Month: July 2023

Connect with the right frequency

Could you imagine if you were simultaneously able to hear the sounds of All the radio frequencies around you without having to tune into them? You would go crazy.

Thankfully, you only hear the sounds of the radio station when you tune into that frequency with which the station is broadcasting.

Just like radio station audio frequencies, the emotional frequencies of happiness, anxiety, loss, ecstasy, etc exist all around us. It’s up to us which frequency we tune into and which one we ignore.

The challenge for us humans is that tuning into one of these frequencies is not as easy as turning a dial on a radio. It usually takes an event that automatically gets us tuned to a specific emotional frequency. And most of the times, it’s difficult to turn the dial and get away from that frequency if it’s not a pleasant one.

That’s where Focus comes in. Sharpening our mind to focus on a specific emotional frequency takes practice. Lots and lots of practice. But it’s definitely possible.

Many of us are either not aware of this possibility or don’t want to spend the effort it will take to get there.

Those of us that do spend the time and effort to tune our mind and our heart in the direction that is favorable to us, definitely see the benefit. Always.

Are you an imposter?

Imposter syndrome is real. Many people go through this phase of feeling like an imposter especially if they are put in a position or have reached a status which they don’t feel they deserve.

I went through this feeling in 2005 when I was asked to teach a software class after having learned the material just a couple of months ago myself and having been using this product (Microsoft SharePoint) for only a couple of years before that.

The master trainer for this class was a guy named Jeff Cate. I was the secondary trainer and not very confident in my capabilities as a trainer. Jeff asked me to introduce myself to the class before we begin.

I said something to the effect of:

“Hi, my name is Asif Rehmani. This is the first time I’m teaching this class. I don’t know that much about SharePoint but I’ll do the best I can.”

And then we started the class.

During the first break we had for the class, Jeff pulled me aside and gave me some advice on the introduction I had given.

I can’t remember his exact words since it was so long ago but they went something like this:

“Do you think you know more about this topic then these people in the class? And if yes, and I know you do because that’s why I invited you to teach this class, why would you not want the students in the class to have confidence in you? The introduction you gave did not instill confidence in your capabilities. I think you should think about that next time you give an introduction.”

That lesson has stuck with me through time.

I have taught literally hundreds of classes since that day to hundreds of thousands of students through in-person or virtual single day, multi-day classes, webinars and presentations at conferences.

Every time I doubt my capabilities as a trainer/educator and feel like an imposter, I remind myself that I don’t have to be a genius, and an all knowing person in the subject that I’m talking about.

I just need to have the right intentions to be able to impart at least some knowledge that the receiver did not have before. If they benefit from having listened to what I’m teaching, I’ve done my job. That’s it.

That simple fact has helped me throughout decades now.

My advice to anyone feeling like an impostor is to dig deep inside and ask yourself:

Are you adding value to your audience?

If you are, then you are not an imposter. It’s as simple as that.

Mentor the receptive ones

Not everyone is going to be receptive to hearing your brilliant thoughts, your ideas or learning your skills. No matter how much you believe how beneficial it can be for them. If they’re not open to receiving it, nothing will get through no matter what. That’s just how it is.

In fact, many of us realize once our kids get to a certain age that they are not interested in our insights, learnings and thoughts that we thought we would be transferring to them so they don’t have to go through the same hardships and failures we went through. Many of the times they’re just not receptive or open to them.

It breaks your heart when you feel you have so much wisdom and skills you want to pass on to your next of kin but either they’re not ready yet or they just don’t have interest in learning from You specifically.

This happens to the rich folks as well as poor ones. Powerful businessmen and those working at a 9 to 5 job. Elite athletes as well as those who don’t have an athletic bone in their body. No matter where you fall in the spectrum and who you are, chances are this will happen to you also to some degree.

So what do you do? Do you force your insights, your wisdom, your skills and aptitude to those who are not receptive? You’re just going to end up pushing them away and waste your time in the process.

This is where we have to remember that there’s always someone out there who is ready to receive the wisdom and skills that you have to share. In fact, out of the almost 8 billion humans that exist on Earth right now, there will be many people out there who can benefit from what you have to share and are ready to receive your wisdom.

So share away. It can be as easy as answering people’s questions online – forums, blogs, social media, commenting on articles, etc. Or if you are really driven, join an organization or start your own.

Whatever you do, just try not to leave this earth without leaving your pearls of wisdom scattered behind you for others to pick up.

Exploring the inner self

We as humans are mesmerized by space and by the depth of the oceans.

Astronauts and aquanauts are constantly trying to push the boundaries to explore further and deeper than anyone else has done before them. To find what’s really out there that we have not explored yet.

What many of us lack is the motivation to explore our own inner self. And those that are motivated don’t know where to start since there is no spaceship or a submersible that you can take to dive inside yourself.

This is where self exploration and the concept of introspection comes in.

Understanding yourself by diving inwards.

You can refer to this as meditation, mindfulness, being in the moment, self-realization or any other word that sounds good to you.

At the end, it’s all the same thing. Exploring the inner self way beyond the body and the mind.

Going deep to the place where the energy center resides.

The cost for this introspection: our time and the willingness to give up control.

Both things that many of us have a hard time giving up for something that none of our senses can perceive.

But if we do, the reward is truly priceless.