See ya!

The purpose of this blog just doesn’t excite me any more. I’m taking some time out and contemplating renewal. I don’t want to feel forced to blog and not provide valuable content. It’s frustrating when you want to write, but don’t know what to write. I don’t call it “writer’s block” or anything like that, I just know that I’m not meant to write anything now. So I’m taking a break, and I may post here again in the future. For now, I wish you well and I hope the existing content keeps you company.

If you wish to follow another of my blog, check it out:

It’s called “Letters to the Self” and can be read at http://kavit.wordpress.com

Holiday 2006 – The REAL Manifestation!

A while back I wrote about how I was manifesting the chance to visit exotic island and clear beaches, something that is very close to my heart. It has now manifested in my life, and today is the start of a beautiful thirty one days away from home. I’m leaving home now, 7am, and heading to London’s Heathrow Airport with my family. We’re jetting off to Malaysia, then Bali and then Thailand for a month of pure bliss. I’m so excited!

Over the month, I’ll be blogging about my experiences when I get a chance. I’m not taking my laptop so if the hotel PC’s have a way for me to get some pictures on the net, I’ll get some images for you as well. I’ll also be available at the Inner Rhythm Community Forums. Feel free to check out all the conversations that go on there, and keep in touch.

Your Inner Critic

Do you have an inner critic? Someone or something that speaks inside of you and is trying to get you to do the opposite of what you really want? Absolutely. We all have this side to us, this inner voice or spirit that is telling us to do something different, but what does it all mean, is it good to acknowledge it, and how can we coach the critic?

My belief is that the inner critic is good and bad. For the individual who likes to connect with their spirit, and get into spirit, or what Dr Wayne Dyer call’s “Inspiration”, I don’t think that the inner critic is a good resource. In fact, when you’re in spirit, the inner critic will have no force over you as your spirit guides you further, and your ego, or the act of “edging god out” is no longer there.

For the individual that is pushed by extrinsic motivation, or external motivation, such as gaining monetary rewards for completing some work, or achieving a medal for running a race, there is always an inner critic present. If the individual isn’t strong enough, the inner critic will override their thoughts and force the individual to do what it thinks, even though it may not be the most comfortable path. This individual has no use in trying to talk the inner critic out of what he/she is saying. So, then the question is, how can you learn to use the inner critic to your advantage?

Here are my few steps to really coaching the critic…

First understand that it is the inner critic that is actually speaking, it is these inner gremlins trying to get the better of you, nothing else. Acknowledging this is the first step, and at times the most important step.

Understand that the inner critic really wants you to do well and succeed, it’s method or path is just somewhat different to yours. From the beginning, it has taken the learning from our parents, teachers and upbringers who easily feel they know what they want.

Next, understand that the inner critic tries to help you by wanting you to do what YOU want and remain easily in your comfort zone. But let’s face it, if you don’t have challenges and extend your comfort zone, life can get really boring, so the inner critic can crop up and pushes you to do something you wouldn’t, thus taking you out of your comfort zone. As humans, we naturally want to avoid any feeling of pain so we begin to get anxious with this inner critic around.

The problem is that the inner critic doesn’t know when to stop. It will continue until it grows out of control. So this becomes the time, you’ve got to take it out and put it in front of you so you can control it.

To do this, it is important to note when you are speaking to yourself and when the inner critic is speaking to you. One way to do this is to get finer about it’s details. Is it a male or female voice? Is it the voice of someone you know or not? If yes, who? What is the voice tonality like? Where in your body can you hear the inner critic speak from?

Then step back, and observe the critic speak. Notice that the critic is speaking and you have no association with it. The inner critic is trying to control your life, but when you observe it from an outside point, you can see how silly it all looks. Even laugh if you need too. For the next week, be consciously aware of when the inner critic is speaking and note down everything. Also notice when it gets stronger (maybe because you don’t follow its instructions). Does it also get stronger at a certain point dependant on your emotional state? Does it get stronger when you’re tired? Hungry? Bored? Sleepy?

