize your unconsciousness, that it exists, that’s the first step, secondly you start observing your own feelings, you will have to understand that divine has numerous ways to communicate with you, one of those are your own feelings, start observing them, understand them and see the magic happen
What about miracle?
you get connected to the universal consciousness, you enter the realm of unlimited potentiality, your choices become unlimited, now you are not limited to your own self, you are the one with unlimited potential, all you have to do is to intend about any thing you desire and that’s it
Means whatever I desire would happen,
Yes, once you intend, the whole universe starts working for you, to make your desire happen, you may not realize its work, but it does, very efficiently and silently
Does not make sense to me, you mean the whole universe starts working just for me to make my desire happen
Yes it does, you drive a car Rizwan
Yes I do
Let us say you want to drive the car, you are standing outside the car, what would be your first step if you want to drive it
I will put the keys in the ignition
Even before that Rizwan, even before that
Before using the ignition, nothing, there is nothing I would do to start the car before putting the keys in the ignition
Yes, you would, and you always do it, first thing, you would need to unlock the car
Hmmm
That the first step, second, you would need to enter the car and take the drivers seat, these are the things you would do before you use the keys
You are right
That the same way it works for the consciousness, first you would need to realize that there is a universal consciousness that exists and you are connected to it, you will then need to unlock you own true self and open up your self to be accepted as the part of universal consciousness, it would not accept you wearing any masks, as your worldly people do, there you would have to be your own self, the very true pure being that you are, only then you will be able to get connected, once you unlock your true self, you will become part of the universal consciousness. In your plain language, these are the pre requisites for the course in miracles
Ahaan
Once you become the part of the universal consciousness, all you need to do is to Intend, just like you put the keys in the ignitions, you show the car your intention that you intend to start the car and use it to go to your destination. All you do is to put the keys in the ignition, rest of it happens automatically, the oil, the gas, the engine, very thing works together seamlessly just to make your intention happen. It is same with the universal consciousness, you just intend and the whole universe starts working for you seamlessly, without your even realizing it.
You explained such a difficult thing so easily
Now it is your choice if you want to understand and adopt your learning as a part of your life
If the rewards are so nice, why not, I sure will
it is not easy Rizwan, but yet it makes every thing so easy, you intend and it happens right away, there is no concept of time in the divine, it is just NOW, so all your intentions manifest themselves right away, there is no waiting period, you live in the world of time and distance, but once your enter the realm, there is no time, no waiting, every thing happens in the same moment, your intention and its manifestation happen simultaneously, and in your world they call it miracle,
Interesting, so let me start my course in miracles right now
All the very best Rizwan, the only trick is to listen to your inner channel, you will never be astray, and all your miracles will be on your fingertips, good luck once again

And it all vanished once again

Hey Rizwan, you in there, what are you doing
I m unlocking my self
You and your philosophies Rizwan
I am serious; I am trying to unlock my self
Rizwan, do me a favor, could you first unlock the door so I can come in
Ok
Rizwan, could we go for a movie tonight, I want to watch this new movie we talked about, conversations with God
I already bought the tickets online
Wow what a coincidence
You make your own coincidences
I do not know about your philosophies about creating coincidences, but I know that right now I have to create the report I have to submit tomorrow morning, you can go ahead and create whatever you want to create

And she slammed to door on me

So you are ready for your creation Rizwan
I guess I am
It seems improbable at first, but once you unlock your self and join the realm of infinite possibilities, then there is no end, your intention becomes the reality and you become the creator of your life, its very fulfilling Rizwan, realizing and unleashing your true potential and experiencing it first hand
I sure will do my best
Every thing is created twice, first in your mind, then manifests in materiality, you may not have any say in the later, but the former is all yours…….and in the realm there is no time difference between the two…….they happen simultaneously…..

And the voice disappeared with following words

There are two kinds of beings, those who do wonders and others who keep wondering...

Installing LOVE

2006-09-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

I came across this on a website

http://www.visionsoflove.com/relationshipsLove/howtoInstallLOVE.htm

it just touched me, see if it touches you

Customer Service (CS) Rep. : Yes, Ma'am, how can I help you today?

Customer: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install LOVE.
Can you guide me through the process?

CS Rep. : Yes, I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?

Customer: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready to install now. What do I do first?

CS Rep. : The first step is to open your HEART. Have you located your HEART ma'am?

Customer: Yes I have, but there are several other programs running right now.
Is it okay to install while they are running?

CS Rep. : What programs are running ma'am?

Customer: Let's see, I have PAST-HURT.EXE, LOW-ESTEEM.EXE, GRUDGE.EXE,
and RESENTMENT.COM running right now.

CS Rep. : No problem. LOVE will gradually erase PAST-HURT.EXE from your current
operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory, but it will no longer disrupt other
programs. LOVE will eventually overwrite LOW-ESTEEM.EXE with a module of its own called
HIGH-ESTEEM.EXE. However, you have to completely turn off GRUDGE.EXE and
RESENTMENT.COM. Those programs prevent LOVE from being properly installed.
Can you turn those off ma'am?

Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

CS Rep. : My pleasure. Go to your Start menu and invoke FORGIVENESS.EXE.
Do this as many times as necessary until GRUDGE.EXE and RESENTMENT.COM have
been completely erased.

Customer: Okay, done. LOVE has started installing itself automatically. Is that normal?

CS Rep. : Yes. You should receive a message that says it will reinstall for the life of your HEART.
Do you see that message?

Customer: Yes I do. Is it completely installed?

CS Rep. : Yes, but remember that you have only the base program.
You need to begin connecting to other HEART's in order to get the upgrades.

Customer: Oops. I have an error message already. What should I do?

CS Rep. : What does the message say?

Customer: It says "ERROR 412 - PROGRAM NOT RUN ON INTERNAL COMPONENTS."
What does that mean?

CS Rep. : Don't worry ma'am, that's a common problem. It means that the LOVE program is set
up to run on external HEARTS but has not yet been run on your HEART. It is one of those
complicated programming things, but in nontechnical terms it means you have to "LOVE" your
own machine before it can "LOVE" others.

Customer: So what should I do?

CS Rep. : Can you pull down the directory called "SELF-ACCEPTANCE"?

Customer: Yes, I have it.

CS Rep. : Excellent. You're getting good at this.

Customer: Thank you.

CS Rep. : You're welcome. Click on the following files and then copy them to the "MYHEART"
directory: FORGIVE-SELF.DOC, REALIZE-WORTH.TXT, and ACKNOWLEDGE-
LIMITATIONS.DOC. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching any faulty
programming. Also, you need to delete VERBOSE-SELF-CRITIC.EXE from all directories, and
then empty your recycle bin afterwards to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.

Customer: Got it. Hey! My HEART is filling up with new files. SMILE.MPG is playing on my
monitor right now and it shows that PEACE.EXE, and CONTENTMENT.COM are copying
themselves all over my HEART. Is this normal?

CS Rep. : Sometimes. For others it takes a while, but eventually everything gets downloaded at
the proper time. So, LOVE is installed and running. You should be able to handle it from here.
One more thing before I go.

Customer: Yes?

CS Rep. : LOVE is freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everybody you meet.
They will in turn share it with other people and they will return some similarly cool modules back to you.

Customer: I will. Thanks for your help. By the way, what's your name?

CS Rep. : You can call me the Divine Cardiologist, also known as The Great Physician, but most
call me God. Most people feel all they need is an annual checkup to stay heart-healthy, but the
manufacturer (Me) suggests a schedule of daily maintenance for maximum efficiency.
Put another way, keep in touch.........

~ Author Unknown

Insight

2006-08-25T22:03:00.000-07:00

In one of the random forwarded emails, one sentence catched my eyes

I read that atleast ten times,

it was so simple, yet so powerful

how could i not know it before

we have made our lives so complicated that sometimes simple things are overlooked

at any given point in time there is so much going on in our life and in our minds that we jsut forget to LIVE and ENJOY the NOW and spend greater part of our lives eithe in worries about past or future

ne ways, that one line gave a beautiful metaphor, a wonderful paradigm shift

it said

"When there is more IN SIGHT, you get more INSIGHT"

so simple, yet so powerful

when we start living in the now, observe things closely, sometimes we get amused by the observations we overlooked before, things that we never realised, we never thought of, we only come to know those once we come close in touch with that thing, event or person

i dont wanna ruin the magic of these words by my explanations so just one more time

remember

"When there is more IN SIGHT, you get more INSIGHT"

Try

2006-05-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

It was always about trying
tying to do this
trying to do that
trying to be good
trying to quit bad habits
one day a wise guy came to me
He said some thing that didnt make sense to me
He said "When you are trying something, you are not doing it"
and then he said
"When you are doing something, you are definately not trying it"
i was confused
He gave me a example of people who always want to quit smoking
and say, I am trying to QUIT
They are just trying, they are not doing it
................i was little more confused now

all my life, i have been trying so many things
and here this guy comes in and tells me dont try, just do it
didnt make any sense to me

I beleive he read my mid
He said
Rizwan, do yourself a favour
What, i asked
He said, Try to breathe for one minute
What does that mean, i asked
He said, just do it for one minute, as i say
Dont breathe, just TRY TO BREATHE
STOP BREATHING RIGHT NOW
and i did
NOW JUST TRY TO BREATHE, REMEMBER YOU DONT HAVE TO BREATHE, JUST TRY TO DO IT
What, i said
how on earth do i try to breathe
i started breathing after around 40 seconds as i could not hold any more
NO NO NO NO
DONT BREATHE, YOU JUST HAVE TO TRY IT

and at that moment he made all the sense in the world
there is no such thing as trying
you just do it
plants dont try to grow, they just do it
earth doesnt try to spin and revolve around sun, it just does it
we dont try to breathe, see or touch
we just do it

so simple yet so powerful
its a metaphor to live with
Dont try, JUST DO IT!

coffee

2006-05-02T22:37:00.000-07:00

a friend share this with me

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to
visit their old university lecturer. Conversation soon turned into
complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the
lecturer went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an
assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, some plain-looking and some
expensive and exquisite, telling them to help themselves to hot coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the lecturer said: 'If
you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving
behind the plain and cheap ones.

'While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that
is the source of your problems and stress'.

What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously
went for the better cups and are eyeing each other's cups.' 'Now, if Life is
coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are
just tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't
change.'

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in
it.'

So don't let the cups drive you...enjoy the coffee instead."

mirror

2006-01-15T23:32:00.000-08:00

The world outside you is mere reflection of the world inside you, you may choose to change either one of them, but if you choose to change former, nothing will change.

It’s one of the harshest and cruelest facts of our life but again it’s the most innocent truth which always lives by its words no matter what happens, one of the true realities of our life that most of us fail to acknowledge, the world we see is just a reflection of our being.

Garbage

2005-12-19T21:41:00.000-08:00

"Every morning when I and my younger brother go to work,

My mom has a bag ready for my brother to throw away, a garbage bag.

Since we live in an apartment complex, there are few big dumpsters

And no one comes and collects garbage from home,

We have to go and get rid of it ourselves,

Otherwise it will keep piling up,

And no one likes to live with pile of garbage in their home,

That’s why we always make sure that it gets out of our home as soon as possible.

Same is true for our feelings,

But we often fail to do the same there,

We just keep on piling up those negative feelings in our heart over the years

And in the end we ourselves end up in dump of negative feelings right in our own heart,

I don't understand when we can’t even stand the smell of physical garbage for few minutes,

How can we accumulate garbage of negative feelings for years?

You’re smart enough to know what’s good for you,

GET RID OF ALL GARBAGE NOW"

Life, Cruise (for ma frnd Lail)

2005-11-23T21:48:00.000-08:00

I always remember this story I read in a book when I was young

about a couple who saved their entire life for a dream cruise

and then came a time when they saved enough so they can go for that cruise,

they paid for the 15 day long cruise but realized they didn't have any money left for the food,

so they packed themselves with biscuits, they went to the cruise

Breakfast, lunch and dinner they only had biscuits.

