It's NEVER too late…!

"They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." - Andy Warhol 

It doesn't matter what time of year it is, it is never too late to start improving yourself, to focus on reinventing yourself, to change your life, or to have hope for the future. Do it now. Do it today. Don't wait for life to come along and kick you in the butt. Make today GREAT. Your life, your choice, your chance to change. You control your thoughts, actions, and behaviors. You control the outcome. Choose wisely. 

Just a few days ago, I realised how little we realise that before we know it, time has just passed us by. There we are left with the same dreams and hopes, yet we haven't moved forward. And Thats when I came across a real life story that goes out to prove that it can never be too late to try. This story touched me and I hope it touches you too.

Most people put up walls in their minds, blocking them from success. 
Terry Fox, refused to do this. 

In his early 20's, Terry, stricken with cancer that had already claimed his right leg, set out on a cross-Canada marathon of hope. The year was 1980. 

Terry began his marathon of hope long before fundraising runs became popular. His goal was to run across Canada, raising money for cancer research. And he started with just himself and a buddy in a van. 

He ran through snow and ice in Quebec, where he was nearly - and literally - run off the road by drivers that were angry at him for being there. No one understood what he was doing. To them, he was just some dumb kid risking death running on the side of a highway. 

He ran those first few weeks of his marathon of hope - with no hope from anyone else. Even his buddy, the van driver, doubted the mission. 

Yet Terry ran a marathon each and every single day - on one leg. 

On one leg! 

Circumstances didn't stop Terry. He believed. Terry's mind had expanded to create a vision. In his vision, people would take notice of his run, pay attention to his cause, and they would support cancer research to help fund and find a cure for the disease that would ultimately take his life far too soon. 

Terry was eventually rewarded. As he crossed into Ontario, Canada's most populous province, word had spread. Major media outlets began to pick up on this marathon of hope by an ambitious, yet doomed youngster. 

By the time he reached Canada's political and metropolitan capitals, Ottawa and Toronto, he was being met in the streets by thousands of well-wishers. 


Thousands of people were there to get hope of their own. To expand their minds about what was possible. 

Terry was the original sports apparel slogan. He was the first to turn Impossible to I'm Possible. He truly Just Did It. Terry was all about the positive side of life, loving every minute despite the hardships he battled. 

Imagine running a marathon a day on one leg, in 1980, with a poorly made prosthetic limb, without fancy footwear, or good nutrition (because he was doing this on a tiny budget), or proper recovery (because he was sleeping in a van down by the river after each marathon)! 

There was no quit in Terry. He embraced the pain. It drove him every day. 

"Maybe that's why I've made it as far as I have - 2,521 miles. If I ran to a doctor every time I got a little cyst or abrasion I'd still be in Nova Scotia. Or else I'd never have started. I've seen people in so much pain. The little bit of pain I'm going through is nothing. They can't shut it off, and I can't shut down every time I feel a little sore."- Terry Fox 

How do you react to pain, to struggle, to setbacks? 

Do you see the obstacles? Or the opportunities? 

Do you count the problems? Or do you focus on creating 2 solutions for each? 

The former is limited thinking. The latter is the attitude you must take. 

You need to be like Terry and believe that anything - and everything - is possible for you. 

You need to expand your mind about what you and your body can achieve. You must blow up your self-imposed limits. You must expand your vision. 

Pause for some self-reflection. 

Ask yourself... 

What are your limits? 

Who puts up those walls and fences that define your limits? 

Can you knock them down and expand your vision? 

Of course you can. 

Because it is you that laid the walls, brick by brick. It is you that controls the beliefs in your mind. It is you that creates your vision, it is you that chooses to be positive or negative. 

Yes, I understand that what we believe is often seeded by others, for better or for worse, and often for the latter. 

But it's only because we never reflect, we never sit back and think, "Wait a darn minute, who says I can only do ABC? I know that I can go all the way to XYZ." 

You must think bigger. 

You must make little bets. 

You must take bigger steps. 

Suddenly you'll see that your own marathon of hope is possible, as it was for Terry. 

In a made-for-TV-movie about Terry, there comes a moment where he leaves the hostile reception of Quebec and crosses into Ontario. His face lights up at the border. He knows that this is where his vision will come to life. He is gaining momentum. He knows the tide is turning. I can only imagine that his mind expanded again on that day. 

Sadly, that was the last border that Terry would cross on his own. 

