“The best possible self-defense tactic you can ever learn is to avoid a dangerous situation in the first place” – The Ultimate Self-Defence Handbook by Suhail Algosaibi.
As innocent lives are being threatened out at the streets, thought I’d share some wisdom from Suhail Algosaibi’s self defense book. Firstly, it’s a book for EVERYONE, not only martial artists or perfectly fit people. Even a fat slob who can’t carry himself up the stairs without feeling drained, will benefit from this book!
Having said that, self defense, as Sensei Suhail rightly pointed out, is not all about kicking and punching. It’s about good awareness skills. It’s about being safe. It’s about avoiding dangerous situations.
Unfortunately, being “fearless” and “eye for an eye” head-on fighting has gained a reputation of being a “Man”. “If you’re man enough, you gata be brave and fearless “, so goes the motto of adrenaline driven macho men.
But that’s not true. Fearlessness is not bravery. Avoidance is not cowardly. Popular maxims be damned!
Few months ago, I was walking down the streets of Juffair. It was around 8pm and there was hardly anyone at that narrow strip of road, except a few guys. As I went past them, they started calling me names. Thanks God my common sense was not invaded by movies. I simply avoided them, acted confident though I was afraid and went on my way.
This particular fear that pops up when we are in a danger zone, is your mind sending survival signals. It should NOT be suppressed and it should NOT be dismissed no matter how “unmanly” it feels and no matter how big a burden it is on our egos. It’s the brain’s response to external threat. It’s a sign that you’re in a potentially harmful situation.
If you agree with me that self defense is about being safe, then my reaction to the above scenario will make sense to you. But if you are under the influence of those movies where the hero alone takes over the entire clan of villains, then make sure you always have a team of producers, directors, camera men and stunt man whenever you are in a dangerous situation.
There was a time I used to walk up the stairs huffing and puffing and panting for breath.
Even if you are just a little bulky, you can imagine the effort it takes to climb those mighty steps at the end of which, a door awaits you. And when you reach up there, it almost feels like you’ve conquered Mount Everest. “Finally” you say, “I’ve made it”. Moments later you realize you left your wallet in the car. Enter repeat mode.
We pant for breath because we run out of oxygen. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a technique which could increase our lung capacity, so it could hold more oxygen and spare us the embarrassing moments while treading up stairs (or any stress-inducing activity)?
Do yourself a favour:
Stand straight with your arms resting at the sides.
Without letting your stomach expand, inhale as much air as you can.
Now force the air out through slightly open mouth.
Tense the stomach muscles while exhaling.
Apart from doing good to your lungs, it will work out your abs too and might also leave you feeling dizzy and drowsy the first time you attempt this technique. So consult your doctor before you try it.
If you are a singer, powerful lungs will have an amplifying effect on your voice. But if you are not a singer, and I am assuming you are not, then just keep this in mind:
“The smaller (less powerful) your lungs are, the greater your chance of dying” – Dr Al Sears, MD
Even a simple exercise like deep breathing can be very helpful, if the above exercise looks too strenuous.
So get up, breath in, hold it, breathe out!
P.S. Another sure-fire way of increasing your lung power is to read Dr. Al Sears book “Pace” by clicking here.
When the social media site YouTube became popular, I wondered: “Wow! This is it! YouTube is the biggest social media revolution and nothing’s gona beat it!”
And when Twitter came around, I wondered: “Wow! This is it! Twitter is the biggest social media revolution and nothing’s gona beat it!”
And my reaction was quite the same when Facebook showed up. That this is THE social media revolution and there’s no one beating this giant anytime soon.
Which leads me to believe that a crazy new concept of a social media site that took birth in my brain while I was in bathroom , could be worth another social media revolution! Okay, that was a bit exaggerated, but who knows, maybe my concept might turn out pretty good?
So what’s this crazy concept I am talking about? I am talking about a social media site similar to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and yet very different! Stay with me for a moment and I’ll explain it all.