Draw your inner critic. Get creative! This helps externalise it and keeps it separate from you. Remember, YOU want to live your life. You don’t want the inner critic to control it. Do what you need to do in order to ensure that it is a separate entity from you, and when it gets out of control, who are you to follow someone else’s way of life for you?

Go even further and question the inner critic. Understand the deeper concerns of the critic and provide feedback and guidance. Develop a positive attitude and good rapport with the critic. Write a dialogue 🙂

Ultimately, the inner critic is good to a certain point. Without it, a person who lives on external motivation may not grow. However, when the inner critic is going out of hand, it’s up to you to really change gear and take command of the vehicle, your body.

Our Gift To The World

Check out Andy Shaw’s brilliant new project – Our Gift To The World. Andy and his team have come up with a great way to donate to your favorite charities without even spending a penny. Please check out the website and show your support.

Here are some of the benefits for YOU:

Donate to your chosen charity without putting any money in yourself

Create a large measurable result with very little to absolutely no effort

Donate more to your charity just by recommending it to someone else

Donate more to your charity from everyone they recommend it to

Everyone in your contact list should be happy to sign up for this since it is 100% aimed at helping others in a very efficient manner.

A chance to work for our charity from your home whenever you have a spare 5 minutes

Full recognition for all of that!

Here’s the website: Our Gift To The World

Energy Vampires

My good friend, Jon Gordon is America’s Number 1 Energy Coach. Jon travels America, delivering seminars in public and corporate situations. He is also the author of two best-selling books, his latest “The 10 Minute Energy Solution” released in January 2006. Please check him out at www.JonGordon.com

Jon talks a lot about Energy Vampires, things that suck and drain energy out of you and his role is to help you find ways to restore that energy within yourself. It is with energy that you will be able to move forward to achieve the desires you wish. And it is through Jon that I have mastered the art of creating energy within me so I am at peak at all times in order to create more effeciency in my life.

Energy Vampires can be in the form of lack of sleep, poor eating habits, Starbucks coffee, drugs and excessive alcohol, lack conditioning, media negativity, wrong peer group and much more. Make a list of what energy vampires are currently in your life, and work to get rid of them one by one. You’ll feel much more energetic, I guarantee that.

Things such as giving up Starbucks coffee, poor eating habits, drugs and alcohol and TV are more easier than dealing with your peer group. Many of us have friends and family who are negative and depressed. We feel obliged to stick with them through their “tough” times, not consciously knowing the effect it has on us. And we don’t just want to leave them in the lurch too.

It is important that when you are surrounded by such negative people, or people who just bring you down, you stay positive. It is no use if you are negative too. And it is also no use if you can’t stay strong and positive. The ultimate result is that you’ll also be drained, tired and stressed if you can’t handle it. As a positive person, you’re radiating energy and will give the other person an emotional lift from their negativity. This is you facing your energy vampires right in the face.

Other things I’d recommend you are do: exercise for a few moments each day, surround yourself with people who are going in the same direction as you are. A good peer group will get you on the road to success automatically. Eat healthily. Give people gifts. Give up the coffee, and try some green tea. Read my post about that here. Surround yourself with books and audio tapes on inspiration, motivation and personal development.

When surfing the web, I come across many newsletters. I also subscribe to them, but unsubscribe within a few weeks because I don’t see any value for me in those moments. There’s one that I highly recommend though. Jon Gordon’s Energy Tip is written and sent out every single Monday. I always look out for it because of the straight forward value that he provides to my life. Every newsletter I have read so far has been instrumental in creating some sort of action within me. It’s free, and I urge you to sign up. Check out his website, www.jongordon.com/newsletter.html

My pH Miracle

Once in a while, each person takes drastic measures to produce drastic results. This last week was my turn. Last weekend, 17th and 18th June, I attended Warren Borsje's Millionaire Bootcamp in London to listen to many speakers from around the world share their cutting edge strategies to an audience of 700 or so people.

