Jun 23

Hi All,

John DeMartini is back in London and I’m fortunate enough to be attending the Breakthrough Experience this weekend. He is also giving his inspiring talks on Tuesday 24th and Thursday 26th of June and there are still tickets available and because you found out through here you can get the special rate ticket of just £20. Click here to book your ticket!

I believe there are also still tickets available for John DeMartini’s Breakthrough Experience weekend for which you can get tickets from here. He is also running a speed reading course on Friday 27th of June and you can get tickets for that here

For those that have not heard of him, JDM was also featured on ‘The Secret’ and has written somewhere in the region of 250 books and has himself read over 29000 texts on philosophy, science, spirituality and theology.

If you’ve never heard John speak then I can assure you his is by far one of the most inspiring speakers I’ve had the pleasure of hearing. So take this opportunity now, get a ticket and make sure you get down there to hear this inspiring man speak!

Related Posts

Nov 1

How to tell a friend you love them…How to ease your heartbreak.

For many Love = Friendship. So being in love with a very close friend leads to the next logical step of forming an intimate relationship.

I would love to be able to address this article at everyone but I think given the nature of the topic I think it would be difficult to do so although that doesn’t mean that not everyone can learn something from it. This is probably one of the most challenging and long articles I’ve ever decided to write simply because of the nature of the topic and the undefined way in which situations like this can be handled.

So firstly guys, my question to you: Have you ever been in love with or fallen in love with a friend only for them to turn around and reject you? Their answers might range from, “I see you just as a friend” or “I don’t feel that way about you.”

For many young men events like this can be both heartbreaking and soul destroying. I have been in that situation many times and even recently was in that same situation. I’ve heard so many stories where one party loves the other but the feelings weren’t returned. The truth is that situations like that are common and the first challenge is whether or not to act on your feelings. That in itself is a big challenge! For most guys, at the best of times, the decision of whether or not to go ahead and speak to a girl about their feelings is tough enough as it is. Firstly, you’re friends with this woman and it’s something you might value deeply. With that in mind you become faced with difficult choice: 1) Tell her and it could go either way. She will either feel the same about your or not and in which case the decision to tell her may permanently harm the friendship. 2) Don’t tell her and never find out how she felt about you. The element of regret can leave a lasting sting.

As I said earlier I can’t really speak from the perspective of what it must be like on the flip side for the woman in both ways, i.e. being on the receiving end but also being in the same situation and being in love with a friend! I’ve been in that situation more than once and a number of people have said to me that I fall in love to easily, it’s probably true, but I have a very loving nature towards all my closest friends and I do get attached quite easily. But in response to that attraction is such a natural thing and should never be frowned upon. I’m fortunate to have many close female friends who are have amazingly loving and good natured personalities as well as being beautiful. So naturally if I feel that the girl and I have a great friendship and in addition to that I find her attractive it seems like only natural to me that the next step would be to be honest with her and find out how she feels too. I know, I know, I make it sound easy I know but it’s where the rocky road begins.

Before I go any further guys, I don’t have all the answers, my sole intention with this article it to make that challenge just that little bit easier to handle. There is no dichotomy of a right or wrong way to handle this. You do however have to make a choice while taking into the consideration the feelings of the person you wish to tell and be understanding towards them. I’ve seen some guys totally undermine the womans feelings because they allowed their own hurt to saturate them and become totally oblivious to the females needs and end up leaving them hurt, lost, and a feeling that they’ve been abandoned by a friend.

So lets begin…

1) First and foremost, it’s time for me to be a bit brutal! Guys, don’t be such babies! This woman who you’re in love with isn’t the only woman you’re ever gonna love and if she doesn’t love you back it truly isn’t the end of the world! I know I’ve started off harshly but you have to accept this fact if you’re to stand a chance in making this thing work. React aggressively or childishly to her or her answer and you will end up blowing it for good! So first and foremost, before you do anything, give yourself a pep talk, if you’re too distracted get a friend you can confide in, tell them the situation and get them to give you a pep talk! Keep on telling yourself that no matter how this ends up, the most important thing is her, be understanding and compassionate towards her!

2) Make sure you plan a time and place to tell her properley! A time when you’re both alone, absolutely no distractions, just you and her, somewhere quiet where you can talk in your normal voice and can have good eye contact! Avoid doing it in a restaurant, at a club or anything like that, do it if you’re having a quiet meal at home and or watching a movie. Turn off the movie, finish your food and begin. Make sure you have nothing in your teeth though! :lol: For heavens sake, don’t do this over email, phone or text messages! If you do any slight misunderstanding could screw things up for good! It’s vitally important that she sees your body language and that you see hers!

3) When you get to that stage when you’re ready to tell her, don’t blurt out what you want to say, it might be a good idea to reassure her how much she means to you; that you will always be there for her and that you value your friendship highly! Once you’ve reassured her and made her feel at ease, it’s time tell her! Be honest and straight forward. Don’t try and tell her in a way which is indirect, it doesn’t serve you and you may not end up getting a straight answer which might leave you more confused then when you initially began down this path!

I can’t tell you what to tell her, that’s got to come from your own heart and soul, all I can do is put you in a better mental state in preparation for this big event!

4) Once you told her reassure her again! This is vitally important! Explain to her how much she means to you and that nomatter what she says that you will be there for her. If she feels the same way, then you need not read further! :-D If however she does not feel the same way about you it’s time to offer her some time. At this point, make you sure you gather yourself, this is a time where you might waffle something you didn’t mean to. Take a moment! Ask her if she would prefer it if you were to give her some room for a set period of time, e.g. a couple of weeks. Listen to her, acknowledge what she says, and respect her wishes!

5) Don’t run away because you’re upset!! Let the evening come to a close naturally and when it’s your time to go make sure you leave with a smile, again reassuring her! Once you’ve left, the heartache will really kick in! That being the case it would be worth having your pep talk friend on standby! Get them to accompany you somewhere! Go for some drinks, make sure you have someone there you can talk too! Despite what any macho guys might be thinking right about now, nope, strip joints and lap dancers aren’t going to ease your pain! Feel free to go do it if you want but it really won’t help or change the way you feel!