You see, what’s similar between Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace and Flickr is that they are meant to create conversations, and thus the term social. But what makes them different from each other is their LIMITATIONS. Every social media site has it’s own UNIQUE SHARING LIMITATIONS. Take a look at the following unique sharing limitations for example:
Social Media
Unique Sharing Limitations
YouTube
You can share only videos (graphics+audio)
Flickr
You can share only photos (graphics)
Twitter
You can share only text further limited by 140 characters
Facebook
You can share Videos (graphics + audio), photos graphics) and text
Of course, each social media platform has many more limitations, but the main ones which really differentiate them are shown above. These “unique sharing limitations” (that’s my own term by the way!) are just different forms of expression. The fact that Twitter has only one form of expression (text) doesn’t make it less popular.
So what’s different in my social media concept is it’s unique sharing limitation. It’s something you might have never heard of before. It’s something which might still sound a bit unrealistic. But it has its own unique sharing limitation and this makes it different from all the other social media sites.
Let the curtains fall. Let the cameras roll as I am about to reveal my crazy idea which could be the next biggest thing online! (what’s wrong with dreaming!)
15 Second Audio Bites!
That’s it. That’s what I’ve been hyping about. That’s the revolution going on in my head. Imagine a social media platform where you get to SAY anything you want to say in only 15 seconds. Please show me any social media thing online which is even close to it. At least I couldn’t find any. Let’s give it a fancy name. How about “Speakee”
At Speakee, you can share your voice with the world. This would be a place where you will be heard, literally! Imagine if you can share your voice to hundreds and thousands of people all over the world at once. And no, it’s not about sharing songs or stuff like that. It’s about getting YOUR voice across the globe. In case you’ve not guessed it yet, Speakee’s unique sharing limitation would be audio. Just audio. And like Twitter further limits it’s text by 14o words, Speakee’s audio will be limited by 15 seconds.
Imagine it’s implications on: Journalism, radio, conferences and what not!
Speakee would not be an imitation of Skype just like Twitter is not an imitation of email.
Until now, social media has made the world a conversation hub simply based on text. Speakee will take it to the next level and more closer to reality. It will add another dimension to online conversations: Voice!
Speakee is not a replacement of telephone. It’s another game altogether. It’s about connecting with thousands of people all around the world whom you could talk to at once, with a single push of button. In simple words, it’s the audio version of Twitter, if you will.
Now, I am not really thinking about how this would all be possible. I am just letting my mind free. I am assuming anything’s possible. I am letting my creativity flow without worrying about how, why and when.
But I am damn sure this is possible. All you need is computer with mic and internet connection. Who doesn’t have these already?
Is it really possible for someone who used to spend 10+ hours a day on Facebook get rid of this nasty couch potato-ish laziness inducing habit in just 10 minutes? Well, yes it’s possible and I’ll show you how. But first, let me make it clear that…
I am Not Against Facebook
In fact, I love it. I made great friends on Facebook and look forward to make more. I really feel my Facebook profile is an extension of me! The people I interact with on Facebook are REAL people, not imaginary. What I say and write on Facebook is a projection of myself. Facebook makes me more social. I occasionally run into people whom I don’t know personally but they know me! The reason? Facebook. I personally think that the invention of Facebook is not different from the invention of telephone: They both redefined the way we communicate! My only concern is …
Too Much of Everything is Bad
That includes Facebook. It includes junk food too. Which is why something strange happened when I first decided not to use Facebook for 2 weeks. The first few hours I was very motivated and psyched up. “I can do it!” and “Yes!” and “Where there’s will there’s a way”…. such were the thoughts pumping up my mind. It was only a matter of time when the withdrawal symptoms started to show. What’s surprising is that the symptoms felt a lot like hunger! I knew I was going to get into trouble… but then I did something that literally killed my Facebook addiction from roots! Hang on a minute. Before I get into the “cure”, I want you to watch this video where psychologist Dr. Martin Johnson tells more about the signs of Facebook addiction:
Now, the only thing between you and the freedom from Facebook addiction is the knowledge of the “cure”. Actually I am using the word “cure” to make things look more real. Because first when I’ll introduce you to the cure, it will be hard to believe. Just too good to be true. But the most beautiful part is, you don’t need to “believe” in it to make it work! It just works and the only way to find out is to try it yourself! What I am talking about is…
EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)
No more fluff and no more waiting. Just watch the video below to see how it works:
Impossible? Bluff? Another one of those self-help gimmicks? I thought that too. But as they say, the proof is in the pudding. I am the living proof! I followed the EFT procedure for 10 minutes and for the next two weeks, I stayed away from Facebook WITHOUT any trouble! That’s enough proof for me to believe in the effectiveness of EFT. Still skeptical? Check it out for yourself: http://www.eftuniverse.com/
But above all, my decision to quit Facebook for 2 weeks was…
A Quick Decision!
