What would you do if you were not afraid ..?

What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

OK...

So...uh...what exactly are you waiting for?

This isn’t a dress rehearsal...

Wake up!

Here’s the deal: What we can be, we MUST be.

Period.

There’s no getting around that one.

So, turn off your TV. Put down your drink. Get off the medication.

Quit numbing yourself. The pain’s not going away.

Not until you thinkarete.

“thinkarete”?

Yep.

Gandhi got it. Einstein got it. Mother Theresa got it.

Tiger gets it. Gates gets it. Oprah gets it.

The Greeks got it.

Get this: Guys like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle said that if you want happiness you better live with areté--a word that literally means virtue or excellence but has a deeper meaning...something closer to “constantly striving to reach your highest potential.”

areté.

How beautiful is that? It was one of the highest ideals of Greek culture.

It should be one of ours.

Tragically, it’s not.

We seem to be more interested in resumes, accolades and 401k's.

Speaking of retirement...

Who came up with that? Work like crazy doing something we're not passionate about so we can accumulate enough money to pay the bills from our stress-caused illnesses while we complain about what we should have done when we were still young.

Hmmm...We can’t quite figure that one out. Seems like it makes a bit more sense to go ahead and dare to live now...

Why not thinkarete?

Live to your highest potential--moment to moment to moment.

Not in the mood?

Fine. Then live with regret, anxiety, and disillusionment.

Your call.

Think about it. When do we feel most alive?

Exactly. When we’re being ourselves--our highest selves.

You want happiness?

thinkarete.

Dream. Grow. Stretch yourself.

Rip off the tie. Jump out of the cubicle.

Dream. Think. Dare to be crazy.

What are you waiting for?

thinkarete.

Are you crazy enough to think you can change the world?

Good.

Now go out and do it.

Live. Love. Smile. Hug. Laugh. Dream. Do. Create.
Have fun. Be intense. Be audacious. Be unreasonable. Act impeccably. Breathe.

Be you. Be different. Get paid to do what you love. Dance in your underwear on your way to work...

Why not?

Ditch the tie. Escape the cube. Leave the 8-5. Trash the resume.

Ignore the critics. And the cynics. Burn the corporate ladders. Laugh at the ceilings.

Quit the bitching. Open your mind. End the laziness. Overcome the fear. Transcend the conditioning...

Why not?

Move the world.

Change the world.

Push the human race forward.

Whatever you call it, go out and do it.

When?

Now.

Not when you have enough money or once you do this or do that. That’s nonsense.

It’s not gonna be easy, but go out and live your dream. Now.

You deserve it.

And, if that doesn’t move you: The world deserves it.

thinkarete.

( Courtsey - Thinarete.com)

The bottom line...

Check out how much it is costing to keep a country liberated....
http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182

Think about it ...!!

“How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?”
~ Satchel Paige

Lonsome Dove!

Life in San Fransisco would still be just life. It is funny the thing that you are after are most are likely to disappoint you. As I see, the only healthy way to live is to enjoy these small llittle every day things...

(Robert Duvall to Diane Lane in Lonesome Dove)

Raj Thackrey...

Raj's recent rally at Shivaji Park confirms one age old theory that " there are followers all over the World, waiting for their LEADER to show up"...

So just show up on the stage, start with a great opening line, make sense, share vision and hopefully they will follow you. They waited for you this long remember...they wil follow you!

Heard on NPR this morning ....

A man is happy about two days in his life. The day he was born and ......and the day he found out WHY !!

Twenty years from now.....

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

~ Mark Twain, 19th century US author and humorist

Mehboob Be Wafa Sahi...

Some one referred to this idiosyncrasy of mine as “idiosyncrasy”.!! Another friend demanded more explanation. Here is another attempt.

What I meant is that one experiences Bewafayee once or twice in their life span. This is if they are lucky. Whereas Tameez or lack of it is something you have to put up with 24/7. One can always put the Be wafayee in a context and deal with it, whereas Bad Tameezi can never be put into any context and it will not go away. One is temporary and the other is recurring and is permanent.

When you wake up in the morning hoping to have a great productive day, you do not realize that the person sleeping next to you ( Husband/Wife…whatever) has so much power to screw up your day as soon as She / He opens her mouth …..

Be –Wafaayee is a weekend act whereas Bad Tameezi is every second, every minute, every day…for the rest of your life. I hope we all make a good selection.

That’s all folks!

Mehboob Be Wafa Sahi ....Bad Tameez Na Ho !