They were really happy, it was a great cruise, lot of fun, but just biscuits,

14 days passed by, last day they realized that they had some money for the grand dinner,

they went to the cafeteria and asked for the menu, it was a great menu,

lots of foods varieties but to their surprise there were no prices on the menu,

when asked the waiter told them that all meals were free

and prices were already included in the cruise ticket………..

and they lived 14 days just on biscuits……aaawwwwwwww, that sure was cruel,

they didn't realize that fact

but

Do we?

We have a life time ticket to our life's journey

with all the powers and all the means to enjoy it all included

provided to us right in our own hand

but still we beleive we dont have it

and worry all the time

Isn't it true....

all powers are always yours, so is your lord who creates it....

just Beleive...

when you have a life time ticket to all the laughters and happiness of the world,

why do u choose to live on tears

hey come back to life, laughter and happiness

they are waiting for you

Silence

2005-11-23T19:58:00.000-08:00

Silence,

it's the language of the soul,

language of nothing,

language of the unlimited,

its when you are able to tap into that gap,

the gap between your thoughts,

absence of thoughts,

it is the realm where

the IS communicates with you,

miracles and coincidences start happening in your life,

all you have to do is to tune in to the right frequency of silence

and allow the IS to make you feel being integral part of the great IS ness

thats where words come from and die back,

music comes from there, goes back there,

without silence there are no words, no music

its the only medium

there is no other way to communicate

Be silent, and let the IS communicate with you...

Prayer

2005-11-22T00:16:00.000-08:00

If I bounce a ball down to earth,

it's going to come back up,

the thing that it will come up is for sure but how much up,

it would depend on the force I exert on it.

If it's a rubber ball, I may not have to exert much pressure

while a tennis ball would need normal pressure,

other balls may require different kinds of pressure,

but one thing is common amongst all of them is when send down to earth,

they all come back

so are your prayers

they always come back to you

even if you send it for soemone else

they will bless you too

more intense your prayer

much more intensely it will come back to you

be generous with your prayers

Light

2005-11-17T19:44:00.000-08:00

GOD loves you for what you are (BE)

and not what for what you do,

since you are a human BEING and not a human DOING.

I know there is a light in you,

that has always been there and that glows your personality and your soul

and one day it will glow the whole world.

At this moment you may or may not realize its presence

but that light is present inside of you, it has ever been, and it will always be,

your simple denial to this fact will never change this fact,

just like your denial of the presence of a soul could never harm the soul and make it leave,

similarly, your denials of presence of that eternal light in you,

will not take that light away from you,

just you it may lengthen the time before you realize its true presence and potential

Sea / Spiritual realm

2005-11-17T19:40:00.001-08:00

There are two kinds of creations

one that live on earth

and other that live in the sea

very rare are those who can live in both worlds

those, including you, who live on earth

dont know what it is like to live in the sea

you simply can not do it

there is a force that keeps you out of the sea

same force that keeps other creatures within the sea

same is true for spiritual realm

everyone is not allowed to come in

but once you go in

its so beautiful in there;

you will never want to get out

choice is yours. . .

Love

2005-11-17T19:38:00.000-08:00

You are a symbol of love;

there is so much love inside you,

in fact you are made of love,

your may choose to act otherwise,

but deep down inside its all love that resonates all your feelings, thoughts and actions,

you may however choose to bestow your love to few individuals closely related to you

but this love is not for you to keep or grant selectively,

Divine has granted you love so that it can use you as an instrument of love for the whole world

and every thing and every one in it

as it has chosen the sun, and the moon, and water, and sky, and air

they all just give, they dont see who gets

they are not worried that they will be empty if they give it all

since they know their source is unlimited

so is yours

love unconditionally and without selection...

You can not give what you do not have

2005-11-17T19:34:00.000-08:00

We can not give some thing that we don't have,

how many times in our lives we have heard phrases like

GIVE RESPECT, GIVE LOVE etc.

how can we expect some one, who doesn't even have self respect or love,

to be able to give the same to some one else.

can you expect apple juice from an orange, No it only has orange juice

how can it give apple juice

is'nt it foolish to expect sweetness from chilli and sourness from water melon

so how can you expect love from someone who does'nt have it

or how can you even say that you love someone,

when you hate someone else at the same time

as you can not donate money when you dont have it

similarly, you can never give out something you dont posses

let alone be love, respect or ne other divine quality...

so if you want to give something, first get it in yourself first

so you are able to share it with others

its not that difficult

is it...................

What if ...

2005-11-08T21:30:00.000-08:00

what if all dreams were meant to come true

what if all the power to make your dreams come true were right there at your footsteps

what if these dreams were designed specially for you

what if the whole universe was waiting to help you out in making your dream come true

what if you knew a small step of yours would be a giant leap for your life

what if you were sure you could not fail

what if all the music was yours, if you would just tune in

what if you had powers to change the realities, yours and every one else's

what if your inner most thoughts were the guidance from the divine

what if you knew you were the best

what if you could have every thing you ever dreamed of

what if all your problems and worries could vanish just with a smile of yours

what if you had a choice to surround your self with peace & love

what if all this universe was made just for you

what if all of the above is true

what if ...

music

2005-11-05T23:42:00.000-08:00

You have the magic built in you,

but in the physical dimension of the world,

you fail to experience it,

Its just like the music that is present there in you,

you just fail to tune into it

and after a while you don't even know that it exists,

though it is there,

all you have to do is to get to the right frequency

and music will flow out seamlessly,

without any effort,

all you need to do is to tune into that infinite realm of being.

Tap into the unlimited potential

believe that you are free to choose your own path

and in turn creating your own very future,

the way you like it

Knowing and Knowing about

2005-09-11T22:10:00.000-07:00

What are you thinking Rizwan?
I was thinking about this guy my friend plans to marry
Do you know him?
I know about him
But do you know him?
I told you I know about him
Yeah I heard that, you know ABOUT him
But do you know him
What’ the difference
Knowing about swimming can never make you swim; you can only swim when you know swimming
What you want to say
Knowing all about mango is never enough unless you taste it your self
But what’s the point
You said you know about him, you have read and heard about him, but you don’t have a clue who he is
Am I not on the right track?
There is nothing right and there is nothing wrong, it’s you who need to be right, who have carved a need to be right for your self
I didn’t get you
All paths lead to the same destination because that’s the only one there is, there is nothing else possible, because all IS there is, there is nothing outside IS, so whatever you do, you are always the part of IS, and when you are part of IS, you can never be wrong, the term wrong never exists in the IS.
So
All the maps in the world can not give you the experience you get by getting lost in a strange alley
You mean to say experience matters
You need to know IT rather then just be satisfied knowing about IT and it applies to every one, every thing around you
How
if I tell you all about heavens and true happiness, you can not know what it is like to be eternally happy, unless you experience it your self, knowing about true love is much different then the falling in love and holding the hand of your lover in a winter night. Hmm
It’s your experience that matters and not knowing about it, and that’s what matters
I thought we were talking about that guy I was thinking about
Yeah we are
Rizwan just try to understand, its your thinking that makes things happen, not their appearance, same object can have different meanings for different people, and can create different feelings and behaviors in different beings. If two minds see the same thing they may or may not come to the same conclusion, so if you know about something, it means that you are having someone’s opinion about that thing, chances are that if you experience the same thing yourself, your conclusion may be different
Hmmm
So it’s always better to know something yourself rather then knowing about it from some other source
But it is not always possible to know every thing
The limitations are only in your mind, you believe there are limitations and then you attract and manifest them in your lives, and things seem impossible
You mean to say I can know about every thing and every one
You already do, you just need to realize that you do
I didn’t get you
Remember I told you about the radio frequencies, you have the frequency to tune into the realm of unlimited potentiality, but unless you tune in, you don’t even know it exists, its all inside you,
Rizwan tell me one thing, if I take some air in a jar what do I call it
Air
But it’s just a part of unlimited air available, do I still call it air
Yes, since it is air
What makes you say that it is air and nothing else separate from air?
I don’t know the scientific detail but at least know that the composition of air inside your jar would be same as that outside, so it is the very same air
So if it’s the very same air, it must have the very same capabilities and potentialities as the air outside
Theoretically yes
See the difference, you know about it, but you don’t know it
Hmm
But I agree, it would be same air as air outside, when you know this fact, it would be easy for you to understand that there is only one IS, and we all are part of that IS, there is nothing that IS not. You also are a integral part of that IS, and if I take you, stand alone, you also are that IS, you also have the same capabilities and potentiality as IS has, just like the air,
Ahaaan
And when I said that I take some air in the jar and contain it, it is not separating air in the jar from the air outside, rather that jar is becoming part of that larger air, where air is outside as well as inside, just like if I put a bottle full of sea water in the sea, I would not mean that the sea inside the bottle is different and separate from the sea outside, rather even a kid would understand that this small bottle is now part of that larger sea,
I never thought like that
You also have the same IS ness in you, you have the same unlimited potential, same power of manifestation that created this whole material world we see and every thing inside it, it is inside you as well as outside you, you are not separate from it, you could never be because there is nothing where IS is not
Thanks for showing me a different direction
Again you are going in the same direction, I told you and now you know about it, you are happy just knowing about it, but the real test is knowing it yourself, experiencing it yourself, feeling being an integral part of it
How do I do that?
What do you do when you wish to feel part of your family?
I just meet them, or talk with them
You do the same for the IS, you be a part of it and communicate with it
How do I communicate?
Thru silence, that’s the language of the soul, language of nothing, language of the unlimited, its when you are able to tap into that gap of silence, the IS communicates with you, miracles and coincidences start happening in your life, all you have to do is to tune in to the right frequency of silence and allow the IS to make you feel being integral part of the great IS ness.
I will try
You don’t try Rizwan, how many times I have to tell you this, you just do it
I understand
again the same thing Rizwan, unless you do it yourself, you will just know about it, you will not know it, Go in silence, feel the silence inside you, feel your being, feel the life inside your body, move one part at a time, and feel life in each and every single part of your body, realize that your life is something other then your body, feel your breathing, in and out, feel the flow, go with it,
I do meditate
I am not talking about rituals Rizwan, they sure are important, but to a certain point, they make you religious but not spiritual, and being religious has its limitations, its same as knowing about the ultimate truth, but to know the truth, you will need to experience it yourself, know it yourself, believe it yourself, that would make you spiritual, so to a certain extent its good to be religious, but there is much more to the ultimate then what comes across your eyes
So you are saying I shouldn’t follow my religion and my rituals
I said religion and rituals are important, they get you started, but then you have to choose your own path and experiences to know your true reality of who you really are, unless you experience that yourself, no book or teacher in the whole being can explain you that no matter how hard you or they try
If I start right now, practicing silence and getting on my spiritual journey, how long will that take?
Time does not exist in the infinite, its just a product of this material world, there is no concept of time out of this world, its only one moment, that is NOW, that’s all there is, every thing happens right now, and that’s the only reality, there is no concept of time and space in the infinite
Hmmm
Rizwan, its not something outside you that you have to go and find out, its all within you, and when I say all, I mean each and every thing, to the most tiny details, its all right inside you, all you need to do is to realize your true self and once you realize your self, you will know every thing, since nothing is separate from you, its all one
Every thing
Yes Rizwan everything, just like in this world, a doctor can tell every thing about you, just be studying a single DNA from your body, a very very small part of your body, similarly, you carry the DNA of this universe, this whole reality, if you understand yourself, that means you understand the whole universe
Hmmm
Rather then thinking that you are in the universe, be sure that the whole existence lies within you, start thinking and feeling outside your body, right now you are having experience of a body in this world, with this experience you know what it is to be in the body, but you didn’t have a body before this experience, you were just a soul, deep down inside you, you know what is being a soul, go deep down inside and realize that knowing, feel it, and be it
I am getting a little lost
Yeah you are little lost, but that does not mean you can’t find your way out, rather then saying that I m lost, start saying that I am searching, searching within, when you feel lost, chances are you will give up, but if you are searching, you would not
Hmmmm
Go within, its all there within you, just ask for it, and all answers will be provide, its all inside you, but my telling you all this, you will have to experience it yourself, unless you do it its no good
Rizwan I said this before I am saying this again
I can tell you every thing
But it would not mean any thing unless you go and experience it yourself
Many beings are just happy knowing about it
Or knowing about those who really know it
But very few strive to actually go there and know it themselves, have their own experience, their own journey
Go and experience it yourself
All the very best

