Archive for the ‘Personal Development’ Category

One of my favourite stories on inspiration comes from public speaking Hall of famer, Jim Cathcart. Jim is a world renowned speaker and author who has written best sellers in the personal development genre.

Back in 1979, He spoke for a franchise outfit by the name of Tidy Car which empowered individuals by giving them the opportunity to have their own auto detailing (Vehicle valeting business for us Brits) business. On this faithful occurrence, one of the audience members was a young man named Tim Seward. Tim was a 19 year old business rookie who had no real experience in the world of business or entrepreneurship and was only armed with enthusiasm and work ethic.

During lunch, he asked Jim if he could give him a motivational quote or phrase that he could use on a daily basis to help motivate him. Mulling this over for a moment, Jim replied, “Tim, I’ll do better then that, I’m going to give you a question you can ask yourself… How will the person you want to become do what you’re about to do!”.

Tim went back home and took Jim’s advice to heart. Although he was just a small outfit, He decided to ask himself the question with everything he did. He decided that the Tim Seward he wanted to be wouldn’t wear jeans and a Tee shirt to work so he made himself a uniform. Eventually, He needed bigger premises and more staff. Tim was doing well for himself.

He even went to a local Chevrolet dealership, get a photograph taken of him in a Corvette and put it around his home and his office.

A few years later on, Jim was invited back to speak to the Tidy Car corporation and to their franchisees. The company ran an incentive that year that the top sales person of the year would win a brand spanking new Chevrolet Corvette.

After his speech, Jim handed over to the Tidy Car president who announced the results of the sales competition. The results were amazing and it was a tight competition. Number 2 beat 3 by one point and numbers 3 to 6 all beat each other by the narrowest of margins with no more than 3 or 4 points between them but what was amazing was the difference between first place and second. The president announced, “Leading number 2 by a staggering 300 points, from Bay City Michigan…. Tim Seward!”

Everyone started cheering and clapping for Tim who went to the stage and started admiring the same car which he had been picturing himself driving for some time!

Jim asked Tim what he had done to achieve such massive growth to which Tim replied, Everyday, I asked myself what would the international sales leader of Tidy Car do what I was about to do. Without knowledge of winning, Tim even announced he had travelled first class one way!

As you can see, this question has some profound effects and when you are striving towards a goal, it is a great idea to ask yourself on a daily basis, “How would the person I am about to become, do what I am about to do”

For more information on Jim Cathcart, Please visit his website.

Until next time,

Keep shining!

Fahad x

This was sent to me by my friend Remco Verstegen

Desiderata (Latin for “desired things”) by Max Ehrmann

1. Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence.

2. As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

3. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.

4. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; for they are vexations to the spirit.

5. If you compare yourself with others you may become bitter or vain, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

6. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

7. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

8. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery; but let this not blind you to what virtue there is.

9. Be yourself.

10. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.

11. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

12. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune, but do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

13. Beyond a wholesome discipline be gentle with yourself.

14. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here, and whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

15. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.

16. And whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, be at peace with your soul. With all its shame, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

17. Be cheerful.

18. Strive to be happy.
Which item do you find most important in your life?

There are, in my opinion, 2 critical reasons why someone would want a “better job”

Number 1. Increased Job Satisfaction
Number 2. Increased income

In a job market which is not exactly the most buoyant, people tend to fall into the mindset of “Beggars can’t be choosers” but I recall hearing motivational ace, Zig Ziglar, once describe how to get a better job.

So let’s analyse the two needs.

Number 1. Job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is a two way street. On the one hand, you want to feel like you’re making a positive contribution to the company you work for and inevitably to the end user and on the other side you want to be treated just and fairly and compensated in kind by your employer.

Job satisfaction also comes fro perusing your passion or purpose.
The first key therefore to Job satisfaction is giving it 100% Bob Proctor often talks about the law of cause and effect. In other words, what you reap, you shall sow. If you are only giving it 60% i your job then you’re going to get back that much in terms of compensation in terms of money and gratitude.

Also, what is it you want to do and why? Knowing why is fundamentally far more important than knowing how. We will never really know how until we know why. So what would your ideal job, career or profession look like to you and why. For example, My ideal profession is to be an internationally renowned speaker and coach because I want to inspire people and make a significant, positive difference in the lives of as many people I meet in my lifetime. I know why and the how tos appear by themselves thanks to the law of attraction.

Number 2 is income. I know we’d all like to make more money! To most people, more money would be added security and living a more comfortable life and it is my belief that you have the right to that comfortable life and have the right to be rich in fact it is another question I get asked regularly and I will cover a brief version of my answer.

To earn more money, you need to work on two things.

The first is your skill set. People pay experts in their field more than they pay a hobbyist or amateur. It is why becoming an expert in your field is so important to the new rich who create vast incomes online or through social media. Your skills will be one of the key factors to your income. As a huge believer in personal development, I also believe that your income is in direct relation to your own personal growth. That is why I cannot stress enough how important it is to invest more time, energy and money into your own education than on your entertainment.