Just like nations- men also have something we can refer to as a constitution. I am not sure when I picked up this line but this remains a top ten lines of my personal charter.

I was 14 when my step brother decided to throw us out of the house. I never objected to them throwing me, mother and my brothers out, my issue was with the way it was done. I think that is when either I read this line or it came to me itself. Nevertheless this has been my parameter in judging people. I have lost many friends because of this filter but it would not go away.

I can tolerate a “ Be wafa” , sympathize with the circumstances and I might even romanticize it. How in the World can you romanticize some one’s “ Bad Tameezi”? I have not been able to figure this out…..

Again … Mehboob Be Wafa Sahi , Bad Tameez Na Ho !!

Mapped Life ...

I had the pleasure of speaking with a woman who potentially wants to marry me. She is in India and is a businessperson.

On one hand I was happy to speak to a young entrepreneur, but on the other hand I felt as if I was speaking to a "planning, - executing- money making mind". Where is the heart that I want to take home? I get turned off if a person does not make an intellectual statement, shares a beautiful thought or offers some insight into anything within the first hour of the conversation.

She has her ENTIRE LIFE MAPPED to the minute details. She used word " money" 15 times in an hour. Do these people who have given so much importance to money ever have a blissful moment in their lives? What insecurities drive them to the M word like crazy? Is it possible to snap them out of these insecurities?

I see life as a river that flows in the direction of least resisatnce till provoked, nurtures lives irrespective of caste, gender, religion and nationality, takes all the shit that the World dumps in it, offer hopes and is preneial.......!

Always !

Iqbal once said

"Ye sahi hai rahe dil ke paas pasban akal
Magar kabhi kabhi use tanhaa bhi chod de" !

Shahid

You never complete a film....

"You never complete a film - you just abandon it"...

A friend who just attended Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose came back with this gem of a statement for me. I am 1000% sure if not for these friends, we would wander around this wilderness called - life..!!

Thanks buddy ...my film is on its way....

Night Life in Atlanta....

I wanted to write about my "night life" experience here in Atlanta but then Europe decided to test "freedom of expression" and that made me write about insult to the prophet instead. Anyways, this is how it unfolded....

As I had mentioned earlier we were at this grand builing in the midtown Atlanta. It was very cold night but folks in the que were dressed up as if they were going to a summer camp. When we entered the builing the first thing that I noticed was that there were no windows. That made me very uncomfortable. I can not stand a place where I can not see outside. I am an outside person and walls suffocate me. The only fear I have with death and my burial is not having windows six feet down under.

It was around 11:00 pm that crowd started tickling in. Wow...where do these guys n gals ( mainly girls) go grocery shopping was my first reaction. ...The noise... err music was so loud that meeting them at Kroger or Home Depot was the best option if I wanted to have an inteligent conversation, I realized. Anyway who goes to the club to talk?

Darrell came upto me and said " Shaheed , brother make sure you have a good time" - Yeah right. DJs were working hard and Music was getting louder every minute past 11:30. The lights were also keeping pace with music and shining brightly and in harmony creating an unsettling effect on my mind. And suddenly I realized the change in my pokcet was shaking. Yes, the vibrations from music were shaking the change in my pocket. If this is the case with my money what the hell is going on with other sensitive organs of my body, I wondered....

Usually when I am in an un-chartred territories the writer/director in me takes over. I started looking at the whole thing from different perspective, but there was no escape from LOUD music. I tried to hide behind the columns and even some beautifull people ...but nothing worked. Darrell was the one who was " really" having good time. Great self control -I would be thrown out for indecent behaviour if I find myself in your shoes, brother.

And then I realized I am having trouble breathing. Asthama attack...no way. It was smoke. Clubs are the only buildings where non smokers go out to have some fresh air.

Lastly I smelled perfumes. All brands and types. There were elizabeth, Lisa and Bijan. These perfumes have a lot of alcohol in them. and I do not like things that contain alcohol... apan ki matti kuch aur hai. Give me " Raat ki raani" or "Chameli" any day and I will not complain. ....

Shahid

ps: Darrell says we need to go back and that I will be more comfortable this time around......well, dekhte hain !!!

A few good men....!

I have so many thoughts but too little time. Well, let me clarify something I overlooked when I was writting about the club expereince last weekend.

My friends , Beniquez and Darrell are some of the best friends that I have in Atlanta. When I wrote that post I did not realize I am accusing them of neglecting thy neihbours. They are not the type I was writting about. They are just like me in many ways and that is why I call them friends....They are a few good MEN in America for me.....