And it all disappeared

Rizwan, did you think about your new business partner
I was thinking about this guy, I talked to you about, but I don’t know him
But you know about him, he’s got a good reputation
But I don’t know him
Your clients know him, your friend knows him well too
You are right, they all know him but I don’t, and how can I enter into a partnership with someone I don’t know
You can not know the whole world Rizwan; you will have to rely on others judgments too
But I want to know him personally before I enter into a partnership
You have gone mad; you can never do business

And she slammed the door again

Life itself is a business Rizwan, more experience you have, better you are at it
Hmm
Nothing can replace your own first hand experience, and I mean it nothing

And it vanished with these words

Sayings remain meaningless until they are embodied in habits
(khalil Gibran)

Letter to my angel friend

2005-05-22T20:01:00.002-07:00

Dearest Angel Friend

somethings just happen for a reason
let them happen
and accept them as they are
just beleive in he ONE who made them happen
Beleive that He would do nothing but the BEST for you
Beleive hat He truly cares for you
and LOVES you more then ne one else ever can
and that HE has better plans for you then you could ever have for your self
He knows that the path you are on
He know that your path have some bumps
lots of short turns
and twists
but you and him both have chosen the path togather
and in times of trials an tribulations
HE will never leave you
Never
infact He will lift you in HIS hands
but some times
He will let you walk
let you make your own choices
and even allow you to fall down
so you can learn to get back up again
but HE knows what HE is doing
just trust HIM and beleive in HIM
but remember
when you beleive
you dont doubt
you just intend
what you want
and let him choose the outcome
thats BEST for you
deep down inside you already know that
He is nothing but GOOD
and all HE does is nothing but GOOD
some times you may have questions
sometimes your path may not be clear
sometimes you would not even know where the next step would lead to
sometimes you would not even know if you should take that step
but HE does
HE can see beyond horizons
beyond time and space
When in doubt
just beleive in HIM
let HIM choose the outcome
and show you the signs
thru co incedences
thru miracles
thru HIS other magical ways
to guide you
to your destiny
of love, peace and happiness
where there is nothing but LOVE
and LOVE is all there is

I know that being an angel is not a easy job
since angels have to go thru tougher paths then rest of us
so they can learn all that they are meant to learn
which inturn will give them the magical powers to deal, feel and heal
you path may be much more tougher then all of us
but so are your rewards
these rewards are beyond what you could imagine
but for that you have to go thru the tought lessons
life sets for you
to make you the very best
and finest of all the beings
GOD's angel

one step at a time
just beleive that HE is with you
and be assured that HE will take care of you
no matter what
He will make sure that one day
You finally pass all the tests
and become a true angel for every one
for what He intends, happens
instantly
you may take time to manifest it, however

just say this little prayer
every time you remember him

Lord, make me a channel of thy peace,
that where there is hatred, I may bring love;
that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness;
that where there is discord, I may bring harmony;
that where there is error, I may bring truth;
that where there is doubt, I may bring faith;
that where there is despair, I may bring hope;
that where there are shadows, I may bring light;
that where there is sadness, I may bring joy.
Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted;
to understand, than to be understood;
to love, than to be loved.
For it is by self-forgetting that one finds.
It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.

It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life.

Dear Friend
thanks for being my angel
i already am proud of you
later when you complete your course in miracles
and complete your journey
every one will be able to see the true light within you
and will become proud of you
and be guided by the light within you
the divine light
of a true angel

praying for you

all the time

yours

riz

60 Minutes

2005-05-11T20:18:00.000-07:00

What would I do if I was absolutely certain that there are only 60 more minutes left in my life and i will be no more alive after 60 minutes…?

My priorities would collapse in an instant, what was so very urgent and important few moments back, would almost cease to exist, just 60 minutes, I don’t want to spend them thinking what to do, since there is no time to think, I just want to do whatever I want to do

At this juction, Some people would choose to meet their family members and be in their company, some people would choose to take care of their financial matters so their family and children have secure future, some would choose to go deep in meditation, some would choose to contact any and every one and ask for forgiveness, some would choose to do one thing they always wanted to do provided it’s possible in 60 minutes, some would choose to express their love and gratitude to their loved ones, some would remain undecided even after 55 minutes are over, some may choose something totally different then all the above choices. What would i choose, right now, i dont have a clue but really its already making me think...

Whatever I chooses in those precious moments, one thing is for sure, it would not be about the small nitty-gritty’s of life, the small day to day decisions would not even exist in my focus at that moment. It’s a moment of transformation, within an instant, life comes at a standstill, the things which were absolutely important and urgent a moment back, may not even get a chance to make it to my priority list, and things I never ever thought about, take precedence and I might catch myself by surprise.

It’s a wonderful metaphor, 60 minutes, tells me what should be the real priorities of my life, I am sure these priorities would vary from individual to individual, but the fact of the matter is that if I sit back and reflect at the answer to this question asked above, I might come across things I usually don’t choose to think about, the answer would be fueled and influenced by the values of my life, for some people family is their highest value, for others its faith, yet for others its freedom or courage or prudence. As far as I am concerned, its purity of life, giving, family and being one with the ONE that takes precedence over every thing else, in those 60 minutes, which one i would choose, it is still a guess, but choices are very few, atleast for me.

Generally speaking, keeping every thing else aside, the answer to this question would reveal our true nature to ourselves, what we value most in this world, what is really important in our life, what matters most to us deep down inside etc. I asked this very question to one of my friends, and he said, he would choose to apologies to his parents, whom he left 5 years back and have never spoken back to them again, he said, actually this thought never occurred to him before this question, that deep down inside he still loved his parents very much and he still cared about them. As I am writing this, I just chatted with one of my friends in Asia, she said, she would choose to relax and spend time with her son and husband and so nothing else and when I asked, she told me that family is the top value of her life.

The question is not exactly how we end up spending those 60 minutes, the question is are we aware of those priorities, do we have enough courage to do those things right now, when we have ample time at our disposal, though we still don’t know how long we are alive, but at least we don’t have a dead line of time i.e. 60 minutes or so. For someone, it might turn out that they don’t have a will for their family and may choose to take care of that, for others, it might be re uniting or spending more time with families and friends, yet others may choose to pursue their dreams or people like me who would choose to reflect back at life, and start correcting themselves and asking for forgiveness for all the wrong doings of the past, and start a fresh new life, dedicated to others.

I still remember this 58 year young man, telling me that when he would die, they would instantly squeeze the blood out of his body so that it can be used to help someone in need, and to my surprise, he told me that he has donated all his body parts that may save or improve life of up to 50 more individuals, Why do I need my body after I leave this world, why not if it can be of help to any one, I would not need it any more. It really opened the new arenas of possibilities in my mind regarding priorities and values.

I also remember this 78 year old young man, who is a millionaire, and had a will, according to which 40% of his wealth would go to establishing trust that would take care of needy individuals throughout the world, when faced with this question it occurred to him that rather then waiting to die and then getting a trust established which may or may not work according to his dreams and aspirations, why not start a trust right away, so he can make sure that it is exactly working as per his needs and requirements. To this day, this young man is happily alive and already helped hundreds of people all around and plan to continue to help thousands more.

Above examples are from very specific individuals and with very specific values and beliefs, you and I may choose to think differently as our values may be different, I may choose to donate my whole big collection of books to a local library where it can help many more individuals rather then staying and gathering dust at my home, you may choose something entirely differently.

Good thing to know is that, more then likely, as you are reading this, you have more then 60 minutes to live, may be years and years ahead are waiting for you, What can you do, what you choose to do, what are your values and aspirations, how you want to pursue them, or do you want to pursue them.

Every hour has another 60 minutes, think of it as another episode of life, that is granted to you, I am sure if those are last 60 minutes of your life, you and I both would choose to live them at our best, do whatever matter most to us, but when we don’t know if next 60 minutes are last 60 minutes in our life, be sure it may be, almost 6500 people die every hour, not every day, every hour, life may not let us know that we have those precious 60 minutes left, in fact the very moment we are living right now may be the last 60 minutes or may be one of the last

Who knows?

How many more episodes of 60 minutes are left in our life?

May be 1, 2, may be few more

May be much more

May be a lot more

The question is not how much more time we have left; it is how we choose to spend whatever is left. Choice is still in our hand

It’s not the time in life that matters

It’s the life in that time that really matters

are we ready to live,

next 60 minutes...

Choice

2005-05-08T14:26:00.000-07:00

Where am I?

It’s a maze Rizwan, right now you are only one, but you are not the only one

Who else is here?

You

I know I am here, but who else is here

You, so many of you, all Rizwan

I am the only one

You sure are

Then who are these who look like me, if I am the only one

They are you too

You just said I am the only one, and now you are saying all these are me too

Yeah they are you

How is that possible, how can there be so many of me, while I am here

Why not! What’s wrong with that?

I always believed there was only one me, just one

Yes there is

Now you are confusing me very much, at one end you are saying that I am the only one and on the other end you are telling me that all these millions of other individuals who look just like me, are me too, it’s out of my mind

Hmm

Rizwan, these all are Rizwan too, just that they made some choices that were different then what you did, and that led them to a different path

I am still not getting it, can you explain a little further

Do you remember leaving your ACMA in the middle and go for an MBA instead from one of the finest institutes in the city.

Yeah I do

Do you see Rizwan wearing green suite, he pursued ACMA, he is a financial consultant now, and he just chose a different path then you

Hmm

So is every one else here, at one point or the other in your life, they made some different choices, that led them to a different path then yours, the one standing right next to you, chose to work when you chose to study, he had a different path then yours since you were age 7, his life turned out to be very different,

How is that possible, did they all have the same parents?

Yeah they did

But I thought only my parents are mine

Of course they are, just like so many you are all one, so many of them were also one as well, just that they were in different realm of consciousness then your parents who live with you in this world. It’s a whole new experience

So you mean to say that this is not the only world

No, this is not the only world in the context you are talking, but in reality there is no world, you create your own world with your won conscious choices and experience in your own context.

See right now you are making a choice to have a conversation with me and chose to document it, some other self of yours may choose to spend this time differently and that would lead him to a different path

I am trying to understand what you are saying, but honestly it’s a little complex

It looks, but it isn’t, the only reason is that you are not used to the belief that there could be multiple simultaneous levels of consciousness which run parallel to each other

Hmmm

Let me explain, what were you doing in your country before you came to America

I was working at a non profit organization as career officer

And then you chose to come to America

Yes I did

But there was this other self, who chose to stay there and serve

Ahaaan

Then there is this one self of yours, who chose to get married at age 21, when your father was alive

WHAT

I know you are not married till now and plan to get married sometime next year, but these so many other selves of yours are happily married with children

Interesting

It sure is, it’s just that they chose differently then you, You can go back and talk to your selves who are still living in the past, 10 years back and you can also go in the future and meet your different selves years from now, you can then feel the impact of choices on your life

Can I do that, is that possible?

It sure is, but first I would like you to meet all the millions of other Rizwan present here, so you can have an idea what would have been different in your life had you made a different choice at one point or other in your life

But it’s going to take loads of time

There is no time here, time is a physical dimension, you are present at a place where every thing happens in an instant, all you have to do is to manifest whatever you want and it happens right away, there is no concept of time and distance here

So how do I meet every one, is there a particular order?

Just do it, manifest your meeting, again remember, there is nothing physical or material here, you think and you manifest it right away

Let me try

No Rizwan, you only try when you are in physical world, there is no such thing as trial here, every thing has to be and is perfect, what ever you want to do , you just do it, there is no such thing as a try,

Do you have to try to talk to me?