I didn’t spend hours and hours into thinking and coming up with a perfect plan to tackle my addiction. Nop. It was totally spontaneous. It felt like gut decision and I started following it with no further ado. That was when I felt for the first time, as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen”
Last but not the least, I tracked my progress on a “No More Facebook” chart! Stole this idea from my favorite business role model Suhail Algosaibi’s article.
Some time ago, being fed up with my habit of procrastination, I set out to discover why I procrastinated. The element of “delay” which screwed up so many opportunities – why it occurred and was I similar to others who complained of being late all the time? Was there a single unifying pattern among all procrastinators? Yup, I was trying to think way beyond my capacity! Still I set out to find some answers. As you’ll read further, the whole thing turned out so funny!
Since procrastination is related to time and time is something we all wear all the time, in the form of clocks and watches, I thought procrastination was a result of…
The way we read time! You know how some prefer to read time on digital watches and some prefer the old fashioned analog. My preference has always been analog. The reason is, on an analog watch, I can visually see the time. Even if I read in digital format, in my mind first I have to convert it into analog so that it makes sense! Do you do that too?
“That’s why” I thought “That’s why I procrastinate!” So here’s the theory I formulated: Those who prefer analog have greater tendency to procrastinate than those who prefer digital.
When I came up with that theory, it felt as if I stumbled upon gold! Procrastination, the universal disorder which has troubled scores of humanity, has finally been cured!
When I landed back to reality, I thought now I should come up with a logical explanation of the theory, otherwise I would simply look dumb. So on a page with the heading “Procrastination Cured”, this was the explanation I scribbled:
“Reading time on analog induces procrastination because the analog format portrays a rather unrealistic perception of time; the perception that time is circular in shape! So if you don’t get to finish your task now, no worries, a circle repeats itself. So you’ll get a chance to accomplish that task again, tomorrow!.”
Let’s dig into that a bit. The way you see time displayed on analog clocks is … circular. It seems like time will keep on repeating itself in that circular shape forever! Which gives the impression that time is unlimited! Which leads us to think that since time is unlimited, it’s never too late to start and finish a task. And because it’s never too late, why do it now?
I figured out the problem with analog was the way it represents time. To cure the procrastination problem then, one would have to change the representation of time – by changing the way we read time.
To change the representation, I’d have to change the very model of a clock – in such a way that it shows us time as well as which task that particular time is suitable for!
Are you still reading this article? Great! Keep reading because I’ll get to the point in a moment!
Ok, so I brainstormed and came up with two very funny looking models of clock: The spiral clock and the staircase clock! See the pictures below (click to enlarge)
The spiral clock would add another dimension to time: depth! It wouldn’t only tell what the time is at a particular moment, it would also tell where you stand in terms of accomplishing a task. If it’s 11pm, then you’re way down the spiral and don’t have much time left. See how this contrasts with a normal clock, where time would keep on repeating.
The staircase is a better version. We know that it takes more energy to climb up the stairs and less energy to move down. Hence moving down is relatively easy. With the staircase model, as time passes, you move down the stairs. This makes you feel at ease as the day goes by and as a result, removes the fear and anxiety from accomplishing certain tasks which otherwise would seem difficult.
But my groundbreaking invention was yet to come! It was the Inverted Pyramid Clock! That’s the third and final model I came up with. (click the image to enlarge)
Here, the day begins at the top of the pyramid at 4am (for example). The zigzags represent wavelengths of energy. Longer the wavelengths, more energy you have at that particular time. As the day goes by, your wavelengths become shorter, which means that the energy keeps on decreasing. This made a lot of sense to me. Because by the time you are totally out of energy, that’s the time to sleep.
It also meant that activities which require more energy than others, like exercising and studying, should be done earlier in the morning because that’s when the energy wavelengths are longer! And activities requiring less energy, for example being on Facebook, should be stacked down at the bottom of the pyramid!