Like in many conferences, there are stall's outside the main room where during breaks you can check out what's being offered. One of them that caught my eye was the stall offering a free "one minute body fat test"

As a generally skinny person, I thought my body fat percentage would be incredibly low. I looked normal, and fit enough. The result though was extraordinarly surprising to me. According to my age, a normal person's body fat percentage should be 8% – 18%. I was in the obese column, at 36.1%. It was shocking. I even spent the next few hours wondering what the hell is wrong with me. I missed out listening to one of the speakers.

I made a commitment in those moments, to give myself just seven days to change my health around. I made a choice to do this, nobody apart from myself forced me to do this. I had to do it to show myself that I am not obese anymore and never want to be. By the way, for those of you reading this and wondering how I can be skinng and come under the category of "obese", let me introduce you to Dr Robert O Young.

Dr Young is a pioneer in scientific research and shows that there is just one disease and one cure. Every disease is caused by one thing, the over-acidification of the body. As you take in too much acid, you're body needs to find a way to store it otherwise you're stomach and digestive processes will not function. To do this, your body takes the acid and stores it as fat cells, which increases your overall body fat percentage. For some people, this can be seen externally, and for others, like myself, it's an internal thing. Please read about Dr Young here: www.phmiracleliving.com

The one cure that is present is re-alkalisation of your body to reach optimum health and to create the right pH balance in your body for the right functions. Since last Sunday, I took on a highly alkaline diet to try and meet my goal of being in the "normal" category. At some times, I felt ill but that was just because my body was getting rid and flushing out the unwanted acid by balancing the body's pH levels.

Here's what happened…

On Friday, I met up with Carol (the lady who did the test) and I asked her to do the test again. It showed that my rigorous work had paid off, my body fat percentage… (wait for it!)… was down all the way to 19%…

That was an incredibly proud and breakthrough moment for me. I took myself from a high 39.1% to 19% in just six days. It can be done. It's a choice to make. And it'll only work if you have the right beliefs. It's now up to me to balance my diet and keep it in the normal body fat percentage.

What is the one thing you've always wanted to change in your life and haven't done it? Why haven't you done it? What can you do today, however big or small, to make that change? Will you use my story to inspire you?

What’s happening in Kavit’s world!

Hey folks! I've been out of touch from here since the 2nd, and for me, it seems a hell of a long time. I've just spent the last two days at Warren Borsje's New World Education Millionaire Bootcamp in London, and it's been absolutely eye-opening, even for me in the wealth speaking industry. Check out the line up of speakers I experienced: Warren Borsje, Andy Harrington, Mark Anastasi, Jenny Armato, Jamie McIntyre, Nik Halik, Jarl Moe and Rick Otton! I highly recommend you put your bum on one of their seminar seats – you'll give yourself the gift of real education.

Also, I've been busy with several speaking opportunities. I've done a lot of networking dinner appearances talking about my work and seminars, and I have a seminar next Saturday so I'm just getting that underway in my head!

I'm also getting ready for my holiday in the Far East so with a family of five, a little bit of planning needs to go into that to ensure everyone's accomodated for. If you've ever been on a family holiday, you know what I mean!

And I've just taken on another employee in the company, and with that comes a lot of training as you can imagine. Time taken up there again.

I'm not going to complain I don't have enough hours in the day, 'coz I do! It's just my body's taking its toll. I'm not feeling too energised and healthy at the moment. I did a body fat test on Saturday, and I'm "obese" in accordance to my age. The funny thing is, I'm skinny as a stick. The obesity is inside! I'll have that all sorted by next Saturday. That's my large goal of the week. If you're at my seminar next weekend, I'll even prove it to you.

So, that's all for now folks! I want to leave you with some exciting links…

• Secrets of the Money Shamans
• Subliminal Power Software
• Breakthrough To Wealth

Anup Shah Interview – Part 2

Here is part two of the exclusive Anup Shah interview.