The second key factor is the value of service you offer people. In his book The Answer, author John Assaraf explains the law of compensation. In other words, to increase your compensation you need to increase the quality of the value and service you provide to more people

it goes the same in the case of your job, career or profession. In order to earn more, you must provide more value and to more people. If you do, your employer will see that and you’ll have an ace card to ask for a raise. If they don’t reciprocate in kind, be assured that there are other employers out there in competition with your company who will!

So in summary, as Zig Ziglar once said, If you want a better job, do the best you can on your current job and that is how you get a better job!

Keep Shining

Fahad Maniar

“I’m a pretty tough guy. Are you a tough guy? You look pretty tough. So you’ve just got to keep going on going, even when folks are criticizing you, when you know you’re doing it for other people.”

That’s what US President Barack Obama said when a young fourth grader asked him the poignant question, “Why do people hate you”.

Now, I’m not here to talk about politics but this quote from Obama shouldn’t be taken lightly. In fact, in it is great wisdom. You see, every time you step up and outside from what the masses are doing, you’re immediately open to criticism for not following the normal conventions of society.

Have you noticed that? Perhaps you yourself were criticized for trying to do something which you felt was for the greater benefit not just for yourself but for your family and community yet it seems people will always give stick to those who tend to stand out.

My contention is, when people criticize you for what you’re doing, you’ve hit a nerve within them and expose their own weakness. Ever had a cousin or brother in law give you hell because you decided to start a home based business? Sounds funny but it happens, Believe me (and no not the brother in law, My brothers in law couldn’t be cooler!).But the reason this occurs is you’ve stepped up and taken responsibility for your results and you want to help other. Now they might be too afraid or too lazy to join you or do something themselves so rather than lift you up… they drag you down. Kind of like crabs in a barrel!

One of my business colleagues told me that they never have to put a lid on a barrel of crabs for fear of them escaping. Why? because when one does try to venture out, the other crabs just pull them back down. Has that ever happened to you?

Rejection and criticism are a staple for anybody who decides to go from ordinary to extra ordinary. A business person may face rejection, an athlete pain, a leader criticism but if you know what you’re doing is right by your, your family and by your creator then don’t let anyone get you down.

One thing Thai boxing taught me was you’re going to get hit… hard! And even if you get knocked down, you’ve got to get back up and keep coming forward. Remember what Rocky Balboa said, “It ain’t about how hard you can hit but about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward…”

I leave you with a fantastic quote by Theodore Roosevelt,

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat”

Remember, they’ve never made a statue of a critic so when you know you’re doing the right thing, be tough and keep moving forward!

Until next time,

Keep Shining!

Fahad x

I could watch this video over and over again!

My site is dedicated to sharing stories of inspiration and Nick is nothing short of Inspirational!

As some of you may know, I broke my hand last week so, not only am I typing this post with one hand slowly, I have a new insight.

Firstly, if you’re wondering how I broke my hand, here’s how! I had a flat tyre so went to jack up the car and as it got to the right height, I felt as though it was loose. I went to check the stability and bam! The jack slipped and the car landed on my hand, trapping me between it and the jack. After I realised I was not going anywhere, I yelled for help and swiftly ended in the hospital with a broken metacarpal (I am immensely grateful it was nothing more serious!)

Moral of that story is always get help if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing

You see, I’m now of the opinion that whatever happens, good or bad, there are lessons to be learned. As the immortal saying by Napoleon Hill goes, “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed on an equal or greater benefit.”  and as I tell people, our job is to find and nurture this seed!
Now, I was in a cast until yesterday. At my hospital checkup, the cast was removed and I was sent home.

I immediately felt vulnerable! I started worrying. How would I sleep? What if I aggravated it and why did the doctors remove it so prematurely? I would find myself in positions which would hurt my hand and felt as though I wouldn’t have gotten in those positions if I had my cast. It then occurred to me just why my cast was taken off… As I moved my fingers and tried to get the movement going, I realised that I could now move my fingers more than when I had my cast on! Having many injuries from my career as a Thai boxer, I knew that it’s important to get blood flowing and movement into injured areas to aid healing.

I realised what the cast had become to me. It had become my comfort zone, an area I felt protected even though it could hinder me from getting to where I want to go. It stopped me from moving to my potential even though I felt protection.

You see, you and I are very similar to this analogy I’m sharing with you. We often get in our comfort zones and feel so protected and comfortable even though it hinders our growth and progression. Sometimes we have to remove the casts we’ve applied to ourselves and even though we may feel vulnerable to begin with, when you know it is imperative to your growth to do so, you will find a new comfort in knowing that you’re on the road to success and in my case, a speedy recovery!

So, in conclusion, what comfort zones are you currently clinging to? What “casts” do you need to let go in order to grow and progress and remember, often times when we stretch ourselves we feel uncomfortable. The secret to progress and success is to not stop and return to comfort but to acknowledge the new feeling and to get acquainted to it to grow!