After making it through southern Ontario, where over a third of Canada's population resides, raising millions of dollars and cementing a legacy that remains today, Terry received the news that he and all his supporters feared. 

His cancer had returned. 

After 143 days and over 3,339 miles, from Newfoundland, where he had begun by sticking his toe in the Atlantic, his marathon of hope came to a tragic end. On September 1st, 1980, Terry was forced to stop running outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario. The cancer had returned, this time to his lungs. 

Terry passed away on June 28, 1981 at the age 22. 

Terry would never get the chance to dip his toe in the Pacific, the dream ending for his marathon of hope. But what he did was bigger than the ocean itself. His impact was greater than anything that Terry could have imagined. 

Terry said, "Even if I don't finish, we need others to continue. It's got to keep going without me." 

And so it has. 

Each September, thousands of Terry Fox runs take place in communities all over North America. The Terry Fox Foundation has raised over $600 million for cancer research since 1980. His legend will never die. In fact, it only grows and expands each year. 

Rare are stories about men or women as innocent and inspiring as Terry's. 

But there is a little - or a lot - of Terry's fighting spirit in all of us. 

We need to see that courage in ourselves more often, each and every single day in what we do. We need to believe in what we're fighting for. We need to stand up for ourselves, for what is right for us. We need to have a vision. 

We need to know, as Terry knew, that we are capable of so much more. 

Terry epitomized big thinking. His mind expanded beyond easy possibilities. He communicated a vision that others could - and would - get behind. And all that from a young man that just as easily could have holed up and hidden behind a wall of his own making. 

"I'm not a dreamer, and I'm not saying this will initiate any kind of definitive answer or cure to cancer, but I believe in miracles. I have to." - Terry Fox 

So what are your limits again? 

What are the self-limiting beliefs that keep you in shackles? 

Are you ready to expand your vision? 

Are you willing to believe in miracles? You have to. 

Dream bigger. Knock down the walls. What was laid brick by brick over the last twenty, thirty or forty years of your life can be smashed away. 

Believe in yourself. 

Take stock of your talents, your support, your goals, your dreams. 

If you want to transform, then take your dreams and expand them. 

Get the five pillars of transformation in place: Planning, Accountability, Social Support, an Incentive, and The Deadline. 

Terry had those all. He started with very little support, but it grew. It was all powered by the massive incentive he had, the deadline that spurred him, and the biggest dream that our country of Canada may ever have seen. 

Terry showed what is possible when you believe. 

Now it's up for you to believe in what is possible for yourself. 

Terry not only ran to find a cure, but to give you hope, to show you that you can achieve great things, at any age, under any circumstance. 

Please take his message to heart, no matter if you're trying to lose fat, change a bad habit, overcome an addiction, or bring your family closer together. 

You can do it. I believe in you. And Terry would have believed in you, too. 

Expand your mind. Spread your vision. Think bigger. Take action. And never, ever, EVER give up on what is important to you. 

Dip your toe in the ocean of possibility, and head out on that road. JUST DO IT !!!

REAL LIFE EXPERIENCES

Ever since I have been  conducting trainings, I have met people from all walks of life particularly women, who have inspired me along the way. Women with courage and determination. I believe their true life experiences can inspire many more lives. Here's to all of the real life fighters who have fought their way through all adversities and changed the course of their lives for the better.

I met Aparna ( name changed ) a few years ago during a sales presentation. A mother of two  and a housewife. In the months to come , I had to the opportunity to know her more closely. What she had shared with me appalled me  with sheer horror . I felt so sad that so many women are suffering in their trapped lives.

Aparna was forced into marriage at the age of 16 to someone who was 18 years older to her. She had no choice into the matter as her parents needed to ' fulfil their parental duty '.

On the first day of marriage, she was beaten and raped by her drunken husband. A child herself, had no clue whatsoever of what was happening to her. She just cried herself to sleep. A month later, She discovered that she was with child. Her in-laws were extremely nice and that was the reason she apparently overlooked her husband torments at night.

She delivered her first child , a son who she thought was a gift from God. She mentioned in passing to her mother about how her husband had treated her. But nobody paid any attention. Their only reply was that she probably irritated him.But Aparna's husband became worse  after she arrived from her parents house.  His beatings increased and  it grew more difficult for her to bear. 