If you missed Part 1, read it here.

4. In my work as a personal coach, a large amount of work goes into not being biased or judgemental when talking with clients. Do you feel that it is an important trait to have when you write articles that are related to topical global issues?

Certainly. It is not easy though. I am not happy with some of my earlier articles, which are a bit more opinionated than I would like (which I will address over due course). The challenge of writing about political issues is that it will not be possible to please everyone, so even though some may think you are not biased, others will think you are! What I try to do is provide liks and sources as much as I can, so people can see for themselves.

5. You are not credited in any political field and write extensively about global issues. Does this affect your readership or your website content's reliability?

Probably. I am quite conscious about this, and have tried to be as open about this as I can on my web site's about section. I therefore try to link and reference as many sources as I can within the articles so people can follow through. I think in the earlier years of the site, I occasionally cited slightly more opinionated views that I would do now, and these days I try to ensure what I cite is of good quality, too. Of course, not everyone will have heard of all the sources I use, but when they are online, people can follow them as much as they want. I tried to keep them varied and broad, including sources from developing countries, as here in the UK, or from my experience in the US, we hardly hear such views and perspectives.

As an aside, not having a degree in a related field and doing computer science instead has resulted in another problem for me: the quality of my writing skills! Computer science encourages efficiency, not good quality writing. A number of pages are, I feel, poorly written, and that is something I am trying to improve. I think more recently updated pages/sections are better, but some old pages do still exist that I want to change – time allowing!

In terms of readership, from what I can tell, the visitors come from all around the world (the majority being from the US). I have even had people from the UN email me or sign on to my mailing list. Even former US President Jimmy Carter, and the famous political activist, Bianca Jagger, have emailed me with kind words.

I have personally tried to avoid ads, and requests for donations, etc for the time-being, so that probably helps with credibility, too.

I think I have made a decent attempt thus far, as a number of times I have been asked to either write an article for a publication/newspaper, or do a small radio interview for someone. The OneWorld.net and MediaChannel.org affiliations for example, also help in terms of credibility. A number of other reasonably prominent web sites have linked to certain pages of mine, which helps too. Until Africa started being talked about a bit more in recent years in the mainstream, I found news sites such as the BBC and others occasionally link to some of my Africa pages. A number of high schools and university web sites have linked to the site as a resource for students. I have also recently been asked to write a book, which I think really helps as well. I won't go into the details on the book for now as it may not go ahead, but the fact that I was approached rather than the other way round makes me feel that I must have done okay somewhere!

Ultimately, however, bias will be everywhere, intentional or not, from the largest and most popular news outlets to the smallest sites, so it is up to the individual reading the content to determind if the content is reliable or not.

6. From a web development angle, how did you manage to get your Global Issues website to the top search engine ranking for the issues you write about?

I think a number of factors have helped me here: I have had the site since 1998, so some search engines place a bit of weight on that. Perhaps most importantly, many other websites link to various pages on my site, which I also link out to others.

 

 

 

 

Search engines apparently like this, because when they see a site receiving many links from other, related and reputable sites, they see it being a kind of vote for that site. Enough of these "votes", and you get a better ranking!

In the early years of the site there was a lot of one-to-one "marketing", whereby I simple emailed other websites that I frequently visited to see if there was any way they could place a link to my site. I was probably fortunate because in those "early years" of the web, there were not as many sites on these issues as there are now. These days, I don't really have the time to do this, but I still find many new links to the site from all over the place, so hopefully this means that the site is itself generating enough interest. (As I write this, it has been almost a month since I have updated the site, because of a particularly long and drawn out project at work, and yet that has not affected site visits, for example).

Some people try to fool and cheat search engines using a variety of techniques. I stay away from that, because once you are found out, you will be knocked off the listings, and struggle to get back on. Furthermore, it is plain dishonest. In principle, search engines go for what can be determined as good quality content that people are compelled to link to.