Until next time,

Keep shining!

Fahad x

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Watch my business partner, Brian Tracy, teach you one of the most effective goal setting techniques!

I recently visited a Gloria Jeans coffee franchise and picked up their loyalty card. I actually didn’t pay any attention to the loyalty card as i’m such a coffee fiend, i have massed various loyalty cards from different establishments over the years. Today however, I was reaching into my pocket and pulled this one out. It had an incredible slogan on it.

Just above the cartoon image of a rather sophisticated looking characature of a coffee bean was the slogan “The road to Success is ALWAYS under construction”

Isn’t that the truth!?

Whilst success is open to interpretation from person to person, the universally accepted definition of success is the progressive realisation of a worthy ideal. In otherwords, we progress towards our ideal of success on a daily basis thus truly making success a journey and not a destination!

Now, whilst this post maybe full of clichés on the subject of success, I want to indicate just why success is a journey and not a destination!

it is said that success happens daily and not in a day. What does this mean? well, too many confuse success with the task of actually accomplishing a goal or an ideal. Now, whilst the end result is often what we see when we look at successful people, the fast cars, the big houses, the fancy designer clothes (if indeed these are your definitions of success), we must look deeper into the person to realise what success is to that person.

I remember hearing motivational speaker and income acceleration coach Pat Messiti once say that average people focus on the fruit whilst successful, world class thinkers focus not on the fruit, nor on the tree that bore it but on the seed!

You see the truly successful understand that it’s not the end result that’s important. Whilst the goal of the end result keeps them motivated and on track. What’s important to successful people is that they are building themselves up and are gearing themselves up for the rewards. They understand that foundations are more important than what you see on the surface.

They are like Icebergs. What you see on the surface of an iceberg is typically 20% at most of the total mass of the ice berg. That means a whopping 80-90% of the ice is actually under the water and that is what makes them so potent! It was the foundation, not the tip of the iceberg that sunk the titanic! - And remember, foundations like that of an iceberg take time to build. Sometimes, you may be going for a goal but feel like you keep missing but if you are working towards a goal and are allowing yourself to learn in the process, your foundations grow and grow until your success will begin to surface above the water and when you tackle the obstacles head on, no matter how large the obstacle is, like the titanic, you will cut through!

So, Remember, the road to success is ALWAYS under construction. Remember you are not the finished article and most likely never will be either! Enjoy the journey

I leave you with with a quote from Melvin Trotter -

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming…Wow! What a ride!”

Until next time, Keep Shining!

Fahad x

Greetings all.

This week, My cousin’s son posted pictures of cars he’d love to own when he’s older on facebook. They were all top of the range super cars! Lamborghini’s, Aston Martin’s Ferrari’s and other exotic cars. I smiled but then saw the comments on his page.

Now, this little guy is still in school and it amazed me to see some of the negative comments from his peers!
Comments like “You wish!” and “that’ll never happen”…

I could only lend him the following advice,

I told him that it was fantastic that he was aiming so high but to look around him and see how many people he knew actually owned these cars… Then I told him that the chances are, not many. The secret therefore to achieving your goals is to not listen to people that tell you that it can’t be done!

And isn’t that the case with most of the goals we have in our lives? As soon as we go out there and share our goals or work towards our goals, we face a barrage of negative criticism, sometimes even from loved ones!

You know the kind “That’ll never work!” or “What thinks you’ve got the right to do that?” or “I had an uncle who tried that once, he failed, so will you” and sometimes they’re wrapped in kindness but as equally deadly to your dreams and these ones sound like “We’re simple people, just be happy with what you have”! (Now I know the last one actually sounds like okay advice. In fact, an attitude of gratitude is vital however, it should not stop you from dreaming big!)

It reminds me of the story of the little frogs who once had a race up a high tower.

There once was bunch of tiny frogs,…

… who arranged a running competition.

The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower.

A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants…

The race began…

Honestly, No one in crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower.

You heard statements such as:

“Oh, WAY too difficult!!

They will NEVER make it to the top.”

or:

“Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!”

The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one…

… Except for those who in a fresh tempo were climbing higher and higher…

The crowd continued to yell

“It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!”

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up…

…But ONE continued higher and higher and higher…

This one wouldn’t give up!

At the end everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog who after a big effort was the only one who reached the top!

THEN all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it?

A contestant asked the tiny frog how the one who succeeded had found the strength to reach the goal?

It turned out…

That the winner was DEAF!!!!

The wisdom of this story is:

Never listen to other people’s tendencies to be

negative or pessimistic…

ALWAYS be…

POSITIVE!

And above all:

Be DEAF when people tell YOU that YOU can not fulfil YOUR dreams!

So, the next time you have a goal or a big dream, be like the tiny frog and keep on running towards your goal and be deaf to negative criticism!

Until next time, Keep Shining!
Fahad x