6) As tough as it might be for you to be around her, stick with her! If it gets to the point where your health is suffering then be honest with her. Don’t blame her, but do tell her honestly that you’re finding it tough. She will more than likely be understanding and compassionate towards you. Maybe explain to her that you need a bit of time away again reassuring her how much her friendship means to you! Take your time out but keep in touch with her, let her know that you’re thinking about her and are not just wrapped up in your own feelings. Do whatever you need to do during that time, but keep yourself occupied, don’t close yourself off from people, it’s people who will help you get through this challenging time!

Trust me guys, I’ve been there before, many a times! It’s even been a case where me and a friend have been in love with the same woman, in which case I’ve always yielded and in fact, I will do whatever I can to make help and support them getting together. It’s not easy but it’s because their friendship and my love for them has and will always be of paramount importance to me! If I had the choice of my happiness over my friend then my friend would win everytime hands down!

If you don’t have someone to talk to, you have me! You can get in touch with me if you wish. Whatever happens don’t bottle it up and even though times like this can be scary and painful there are other people out there who’ve been through it too and can help you. I hope in some way I’ve been of help in giving you chance in telling the person you love how you feel, whilst at the same time, keeping a close friend!

I wish you success with your friend, your potential future lover, I sincerely hope it goes well! :-)

Also read...

Oct 1

My heart is sensitive and romantic and I believe that everyone in this world has that one special soul who they connect with. However recently, life has illuminated the reality of love, and essentially compartmentalised it into a ‘black and white’ order. I have been granted a brief look into the eyes of others around me, who see love as the manifestation of hormones, lust and desire. Where love has nothing to do with your heart or higher self’s purpose, but more of an indication of what other parts of the body are pulling you to do. The stark realisation of this fact aggrieves me; even though I have known it for years and am no stranger to its concept, I never the less find it a difficult and painful awareness to accept.

Have we as humans become so disconnected that even love has lost its mysterious potency? It has been handed over to our bodies and we are but slaves to its satisfaction.

The more I cling onto the thought that love is a beautiful, transformative, uplifting journey for your soul, the more I am forced to witness its corrupt expression.

However being a firm believer in the teachings of Abraham, I know that my thoughts are the powerful engines which shape my reality, therefore I understand that this moment in time serves me well to uphold my firm beliefs in love and what I REALLY want from the love of another.

Why should I bow down to an unnatural concept when my heart craves to experience the power of my creator through the love of another soul. Do I compromise my hearts calling for the sake of conforming to a lifestyle that is accepted by everyone else around me?

As I transmit my intention of love to others I am consistently made to feel guilty for asking for a love that is innocent and sweet, looked upon as though I have a warped, archaic perception of love. Have I always been the human dreaming of being the butterfly, who is now lost in the psychosis?

As you can see, my internal battle and quest to eliminate this loneliness brings pain, doubt and fear. However even though the world around me adopts such a view, I wish to live in my fantasy and hold on to my concept that this person who I fall in love with, will also have the view that love is a soul connection, and not just the result of chemicals and hormones surging around the body.

If this view is indeed a result of years of misconstrued understanding where the barrier between the dream world and real world has been breached, then I wish to allow this to grow within me. It gives me ‘hope’ and paints a picture of a world I ‘choose’ to live in, albeit a reverie.

So with this in mind, I allow the tears in my heart to dry and hold firm my views in the face of harsh truth and with god’s grace breathe in life and wait for the day when my fairy tale romance becomes my reality. I wish to be saturated in its magic, to bathe in its sweet aroma and to taste its intoxicating essence upon my lips!

Follow your dreams in the face of adversity – no matter what the cost!

Peace and Blessings – From a slightly broken heart, but i know i will heal! Kavi xxx

Also read...

Sep 10

Woooohooooo! :-D

The 100 day mark has arrived. For me this is a true milestone. When I first began this “100 days…” project it just started out as a little idea to keep me blogging regularly. Now I can see that it has the potential to go much further, who knows what else I can achieve with this idea. It’s just the beginning and I know it will go much further. Very shortly I will be begin a new “100 days…” project and it will have a slightly different theme. One thing is for sure, I’d like to make it more challenging for myself.

Throughout this wonderful journey, I’ve leanred many new and exciting things. Each day has brought with it a new adventure and a new understanding in how to live a more purposeful, spiritual life. Spirituality is everything that we do and if you can do it with a spiritual mindset, you will love every moment of life, no matter how challenging it maybe!

Always keep the relativity paradox in mind, you cannot know happiness without sorrow, you cannot know love without fear, you cannot know light without darkness. These things were created to so that we might know what it means to be loved and what it means to recieve it. We enjoy that feeling because we know it’s counterpart!

There are 10 things I want to share that will ehance the quality of your life, remember and use these 10 things and I promise that you will life will be more happy, enjoyable and fulfilled!!

1) Have fun with life! Don’t let your first response to people be about how stressed out or how depressed you are or about how busy you are. Always start you interactions on a positive note. If during your interaction you need to talk about your challenges then do so, then finish where you started, on a happy and light note, sharing what you’ve learned through that encounter, or just share a joke!

2) Challenges don’t disappear, they change form. Notice I say challenges and not problems. Problems are barriers, challenges are hurdles, hurdles can be leapt, it takes a leap of faith. Barries need to be broken down and take much more energy! It may appear to you that other people don’t face challenges, or that their challenges are not as challenging as the ones you face. That’s your own mind creating a story to hold you back from being where it is you want to be. Running away will not take away your challenges, changing jobs because you have a horrible boss won’t take your challenges away, they will change form. When challenges arise, face them head on!

3) Whatever your religious or spiritual beliefs, don’t hold so tightly to them so to you nothing else is true. Keep and open mind and listen to others when they share. Everyone’s point is valid and there is truth in every way of thinking as it all comes down to perception! There’s no need to challenge anyone else’s beliefs either, respect them, appreciate them, and share yours with spiritual pride. Views are not there to be converted, they’re there to be enjoyed and appreciated.