Do you have to try to listen?

Do you have to try to breath?

You only try when you have a doubt, what if there was no doubt and you knew whatever you want to do would happen right that very instant, would you ever try

No I wouldn’t

You have that magic built in you, but in the physical dimension of the world, you fail to experience it, Its just like the music that is present there in you, you just fail to tune into it and after a while you don’t even know that it exists, though it is there, all you have to do is to get to the right frequency and music will flow out seamlessly, without any effort, all you need to do is to tune into that infinite realm of being.

Then what do I do now?

Just meet every one and learn from what they have to tell you

Hmm, so how was it

It was the most humbling experience I ever had, it was amazing, wonderful and above all it was eye opening

What else

There was so much to observe and so much to learn, I still don’t believe it

Rizwan, remember this law of the divine, first you have to believe it, if you ever want to get it, if you don’t believe it, you may never get it

Hmmm, you are really picking my words

Your words are expression of your thoughts and your thoughts in turn are expression of your being, all I am interested in is your being and the best way to do is to help you understand what choice of words you have and how it affects your thinking

I got it,

So what did you learn?

Life is full of possibilities; any and every thing is possible

Interesting, life is in fact full of infinite possibilities, all you need to do is to tune into that infinite realm and manifest your own choice,

What else Rizwan?

Even one little choice may lead to an entirely different outcome, the Rizwan I met who chose not to go online on that certain day, I did go online and met this girl who then became a very good friend of mine, he didn’t have her in his life, he never met her or even heard of her, just a choice to go or not to go online on a certain day at a certain time at a certain channel

Hmmm

Then there was this other Rizwan, who chose to start his own business while I chose to study, and I can see how right that decision was,

Interesting

Then I met this Rizwan, who chose to be close to the lord and be an instrument of thy piece, love and happiness, he devoted his whole life to that, honestly, I can not believe that I had a choice of channeling so much love and piece in to my own life

It’s an infinite realm Rizwan, and when I say infinite, there is no end to the possibilities, the only limitations you have are the ones created by your own mind, and otherwise any thing is possible let alone channeling peace and love

Yeah I met that Multi-billion dollar worth Rizwan too, I met the Public speaker, I met the Computer wizard, I met the movie actor, and there was so much I could have done

Yeah, in fact, those lives just represent the choices they made, but again, there is so much more that they haven’t chosen, you haven’t chosen, yet it is possible

Hmmm

You know you are not the only one doing this thing here, all these other rizwans are going thru the same process you are going thru and are presented with the same lessons that you are presented with, some like you would choose to learn while other would chose otherwise, again the choice is yours.

Oh!

Every moment in your life, you are presented with numerous choices, you have to choose one, you do choose one but the problem is that rather then looking at the opportunity as potential of unlimited choices, you have made your thinking limited and therefore you are able to see the very few limited choices you want to see and choose from those, the other unlimited choices remain invisible to your eye

So what can be done about it?

Tap into the unlimited potential and look beyond what seems visible to your naked eye, just like you wear binoculars to see what’s not visible to your eye and suddenly many things become visible, similarly all you need to do is to tap into your unlimited potential, believe that there are no limitations, there are no boundaries, there are no traditions, there is no future or path set for you, believe that you are free to choose your own path and in turn creating your own very future, the way you like it

But some things are just not possible

If they were not possible, how would these other rizwans had achieved what you think is not possible, how come one is a multi billion dollar investor yet you are just happy with your check to check life, how come, there is a Rizwan who has more peace, more love, more happiness and more fun is his life then you ever dreamed of, how come there is a Rizwan, who is already a very big public speaker and you are just thinking of starting public speaking, how come there are Rizwans who are happily married with kids and here you are don’t even have a clue when will you get married, how come there are Rizwans who married the very girl who said No to you,

Rizwan now listen to me,

Every thing is possible

Every single thing

In this realm of infinite possibilities

There is nothing called Impossible or failure

It’s how you choose

If you knew that it’s impossible to fail, would you ever think about failing, its same here, we have discussed this thing before

You are presented with lessons, and faster you master you lessons, faster you move to the next level and so on, look out, see what you need to know, what you need to learn and master and choose wisely

Hmmmmm

Happiness, success, fun, joy, love, they are all results of the choices you make, all you have to do is to tap into the infinite and ask for it, if you are ready you will be presented with it, otherwise you will be presented with lessons to master so when you get what you need, you are able to enjoy

I really don’t have any words to say

You don’t have or you don’t choose to say

I choose to learn and reflect

That sounds great

All the very best

And it all disappeared

Rizwan! Where are you, I have been looking for you all over the house

I was in a maze

You are a grown up now, you have so much more to do then play maze games

I didn’t say I was playing a maze game, I said I was in a maze

Yeah I know, this whole home is a living maze, it took me 15 minutes to find where you were

But why were you looking for me

I need some help in my work, I want get this house back to normal, it’s a big mess or a maze as you call it, you never know where is what

Can we do it tomorrow, it’s a holiday

No we have to do it today, there is no choice

There are choices, there are so many choices

I don’t want to hear about it, I said there is no choice means that there is no choice, if it is to be done now, it means now

And she slammed the door at me again

Do you really have a choice Rizwan?

I guess I do

Means you still have doubt, you are not sure if you do have choices or not

I do have my choices

See when there is doubt; you are cut off from the realm of infinite possibilities, so stay away from the doubt as much as you can

And it disappeared with the following words

Faith is to believe what you do not see,

And

The reward of this faith

Is to see

What you believe.

(St. Augustine)

Real

2005-05-08T14:21:00.000-07:00

If you CAN touch it…

It’s not REAL.

Bill Gates

Isn’t he right, isn’t it the same thing God said about us humans that the soul inside us that we cannot see is much more important then our physical body, isn’t it the same thing we all agree on the mind we cant touch is more important then the body we can touch. Well gates is talking about technology in today’s world, he argues that the hardware is getting less and less important and the software s becoming the core these days. Designs do matter but the inside stuff is becoming what teenagers call the “Real thing”. When I go to buy a computer, how it looks, what kind of casing is there, that is one of my last considerations, first I need to have a Pentium M (2005) or centrino in case of notebook, then I look for RAM and hard rive. Now days I look for wifi and blue tooth, all of the things I cant see or touch. I do care about the flat screen monitor or a cool mouse n keyboard but they come after all the invisible stuff, which is primary in my selection process.

Same is many other things in our life, like when buying camera, resolution and zoom come before the looks in my purchase, for cars, horsepower and quality comes well before the color of the car or the interior, In diamonds, quality comes well before size, In books, ideas come well before the thickness of the paper used, in credit cards, the credit is more important then the card it self. It’s getting more and more virtual every day.

When I go and buy gold, the purity of gold is more important to me then the shine and looks. I would prefer a 22kt dull finish gold necklace to a 10kt high polish necklace because I know that purity has value, it will remain there but color can fade away, it can vanish over the period of time. When I was young, I read this quote somewhere that “don’t judge a book by its cover”, I guess now I understand what it meant then or “all glitter is not gold”, well experience is certainly the best teacher.

One of my young cousin, goes to gym, he showed my muscles, telling me see how much strong I am. I just wished if he knew what the true strength means, it doesn’t come from the big muscles, it comes from within, the real strength to stand in adversity, facing the worst enemy head to head, bouncing back from failures and blunders. In short it’s the strength that comes from ones character. Again the real strength is invisible but not impossible.

Intellectual property, it’s a hot subject these days in quality management and in business & law schools specially. 20 years back no one would have thought about it but now it’s the edge companies have over others, patents and copyrights have become now more important then ever before

When parents select the schools for their children the quality of education is more important than the beauty of premises and size of school.

Look at all the aspects of life, where ever we go, whatever we do, intangibles are becoming more and more important, from companies accounts to real life, Service industry accounts for more then 50% of US economy.

Lets come down to micro level and try to find these intangibles in our own life, love, trust, care, help, friendship, relation, these are some very dominant intangibles in our life, which at times shape our life. How much importance we give to these invisibles. I still see how we dress is more important then how genuinely we wear our smile. Letting people know that we care is more important then actually caring for them. Showing up is becoming more and more important then the actual reality, lager then life syndrome has caught every one of us, who rather then exploring inside, is more anxious to show people how big he or she is. Big cars have taken over big character, high rise buildings have taken over high morals, big dollars have taken over the peace of mind and media covered charities have taken over real care and love…..are we going in the rite direction.

Do we have any idea what is really real, the one that we see, or the one that we don’t, We have been raised up in a way to believe what we see is real, but what if every thing we see turns out to be an illusion, a drama, a scene, how would we react?

If we take a closer look at our lives, intentionally or unintentionally, we do place a lot of importance on intangibles of our lives, but do we realize it, are we conscious of it, are we making a intentional effort to work on our intangibles, our character, our feelings, our being, our care, our thoughts, our goals, our wishes and desires and so much more, without all these, merely having a body doesn’t even make a sense, or it does.?

You call it life, life energy or soul, its all invisible, when any thing in seen closely, its made up of molecules, which in turn is made up of tiny atoms, when atoms are watched more closely, they comprise of electron, proton and neutrons and when these particles are broken, only thing that’s unleashed is energy, quantum energy, something invisible, the point is, every thing we see visibly is also invisible at its rock bottom, so is our body and every thing in the world, its all invisible, yet all real

If we go ahead and look for the best innovators, artists and achievers of all times, we would find one thing common in each one of them, they had a drive inside of them, a belief, a vision of something that was not present there, their eyes could not see it, but yet they could feel it, they were ready to manifest it, to make it a reality, all this drive, enthusiasm, is invisible to the naked eyes, but it’s the very force that helps us achieve all our goals and desires. And today the whole world agrees that

Only those who see the invisible can do the impossible!

NOW

2005-05-08T14:19:00.000-07:00

I still remember vividly, all my elders, teachers and friends telling me about future, that I should prepare for my future. I should work hard and study well so I can get a good job and in turn a great life style. All my focus should be on developing a great future. On the same time they used to give examples from past about great achievements by different people in different areas of life, who really made a difference. I grew up with all that…

Now when I turn back and see, I realize that all I have ever been taught or trained was either concerned about past or about future, no one really trained me about living in present, the moment I am living right now, and the very moment that IS. I believe for many of us that moment never exists, either we live with memories or with wishes and aspirations, we have so much to worry about and take care that we altogether forget the present moment that is the ultimate reality.

There are people whose life is fueled by memories, good or bad, but they direct the lives, some feel victim of the past and live their life in a shell and others believe that they did too much too good in the past and just take pride in their achievements. Other kind are those who are either too much worried about their future or they are way too concerned to make it better and for that they are even ready to sacrifice their present as well.

Life is moving too fast, no one knows whether he or she will be alive to see the next moment even, terrorism is so much hammered into our minds and our lives that the uncertainty of our own lives has become the biggest reality of the day. None of us knows if we will be alive tomorrow or not. We are not even sure that the oxygen we are inhaling at this very moment, will we be able to exhale it out in form of carbon di oxide. Even knowing this bitter reality, most of us still choose to live in future and prepare for it.

Don’t take me wrong, Not for a moment I am saying that it is wrong to live in future, rather every one should prepare for it and should do it well since its your own life, All I am saying is that sacrificing the very present in which we are living for the future that we are very much uncertain about is not the best idea in my opinion.

Most of us are like that, we use our present to make our future better, but we forget that when that future becomes the present, we are still sacrificing it to make yet another future better and in that way we always live for future and there is no presence of present in our lives. It’s like that individual who always waited for the train to come and take a train to next stop and then wait for another train. He never realizes that he has a life time ticket for the train that he can sit in and enjoy his journey.