It all made perfect sense to me! I was so proud of myself until I thought to do some reality check
So I did an online survey to test my theory. I presented two simple questions:
1. Do you prefer reading time in digital or analog format?
2. Do you tend to procrastinate a lot?
Well, the results of the survey flushed out my expectations! All the ideas I discussed above and the various models of clocks, all was swamped by the results of this little survey. In fact, the results indicated that:
Only 50% of analog users turned out to be procrastinators
Whereas 72.23% of those who preferred digital also happened to be procrastinators
With the above results, I am left with only one reasonable explanation: there is no relation between procrastination and the way we read time!
So, did I make a fool out of myself going through all the creativity above? No. It was like a ride through wonderland which I really enjoyed!
In fact, this failed theory and the little survey prompted me to read a fantastic book called “Procrastination: Why We Do It And What To Do About it” by Jane Burka and Yuen. It’s one of the finest writings on the this subject and digs deep into the roots and causes of procrastination. The book explores the fact that procrastination is not simply a delay mechanism, rather it’s a response to deeply ingrained emotional attitudes. Truth is really stranger than fiction, especially in the case of procrastination.
Looking forward to your comments.
P.S. I love blogging! It gives me the freedom to write about ANY thing! Want to get a blog for yourself? Here’s how(click plz).
Lately my friends have been asking me how to create websites/blogs. I can understand the apprehension it feels as a beginner, I have been there too. Though creating blogs seems difficult and overwhelming task at the beginning, it’s not that complicated after all. Here I’l show you what you need to know to create blogs – so by the time you finish reading this article, you’ll have some sort of a road map in your mind so you’ll know exactly where to begin with. Lets start
A note before we start: Using flashy and colorful graphics won’t make your website “stunning”. It’s all about the content. So what follows is a step by step instruction for creating blogs which look “basic”. Later on I’ll give you some ideas about getting content for your blog for example articles etc. At the end of the day, a blog is worth it’s content. Check out Seth Godin’s blog for example, it uses minimal graphics, yet attracts hundreds of viewers from all around the world.
So the first step is…
Get Familiar with WordPress
“WordPress” is the name you’ll come across very often once you enter the world of website and blog creation. You’ll see that the community will be divided into those who prefer WordPress for making blogs and others who favor “TypePad” or “Blogger” or some other names. These are all programs which are used for similar purposes. I prefer WordPress because it’s very powerful yet easy to use, once we know how to use it!
So what’s WordPress anyway? It’s a web-based program used to develop websites and blogs. Since it’s web-based, you can be at any part of the world and yet be able to modify and update your website by accessing WordPress.
I urge you to go to http://wordpress.com/ and create a free blog there. Follow the instructions and play around with the options. This is not your professional blog, it’s a learning stage, so have fun with it!
Second, click here to visit WordPress tutorial made by Chris Abraham. It’s straight forward, explains everything in a beginner-friendly format, just follow him and soon you’ll see yourself doing things with WordPress you never imagined before!
Just for the record, I use WordPress for this blog you’re at right now Ok, second Step…
Get a Domain Name
“www.OsmanSafdar.com” That’s a domain name. “www.YourName.com” is a domain name too! So what you might typically call a website address, is technically known as a domain name. A domain name is not case-sensitive, which means that YourName.com and yoUrnaMe.com are one and the same thing!
Why would you want to have a domain name? It’s just very cool. It’s your mark on the globe. When you have a unique domain name, it’s like you own a piece of this great land known as the internet. It’s your share from this giant cake known as dot-com! My advice is, if you have a name (who doesn’t ?), make sure its dot-com friendly!
So how to get a domain name? That’s what the third step is about…
Register with a Web Hosting Company
This is the meat of the whole story. To have a blog, you need to “register” with a web hosting company. During registration, you’ll be asked to choose a domain name. What else happens on a web hosting company? See, internet is like a giant hard-disk with lots of memory in it. The web hosting company will allocate some its memory to you, it’s where everything you put in your website gets stored. The domain name simply takes you to that place – the website.
A domain name, is like the address of your home; web hosting on the other hand, is the space of your house where you place your furniture.
So where to register? I prefer a company called JustHost.com. They are not so expensive and their services are also great. Visit www.JustHost.com now and check out their features.