4) Our childrens education is not just dependent on the teachers. I consider every single child on this planet as my children and I make it my responsibility to educate them. Education doesn’t necessarily have to be of an academic nature, in fact, most often that’s not real education. Real education comes from what children see us do and then, in turn, emulate. Whether we like it or not, we have a responsibility to them as they will always follow our actions. They will adopt our attitudes and they will look to our actions to shed light where for them, there is none. Make it your responsibility to educate every child on this planet. The more we educate them, they more they will be prepared to deal with the challenges they will inevitably face.

5) Learn NLP! NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) has some pretty impressive, no nonsense, tools that you can use for improving your life. It will be one the best investments of your time and money that you can make. You don’t have to become an expert, even learning the basics from any “off the shelf book” and acquiring a basic understanding will improve the quality of your life and your relationships. It will enhance your skills no matter what profession you’re in, whether you’re a house husband, a lawyer, a high powered business woman, it will benefit you!

6) Even if your life is going amazingly well, get a Life Coach! I’m not being biased in this because I am one! :P In fact, when you’re life is going amazing is the best time to get one because they will be able work with you to enhance your performance! If your life isn’t going so great, get one and you’ll be amazed at the results. They don’t perform magic, they just know how to ellicit the best from people!

7) I’ve said it before many times and I’ll say it again! Follow the 5 a day rule! Make sure that you incorporate these 5 things into your day, every day! 1) Meditate, 2) Smile, 3) Laugh, 4) Give, 5) Appreciate! They don’t have to follow any particular order but if I were to say one was mandatory, it would number 5, to appreciate and have gratitude for everything in your life! If you can do that one consistently and regularly then the other 4 will pretty much come naturally!

8 ) If you’re not sure what to do with your life the sure fire way of getting out of that rut is to put yourself out there and try different things. Watching Eastenders, even at the best of times, isn’t going to improve the quality of your life. What will is being social, interactive and experimenting with various activities like a sport or doing some charity work! Activities like that will enhance your focus and give you some clearer purpose and direction. The rule of thumb is to do something that completely takes you away from what you would normally do. If you’re normally on a computer or games console, then get out there and try a new sport or go speed dating! Anything that challenges who you are is worth trying once!

9) So often these days the first thing a person will tell me about is how tired they are! I’m no doc but one of the main reasons why people get so tired is because we’re so used to cars and junk food and living a lazy lifestyle it’s no surprise that lethargy sets in. We’re no longer use to physical exertion! When you feel tired is the precise moment you should get up and do some physical activity, push your body beyond what it’s used to and soon you’ll start feeling less tired! Another reason it lack of “good quality” sleep. Even if you’re consuming small amounts of caffeine, your sleep will be affected. Cut out as much caffeine as possible and was your quality of sleep jump from 3/10 to a 8/10 and you’ll feel more fresh and rejuvenated. You’ll actually wake up feeling like you’ve had enough sleep and be ready for your day!

10) Last but not least, tip 10 is read my blog and make it part of your daily spiritual digest! :lol: Ok that was a joke! You are valuable and important, make sure you make time for yourself on a regular basis. Whether that be 20 minutes a day to have some quiet time or whether you take 1 whole day a month and dedicate it to yourself is up to you but make it a regular ritual! We dedicate so much time to everyone else and unless we take the time to look after ourselves and nuture our well being that any pleasures in life will be short lived. The more you make time for yourself and take a step out of your life and become a spectator with an attitude of gratitude the more you will feel naturally happy and the more you will enjoy life.

There we have it folks, my top 10 tips and learnings from the 100 days of wisdom! Thank you so much to all of you who have left me messages, comments, sent me emails of blessing and well wishes! I truly hope this has been something you’ve not only enjoyed but something that you’ve got use out of too! Stay tuned for the next 100 days series! :-D

With love,

Also read...

Aug 15

StuHis passion is music (although he would argue it is chocolate!). His voice, so deliberate yet strategically subtle, gentle teasing you into submission for the message he brings. A winning combination to the lyrics, which are layered like a rich tapestry of life experience, higher learning, faith, goals and love. It’s like the poetic murmurings of a beautifully sung prayer – it touch’s your heart and leaves light in your soul!

Read the following in depth interview to uncover why this inspiring new artist is promoting the one thought “the human solution is a divine evolution” and why he has decided to donate his profits to a charity close to his heart.

So Stu, when and why did you start playing guitar, and when did you discover you had the talent to sing?

I asked for a guitar on my 16th birthday, as soon as I knew a few chords I started writing my own songs. A few months later I made my own studio by lashing together my ghetto blaster to my girlfriend’s dad’s stereo.
I knew I could sing as a child because I could imitate all the songs I liked, but I was v shy.

What are your fondest musical memories?

Playing my old Walt Disney record, yes vinyl! My favourite “I wanna be like you” over & over. Still know it word for word & every monkey noise.
Then my next favourite memory is when I was 17 & went to Dingwalls Jazz club on a Sunday afternoon. Giles Peterson was playing frenetic but musical 60’s bebop & two guys (I think maybe “brothers in Jazz”) were dancing, the floor just cleared for them. I can’t describe in words how I felt, the sound & the sight just moved me to tears as I stared, it was a v deep experience. They had such style, grace & physicality, the rhythm, joy & energy was shinning from them, the sound … it was a high that no drugs could come close too.
That experience got me into dancing, so I went every week to these Sunday afternoon jazz clubs, even on my own, it was so cool. Never packed & always full of interesting souls struttin n stepping, expressing their thing. You can see a person s soul through the eyes & how they move to rhythm.

So who are your influences?

The person who is the single biggest influence on me musically is my music teacher, Professor TV Gopalakrishnan, a master of Classical Indian music.

Who are your favorite musicians? Groups?

