• Life Lessons

    Frame Your Future

    FRAME YOUR FUTURE. I desire quantum progress in every area of my life in 2023. If you’ve been following me, you know my word for the year is ACCELERATION (formerly excellence). Since January, I’ve read multiple books and repeatedly listened to multiple teachings and sermons (Practice # 4 | Invest In Yourself). These authors and speakers are my imaginary advisors. I consult their media resources for advice. Another word that keeps catching my attention from these individuals, other than acceleration, is VISION. Accelerated growth and quantum leaping require a VISION (i.e. destination, target, or desire). A GPS requires a destination before it can create a route. Once you enter a…

  • Life Lessons

    GROWTH BY ASSOCIATION

    Happy New Month! If you have been following me I’m back in the States. I’ve been to Chicago (IL), metro Atlanta (GA), Tuscaloosa (AL), and back to metro Atlanta (GA) among other travels. Yes, I’m currently in metro Atlanta. How long? I’m not sure so catch me here while you can. All of this transition has made me change my word for 2023. Initially, it was “EXCELLENCE.” After surveying my actions over the last 3 months (the first quarter of the year), I made an executive decision to change it to “ACCELERATION.”  I’m committed to accelerated growth.  Among other things, in the past 3 months, I’ve 🎓graduated from an entrepreneurship program,…

  • Journaling at Emirates Palace
    Life Lessons

    2022 Year In Review

    2022 Year In Review. Happy New Year! I’ve been completing a lot of incomplete projects from 2022. As suggested by Success Principle 28 in Jack Canfield’s Book, The Success Principles, How To Get From Where You Are to Where You Want To Be, and also the co-author of Chicken Soup For The Soul. I bound the procrastination and unfocused spirit for 2023. Already I’ve completed and submitted my homework for my Saturday virtual class. Since the class started in October, I always took advantage of the time difference and turned the assignments in on the due date Gulf Standard Time. If you’ve been following me on YouTube (if you’re not,…

  • Sitting on a tree
    Life Lessons

    Solitude

    “Whosoever is delighted in solitude is either a wild beast or a god.” Aristotle Solitude is a 1934 jazz standard by Duke Ellington. According to Wikipedia, the song was recorded 28 times between 1934 and 1942. Personally, I remember the song as recorded by Billie Holiday. I sit and I stareI know that I’ll soon go mad In my solitudeI’m afraid It seems solitude may have a negative stigma. As punishment, prisoners go to solitary confinement and children go to time out. Not only that, nowadays, with so many things vying for our attention, makes it difficult to choose meditation which means: Not scrolling through social media. No watching television…

  • Vipassana Meditation Schedule
    Life Lessons

    6 Life-Changing Vipassana Practices

    Adhering to a simple but strict schedule. Day in and day out. 10-days of behavioral conditioning. Not the primary purpose. I don’t think. I consider it a welcomed after-effect. Nevertheless, my life has improved. How? I incorporated 6 life-changing Vipassana practices. 1. Practice Noble Silence. My husband and I are opposites. I prefer silence. In contrast, he likes noise. Something has to be ON. Television, radio app on his phone, Instagram stories, Whatsapp status. I experimented with noble silence before leaving for Vipassana. I did not talk between 10 AM and 4 PM. It worked wonders. I was super productive. I work more diligently. Last week, I completed 90% of…

  • Life Lessons

    Meditation Mindset Shift

    Let’s say the Vipassana Meditation Course was an experience. It wasn’t quite what I expected. I imagined spotless living quarters. I dreamt of a botanical garden-type setting similar to Kirstenbosch Gardens in Capetown, South Africa. Of course, on a smaller scale. I envisioned participants dressed in yoga attire. Students and teachers walking around in a euphoric state. My imagination couldn’t be farther from reality. From the onset, I was miserable because the experience did not live up to my expectations. Hours upon hours of meditation gradually changed how I viewed the facility. I experienced a meditation mindset shift. In The Beginning Irshad, the driver I attached myself to once landing…

  • Life Lessons

    Unplugging For 10 Days

    I’m unplugging for 10 days in Rajkot, India at a Vipassana (vi·puh·saa·nuh) Meditation Center. For 240 hours, 14,400 minutes and 864,000 seconds of my life, there will be… No television, music, mail, phone calls, visitors, social media, exercising, reading, writing or talking. Wait a minute.  What?  No talking …to absolute strangers.  You-got-to-be-kidding-me.  Those are the most fascinating conversations. The art of conversation is my favorite pastime. It’s like receiving a surprise gift. I get goosebumps hearing the conversationalist’s story. The exchange of words which consists of stories about childhood, experiences, and ideologies. Personally, it provokes further thought even after the conversation ends. Oh, how I admire the art of conversation.…