I always remember this story I read in a book when I was young about a couple who saved their entire life for a dream cruise and then came a time when they saved enough so they can go for that cruise, they paid for the 15 day long cruise but realized they didn’t have any money left for the food, so they packed themselves with biscuits, they went to the cruise and breakfast, lunch and dinner they only had biscuits. They were really happy, it was a great cruise, lot of fun, but just biscuits, 14 days passed by, last day they realized that they had some money for the grand dinner, they went to the cafeteria and asked for the menu, it was a great menu, lots of foods varieties but to their surprise there were no prices on the menu, when asked the waiter told them that all meals were free and prices were already included in the cruise ticket………..and they lived 14 days just on biscuits……aaawwwwwwww, that sure was cruel, they didn’t realize that fact but do we? We have a life time ticket to our life’s journey and all the means to enjoy it but still we worry like that couple, strange. Isn’t it?

There are many people who use alarm clocks to help them wake up on time, most of us use it at least once in our lifetime or know somebody who uses them. Any ways, it presents a very simple yet beautiful way to understand our lives, the way we live, take decisions and move on.

When a alarm clock rings, at that time we hear some sound while asleep, we realize it’s the alarm clock and our subconscious mind reminds us that its now time to get up. In that split second each one of us has to make a decision, to get up or not to get up. That split second decision decides the fate of the upcoming hour or day. There are people who get up immediately when they hear the sound of alarm clock, means they decide to get up, and then there are others who just keep sleeping no matter how long the clock goes on, these guys decide not to get up and ignore the clock. There is a third kind as well, a very special kind, including me, we get up, press the button on the clock, the alarm stops and they go back to sleep with no one else to disturb.

Each one of us who uses these alarm makes a decision in that split second, regardless of the decision, we all make one. In our life all of us make thousands of such decisions, each and every day we make millions of decision, consciously or unconsciously. Why don’t we realize that it’s the Choices we make NOW will shape our future, this very moment you have a choice to continue reading, or keeping if off and doing some other work, or sleep or go our and have fun or watch TV, or get yourself a beer and enjoy or hangout with friends, possibilities are numerous, but you will make only one choice, it does not matter what that choice is, the thing that matters the most is that, your choice that you make RIGHT NOW will be a stepping stone to shape your future. Its like a tree, your choice is your stem and from that will grow too many leaves. Your hanging out with friends could make you meet someone new, whom you never met before and your CHOICE to be friend with that person more could result in getting a great friend or even a life partner, just the chain events, any thing can happen, but it will all depend on the choice you make RIGHT NOW. Your choice is just the beginning, to wake up or not in the morning is just the first choice for the day, shaping the rest of the day.

We are nothing, but a collection of choices we have made all our lives, but the good thing is we still have the autonomy and authority to choose what is right for us in this moment and guide our future accordingly, the good thing the power to make that choice is in our own hands, and the best moment to make that choice is NOW, right now, since

PAST IS HISTORY

FUTURE IS MYSTERY

THE MOMENT WE ARE LIVING RIGHT NOW

IS A GIFT OF GOD FOR US
THAT’S WHY IT IS CALLED
PRESENT (GIFT)

Are we ready to embrace our gift by making the right choices?

RIGHT

2005-05-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

Someone was right when he said; people would sit all day in front of a wooden magic box and enjoy their days just watching it. Someone was right when he said; water would be sold in packets and bottles around the world one day. Some one was right when he said, earth was round, and sun was the centre of universe. Someone was right when he said, by the end of this decade we will reach the moon. Some one was right when he said I can break the one mile in less then four minute record. I just wonder sometimes, how can those people be right today, when every one else around them believed they were wrong.

I was listening to Bill rancic, winner of the 1^st season of APPRENTICE show, his new audio book, “you are hired”, after being hired by Donald trump, one of the business tycoons of today, Bill said when in school, he used to color outside the lines as and when he felt necessary, he would make the figure big or tall as it would seem more appropriate and he believed he was right, every one else at the school including his teachers thought otherwise. Teachers continuously asked him to color within the lines but he didn’t. All he did was whatever seemed appropriate to make the picture more real. Was he right or were the teachers right. Interestingly, it’s the same schooling system that teaches us to color within the lines, also teaches us to think outside the box. What’s right, coloring inside the lines or thinking outside the box?

When facing each other, your right is my left and my front area is at your back, who’s right. What’s small for me is big for you and short for me is long for you, who’s right. When a poisonous fly and honey bee get the same nectar from the same flower and one produces poison to take lives and other makes honey to save it, two of us see them and one blames the flower and other praises it, which one of us is right. Two men look outside the window and one looks down and says what a polluted view, and other looks to the sky and says, what a wonderful view, who’s right.

Is it necessary that someone has to be right all the time, cant two people be right at the same time at the same moment while thinking upside down. Are we born with a right to be right, is there something wrong with accepting being wrong sometimes, but above all I just cant understand why we altogether need to judge at the first place. Joy is better then Lisa, Who cares, tom is superior then Jim, does it matter. I just don’t understand why there is a need to judge something or someone at the first place.

A hardcore criminal may still be a loving father or husband, a poor sweeper may be too generous at heart, when we label, we just see one part of the situation and that’s it. What we see is what is and that’s right, there cant be any other thing, Stephen covey in his book, Seven habits of highly effective people shares a wonderful paradigm shift example of two ships in the middle of the sea and captains telling each other to move their ship out of the way, Both of them thought they were right and other ship should move out of the way, they just saw one perspective, they believed that they were right, but when the captain of first ship said, I am captain of this Battle ship and therefore I am ordering you to move out of the way of this battle ship, in his thinking he was very right, but when the other ships captain said, Sir! This is the captain of Light house and I request you to please move your ship out of the way, the captain of the battle ship suddenly understood and moved…. Situational “Right”

It’s all the game of perspective, and we never have complete perspective about any thing or any one that we can claim that we can judge it. When two guys in the jungle heard a lions roar nearby, first guy started to run, thinking that he can run fast and try to outrun the lion, probably he was right, but when he saw the other guy, quickly putting on his running shoes, he was puzzled, Why you are wearing this, it’s a big jungle, we cant outrun the lion, the guy with the running shoes on said, I don’t need to outrun the lion, I just have to outrun you, and the whole dynamics on the ground were suddenly changed immediately, Changing “Right”

Robert G. Allen, in his audio book, Nothing down in 2000, gave example of two guys looking at the same piece of real state, first guy sees and empty wear house that is not even properly kept and maintained, the other guy sees a opportunity to redesign the place and make it a fully functioning automated ware house, being right and wrong is just a matter of perspective, a limited perspective. When a guy jumped out of a running train and lost his hand, every one said, he was insane, but when they realized it was a father who jumped to save his kids life, he suddenly became a brave and courageous man. “Right” in different perspectives.

Kim is good at school but not so good in games, while Ron is good at games but not so good in school, they both do well in extra curricular, their dad thinks, Kim is better then Ron while their mom thinks, Ron is better then Kim. Their dad is a college professor, and their mom is soccer coach at a local club, they both see things from their own perspective, But grandma says I love both of them equally, they are both great, I love them for what they are and not what they do, who is “Personal Right”

We all live in a world and we see world with a filter,

So all the truth we encounter is filtered i.e. situational or with past perspective.

But actually the Truth just “IS”,

It never changes, it just IS

But they way we see it does change,

And what we see, we make it our truth

Sometimes, we first make our truths and then see the situation accordingly

Other times, we just view it with our own colored lenses

And mold it our way

And it then becomes

Our truth

Our Right

And when we have the RIGHT

Every one else must have the WRONG

So that we can stand out and say that we have the RIGHT

Or at least we are RIGHT

Are we?

Is it necessary that if I am right, someone else has to be wrong? Is it necessary for us to live in a bi polar world where every north has a south, every tall has a short and every right has a wrong, or in our case, many wrongs and sometimes, all wrongs. The bipolar world creates an urge to dominance, an urge to be right and sometimes this right takes a disastrous turn, where the only way to be right is to prove every one else wrong, and negative energies channel in the world causing fights and wars

Can we just look at other persons views and say, yeah that’s a interesting point of view, never thought in that way, Can we let every one live by their own rights unless that right is causing harm to someone else, can we search the eternal RIGHT that lies within all us, right inside, the DIVINE RIGHT, that just IS, doesn’t need any support or evidence, just plain truth, as Jibran once said

THE TRUTH THAT NEEDS THE PROOF IS JUST HALF TURE…

Was he right ?

Problem

2005-05-02T20:35:00.000-07:00

How are you Rizwan?

Oh! You are back, I almost forgot about you

Yeah you do it better then any other creation, you forget,

Any ways, how are things with you

Just like any one else,

What makes you interested in me?

Because I am interested in knowing your perspective about life

What perspective?

Whatever has happened or is happening in your life is a fact, and fact never changes, it’s just your point of view about something that keeps changing all the time and I am interested in your point of view.

I didn’t get what you want to say

Remember when your dad passed away, you were there with him in the hospital room, you, doctor and the nurse

Yes I do

You remember how every one else around you was crying hard and there was no tear in your eye

Hmm!

Why was that, they were more concerned about him leaving the physical world, you were thinking about his soul getting eternal peace. You had a totally different perspective then every one else.

You mean the way we see things

Absolutely, you were able to see things from other side of the door, and that was good.

So I was just interested in knowing how you are perceiving things and events happening to your life right now?

Life is giving me a tough time.

What makes you say that?

I am having problems with my finances, with my job, with my family, my school, I guess rather then trouble following me, I am following the trouble

Are you sure it’s the life that’s giving your trouble

Yup, I sure am

And you think that your life should be trouble free

Absolutely

There should not be any trouble in your life

Not a single one,

Did you ever thought that these troubles are designed for you

Not these, I believe all the troubles are designed for me; in fact I am designed for troubles

You sure are designed & destined to face all these troubles, but not in the way you think

What do you mean by that?

You have been sent in this universe with a purpose, something to achieve, and to achieve whatever you are destined for, you need to posses some skills, attitudes and knowledge, that will lead you to your ultimate destination

I thought we were talking about my problems

Yes we are

I didn’t get you

These problems are specifically designed to guide you in your direction, by giving you lessons

Wait a minute! I am a little lost; you are saying that my inability to pay off my credit card debt is guidance for me or my dropping a course in school is helping me achieve my goals

Yes you are right

How can that be?

How did you learn to walk Rizwan, did you do it the first time you tried to walk, were you able to walk

But you kept on trying, if you remember, you use to fell down several times, once when your uncle held your hand are you were able to walk with his support, how happy you were

No honestly I don’t remember

Its ok if you don’t but the point I want to make is that it took you time to learn how to walk, you weren’t able to do it right away, and when you were finally on your feet walking, you were still not done yet, do you remember your first fracture

Yeah my right hand

Hmmm, how did that happen?

I fell in a hole

Ahaaan, and how did that happen

I saw this ice cream truck and started running towards it, and

And you never realized that there was a hole in your way

Would you call that a problem, if you get back to that part of life, was it a problem or trouble for you

Yes it certainly was, I wasn’t able to play or go anywhere else, and I had to stay home all the time

Good, but did you ever fell in any hole again afterwards

No, I was very careful after that, my parents also got that hole filled, in fact, our neighbors did the same.

And you still think it was a trouble, remember I was talking about perspective

Yeah

You see it as problem, I see it as a guide for you to avoid falling down in future, but you were not the only one who was guided by this event, your parents, your neighbors, and your school people also learned from it and made sure that all holes are filled so no other child gets hurt like you did

I never thought on these lines

I told you, fact always remains the same, it’s the way you see it

I am getting you now

Problems and troubles that you face in your life have something to offer to you, they are your opportunities in disguise, opportunity to learn, to achieve, to be guided, all you need to do is to go ahead and face them, rather then avoid them

But that’s what we are taught, avoid problems, keep out of trouble

Be right back

Ok I am back

Good, tell me one thing, Is it necessary whatever you are taught is right, think about it, but first tell me where you went

I believe now I am getting the picture, why you came and why did you start the conversation

Hmmm, and what’s your guess

My best friend, with whom I am friend with for last 4 years and have proposed her quite a few times, we were talking and she told me that there is this other guy who has proposed her and she is thinking about to marry him, 4 years I loved her. I still do, and she goes with someone else, you knew it was going to happen, didn’t you? And that’s why you started this whole stuff that problems are your guide, you wanted to prepare me before I get the bad news

Hmm, so how do you perceive this one?