Musicians & influence is such an enormous question for me; so here goes. My musical training came from listening, first to the radio, with whatever caught my ear. As a young teenager I loved rock n roll, especially Little Richard, but the radio is so diverse & so my taste has always been diverse, but generally its Black music in its many forms. Growing older I could afford records: I loved the songs Prince did, up until about 90’s, loved hip hop beats, conscious lyrics of KRS1 & Chuck D, but the best flow was Big Daddy Kane. At that time you were either an indie kid or hip hop, I was the odd ball, I did like both, though I could only dance to hip hop. Indie songs, bands I appreciated. The breaks in hip hop got me into funk, JB being the obvious, but then the breaks began to get more obscure, jazz influenced & soon my record collection was well over 10,000; gospel, jazz, funk, soul etc.
No one name really stands out, but sooo many songs & artists have influenced me.

So how do you handle mistakes during a performance and do you ever get nervous before a performance?

Mistakes, if u don’t make a big deal of it, other people won’t either. When buskin on the underground I would actually be trying things out, writing, working ideas. True performance art ! the energy & vibe of all those people would become part of the creation. Busker’s do 2 hour slots, its all v official, sometimes for those 2 hours I’d work on 1 song, but people only hear 10 seconds of it so it cool. Any way if I didn’t make “mistakes” I wouldn’t get ideas. Of course I got nervous. The mind is such a trickster. Some days u listen to its crap more than others.

Do you work with other artists, If so who? and why?

Yeah, I got into doing my own stuff by working with others. My first single “Money” by Coco & the Bean, I did the rap for it. These guys did hip hop in their bedroom so this inspired me to do likewise. Currently I’m working with Sali, a Carnatic (south Indian classical) singer on an innovative dance track, also an RnB singer called Kavita, she’s great but keeps burping like Barney (Simpson’s) after a great vocal take.

Ha ha, very funny – I’ll get you back for that!
So, tell us about the REAL Stu?

Big question eh? I’m special, there’s no one quite like me. Then we are all unique & special so I guess I’m ordinarily special. I’m very blessed, I’ve had the opportunity to experience a “western” & “eastern” family life. I’m v healthy. Funny, well I laugh at myself. V positive, love life, especially people, but I think our potential is nowhere near reached. I’m also blessed with many talents, musical creations being the primary. But the more I witness people struggling with themselves, religion, God etc the more I realize that my most treasured blessing is having a direct communication with the divine. I always feel truly at ease with my personal faith & this actually also makes me feel at ease with any religious faith. Religious texts are words but the wisdom is woven between the words, interpretation depends on the heart & mind of the reader. The essence of love is universal, humanity is corrupted by ego. Music transcends all this political egotistical crap because its feeling comes not from words but the movement of notes. Like love it has its universal law. I study Carnatic music because the “laws” that define this music have evolved over thousands of years & its focus is more internal, it has more culture, not to say its better, but it has a different emphasis. It will be many more years before I will master this art but its influence will permeate into my creations.

Why do you want to record and release your own music?

I make one big assumption in life: if I like something, other people will also like it, not everyone, but then not everyone likes Thai red curry, but I do.
“I admit, this rhyme is not mine, it’s inspired, divine….” That’s a quote from “Beats n Love” but it reflects my music. I feel that my music will inspire other people, whether it’s a social or political comment or whether its lust or love, my tunes are varied, but whatever the message & emotion that combination of notes conveys, other people will share & appreciate hearing it.
I feel I have a “product” which is not eclectic, cliquey but has a wide appeal. I want to get “mass” appeal, that will mean more influence, power & of course money. With those ingredients I stand a chance of creating a school for deprived kids.

How do you describe your music to people?

It depends who I’m talking to. Music is a science, its full of maths, symmetry, structure, its incredibly beautiful. Its nature & nature is not as crazy & abstract as many people think. If you are not aware of the fundamentals of it, then how can it be discussed? If u wanna chat like a critic then its all about your perspective, your interpretation & feeling. Many people may share that feeling but not everyone so its not really a discussion.
My music is natural, so without trying it has a structure, symmetry, flow etc. its natural because its inspired: by the millions of songs, rhythms & nature, by life, energy & love.

Out of the songs that you have written so far, which one is your favorite and why?

“On my way” seems to be a big favorite, I like it cos its catchy & has a great positive message. Its not my personal favorite. My favorites are some of my earlier tracks which wont be released till I’m in a position of having a great studio & engineer to do them justice. The sound scape of them is amazing, I would spend sometimes up to 4 months on one track. Now I spend about 4 weeks.
What challenges have you had to face in order to pursue music?
Time has been the biggest challenge. I’ve needed a lot of time to be ready for this release. Physically, spiritually, mentally as well as musically. I’ve practiced yoga for 15 years, studied martial arts, Sufiism, Carnatic music, ayervedic medicine, dance, all to get a balance in my life. I trained to become a school teacher, its all part of the BIG plan, its starting to come together. My drive has pushed me through some v tough times, fate has continually pulled me along. I’m ready now.

Why have you decided to donate your profits to charity and why have you chosen this charity?

The Parry Charitable foundation is a small independent charity that provides a loving home for handicapped children. It’s standard of care is high & there is a big waiting list. Every penny from donation goes into helping the kids NOT on administration. ALL the workers are volunteer, most charities 70% of your donation goes into paying their admin costs.
I know this charity & sometimes work there myself, for these reasons I donate to them.
In the long term I want to set up my own school for deprived children. I’m a qualified school teacher, yoga teacher & scientist as well as many other “life” skills. From a young age I would talk to God. When I was 12 years old I received instructions to help deprived children. This goal is my purpose, music is the vehicle to propel me there.

OK, finally what does “the human solution is a divine evolution” really mean?