 

7. You’ve been editing the Global Issues website since 1998. What has driven you to continue it eight years later?

Another hard one to answer! A number of people ask me this as well and I always struggle to answer it! I guess it’s a combination of deep interest in these issues, the enormous number of encouraging and motivating emails I get (for I often question whether there is any point going on, as in some ways not much seems to change or just when you think there might be progress in world affairs, something will happen to prove otherwise), and probably a number of other factors I can’t yet articulate!

 

8. What do you believe is the relationship between self development and global issues? Is there a connection between the two?

 

The way I see it, there is a connection between most issues, in some way. At one level, the support of global issues such as universal human rights inherently supports the development of the individual self.

Furthermore, in a functioning democracy, individuals have responsibilities as well as rights. Amongst other things, those responsibilities include making informed decisions, not just to vote, but to also ensure that people are accountable, that those universal values are not slowly taken away, and so on. Self development is not done in a vacuum, and so, I feel that global concerns are crucial for self development.

 

Approaching this from the other way, a drive to improve and develop the self can perhaps help one to be more open-minded about global issues, encourage one to look outwards to see how they fit into the world around them, and even strive to learn more.

9. What advice would you give to individuals who are on the personal growth path about global issues and the way they deal with it?

Probably to say be open minded, try to learn about issues from the perspective of others around the world, to be questioning about what is (and what is not) reported from the mainstream media, and the types of experts interviewed, etc. That is not to say there is a conspiracy of some sort to actively lie, or whatever, but that power does influence our world, and so naturally the media—a crucial aspect of a functioning democracy—is going to be subject to those interests, too.

If we wish to develop ourselves personally, as productive members of society, then we also need to ensure the society we are to be productive in is as positive for the world as possible. We in the wealthy countries have more influence on other people around the world than we realize. But this influence can be negative as well as positive, so any personal growth path, I feel, needs to consider the global as well as personal considerations.

KH: Thanks very much, Anup. Your commitment and the writings you present are a great learning resource and eye-opener to all who read them. And I hope you write that book!

Anup Shah Interview – Part 1

This week, I have an exclusive interview with Global Issues editor, Anup Shah. Anup is the founder of Global Issues, a website that is founded on his broad interest in global issues and is now used as a reference worldwide in various institutions and publications.

The Global Issues website is something I read on a regular basis. It provides me with more information to things I hear about on the news as well as help trains my skills in being non-judgemental, critical thinking and making decisions in everyday life.

I'm a huge believer of creating something that has a great impact around you by providing useful material and I think Anup has an impressive story of how you can use a hobby that doesn't need to make money to make a difference in this world. His story is also great teachings for those who want to set up good, informative and resourcesful websites. So I was delighted when I had the opportunity to interview Anup in connection with global issues and a hint of self development.

The interview has large informative answers so I have divided it into two parts. The second part will be posted in a few days. Enjoy!

1. Why did you intend to start, write and edit Global Issues? What is your motivation?

In 1997, having just graduated from a university in England with a computer science degree, a friend of minte introduced me to Structural Adjustment Policies and their negative impacts on poor countries and people around the world. I was shocked about this, having never heard of it before.

My first job that autumn was in the US in the software industry. I wanted to practice web development skills for work, so in my spare time I tried that, but needed to focus on something. At the same time, I quickly became disturbed by the poor quality of the mainstream media in the US. The two seemed to go hand in hand… I purchased the globalissues.org domain in mid-1998 and it has unexpectedly taken off since then.

So, my inital motivation was actually to practice web development, but then it became like a personal journey for me: I wanted to learn more about why the media was so poor and why otherwise very kind and good people seemed to have narrow views about those from other countries. This led me to learn and read more about geopolitics, poverty, trade/economic related issues, the environment and so on. In those days, there were very few web sites about these things, compared to now, though there was an exceptional one, called OneWorld.org (now OneWorld.net). They accepted me as a partner organisation, which was fantastic for me, as I viewed them as one of the few web sites at that time that wrote about global issues from a much more global perspective than the media in the US – or UK for that matter – offered.