She is the only one I ever thought about, she is the one I dreamed about, she is the one I want to marry, I want her to be my life partner

Ahaaan!, why did she say NO to you?

She said the other guy was asking her out for quite some time, and she felt like she should answer him,

Did she answer him?

No, actually she was feeling guilty, before she said NO to me saying that I don’t want to marry any of my friends, I only want to do arranged marriage, and here is this friend of hers, asking her for the same thing, he is nice, likes her, but if she says yes to him, it would be wrong with me

But why him and why not you

That’s exactly what I asked her

What did she say?

She thought that I was not interested in her but she felt compelled to ask me before saying yes to the other friend, since I proposed her first and she was feeling guilty inside

Why did she feel that you were not interested?

Because I didn’t ask or propose her in last few months and the other guy did it almost every time

So you weren’t persistent

Yup

Did you learn something?

When you need something you need to be persistent, you need to be sure its yours and give it your best

Whatever you want, wants you, she wanted you too, that’s why she asked you and told you about the situation before her decision, had you been more persistent in your approach, the outcomes may have been different, may be her other friend wanted her more, think..

You think so

I sure do

But I lost her

No, you just learned a very costly lesson, one you will never ever forget in your life now

It’s the simple rule of nature, higher the price you pay for any lesson, more significant impact it has over your life

What do I do now?

Love her

How can I, If she is getting married to someone else

Love her

She will not love me, how can I love her

Love does not need to be reciprocated, its multiplied by giving, you don’t need to receive it in order to grow it, Just Love her, you don’t need to posses her to Love her, your being is full of love, just glow your self and spread your love, to love something, you don’t need to posses it,

Hmmm

And not only love her, start loving every one around you, people, things, creations, be a symbol of love, more you give, much more you get in return and then you will never need to remember that you are missing someone from your life

So problems are guides

Face your troubles and problems and you will start learning lessons of life, both worldly and divine, once you master one set, you will be presented a higher set of lessons, may be in much bigger problems or troubles, I can tell you there is one more lesson on its way to you since you learned this one, bigger then you ever thought,

WHAT

Yeah, one more blunder, but I believe you have learned well enough from your past, it shouldn’t be a problem for you,

Problem or guide

Very smart, you are going in the right direction, always remember, when you loose, don’t loose the lesson and yeah All the very best, remember life is full of speed breakers, if u slow down, don’t forget to press accelerator once u hit the freeway again

All these small problems are your guides and opportunities in disguise, they are presented to you as you need them, they are lessons that you need to learn all along your way, one at a time, they will keep repeating themselves until you master them, more problems and troubles you have in your life, that means you are chosen by the divine to do something worth while in this world and to be able to do that, you need to learn your lessons, to master certain stuff, otherwise you will not be able to exploit the opportunities

Hmmm

In fact whenever you see a problem, you should rejoice that the divine has chosen you for higher learning and is presenting you with yet another lesson on the way, you should welcome troubles and outcomes not anticipated by you as they are your doorways to the eternity, and when things or events don’t turn out to be the way you wanted them to be, just be sure that someone up there has better planning for your future then you can ever do for yourself, your belief will make all the difference for yourself

I got you

So how’s your life going now?

Awesome

Any complaints from life

Yeah waiting for the next big BLUNDER

Good, all the very best!

And it all vanished again

Rizwan I have some bad news

Good

I said I have bad news

I heard that, tell me what it is

Your girl friend is getting married to someone else

WOW!

Rizwan, She got is finalizing someone else

That’s nice

I thought you wanted to marry her, and here you are happy on her engagement with some one else

No I am not happy; I am delighted, she must be very happy

You have gone out of your senses

No honestly I am happy about her

I guess you have gone insane; you are becoming a problem for your self

And she shut the door

Rizwan, how does it feel to be a problem for yourself?

Incredible,

First know thyself and then guide thyself, all the very best

Being my own guide

But remember, every problem has a solution, all you need is to look for it, or if you can’t find it, ask for a miracle

Ask?

Ask and you may get it, and trust me you may…

And it disappeared with following words

What the student calls the burden, master calls strength training…

Intention

2005-05-02T20:32:00.000-07:00

I lost my best friend, I sure did, she told me,

I understood what she said,

But I was still thinking why, How did that happen?

I was surely in shock, OH MY LORD! I don’t want to believe what I am listening to,

NO RIZWAN, WE CAN NO LONGER BE FRIENDS, just like someone is hammering in my head with a big sledge hammer,

YOU BETRAYED ME,

No I didn’t, ,

YES YOU DID, YOU BROKE MY TRUST

Trust me I didn’t,

And it went on, after a while she cried….my best friend, for whom I always cared, I went out of my way to help her out with every thing, her exams, her life, her disappointments, set backs, helped her get motivated for her goals in life, helped her achieve her goals, I did everything I could, sometimes even more then that and here I am making her cry

SORRY, I CAN’T BE YOUR FRIEND NO MORE

Amazing

I didn’t even know how to feel

What to say

In fact what to think, or ………it was a blank

And that blank turned into black and started making my life BLACK

How it all started

We were very nice friends for more then four years

Sharing almost every good and bad in life

Living trials and tribulations of life together

She didn’t know I was interested or in love with her best friend

She knew we (me and her friend) were best friends, but didn’t know I liked her

She was close to me

Shared almost all her troubles with me

Helped me out emotionally whenever I needed it

It was a nice friendship

One day I said to her I want to kiss you

She said why

I said I just feel like kissing you at least once in my life

And she said no

But after sometime, I mean after few days

She said she was ready to do it, but she would never meet me again after that

Tough one…..

After few months when we met, she offered me her hand to kiss

Without any condition

I didn’t

I couldn’t

I wanted her to be pure

I wanted me to be pure for my love

I didn’t do it

It finished there

But I believe the feelings in her remained

Now as I told her that my love said no to me

Out of curiosity she asked who she is

I told her that it was her best friend

And she was shocked

Other day when I was talking to her, she told me

That I used her to get close to her best friend

I used her all 4 years

I was shocked

I betrayed her, she told me

And I was left with no words

RIZWAN, WE CAN NOT BE FRIENDS ANY MORE

And that was it.

My intention was pure, my behavior was not, I respected her, I still do, she has been one of my best friends, I trust her, I love her, but I WAS WRONG at the end of the day, I lost a treasured friendship that took more then 4 years to develop, less then a phone call to collapse

Isn’t it a sad truth of our life, whenever we do something, we judge our selves by our intention, if I wanted to do something with good intention, and it turned out bad, at least I was trying to do something good, we console our selves, the gauge is our intention, the reason or feeling behind, but what we fail to realize is that other people judge us only by our behavior, they don’t know what was the underlying intention behind what we did, and they don’t care, since their gauge is behavior, in their court, the only evidence is behavior and intention doesn’t even count.

I still remember that party, it was my cousins wedding, we were having a party night before the big day, every one was having fun, Son of my cousin sister, was serving water, and drinks to every one, he was just five year old at that time, so he was serving one glass at a time, and I was watching his spirit of service, he was certainly enjoying what he was doing, it was fun for him, this time he was going towards the groom, with a glass of drink in his hand and since he was so much engrossed in his work, he failed to see the bunch of video wires on the floor, as he walked on those wires, his foot got stuck in one, he got dis-balanced and the drink was all over the grooms expensive attire. He was truly shocked by whatever happened, but so was every one else, he could feel so many red eyes looking towards him, he wanted to hide somewhere but he found himself in the middle of every one, he didn’t even had a clue what to do, I could see his wet eyes, every one was upset with him thru ought the party and even the next day, he was not allowed to do any work, or any help, every one was angry at him, when I talked to him, he said, I just wanted to give DULHA BHAI (groom) the drink, it was not my fault the wires came in, but all I found my self saying to him, that it was ok, and don’t worry, he was judging himself by his intention, but failed to realize that every one else was watching his behavior, The thing that hit him the hardest was when he was left out of the small outing for children of the family when every one else went of course sponsored by the groom………….must have been so much pain for him, in his thinking, he paid the price of being nice, other kids who didn’t do a single work, were busy playing all the time, were taken on outing and had all the fun, while he, who took the pains, did do work and helped out was left out,

Strange world, we judge our selves by intentions but others by behaviors, different standards, we don’t even want to know why someone did what he or she did. Was it even their fault, just their behavior matters, my best friend, she just said, IN THE END YOU HURT ME, my behavior, failed to realize that I never ever even thought about hurting her, in the end she ended up in pain her self

And made me end in the pain too

The friend I loved and wanted to marry was undecided

But when she would hear from her best friend

She made would make her decision

On this basis and probably say NO to me

And here am I, still trying to understand

When on earth did I use my friend?

Where on earth was I wrong?

Why me?

Just like that little kid

I was standing right in the middle of no where

Didn’t even know what to do

Ended up blaming and hating my self…

If and only if we try to understand the underlying intention, show empathy, and care and understanding, life would be so much more different, You call it focus, paradigm or point of view, I call it standard, the gauge, by which we judge ourselves and the world, and if somehow we could unify the gauge and gauge ourselves by the same standard that we use for others or vice versa, life could be much more beautiful and easy of course.

When I give you 4 lbs of milk but since there is a hole in the standard gauge we are using, you only get 3 lbs, I am happy that I gave your four; you are unsatisfied at getting only three, but when I talk to myself, I would say that I gave you four, I didn’t know about the hole, but I didn’t cheat you, and there you are feeling betrayed and cheated, and that so very rightly, what’s that hole in our life, that’s the gap between intention and behavior, and the size of this gap differs from person to person.

The key as some suggest is to go ahead and try to step into other person’s shoes, see the things from his/her point of view, feel it his way, listen to his/her side of the story, but are we willing to do that, are we ready to step in someone else’s shoes, or would just end up saying that “at least I thought about it” again leaving a infinite gap between intention and behavior, where we never act to what we intend, are we fooling ourselves or everyone else around us, in fact, does that really matter.

So should we start judging the people by there intention or their behavior, what about judging ourselves, are we going to use the same gauge, do we know which one is better, and which one to go for……..or do you have any clue what I am talking about……

IF YOU WERE GOD, WHAT GUAGE YOU WOULD USE TO DECIDE SOMEONE’S FATE,

His/Her INTENTION

His/Her BEHAVIOR…

The answer lies within you, look inside!

Creation

2005-03-31T20:22:00.000-08:00

Well the announcement caught them by surprise, they were not expecting it at all, but yeah it indeed arose their curiosity about it, what its going to be. It was actually an announcement made by the holy Lord early in the day that today he is planning to make something special, rather something very special. He is the lord of creations, He is the creator and He doest create all the time, but the thing that caught every one by surprise was the 2nd part of the announcement where all the creations were asked to assemble in the grand arena to take part in the process of creation. No one, not a single creation was ever allowed to be creator, it was only God who always did the work of creation.

Well as the day passed, the level of curiosity kept going up for every creation, slowly and gradually the crowd started assembling in the arena, the angles were the first ones to enter, then every one started coming in one by one and soon there was a huge crowd gathered, flowers, rock, sand, earth, sun, moon, sea, river, heat, light, lions, all kinds of vegetables, fruits, animals and all kinds of species of birds, nevertheless each and every creation was present, all praising God in its own way.

It was altogether a unique atmosphere, all the creations, praising god, such a peaceful atmosphere, such a silence, all eyes were closed, all lips were moving, every one was praying in its own way, and then suddenly it was all showered in divine light, the lord was there, all eyes tried to have a glimpse but they couldn’t see beyond a certain limit. All hearts started beating faster, no doubt the lord was present amongst them, all eyes were down, and every one was doing nothing put praying, though all minds were running at terminal velocity thinking about what that special thing could be, there were thousands of questions but not a single one was able to reach an answer.