It’s from the track ‘On my way’….
Ok this small phrase has a big meaning, & rather like a sutra in yoga text, a surah in the Holy Qur’an or verse from the Holy bible its open to interpretation. Unlike those wonderful books of wisdom the writer is fortunately for me still around. So here’s the intended meaning: evolution; this word is kicking up a big fuss lately, in America some schools are refuting the scientific evidence & claiming the “literal” bible version of evolution. Well books of ancient wisdom such as the Old Testament were written with hidden meaning & depth that belies a superficial surface. The true value of the words lie in studying those hidden meanings. The Darwin theory of evolution & the scientific evidence is compatible with religion in fact it’s magnitude & beauty reinforces a divinity & creation. However this is not the platform for this debate & as I said before, interpretation is dependant on perspective. What’s important is that evolution is not HISTORICAL its continuous. We are still evolving & compared to the history of the world we have just climbed down from the trees. If you look at how we behave we are still as ruthless as we ever were as beasts. Capitalism is the law of the jungle but applied to the City. “Only the strong survive. “ Fortunately this is not the whole story. All over the world people are silently working, giving unconditional love to those who are in need or weaker. I believe that right now, historically, we are at a cross roads of evolution. Technology is changing our lives & the global communication phenomena can & is spreading a message of love. It’s mixed up with violence & sex but Its harder to get any more violent than we are, its impossible to take off any more clothes, but the message of love is limitless & individuals & groups everywhere are able to contribute & unify in a way even the hippies never dreamed off. I read in a Sufi book once (can’t remember which one, sorry). “When we act like animals we are worse than the animals but when we act like angels we are better than the angels.”
Its just a case of time. When will we choose the path of love?

Thank you to Stu for sharing his work with us and giving us the time for this interview, and thank YOU for reading the article.

Peace and Love

If you would like to know more about this artist, then please check out his website WWW.STUSOUNDS.COM

Special thanks to the designer of the website: Pj (www.websitedesignz.net) and Phil (www.macpips.com)

Article written by: Kavita Sohanta - I DO NOT burp in between songs! :)

Also read...

Jan 15

I gave up a dream once and it was the biggest regret of my life and to this day, is still one of the few things I regret about my life. When I was at school, I absolutely loved drama and performing arts. Acting, singing and dancing around were my passion. I was pretty useless at everything academic and most other things but performing arts I adored!

When I was in Junior school, we had poetry reading competition. We had to a read a poem by Spike Milligan. The competition was that whoever read out the poem the best would read it out in front of the whole school and the parents and all the teachers too. It was a wonderful poem, I don’t remember it that well and but it was something to do with either catching a really big fish or being caterpillar that was getting bigger and bigger from eating so much! Anyway, we had a mini competition first, in front of just our class. We all had the opportunity to read. I read mine out in such a funny way with all the actions and emotions coupled with the poem that my teacher said I was the winner outright and I got to read it in front of the whole school!

Another time at Junior school, we were going to put on a play called Pedro’s Revenge. I auditioned for the Role of Rocadura, a gangsta who controlled the small town in Mexico. None of the other kids could do a rough Mexican accent like I could so I got given the part immediately! I remember that during the play I got to wear a Trilby hat and my older brothers pin stripe suit with gangster style shoes! I loved playing that role and to this day I still have some pictures of me in that play. I remember that there were also reporters there from the local papers and they wrote an article about the play and put us in the paper! :)

I did a few more plays at Junior school and even at secondary school too. When I got to college, as I had pretty much dropped out of high school an not completed many of my exams, I decided to retake drama at college too. While there I also did some productions as part of the drama club whilst retaking my drama exam.

The reason that I became such a high school dropout was because I was taught that the world was going to end very shortly, and I believed it! :lol: I was also taught that any big decision I was to undertake in my life should go through our spiritual elders and so I approached one the spiritual elders, I asked her, I want to become an actor and I want to do drama. She said to me: “No, that world is full of vice, go and do an office job.” Which is pretty much what I did. I believed her and I followed her advice, left my performing arts path and went to get a basic admin job.

Now as much as I’m sure she meant well, I wish that at that point in my life I had the courage to follow my own path. I know that that past can never be changed but what I do know for sure is that being on stage, acting, dancing is something very much that I’m yearning for. Just because I gave up on my dreams then it doesn’t mean that I cannot pursue them now!

It’s never too late to follow your dreams. If they truly mean that much to you, you will find a way! It doesn’t matter if you have 4 children, a mortgage, a high paid job that and is your only source of income, other commitments, whatever you think it is that is truly holding you back, is only your own lazy mind conjuring up reasons why those things cannot be done. There is ALWAYS a way. I can’t possibly go over all the ways in which you can get around all the challenges that you might be facing at this particular moment in your life. What I can do is tell you firstly that if you do have a dream and that you have been putting it off for whatever reasons, ask yourself firstly, is it truly your dream if so many excuses have been getting in the way? Is it something you truly want or is it just something you have nice thoughts about and “it would be nice if I could do it” etc. If that’s your only feeling towards it then maybe it’s not your dream and maybe you need to find a new dream.

I for one have many dreams and aspirations, not just the one. And in the course of discovering my dreams I have found some of the ones which were just “nice ideas associated with nice feelings” and separated them from the ones which have an extremely strong pull because I feel deep down within my soul that, that is what I want to do.

The way to separate those things that are “that would be nice” kind of things, from “I must achieve this no matter what” is a two step process which is as follows…

1) Get some quiet time and focus on you. When I say that what I mean is our focus is more often then not on thoughts of the things we have to do during the day, the people we have to email, the household chores that need to be done etc. Step away from those thoughts and bring them back to you. Remember that those things are not you, they are the things you’ve chosen, now who is the real you? What is your spirit, your core, your deepest feeling of being that you can come to? (This in itself, is a powerful regular practice you can adopt for many purposes and not just this.)

2) Once you have gotten to a position of getting closer to your core, ask yourself some rapid fire questions without thinking about the answer. Get a pen and paper handy and write the first thing that you feel like writing without thoughts getting in the way. As for the rapid fire questions, you can ask yourself some random questions to begin with e.g. what is my favorite colour? Do about 5 random questions and then throw in a more serious question related to your life into the mix. For greater effectiveness, do this process with a friend or someone you have a lot of trust in and have a good rapport with. A good way to tell if you’re answering from your core is to get the person who is asking you the questions to keep an eye on your eyes. If your eyes move before you’ve answered, you’ve thought about the answer. Look the person in the eye and answer as rapidly as you can without giving the question any conscious thought.

