Four Cars and I ..

True incident > So what did, overtaking a car, and then being over taken by another 2 cars teach me?

Some time early in 2003 I bought my first car in Dubai, a dream car since a kid, and one that gave me so much satisfaction. (It was even more special, because until a year back, I really wasn't even in a position to afford a bus ticket thanks to some serious financial blunders I had made. More on that in later blogs)

As with any normal human being, I really did feel a huge sense of acheivment and happiness.

So here I was on my way for golf, and I over took a older looking car, I went past him and I felt he looked at my car, a few minutes away, while that old car and I were on our course, a swanky looking Porsche over takes both of us, and comes in front of me, and all of a sudden my car seemed so pale compared to his. As he was in front of a me, a metallic blue Bentley, with a fancy number plate, over took all three of us, and all of our cars looked even more sedate.

That's where it stuck me, the guy in the first car, probably looked at mine and wondered, the same thoughts as I did when I saw the Porsche as he did seeing the Bentley, that 'what have I done in my life as yet?' a rush of dis-satisfaction that even though we were all driving what we had probably earned with our hard work, there was this element of not having achieved anything at all.

Such is, i guess our everyday life, where upon I am yet to feel content with what I have. Being content and being ambitious cannot be mixed, I want to do better in my life, because I want to, not because I have to. But at every period, being content with what little or with how much more I have, should be my key goal.

That four car episode taught me one more thing, no matter how much you have achieved there will always be someone who has achieved more than you, does that mean one's life is meaningless?

I honestly dont think so..

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parents, the kids!

To those who know me, know I don't have children, to those who don't, I actually have two. :)

One is my 81 year old dashing father who refuses to let me give him a hand for anything, and the other my chubby 74 year old mother, whose only agenda in life is to ensure her kids continue looking healthy (read that as fat).

Why are they my kids? Because through them I see the how a child would have been, it is true when they say that life goes a full circle, in this case it is from infancy to old age. The similarity between the two is another of nature’s beauty.

As little children just wish to be with their parents, older parents just wish to be with their kids. (Nothing gives my mother more satisfaction than a night out of mine getting cancelled)

The look an older parent has when you come back from a hard days work is a replica of a little kids seeing their parent return home.

Kids throws tantrums because their parents force some food into them, so true with olderly parents who just want to eat very little and yet we, concerned about their health, want to stuff them with more food!

The amount of sleep they both enjoy is just the same, as similar as the look of utmost peace when they are at it.

Kids nag their parents into asking the same thing a dozen times, and unfortunately with old age and memory loss, older parents do the same.

At a kid’s 5^th birthday party, I thought to myself, however one difference between them is that when a kid has their birthday there is so much to look forward to, and when your parents have one there is so much to look back upon!

Treat your older parents as you would treat your little one, with utmost patience, give them lots of your time, give them all that they desire, but above all don’t forget to tell them how much they and their presence mean to you.

God Bless!

(ps. bloggers.. would love all your comments and feedback on abblogs77@gmail.com)

A new beginning!

From: AB

Sent: Sunday, April 03, 2011 11:40 AM

To: K

Subject: Best Of Luck

Dear K,

Today is the first day of the rest of yor life.

However, today is different as you formally step in from our little baby, to a young lady out to make a mark for yourself.

For your parents and us this is a very proud moment, specially since your father has given you the best education you asked for. Your mother too dedicated a lot of her time to you when you must have had to go through the difficult times during your exams and tests etc. But for them this is all what it boils down to, that you eventually settle and step out to the real world and make a mark for yourself.

I thought I would share just a few pointers that you would like to probably keep in the back of your mind, these are not something I have read, but these are something I have personally experienced in my life, and who better a witness to what my life has gone through than all of you, my family.

2) WORK BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY - Never tell yourself, this is not my job. If your task is A, B, C and you are asked to do D, E and F... ask your supervisor if there is anyway you can help him do G H and I also. However do not let anyone exploit you if you do that. But make sure you never shy away from hard work.

3) GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER - You will always feel that other departments are having a better deal than the one you are in, that is not true, even they will be thinking of the same for your department.

4) STAY AWAY FROM OFFICE POLITICS - Gossiping about colleagues and your seniors is the LAST thing you should get into. Never ever assume that what you share with a colleague about another one, will not be told to that person. It will be and it will be shared with more then what you may have said. In college and school this was ok, but in a corporate world, you are being judged. If you are known as a gossip person you will get no where in life. If people come and talk to you about other people, DO NOT GIVE YOUR OPINION on what you think but be a good listener and keep your mouth shut. Remember one philosophy in life - IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY ABOUT ANYONE, SAY NOTHING AT ALL!!!!!

5) STAY AWAY FROM NEGATIVE PEOPLE - You will always encounter negative people, who will discourage you from working hard. These are people who have in the past, are in the present and be in the future in the same position always!!! Hang around with people whose focus in life is the same as yours, which is to do well for yourself.