She decided to take matters in her own hands and decided to speak to her brother- in -law who was respected in the family and was the only person her husband feared. He was shocked at his brother's behaviour and reassured her that he would speak to his brother. Aparna's husband was even more angered by this and told him to stay out of it and accused Aparna of talking to younger boys and being unfaithful. He then decided to leave the house with her and the child to Mumbai. Once there, he relentlessly tortured her and she  said she had even accepted it with no more strength to fight. She felt that anything she did would not change the situation but worsen it. She felt trapped and helpless.

She was happy in Mumbai as there were so many people in their chawl and she felt her time passing by. She had another child , a girl who the husband despised . He kept referring to the little girl as ' bad luck '. After a few years, his business seemed to be having problems. He would take out his anger on Aparna and kept blaming the daughter for the bad luck that she brought.

One day, he came home in the mid-afternoon and told  Aparna to dress the girl up and pack her clothes. She didn't dare question him. He left with the child and came back after a few hours empty handed. Aparna started questioning him, but he just ignored her.She then started screaming and asking him what he had done with the child. He just smirked and told her that he had ' taken care of the bad luck '. She was terrified thinking of what he could have done to her innocent daughter.

That was the day she decided enough is enough.The next morning, after her husband left for work. She called up her in-laws and informed them of what had happened. She then went to the police station and reported the case. For her  good luck, one of the policemen was from her home town. He went out of the way to help her. Her husband was brought in for questioning and they found out that the little girl was left at an ashram. Aparna was overjoyed to see her daughter. 

She decided that she will never give in to her husband anymore. She left back to her mother's house the next day. She started working as a house maid just to look after her needs . Shortly in a few months, she had her children admitted to a hostel. She applied for a  passport and applied for jobs as an ayah to work in the gulf. She worked for  in the Gulf for  7 years . She  learnt English while was working in the gulf. One of her employers also taught her  a few things about administrative jobs. 

She came back to India and started working in an office as a receptionist. She admitted her son in an engineering college and her daughter is in the first year of college studying commerce.

Aparna suffered silently for so many years because of lack of support from her family. She had accepted her fate and allowed injustice to control her life. It was only when her daughter's life was in danger that she woke up to the harsh reality of her life.She never looked back after that. She depended on no one and did not expect help from anybody as she knew nobody would  help as her experience in the past.She fought for her life, for her freedom and she is an amazing example of how people can transform their lives when they are put to test.

Be Positive and Attract Positive Changes in Your Life.

Its not often that we come across people who are cheerful and optimistic in-spite all their tribulations.Be it any situation, these people seem to be unaffected  by the adversities that  they face. 

Then there are the multitude of people we meet everyday who are consumed by their problems and its all they talk and stress about. They do not see a solution but see the future as bleak and without any solution.

How many of us are surrounded by people like this, our family,friends and coworkers.Their very first reaction to a situation is mostly a negative one, for example,' I don't think it will work out for me,' or' That's not even possible,' or even, 'Why do bad things happen only to me !'

I can go on with endless examples of ways of how people choose the negative direction which will lead them away from the solution to their problems and rather deeper into the mess they have created. We come across situations everyday, but its the approach we take that's important.And that makes all the difference. 

Dr. Joseph Murphy in his book, THE POWER OF THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND 

talks about how a positive mind influences the subconscious which then changes the course of events in our lives so much that the solution will be more evident and things will eventually fall into place.

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale says in his book POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING ,

“You can permit obstacles to control you mind to the point where they are uppermost and thus become the dominating factors in your thought pattern. By learning how to cast them from the mind, by refusing to become mentally subservient to them, and by channeling spiritual power through your thoughts you can rise above obstacles which ordinarily might defeat you...You need be defeated only if you are willing to be. This book teaches you how to ‘will’ not to be.”

So if positivity can change our lives so much, then why do we let negativity control our thoughts and actions.Why do we let the negativity consume us and dictate our future when all it takes is one step in the right direction. 

It pains me to see people who are closest to me who are prisoners of their negativity.Its not that I do not understand their efforts to live a fuller life yet, it would make all the difference in the world to be a tad bit positive.

Don't let the negative world affect you. Believe in yourself and believe that you are meant to enjoy your life in every way that you dream. Its the belief that counts. Don't reason and wonder about how things will change by being positive, just decide that you will think positively from the next second .