Don’t be afraid if your dreams change. It just means you’ve grown, expanded yourself and you want to explore something different. Whatever happens though, don’t abandon your dreams for one of the silly reasons that tend to permeate our lives these days, find some courage and get your quizzed with some rapid fire questions to find what out what experience your deep subconscious is yearning for.

Dream big :D

Also read...

Jan 10

Very often I’ve seen people undertake a particular task and have given up very easily by the early setbacks. In my life, I’ve managed to master a few things. Especially when I was younger, I was incredibly persistent and if there was something that someone could do, I had to try it for myself to and become a master at it. I’m not sure where this attribute came from but it was a good attribute and I’m glad that as a kid I nurtured it.

The first time I remember learning about my persistence was when I started playing soccer at school. A lot of the other kids could do kick ups with the ball and I couldn’t do them. So I decided to spend my afternoons after school teaching myself how to do it. After days of practice I finally managed to do it! I got to the point where I could do hundreds in one go easily and I could now actually do more than some of my friends, through teaching myself and sheer persistence.

After that I knew that if there was something that I wanted to be able to do I could do it if I just kept trying and trying I knew I would get there eventually through dedication and repetition. Since then there were a few other things I really wanted to be able to do and here is a list of a few of the things that I managed to get really good at and master in my own right.

1) Spinning a basketball on my finger - I loved watching basketball on t.v. and it was one of my favorite sports at school. I used to see the pro players like Michael Jordan and Penny Hardaway spin a basketball on their fingers for as long as they wanted. I decided that I wanted to be able to do the same! I was determined to learn how to do it so I went out and bought a basketball and started practicing. There were no hoops where I lived so I couldn’t actually play b-ball, all I could do was bounce the ball and spin it on my finger. After a few weeks of practice I managed to spin the b-ball on my finger for at least a few minutes. I managed to pass it from finger to finger and do a few other tricks too. As I mentioned in one of my other posts I managed to do a little one on one with one of the Harlem Globe Trotters when he visited my school as a guest.

2) Juggling - I always wanted to be juggle balls, something up until that point in my life I had never been able to do. So I went out and bought a set of juggling balls and practiced like mad. I Not only did I manage to learn to juggle 3 balls I managed to learn to juggle pretty much any 3 objects, of a reasonable size, and do some freestyle juggling too! Not only that, because I taught myself how to juggle, I also figured out a way of teaching people how to juggle within 3 minutes. Most people I’ve seen, who’ve tried to teach juggling tend to take a lot of time about it. Again it all came down to that lovely word….persistence!

3) The Budweiser card shuffle - This is my favorite thing I ever learned. There used to be a Budweiser beer commercial that came on in which a guy riding on a train was playing with a deck of cards. In the advert he did this card shuffle which really amazed me and I was adamant that I wanted to be able to do the card shuffle too! So one day, I noticed that we taped the commercial by mistake. So I played the commercial over and over again and studied the card shuffle. It took me about 2 days in total but after repeated viewing and mimicking, I managed to perfect the shuffle. This also led me to go on to being professional magician since I loved learning and doing card tricks so much.

4) Nun-chukka - In my college days I made friends with a guy who was a martial arts expert. Not only did he do martial arts but he was also very good with weapons and one day he showed me what he could do with a pair of nun-chukka. (For those who don’t know, nun-chukka are the weapon where two sticks of about 12inches approx are joined in the middle by a chain. Bruce Lee was one of first people to make Nun-chukka famous on the big screen.) I was memorized. Yes, you guessed it, I had to learn how to do it! So I went to china town and bought myself a pair. I spent weeks practicing as playing around with nun-chukka can be quite a painful experience but I kept at it regardless of how many bruised fingers and bones I had. But it didn’t stop there. A few years later, I saw a t.v. show in which I saw a woman who was an expert at 2 nun-chukka!! Yes 2! You’ve guessed it! :lol: I had to be able to do that, so I went out and bought two pairs of foam nun-chukka this time, to lessen the bruises, and I watched the clip of the lady and after hours of practice I manage to master the double nun-chukka move. I was most proud of myself! :)

This whole blog post probably sounds like me just blowing my own trumpet at how good at I am at some things, which I probably am :P but, I’m also demonstrating that the mindset of absolute persistence, that nothing will distract you, that no matter how many failures you suffer, you will keep going and get to your goal. If you truly want to accomplish something, you MUST get into the mindset that nothing but your goal is acceptable, the end result is the only result, failure is not an option, that you can and must persist until your goal is reached.

Persistence = Resistance = Enormous self growth.

The Secret DVD

Also read...

Jun 21

Me!For anyone that’s been keeping up with the blog, you will know that in March 2005 I weighed 22 stones which equates to 308lbs, I was in extremely bad health and just a few days earlier me and my soul mate had consciously and mutually decided to part ways. Let’s just put it this way…things couldn’t have been that much worse! (By the way that’s me in the picture!) ;)

Even though it was a difficult time, especially splitting with someone that I had been with for over 2 and a 1/2 years, for some reason I felt a change in me. It was the 21st of March 2005. That was the day that something clicked inside of me. I woke up feeling an incredible sense of positivity. To this day I’m not sure what it was but all I know is that day was pivotal in my life being the way it is today.

That was the day that I completely changed my diet. I went from eating 4 -5 chocolate bars a day, 4 - 5 bags of crisps, a litre of fizzy drink and so on and so fourth to someone who knew how to choose the right foods and spend time preparing them to keep me completely healthy. The transformation was amazing. I remember my joints becoming more supple, my eyesight improving, my fitness increasing, my overall wellbeing taking a huge jump!

In addition to that I made a conscious choice to start exercising more. Even though I was a regular badminton player, I was only playing once a week and wasn’t very committed to it. I then decided that I was going to commit to myself to improve my overall play. Since then I now play up to 4 times a week and get regular coaching. I eventually got asked to play for a few of our club league games and for next season I’ve been picked as one of the main players of the team.