6) There are NO SHORT CUTS to success - A diamond is formed after the carbonsiation of coal over years and years and years. Thats also how sucess is ... Very few people in this world enjoy success early on, the ones who dont, try to find short cuts... It doesnt happen that way...

7) TEAM EFFORT - As you grow and work in a team, remember success is always a team effort. Never take credit for a task alone, even if you know in your heart it was because of you. Your team will love you for this, and all companies want team players not individual heros. REMEMBER India won the world cup as a team, not Sachin, not Yuvi, not Dhoni.. But team INDIA!!!

8) FRIENDS - A lot of your 'friends' will dissuade you from working hard, these r people who have no goals and aspirations in life and cant see someone who has. Stay away from people who dis-courage you from doing your work, no matter how tough a day it is, life is just preparing you for a bigger battle forward.

9) ENJOY - The more you fall in love with your job, the less effort it will require from you. I love what I am doing, and I thank god everyday for giving me this opportunity. Do not take it as WORK but take it as something you WANT to do...

and finally

1) DO NOT WORK FOR MONEY - But work for success, money is a by product of success. If you are successful, you will make a lot of money, but you also earn a lot of respect, admiration and well wishers. Whereas making a lot of money does not guarantee you the above three....

Best of luck baby.... Do your parents proud ....

Lots of loves and blessings...

AB

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A short thought on my thoughts!

Its said a person is known by the company they keep, or the food they eats, to which i would like to add.. 'A person is a person by the thoughts they have..'

For sure, most of you would have already read so much on the power of positive thinking, but like everything else, a gentle reminder always helps.

My dear mother always taught us a simple thing, be careful what you say or think of, you never know when it may come true. So if you going to think of something, might as well think of something that's positive and pleasant!

Think of a thought that gives your mind a reason to believe that that thought is a good thought!

Think about it!

(ps. would love all your comments and feedback on abblogs77@gmail.com)

Want to make more money? ? ?

The big Q.. 'How do i make more MONEY?'

Not that there is enough not already written about this by people infinitely more intelligent and wiser. but I still thought I would add a slightly different perspective.

Right from the time I remember, my dear father, made sure he would constantly drill one message.. SAVE SAVE SAVE. Like all parents, he only wished well my future.

When I look back I thank him immensely because that discipline has got me to where ever I have got, but now I think the need of the hour is the opposite.. its SPEND SPEND SPEND..

How many of you and the people around you have seen their income reduce over the last three years? My guess would be a very small percent.. maybe a spouse has lost their job, or a pregnancy has a forced break. BUT, how many of you are spending the way you did 3 years ago? My guess would be a small percent there too..

The root of the problem lies not what will happen, it is what is happening.. We have just stopped spending..

Why have we stopped spending? because we have lost all confidence in the future!
Why have we lost confidence in the future? Because all we read is negative news!
Why is there just negative news? Because that is how the people writing the news are feeling!
and Why are they feeling that way? its because they have lost all confidence in the future.. 

How does this affect you? The more you spend, the more chances are someone will land up spending on the service/product you are offering!

Give this a thought, the next time you read that there is 8.5% unemployment,  it means that there is a 91.5% EMPLOYMENT!

(Statistically speaking if just 4% of the working population were to increase their spending by just $100 a month, that would add to roughly a 0.5% increase in global GDP. To make it more mind boggling.. that is $288 BILLION worth of fresh money in circulation!)

So people. Want to make some money? How about starting to spend some!

ps. Last I checked the Indian markets are up 650 points since Jan 2nd. Dow is up 2.16% for the month!

(ps. would love all your comments and feedback on abblogs77@gmail.com)

Its all about MONEY, honey - or is it? ? ?

"Money doesn't buy you happiness say the rich to fool the poor... "

Maybe because I am a financial adviser, this may sound paradoxical... But seriously money is not the most important thing you should be chasing... you should be chasing... SUCCESS.... chase success.. money is, more often than not, a natural result.. chase money, and you shall be chasing all your life with no success...

My line of business gives me the good fortune of dealing with some of the weatlhiest people around, and a common element in all of them was their hunger to succeed.. some wanted to do it at any cost... and some would do it on their own terms.. Either way, success was and remains their only satisfaction... 

More often then not people see some one wealthy and comment upon that person becoming rich over night.. to which I quote Steve Jobs 'Over night success stories, take a longggggg time to happen'

Finally, remember no matter how rich you are, there is someone out there richer... what matters is not how rich but what really matters is how happy you are!!!

Are you?

~ AB

(ps. would love all your comments and feedback on abblogs77@gmail.com)

Not too sure, how do i start this... have always been the sort of guy who in solitude has so many random thoughts and concepts, that at all times I curse myself for not carrying a dicta phone..

My ideas and opinions range from the financial markets, something that I am now involved in, to Golf, something i cant live without, to marriages, ho hum, to today's generation, I-this and I-that.. to just about anything..

I seriously wonder and I seriously think... But at the end of the day... i don't take life seriously cause in the end, the result for all of us is just the same........ :)

Lets see how this shapes up...