Read the two books I have mentioned earlier and they will change they way you think about life, provided you believe in your heart that it will. I know how I have personally benefitted from reading books as these.

Personally, I have been struggling with my own demons till a year or two ago. I would

ping pong  between negativity and positivity creating utter chaos of how I wanted my life to take shape. I realised that I was letting myself down with negative self talk and letting my low self esteem rob me of the joys that I truly deserve. I started to look at things in a different perspective and slowly things started changing for the better to my amazement. Situations hadn't changed, neither had the people around me. All that changed was my outlook towards life.And the same things that used to weigh me down, no longer bothered me much. I started to concentrate on how I could make a difference in people's lives. Probably start with one friend who I could support to change their lives for the better. It gave me such tremendous feeling of satisfaction to make such a difference in someones life and see it before my very eyes.

That's when I discovered  the  true direction in my life and my purpose.I decided that I would offer words of motivation and inspiration to whoever can benefit from them.Help people see the marvels of inculcating positivity in their lives.

Its important to be an empty cup where motivation is concerned, because for most of us,our cup is full with past experiences that have probably been disappointing. 

So how do you change from being negative to one who is positive ?

Just tell yourself every morning the moment you get up,

 look in the mirror and tell yourself 

'I AM AMAZING...I DESERVE TO BE HAPPY AND HEALTHY...

MY LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL AND I FEEL GREAT !!!

You will probably feel a little silly the first few days, but just humour yourself in the privacy of your washroom and look into your eyes in the mirror and say it with conviction. Everyday, for the next few days and you will slowly feel the difference in just a day or two. Trust me,  I know...!

Woman......Be the Change You Want to See ...!

I often imagine how things would have been  if I, as a woman would have just sat back on the sidelines and not have contributed my efforts the way I already have. And I realise that I have made a difference, in my business, in my home and also in society.

So, what really does bring about this change ..?

Most of us, the so called 'weaker sex', have so many opinions of how things should be, or how the family must run or even how the situation in our work place should be. Yet, very few of us come out and voice them out .Why ? 

Is it the fear of being rejected or insecurity of being 

judged ? Or is it the mere fact that we feel that our opinions will not be heard anyway, so why take the trouble!

My friends, we may be labelled the weaker sex, but for argument sake, lets look back at our lives and examine the sheer strength with which which we live our lives every single day.

From the throes of pain in the labour room to the the responsibility of managing both house and work, not to mention the emotional strength needed to manage in-laws, parents,husband, children all simultaneously while planning for future savings, children's education,healthcare of the elderly so on and so forth. We manage it all with just a smile and no complain whatsoever. Yet we are called the weaker sex, because we care more and sacrifice more ..?

So, my argument again, Why? 

If you feel you need to be respected, then you need to respect yourself first. No more doormat treatment for you.

No more pushing your aspirations aside.

And definetely no more suffering injustice ....!!!!

If you feel you need to be heard, then speak louder and firmer.Speak till they start listening. Be persistent.

If you feel you need to look after your health, then stop postponing your plans and make time for it today, not tomorrow after you've finished some duties for somebody else.

If you need to stop injustice, then just stop it, don't wait for someone to support you or stand behind you.

Mahatma Gandhi didn't look back to see who was following him, he just did what he needed to do, rest is history.

It all begins with a single step. Remember, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

So, BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE.....!!!

ITS TIME TO TAKE ACTION...!

Every day, every single day you hear another deplorable act against a woman....!

It sickens me to even think that we are just sitting around and just flipping through pages of the newspaper, taking in details of horrendous acts done to young girls and women with surprised looks and even gasps of disbelief as to how dirty things have come to be. Yet, we do nothing.

What is it going to take for us women to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH  ....!

In what way are we lacking, we have education, we have the mental fabric needed to persevere , We have the guts....but why not the motivation....?!

How many young girls, women to be abused, raped and tossed around like a piece of meat is it going to take to wake us up and say....STOP!

It all must begin at the home front, we have to protect our young blooming girls not by keeping them behind closed doors but teach them all they need to know about self defence. They need to be exposed to techniques to enforced should they be in a hot water situation and we need to start at home, schools, colleges.

No more waiting and watching. No more wasting time gossiping and telly time. Spend time to motivate and educate all the women you know. Create support groups, meet influential women in your area and figure ways out before terror strikes again. Do something, anything for the cause of women.

No more waiting , watching...ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. ITS TIME TO ACT.