Also, I joined the gym at work, only £16 a month and the best thing is that it’s open 24 hours so I can go whenever I like! :) I also go to the gym as often as I can. For the most part, it only ends up being once or twice a week but coupled with my badminton it means that I’m getting more than enough exercise to empower my body. Just to illustrate to people how energetic badminton is: If you were to run for an hour at a steady pace you would burn approximately 100 calories. A 1 hour session of badminton burns approximately 400 calories!! And I play for 2 - 3 hours at a time!!!! :-O The reason that it’s so intensive is because it uses practically ever muscle in the body and because of its fast/slow nature it naturally burns more fat and energy than a constant exercise.

I even go running now and again and I am participating in the JPMorgan Charity on the 6th of July in Battersea Park, London. It’s only 3.5 miles but for me that’s a long distance! Considering I never ever used to run in my life and up until recently the most I had ever done was at school which was a cross country run of a 1 mile. Bharat, my best friend, and I recently decided to start running together, 1) to prepare me for the run and 2) for both of us to increase our well being and become more fit and to motivate each other. Just over a month ago I reported that we managed to run 2 miles fairly easily.

Last Sunday we intended to run 3.5 miles. We managed to get to near the 2.5 mile mark when my legs could carry me no further. The route was a tough one, there were a couple of long uphill stretches and I pushed myself a little to hard over the hills and when we got to the bottom of the final one my legs almost gave in. Even though we didn’t make the full distance I was still incredibly proud of how far I’ve come in such a short space of time. We’re going to attempt to run the same route again this weekend so watch this space to see if we’re successful!! ;)

Since 21/3/05 my entire outlook on life changed. Even though, I had already begun developing and living the power of choice philosophy from several years earlier, it was and extreme rollercoaster!! I didn’t have any sort of consistency. My ex partner would be able to confirm that. ;) Even though she loved the philosophy it used to frustrate her so much when she saw that I wasn’t living it.

Choosing your path is incredibly empowering. Just look at what it has done for me. Had it not been for that one simple word “CHOICE” I would not be here sitting and writing this blog. “CHOICE” for me is one of the most powerful words in the English language because for me, it encompasses the essence of self empowerment and moment to moment creation.

I had a debate recently with a friend called Sapna at work. Her remit was that everything is pre-planned and nothing is within our control. Although I agree to a certain degree, I know for me personally, living life from the stand point of “choice” is about a billion times more empowering then living a life of submission to pre-destiny. I know as I’ve tried both! Having the attitude of pre-destiny and living my life within that construct was the reason for me feeling suicidal 6 years ago.

The process that I’ve been going through to empower myself over the last 18 months (something that I will elaborate on later) has meant that I’ve been going on an upwards spiral. I feel so much more alive then ever before! There are even times when I almost feel like there’s electricity running through my body and that there is absolutely nothing that I cannot do! There are many other areas of my life that I’m still working on but slowly and surely it’s all coming together to work in unity and with fluidity. Don’t get me wrong, I have my days when I feel like shit and feel depressed. But the most important thing is that those days are becoming fewer and further between!

The reason I’m sharing this is because I want to show you how once simple word can change your entire life. All it is, is a shift in perception! Taking a different view of life and putting myself in the driving seat of life!! Go on, I know you can do it too! If there is anything you would like to change for your life right now, what would it be? What would you CHOOSE to do differently? What CHOICE can you make right now? :)

The power of choice is yours!

Also read...

May 9

Eliminate StressMost of us will have some sort of task list that we write down on a regular basis. I do mine weekly and just make a note of my main appointments and tasks that I would like to see completed by the end of that week.

Between the points of the task list, you might get loads of other spontaneous tasks arising that you will need to take care of. (Looking after the Computer networks at work, this is very often the case!) When it feels that you’re getting bogged down at work with hundreds of things to do the last thing on your mind will be to take a break!! But, if you were hoping to get things done quickly, efficiently and with accuracy and yet you’re getting stressed and frustrated, it should be the first thing you do!

If you feel like you’re getting to the point where you are feeling stressed then you need to tackle your own stress first before you continue any further otherwise you run the risk making mistakes and being in and even worse state than when you started.

So how do you tackle the stress? Many people will have their own methods, some will listen to music, some will keep those stress toys on their desk, others will go and play sports, do some meditation, stretch, eat, drink, you name it, the list goes on and on!

Read the rest of this entry »

Also read...

Mar 24
Love
icon1 Amit Sodha | icon2 Daily, Love, Passion | icon4 03 24th, 2006| icon32 Comments »

LoveI read an absolutely amazing blog by Seawave on Remembering Love and it inspired me to also write my first piece on love too.

Love is such a misused word in this day and age and I do get frustrated sometimes when it used as a tool for selfish gain.

Love is the most simple, beautiful, energetic, open, natural emotion in the universe! Love is not something tangible that you can give away, love is what you are, love is your state of being. Even whilst being with my partner, I never felt that it was something that could ever be expressed through words but only shown through action, emotion and passion. (Although I still say it now and again!) :) However love is not reserved for the one who you spend time with romantically. Love is unconditional for all and if love is reserved for a few then it cannot be love because it comes with conditions.

Read the rest of this entry »

Also read...

Feb 27

Will PowerWill power. What is it? People have been going on about this strange concept for many years! There have been countless books on the subject and yet even though I’ve read some of them I still find myself struggling. Why? At first I wasn’t sure why so I decided to meditate and explore further this subject of will power. I would just like to point out at this stage the concepts I’ve discovered are still a trial for me also but I’ve decided to document what works and what does not work. Feel free to try a few of these on yourself and see if you get similar results and let me know.

First off, Lets try and ascertain what this whole concept of “Will Power” Means?

To me, “Will” means the strength and drive to complete a set task or achieve and goal. “Power” means: The energy to drive forward. Now this definition is based soley on my experience and understanding of those words and each of our individual experiences may lead us to feel a different way about a given subject.

So “Will Power” The energy to drive forward and complete a set task or goal.