“Today I am going to create something special which is going to be simple yet unique” the divine voice got every ones attention, “I want you all to come forward and add a quality you believe is the best in you”. All mind started the marathon yet again to come up with the best one they have, The angel Gabriel came forward first, I am made of fire, I would like this creation to have fire in it, the fire to win, the burning fire inside so it doesn’t have to sit back, the fire would help it keep moving and achieve all its goals, the other creations were still thinking. The sea came up with depth. The lord then said to the sea, I will add the depth to its eyes so when any one sees her they will know how deep it is. Sun added the light and glow, while moon came up with its calmness. One by one they all came forward, the rose came with its beauty and aroma, earth came with a big heart to add to the creation. To every ones surprise the clouds came up with tears, when asked it said “This creation should have tears so it doesn’t have to keep every thing in the heart and could wipe off the sad things with the tears”, they all seemed to agree.

The Rock came up with strength and the water came with liveliness and thirst to be the best, the rainbow came up with the glow, the diamond came up with its brilliance, the river said it would add the flow to this creation, every one was adding yet a new quality to this creation and they were all very happy to be the part of this creation, clay came up with the flexibility, the seed said it would add the dream and vision, when asked how, it said, the small seed has big trees and thousands of forest in it, I would like to add this vision to this creation so it knows its true value and never think that it is small so it is worthless, I want to add the value and worth to this creation.

Birds came up with flight, wind came with power, the thunderstorms added the might, the mind stood up and said I would like to compliment what the seed has added, I would like to add the notion that nothing is impossible, I want to add this feeling that every thing is possible if it tries. The trees came up with the quality of giving, we would like this creation to be always giving something to every one without asking any thing in return, like we give shadow and fruits to any one regardless of who he or she it. The oil came with its power to make every thing burn and run , another notion to help others even by burning itself.

Then the devil came in and added some selfishness, but the Lord agreed that if this creation does every thing for every one else it would not be able to do any thing for it self, I want this creation to be the best, though I don’t like devil my self, the lord said, but this is a good quality he has added and I will my self make sure that it has good use for the creation and is not used in bad way, all creations were at calm after the assurance by the lord.

The mother then stood up and said, I would like this creation to have LOVE, as you have given to me, the owl came with the ability to see in the dark, I wish this creature to use the qualities of seed and mind and my ability to see in dark so it never becomes disappointed, it knows that darkness has its own life and meanings too and then the sparrows came up and added faith, we want this creature to have blind faith, as we sing the songs of morning when it is still dark, we have a blind faith that the morning is going to arrive soon, we want this creature to have blind faith on you, that no matter what, you are always there to help. The camel ad donkey stood up, all were wondering what these creatures have to add. They said we want this creature to have strength to lift the burden, so it doesn’t have problems when it has too much burden on it.

The father came up with care, the language with expressions, the fun came up with smiles to add, the sugar added its sweetness and the salt also added a little of its taste. And it just went on and on. Each and every creation was adding some thing unique, some thing they believe to be the best quality they possessed. When every one was finished, they asked what are you going to make this creation to be, The lord responded, I will make it a human, since them I call the Best of the creations “Ashraf-ul-makhluqaat”(BEST OF ALL CREATIONS) , so this creation has to be a human being, possessing all the strength, love, depth, character, care, peace, aroma, brilliance and every thing else you added. but what are you going to add to it, the question was their in every ones mind and the lord scanned all the thoughts, “I know you are curious about it., I will add the divinity, THE SOUL, The part that will keep this creation attached to me and in toug times and challenges when it gets lost or astray, it will help this creation get connected to me.

As they were all listning, they suddenly could saw a big screen like thing in the air………..it was kind of a movie or something. ……And suddenly they realized it was a small room, few people in white dress were they’re surrounding some thing, and then they realized it was a lady, it didn’t take them much time to realize that lady was giving birth “Owwwwwwwwwaaaaaaain. Owaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin” dn the view focused on that new born, a bright illuming face, the lord said I added my glory to this creation to make it the BEST………….

The parents called her ________ and the date on the calendar behind showed ----,--,19--.

The prayers and praise of the lord continued...

It's true for all creations, including you and me, Are we a living example of all those qualities? Are we. . .

Nothing

2004-12-04T01:20:00.000-08:00

Who are you?
The question came directly pointed towards me,
Who are you?
Who? , me, I am rizwan,
I didn’t ask you name, I asked who are you.
Perplexed,
I am rizwan, I told you,
Hey man I m not asking your name, you will not be a different person if you change your name, you will remain the very same person.
What should I reply, do I have another identity, my mind went running,
“I am Mr. Bhimani’s Son”,
I didn’t ask you about your father, I asked you who are YOU, don’t you understand a simple question.
I am me,
I was a little frustrated by then
But who’s that “me”
“Me” means “I” and “I” means “me”
Ok so one thing is for sure, you yourself don’t know who you are; ok tell me what are you?
Why am I being asked these questions? What is this conversation up to...?
I am a businessman and a writer and a motivational trainer
I didn’t ask your profession or what you do, I asked what you are
I tried to act little smart “I am a human being”
So is every one else around you, what’s your uniqueness,
My Body, My face
But those are the things you have, like your name, you have a body and you have a face, just like you have the name, but you are not those things
Ok then what about my mind
Again you have a mind; you are not your mind,
What about my thoughts
Your mind generates thoughts for you, you feel that they are yours, in fact they are not, at least not at this moment
Are you challenging my intelligence, I have a very high IQ
So you mean to say you are intelligent
I sure am
Ok let’s test it right now
And I became mentally prepared
What’s the most important part of any conversation?
Hmm, voice, words or people…………which one should I choose, without words, there is no conversation, without people, words loose their value and without voice words cant exist, this is a tricky one.
Ok it’s the words, the language, without which there would not be any conversation
Excellent my friend
You sure have a very high IQ,
But it’s according to your own standards, and I don’t agree with your standards.
Now listen and tell me if I am right
The most important part of a conversation is SILENCE
And I remembered about silent conversations some people have but in most conversations, Silence, how can that be important
Without silence, there would be no conversation
There would not be even a single sentence
It’s the most important part of every conversation on earth, every thing word, said or recited
Silence is nothing, but it just IS, without it, there would be nothing else,
Words come from silence and they die back in there
Just imagine, if there were no pauses in the conversation
How would that feel?
Would you be able to understand any thing or sentence with your highest possible IQ?
It’s the silence that allows words to be, without which there would be no word.
Ok here is another one
What’s the most important part of this universe?
This time my mind was trying numerous possibilities
I came up with water, its life.
No my friend, its space, the emptiness
Just like words come from silence and go back in silence
Things come from space and vanish in space, but the space stays
How, I asked
Look my friend, every heavenly body is in the space, if there was none of them present, Space will still be there, even time would not exist without space, there would be no existence, space just is, its nothing but contains every thing.

Just like words come and they die, but silence is eternal part of life, its nothing but without it there would be nothing else. Even being nothing, it’s the reason for every existence. Just like space, when you look at the sky, you see sun moon and other planets, but you never see the space that holds them.
I couldn’t agree more
It was a total different perspective
What you see comes from what you do not see and what you do not see in nothing, so every thing comes from nothing and we are all part of nothing
But I have my own identity
Go ask the fish and it will tell you I am part of the sea, without the sea, I am nothing
And go ask the sea and it will tell you that without the earth I am just nothing, I won’t exist without earth
And then go ask earth and it will tell you that it exists because of this solar system
And solar system will lead you to our galaxy, milky way, with millions of stars, which will in turn lead you to millions of other galaxies……..and in the end its all part of the larger space that you actually call Nothing.
I didn’t have a word to say
If every thing has an end to nothing, how can you have your own identity, just because you have a fancy name, and some thoughts and body and a mind, it means you are something.
Yes I am
Ok tell me why you call yourself American, Indian or Australian
Because I am
No you call your self that since you are a part of it
You call your self American because you are part of America, or you call yourself African because you are a part of Africa, similarly you call yourself human because you are a part of humanity, so in much larger sense, when you know you are part of nothing, why you are ashamed to accept the fact and always ready to prove otherwise
Just give my one reason why?
When you know nothing begets every thing, why you want to loose everything in order just to get a little something
Why you inflate your egos so very much that you can’t see the nothing but other then your self, you don’t see nothing else either
When, even the student says, I know nothing, that starts the first day of this learning
I am talking to you, what you are thinking
Nothing………………..in fact everything…
Ahaaan, you are a quick learner
So tell me now, who are you
Nothing
And what are you
Nothing
What makes you special?
Nothing
Good.
Nothing contains everything, it’s the very reason of existence, we all are part of nothing, yet most of us are restless to become something, we spend our whole lives just to be something, or at least be a part of something, when in reality there is nothing…
All religions talk about it
Some call it Nirvana, some call it eternal happiness, some call it being divine, some call it a miracle and some call it dying before the death
Once you realize your glass is not empty, it’s full of space; you get your first insight
And once you realize that glass is just a very tiny part of absolutely nothing, you are on your way to peace, there is space inside the glass, but glass itself is part of a larger space. Any ways young man
Good luck on your journey to peace……
Even if you don’t reach there, you will at least become more humble, good luck once again.
And it all vanished

Rizwan, you were so intensely thinking about something, are you in tension or something, is everything all right
I guess
Tell me what you were thinking
Nothing
Rizwan, I know you were thinking about something
No I am telling you, it was about nothing
You don’t want to tell me
Trust me I was really thinking about nothing
OK keep it to you, don’t tell me but don’t expect any thing from me as well
I swear it was all about nothing
You have gone insane rizwan…
And she left the room, slamming the door.

And then I remembered this quote

“The world is full of insane people; here sane people make no sense”

And what’s the difference between sane and insane, Rizwan
That voice appeared again
And this time it was my turn to smile

NOTHING…I said

And that voice disappeared with these last words…

What the caterpillar calls the end of the world the master calls a
Butterfly… (Richard Bach)

CTRL ALT DEL

2004-12-02T21:40:00.000-08:00

Few days’ back, while I was working on my computer, I don’t know why but it suddenly got stuck, the mouse didn’t work and the keyboard didn’t either. I was just starring at a dead screen. In our lives, relationships & in achievements of our dreams, there are moments when life gets paralyzed, comes at a standstill, just like the computer, one really doesn’t know what to do about it. Since I was totally engrossed in my work, I became totally lost, how did this happen, I didn’t do any thing wrong, I was just doing my work, there must be a virus in the computer, my mind was running wild yet it was at a standstill, but yeah there was one sigh of relief that I did save most of my work. In the standstills of life often there are moments when we are dumb founded, how the hell this happened, who is responsible? Numerous possibilities surround our wild imagination yet we are unable to move even an inch forward from where we start.

At that moment my mind was still stuck in thinking about how this happened, I again tried to unsuccessfully use the mouse and pressed some keys little harder thinking that it might work but nothing seemed to work at that time. “It must be the virus” auto generated reply came form my mind. The reply reminded me of the dialogue between chairs of two project teams who were supposed to coordinate together and turn two small projects into one mega project, something went wrong in the process and the projects halted, I remember both the chairs sat on the opposite ends of the table, trying to find why this happened, the meeting went for two long hours and end or the day, they both were blaming each other for the fault with no result. “Its your fault”, “You are responsible for all this”.

Doesn’t that sound like some thing familiar in our every day life, argument between couples, the discussion between colleagues and counterparts, negotiations between two rival countries, its happening everyday at so many places. How easy it is to shift blame on someone else or something else, and if nothing works then put the blame on fate and God that they are responsible for whatever is happening, it has nothing to do with us. Where are we in all the situation then, are we responsible for any thing or we have taken the sole responsibility is to shift the burden of responsibility on someone else’s shoulder.