I continue to maintain this in my spare time, though it is often difficult to get the time to do so. I have tried to answer this question in more depth at http://www.globalissues.org/about/ if you want to read more.

2. How do you select the issues that you write about?

Hard to say! Initially it started off in a few major areas: human rights, the environment, poverty/structural adjustment, the media and geopolitics. There were just these few initial pages, which over time, grew into multiple pages as sub-topics became larger and larger.

In some aspects, the choice of topics I may write about at a given time feels a bit randome/unstructured. For example, sometimes I may have read something which intrigues me and I follow it through a bit more. Other times, I just look over my site and try to see what needs updating and try to work that, if possible (though there are still many pages requiring updates!). Yet other times, there may be a global event, which I feel may be getting covered in such a way that many global concerns are being ignored or glossed over, and thus not providing enough context for readers. I also try to read a number of books, and make notes from them, which I then try to write up. (However, I am some three years behind on writing up those notes!) It is a continual learning process for me, so in a way, I just let it take me wherever it goes.

3. How do you manage to keep on top of all the extensive topics you read and write about as well as working long hours on a full-time job and balance all other interests you may have?

A lot of people ask me this, and to be honest, I don't know! I often work into the night, 2am or so being common. I don't drink tea or coffee, either, which people think I need to consume in gallons!

In terms of how do I keep on top of all the extensive topics: I subscribe (either via Email or via RSS subscriptions) to a number of sites. I admittedly find it very hard to read most of these subscriptions these days due to time constraints and email overload. One thing I try to do is set a goal for myself, that every month I send an email update of major updates/additions made to the site over the course of the past month. This encourages me not to slack off too much. The only time I have ever missed this was when I was getting married!

In terms of other interests: well, with my recent marriage, I thought I would have a lot less time on this website, but my wife is very understanding, which is fantastic. (She is quite busy herself with volunteering work and the like, so it kind of balances out!) My family has been very supportive, too, which helps. There are times when work deadlines results in a number of long days or weeks, and the web site and emails have to take a back seat. Other times, I simply decide for a few days or a week to just not do anything, as it can be quite draining. Sometimes I try to do the global issues work around other commitments, and other times I do it the other way. It really depends on my mood at the time, I think!

 

 

Secrets of The Money Shamans

Around two weeks ago, I had the good fortune of connecting with Davide de Angelis, author of the ebook, Secrets of The Money Shamans. I regularly get asked to write testimonials, review products, etc because of the nature of my work, but I rarely take many of them up because of the time it takes to do such things. However something really pulled me to check out Davide's book so I followed my inner feeling.

I immeadiately dropped my work and delved into the book for a few hours on the same day. The book is very powerful. It breaks apart traditional teachings and presents the way that the world works. It uses extremely powerful, creative and non-standard exercises to show you how you can bring more money into your life. The lessons are creative, and just reading the contents page will make you intrigued to find out more.

Davide's story is one of inspiration, through which he met his teachers, Paolo and Caroline Santoro when his life was on the fall. Their commitment to learn together brought about major changes in Davide's life which made him a money-making machine.

Like all holistic people advise, don't cure the problem on the surface, head down to the root and demolish it from there. Through this book, the Money Shamans will help you do that. Here's what Davide has to say:

The other problem with most teachings or techniques is that they don't explain how to deal with the powerful resistance to change we all have – even if we are uncomfortable with our present circumstances. They don't give you the tools you need to complete the job. This is why you will often experience only a temporary shift before falling back into old ways of thinking and acting around money.

And the Secrets of the Money Shamans help you do this.

Personally for me, even though I have read many many books on finance, personal wealth, etc and all have had an impact on me, this one has spiritually created a larger change and that is the basis for the real mental and physical change as I feel my beliefs are now grounded.

Genuinely, if you're going to invest in your life's money education, get this book because it'll help form a solid foundation. I think it's much needed and it's a small investment for the return you'll get. I promise.