So therein lies the first stage of building your will power, set yourself a task and with associate a specific goal. E.g. I have always been fighting a loosing battle with my weight. In March 2005 I managed to somehow reach a whopping 22 stone in weight!! I was starting to get extremely ill and weak. My body started to cave in on me. I started experiencing severe health problems, primarily my heart, my joints and my eyes. I had severe pains in my knees when I walked down the stairs. The alarm bells finally started ringing.

It was March 21st 2005 that I started to realise and awaken to the fact that I was killing myself by the way that I was eating. It was also the day that my girlfriend had decided that she wanted to split up with me. Which in a sense worked out well because at that particular moment, I had that small kind of awakening spark. Because of that spark, the breakup with my girlfriend didn’t phase me much at all. In fact it was perfect timing if anything because it meant I could solely focus on changing my diet permanently for the better. To this day…almost a year later, although my diet isn’t 100% perfect, it is however, much healthier, I’ve lost weight, I look better, I feel better and I’m a better person because of it.

So what happened? What was the spark? What did I do to achieve my goal?

Well firstly, I’m not entirely sure what the spark was or where it originated from. All I know is that I realised that I needed to do something about my weight or face some serious consequences in the future.

So with respect to that, stage 1 of using and building your will power is realisation. Unfortunatley unless you have realisation about a particular goal, then you may not be able to go further, I won’t say that it is impossible, but it is very important that you awaken to a particular idea or concept about yourself that you need to undertake or change.

Secondly, after having the realisation or awakening, YOU MUST ACT ON IT. Those sparks don’t last for long, a few days at most. How do you act on it? This is where you must divert your attention and energy to the thing you need to change. So for this example, lets take my weight. I new that something had to be done, but what? What did I do? Firstly I started reading up on health and better living, I slowly started brining changes into my diet but this took a lot of energy. I struggled on certain days. But gradually I started forming new habits. I stress that this wasn’t easy. I had to fight each day to make changes, but I was enjoying experimenting with new foods and juices and I started to like it which make the whole process easier. There were days when I caved I had the odd binge but overall the changes were having a lasting effect.

This process is the driving forward aspect that I was talking about earlier. There were days that I would wake up and feel low and didn’t feel like being healthy but I strived on and eventually I felt the rewards. The rewards were that I lost weight, I felt much healthier, I didn’t have any pains in my legs, my eyes started improving and overall I was feeling more motivated.

Now a year later, the struggle is not over. There are days when I still give into the same lazyness of the past and eat bad foods and fal into the rut, but they are fewer and further between. I Still haven’t completed the process of totally transforming my diet. There are a few other major changes that have to happen in my life before that can happen. This process of making slow but gradual changes is the “Will Power” that I was talking about earlier. It was driving forward and pushing myself further and harder all the time. I now write down my goals and do my best to stick to them. Almost like a contract with myself. Writing down your progress also can show you how far you have moved on from when your started your process, whatever that maybe.

In summary, I’ve compiled a list of tips to build your will power and achieve success in all that you do:

1) Realise and awaken to what is that you need to achieve. More importantly REALISE WHEN YOU’VE HAD THIS REALISATION! This is the hardest step of all, but once you’ve had the awakening, you must act on it quickly.

2) Know exactly what it is you want to achieve and start the process of working towards that.

3) Tell only one person what you’re doing and ask them to help monitor your progress. Don’t tell too many people because that process in itself can zap the energy of the process. (Not sure why…just something I’ve noticed over the years.)

4) Write down your goals but also write down your progress and use it as a reference point to monitor your progress. It can be useful to see how far you have got.

5) I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. To achieve your goal, if practical, help someone else achieve the same, that process in itself can be a huge boost to your own objectives. But it’s almost like a “karmic” process. Help another achieve that which you desire.

6) Know that you will have failures as well as success. The failures are a sure fire sign that you’ve tried your guts out. If you don’t fail at all, then you’re not pushing yourself hard enough. Failure, in many ways, is also success!

7) Remember that your Will Power is your drive and energy to complete set tasks and objectives, Don’t be afraid to fail but on doing so estabish why you’ve failed and aim to rectify that on the next attempt.

8) Start the process with positive thoughts and good wishes for yourself. Think: “I am succesful in all that I undertake regardless of the outcome. I am aware that I am undertaking a new challenge in this game of life. I am a success.”


If you’re looking for the best way to ensure that your home is safe, the internet is the perfect place to go to. Whether your searching for information on black mold, or facts about building contractors, you’ll be sure to find it. Take a look and start learning more about radon now!

Related Posts

Dec 14

Aids in MalawiLiving in the 21st century can, at times, be a daunting challenge. One that many of us struggle to comprehed due to the pace of our frantic lives. It becomes too easy to be wrapped up in; “what I should be doing” compared to; “what I choose to do” because of a genuine passion…My tiny bubble of a universe envelopes me and I fail to actually enjoy and appreciate what is going on around me. Earlier today I felt a wave of depression because of something I’m going through in my personal life. I was frantically scouring the web to find some insecticide to eliminate the wasps flying around in my head. For a short while I was the only living being in the universe that was in such a predicament. Everything else disappeared and it was just me and my problem. It’s not the first time I’ve been in such a state. But those fleeting moments of absolute arrogance can be soul destroying. Wallowing in ones self pity is the fastest way to loosing all self respect.

Read the rest of this entry »

Also read...

Dec 13

Ahhhh the age old question: Do we have free will or are we just puppets in a punch and judy show? Well the truth is that it’s a bit of both really. (I promise you this is not a cop out!) It’s such a fundamental question about our lives that people ask on a daily basis and yet it is probably one of the things we’ll never know in our corporeal forms. I, for one, often wake up bruised and scarred from the events of the day before. Seldom do I wake up fresh with zeal and looking forward to the day ahead. But does that mean that my fate should leave me scarred and always and in a state of disrepair? In fact, the opposite is true, If you, like me, often wake up dreading the daily grind then maybe it’s out time we stopped fate in it’s tracks. After all do you want your fate to be that of someone who always wakes up on the wrong side of bed?

Read the rest of this entry »

Also read...