There are so many couples that get divorced each year due to communication problem or get separated due to their inability to properly understand each other. It’s quite common for employees to resign from their jobs for not being able to adjust in the uncomfortable work environment. How often a fight starts between rival nations because of a dead lock in dialogues. What we hear from each and every side, person or nation involved, “He is the one who is responsible for our divorce”, the other side says“ I am getting separated because I can no longer tolerate her” “They are responsible for the loss of innocent live” its not the question of who’s right and who’s wrong, The question is who is willing to take the responsibility.

It reminds me of last year, I was traveling to a new town and got lost on my way. As it was a small road I was traveling very slowly, I saw a sign of a U turn near the dead end, as I was driving slowly, I was able to notice somebody’s writing on the U turn sign, It said “God always allows for U turns” so simple yet so deep, while after I took the U turn, I was still thinking how many times in our lives we are ready to take the U turn. I was thinking that would any one ever stop at dead end in the car and just stop it there, I guess never, any one in that situation will try their best to find a alternate way out, then why on earth we allow so many dead ends in our relationships, dreams and lives. Why we seldom think about the U turns that would allow us to go back and start afresh from where we digressed. Why aren’t we ready to rake the U turn in our relationships that could give love of both the separated parents to thousands of kids, Why are nations not ready to take U turn in order to save the lives of thousands of innocent citizens who fight for their country, the only question that is hammering in my mind again and again is WHY NOT?

My little niece who is computer savvy was playing near by, she saw me doing all that with the computer, she came to me and said ‘Press CTRL ALT DEL”. I believe that she knows more about computer then me, I trust her knowledge, therefore without even thinking any thing, I just did what she said and the computer started rebooting again, eventually it re started. When they asked Edison why you are trying still again when u have already tried so many times, he said now I know these many ways not to make a bulb, he didn’t accept the stand still, he would go back in the lab and try another way to make the bulb, if even that didn’t work, he would go for another, Mr. Honda, or any one who has left any significant marks on our lives today, none of them gave up, they all knew their U turns very well and they knew one more principle TAKING RESPONSIBILITY AND NEVER GIVING UP. They always restarted their thinking what tom peters call “Re imagining” a totally new way of thinking where there are no boundaries, they don’t think out of the box, they just burn the box and then restart their thinking in entirely new dimensions and that’s the only reason each one of them is now in the top list of people who have had the highest impacts on our lives today.

Aren’t we all tired of playing the blame game, acting like fools, are we ready to do something constructive, really make some thing happen. Are we ready to press the CRTL ALT DEL in our relationships, in our negotiations, in our dead ends to get a fresh start, Are we ready to Re-start the process, Re-live our dreams, Are we ready to take the U turns, Are we ready not to give up again? Are we ready to achieve our goals? Are we ready to make something happen? As it is wisely said

The best way to make something happen…is… to make it happen

Are we ready?

Journey

2004-12-02T21:23:00.000-08:00

My new silver Honda accord LX 2003 is the third car I have owned in less then 15 months, the first one being, Honda accord 99, I had a accident just 15 days after I got it, the 2nd car was Toyota Camry 94, which remained my companion for a year and then died, mission accomplished, Now I have my third companion with me, she is cool and fast

I like to go on long drives with it, just the 2 of us, me and my Honda, we go places we haven’t been before, sometimes we go to the same routes again and again, some times entirely new places. When we are lost, we are still together, so there is no fear of being left alone. It’s always a wonderful adventure driving together.

On the highways there are speed limits, how fast we can drive, but who cares, no matter how fast you are, someone is going to over take you any ways. Most of the time when I drive at 55, the speed limit of Houston highway 59, I feel like driving the slowest car on the highway. Its amazing to see how many vehicles there are on the highway at the same time, different makes, models and colors, all with different originations and destinations but they are all there on the same road at the same time. Every minute few cars are coming up on the highway and at the same time few are taking the exits, towards their destination.

Shakespeare said life is a stage and we all are performers, well for me life is a highway and we all are drivers, any given day so many of us are born and so many take the death exit but any given time so many of us are there with different backgrounds, different races, different colors & shapes each having unique identification (names), speak different languages like all those different model cars with different makes, sizes and colors, we all come and go. But life continues, the highway continues. The journey goes on.

Each car has a different destination; each driver has a different mission, a totally different reason then all the other drivers. And the mission is what decides the route and the map on how to reach that particular destination, then availability of time decides how fast or slow one is going to drive. Each one of us is different with a unique destination, unique goals, strengths and weakness, we all get unique set of opportunities and threats throughout our lives yet we still are together.

A white infinity G35 passed by, the best car of the year, not that expensive, but the best in performance against value. I started noting different makes and models; I could see Lexus, Ford, Toyota, Honda, GM. BMW, VW, Chrysler and the big one H2. They are all so different; each having an entirely different set of features but all performed the same job, transportation, taking us from one place to another. Hmmm, then why on earth each car has a different price tag, some are so much affordable then others. Why? May be because they provide us comfort and luxury during our journey, some are more safer to drive while others are more fun to drive, the set of value in each car determines the price tag the consumer is going to pay on a particular make and model.

Now I am stuck between 2 poles, which one is more important, Journey or destination? If journey were not important why would we all be paying so much more for so much luxury while we can get to the same place cheaper? Why should one fly with continental when he or she can get to the same place via southwest in fraction of the cost? The journey must be important, yeah it must be. But what about destination, isn’t it the destination, for which we take all the pains, the reason we buy these cars or airline tickets, isn’t destination more important…

We all were born, we entered the highway of life, we all have certain goals and destinations in mind and yeah ultimately we all will take the exit of death one day, do we know our destinations, where we are heading towards, where exactly we want to go, what exactly we want to achieve, how can we reach a place if we don’t even know where are we going to and where we want to reach. Unfortunately, that’s the case with many of us, we just live by the road philosophy, we will go wherever it takes us, but the dead ends and road divides create troubles. Sometimes we don’t even know what speed we should go with since we ourselves don’t know how far we have to go, isn’t that awkward.

Other are the times when we know where we are heading and reaching there is the only thing we are concerned about, we zoom with speed but in the process miss all the beauty and adventure during the journey, we fail to notice the pleasure the journey itself has to offer.

Are we driving well and safely, how would we know we have accomplished what we destined to is by reaching that destination but in our lives the prominent question remains

How do you know whether
Your mission on earth is over…

If you are alive…it isn’t.

(Richard Bach)

Are we sure what mission we are on?

The Other Side

2004-12-02T20:53:00.001-08:00

While I stand in front of the refrigerator, the first thing I look at is the door. There are so many different kinds of magnets on it, so many different kinds of bills and reminders in front of my eyes; there is so much to look. At this very moment, I am not concerned about what is happening to the rest of the world, the refrigerator door is it self a whole world engulfing my thoughts. Looking at those different magnets and all those things beneath them, these are all I m concerned with right now…thinking about all those bills to pay and reminders about numerous different things, the shopping list, the birthday party of neighbors son, and what not. The reality of my world has changed, Now, these magnets are the center of my thoughts and I am out of the world I was in, a few moments back, and now into reminders, bills and of course magnets.

The phone rings and I move out to receive the call, it’s from a friend who lives in New York, her mother died in a car accident, I forget about all the bills and reminders, in one moment the face of reality changes again, now I am grieved and my thoughts are focused on how to console my friend, the feelings surrounding me are of concern, fear & sympathy. My mind slowly drifts towards life after death, and I start thinking, “Have I done enough to survive?” If there is any thing after death, the religions teach but you never know, its always the question of belief, any ways, I sit on the sofa, open the TV and there is Breaking news of blast somewhere, suicide attack, killing so many innocent people, terrorist or freedom fighters? Who are they? A very thin line depending on the paradigm one is looking at it from.

Suddenly, I realize that few minutes back, the magnets that were important to me are no more present in my thoughts and the reason my mind finds acceptable is because they are no longer in front of me, they are no more part of my reality…. my friends who were so important to me in early parts of my life, are in some other parts of the world right now, since they are not part of my active reality, I have forgotten about them, yeah the ones I used to do my home work with, the ones with whom I used to play, hang out, they are no more important….at least right now.

When I get back in front of the refrigerator door, those magnets again become important, the class reunion again rejuvenates the old memories, and we start from where we left, our lives have been fine tuned that way, what is in front of us is most important, rest of the matters, we keep them aside but never get time to get back to them. When we accidentally or in some other way come across them again, at that time we realize what we missed, like getting back to the refrigerator reminded me that I missed paying my electricity bill and the due date is gone. Ooooooops!

The point is how fast we change our priorities, or are they our real priorities. Are we able to separate urgent from important as Stephen covey preaches or are urgent things taking over the important things in our life OR the urgent things are getting disguised as important leaving the actual important things no attention at all, putting them back beneath the magnets on the refrigerator door.

But that’s just the outside world of the refrigerator; there is a whole new world inside as well. This new world is not open to every one, but only visible to those who take the pains to open the door. But again, not every one is interested in viewing the complete contents inside. Most of us are interested in only what we are looking for, once we find the bear or soda or whatever we are looking for, rest of it becomes irrelevant again. There are very few of us, who are not sure what we are looking for and see through a little more. Rare are the cases where someone reaches out and looks through every thing inside.

We meet so many people every day, Alvin Toffler says we meet more people in a single day then a village farmer used to meet in his life time hundreds of years back, the turbo speed of life and the ease of travel and communications have removed the “im” from the impossible. Of all the people we meet every day, how many doors we open to see what’s inside the person, what actually makes that person, or the outer beauty and looks are enough for us to judge any one. Are we afraid of opening the doors or are we not interested or is it that we don’t care. Whatever the reason be, we actually open very few doors. The ones we open, how much we can claim we know about that person, be it any one, sister, brother, best friend, boss, class fellow, teacher, peon, driver, cook or in fact life partner. With how much certainty can we claim that we completely know this person………more often then not, we just see inside to check does that person has what we are looking for, if yes, good, if no, good bye. Selfish us. I know its really cold standing in front of the open refrigerator door sometimes, looking for what’s all inside but again, there is a price for everything. Are we willing to pay the price?

It’s all about opening the door, if we look carefully, we would surely find so many things inside the refrigerator that would surprise us, some things we were not expecting to be there. These surprises are pleasant as well as non-pleasant ones, but fact of the matter is that surprises open yet another view of possibility in our mind which was not present there before. “Oh wow! Cadburys, I just love them, who bought it, I didn’t know they were here” or “I didn’t know you are so caring, they way you helped me out of this mess, I am so thankful, I am glad I asked you for help” its all the question of opening the door. Sometimes doors are open accidentally or without effort on our part and it makes us go and see what’s more is in there, just out of curiosity. Other times, when we are with someone, talk and care, we actually open that door ourselves, some times the other person leaves the door open for us to see…as they say more you know about someone more you can come close and care, the question still remains the same, Are we willing to open the door?

Stephen covey talks about emotional bank account, that we all carry a emotional bank account with each person we meet and have our relationship with, some times when we do some thing good, we deposit in that account and other times we do some thing bad or say some thing bad, we make a width drawl from it, and the next time we meet we start with the balance we left last time. Refrigerator is a way to keep things fresh even after days, and when we take it out, some things we have chilled and cold, rest we heat up a little in the micro and have it as we put it in there, the emotional account way, nothing changes, we restart where we left from, time sometimes matter but most of the time it doesn’t. Relationships have a unique bonding, that stays even when souls are miles apart, and re grows when the boundaries are abandoned. What ever we leave in the other persons heart and mind stays there, good or bad, doesn’t matter, experts call it subconscious, and when we meet again, FRESH, those memories re-live again and we start from where we left, what kind of memories we leave with the ones we meet…or better way to ask this questions would be “What kind of memories we want to have we MEET AGAIN? What we need to do today in order to have those memories tomorrow, are we willing to do it…there is no such thing as free lunch!

Right now I am sitting in front of the computer, typing all this in the word processor, I m no where near the refrigerator, this quote appears in one of my email messages sent by an unknown sender completely summarizes how I feel right now

“Words are unable to contain feelings and emotions

Thoughts are unable to ignore it.”

There is so much more to say…