Smile Break - From Nita

Chris Rock's "Quote of the Year"

"You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the U.S. of arrogance, Germany doesn't want to go to war, and the three most powerful men in America are named Bush, Dick, and Colon. Need I say more?"

Life Path Number

Your Life Path Number is 3

Your purpose in life is to express your unique self. You are a creative and artistic person with an interesting view on life. Witty and outgoing, you enjoy sharing your crazy ideas with anyone who will listen. A total social butterfly, you're the life of any party. In love, you inspire and enchant your partner. You are often an object of fantasy and desire. While you are very talented, you sometimes lack the ambition to put your talents in play. And while your wit carries you a long way, you occasionally use it to mask your true feelings. Your natural abilities can bring you all the success in the world ... if you let them

What Is Your Life Path Number?

Visa Half Time Report

Scores: Pittsburg Steelers 0 Cincinnati Bengals 17 – Half Time.

That was at the Half Time when Bill Cowers walked into the locker room. I was curious to see what kind of a game plan he is going to come up with, knowing he is down by 17 points against Bengal’s. And sure enough, he had a plan for victory when he walked back in to the field. Steelers made some changes in the line up, stopped the passing game of Bengal’s and viola. Bill Cowers not only erased 17 points deficit but went on to win the game by 31 – 17.

That is the power of a Coach, the power of adjustments, the power of clear thinking --- that is the power of a HALF TIME.

It is the half time that stops the game irrespective of scores and gives both teams to think it thru, Strategize and make changes. It is the half time that offers one last chance to get back into the game before its too late. It is the half time that some time decides the ultimate winner.

Some time life does not offer the luxury of having a great and inspiring Coach or a Team Manager or other monetary perks. It does offer a Half Time though. Some time it comes in the form of a Hospital stay for a surgery. Some time it comes from being alone and in pain, lying in bed rewinding and forwarding some important scenes of your life.

The SECOND HALF begins on Monday.

God Willing scores will have to change in a hurry!!

Shahid

Oh well....!

Shahid

For You !

If you're lost and feel alone
Circumnavigate the globe
All you ever have to hope for too

nd the way you seem to flow
Circumnavigate in hope
And they seem to lose control, with you

Everyone of us is hurt
And everyone of us is scarred
Everyone of us is scared
Not you

Your eyes closed
Your head hurts
Your eyes feel so low

Everyone of us is scared
Everyone of us is hurt
Everyone of us has hope
For you (x10)

(a song by Cold Play)

Last Night.......

The surgey was successfull and AL I am back home now. My freind Gandharv was present all 6 hours that I was at the Hospital. He took care of me and later took me to his house. I stayed there for a few days and asked them to drop me home as I waas feeling fine. More about that later ....Last night was special though. Last night this stanza from Faiz's potery was on my mind.

Raat yun dil mei teri, khoi hui yaad aai
jaise veerane mei chupke se bahaar aa jaae
jaise sehra mei hole se chale baad e naseem
jaise beemar ko be-vaj'he karaar aa jaae.

Jaise Beemar ko be wajah karar aa jaye ....!!!

Shahid

lights - Operating Table - Surgeons...

This is what's coming next Thursday. I will be in the Hospital for a Hernia Surgery. Dr. James Majors will cut a part of me to repair me. Doc says it should take 1.5 hours and I will be fine.

Am I scared? Of course I am. It%u2019s a lonely feeling to undergo a surgery in a distant land - away from home, away from family and friends. It hits deep down somewhere. Even though I have been preparing for it, there are many questions that have been playing heavily on my mind. What can go wrong? What if I do not wake up? What happens then?

Earlier I had postponed this surgery because I wanted to do it while I was in Bombay last month. I wanted my family and friends to be around when the Anesthesiologist puts me to sleep for four hours. I wanted some reassuring faces around me in this hour of my life.

That was not to be. I came back without the surgery from home, from everyone. I chose to live in pain but refused to go thru it while in Bombay. My reason for not doing it was that if I have to do it alone then I might as well do it in Atlanta.

Loneliness gave me comfort and strength. At least that%u2019s what I always believed in%u2026
-------Not anymore.

I will have to face reality come Thursday. I know what will be going thru my mind minutes before I am sedated. I will be lying under those lights wearing the usual surgical cap and gown. Everything will be well lit around me in the Operation Theatre that day. There will be so much direct light on my body and nothing will be hidden from the Doctors.

I am not sure if Doctors will notice the darkness descending on my heart as they try to repair me%u2026

Shahid