Back to WordPress
Once you register your website, you’ll have the option to install WordPress automatically from the “control panel” of your website. Every website has a control panel (cp). Your web host should send you an email with all the details about your cp and how use it. It’s all graphical, nothing complicated. Below are a few screen shots of how installing WordPress looks like from my cp (click to enlarge):
That’s it! This entire process of registering and installing WordPress is just initial, once you’re done with, you have a fully functional website. How good or poor your website is now depends on your skills in using WordPress, which by the way is not a rocket science! The YouTube tutorial mentioned above will help you a long way in learning WordPress, so make sure you go through that.
How to Get Great Content
A website/blog is all about content. You don’t just want to have a domain name with nothing else to showoff! It’s much like chocolate chip cookies with no chocolate in it! What people pay for is the chocolate; similarly, what’ll make people come to your website is the content. If that’s understood, let me share some tips to get great content:
EzineArticles.com
EzineArticles has thousands of articles about various topics ready to be used for blogs and websites. This could be your source of articles or just to get to some ideas what people are writing about these days.
Get Inspired
Regularly visit the websites and blogs of your favorite personalities, people who you look up to. See how they write and how people respond. These are storehouses of ideas and can make you think in various other directions you previously might have not bothered looking at. And that’s how your writing would improve as well, because now you’re looking at the world from a whole new perspective – and this will show up in your writing.
For example some of the personalities whose blogs I often read for inspiration are:
When I read their blogs, I get to know about their point of views, which in turn helps me form an opinion too. This opinion, a point of view, an idea, could become infectious enough to spread into other aspects of your life and redefine the way you look at certain things. Suddenly you feel enlightened and your level of awareness higher than usual – now writing about it would feel second nature.
Summing it Up
You have an idea now about how it all works. Creating a blog is just the first step, the rest of it is about content. In short, get your hands on WordPress as soon as possible, get a unique domain name and keep an open mind about writing articles.
In the battle of wits, quite often I’ve seen more outspoken people put the less-bold ones to silence by saying “Why are you focusing on hypothetical scenarios, just focus on the current situation and don’t talk about something which has not yet happened”.
You can see this live in action during debates where one participant who is less articulate and less eloquent (but not necessarily less authentic) gets talked down by the louder and more persuasive of the two.
In daily chores of life, be pragmatic by all means. It’s useful. You don’t want to get stuck in never-ending circular questions : What if this happens, what if that doesn’t work,what if someone says this, what if someone does that…. what if and what if. So yes, don’t burn your brains by pointless “what if” questions.
But when a topic or a subject requires critical understanding, these what-if questions and hypothetical scenarios contribute to better understanding. They open-up the horizons of the mind. They help us look at a problem from a variety of different angles. And the conclusion derived after such a deliberate brain-storming what-if session is more complete and comprehensive than the one arrived at by following the “safest” path.
I know I am falling short of examples here! But lets keep it this way!
Both of us know that there’s a lot of important stuff they don’t teach us at school. They’ll tell you to memorize facts and figures, but they won’t teach you how to be successful in life. They’ll tell you what a word in dictionary means, but they won’t tell you what it means to be a person with a positive attitude. And they’ll make you cram up your religious literature, but they won’t show you how to build a trust worthy and honorable character. Continue reading Would you like to get these Life-Changing Books?!
Student: I didn’t understand a word you taught, your way of teaching is bad!
Teacher: You don’t tell me how to teach, I have more than 30 years of experience!
Here’s my commentary on that two line conversation:
Jeffery Dahmer is one of the most famous serial killers of our times. The guy has committed seventeen murders. One of his nicknames was Milwaukee Cannibal. He also kept trophies, one for each murder. Jeffery has a total of 15 years of experience in murdering innocent people. My question is… Continue reading When Experience Becomes Insanity!
You can imagine how bad it feels when someone calls you a liar – and you didn’t do anything wrong. Something similar happened to me yesterday.
While I was walking on the streets of Adliya last night, a shop with bright lights caught my attention. I went inside and started looking at things. On a shelf I saw a soap which was already open. So I grabbed it and tried to figure out its smell! And I kept it back. So far everything was cool. Continue reading The Soap That Crushed My Ego!
Ok, second Step…
You can imagine how bad it feels when someone calls you a liar – and you didn’t do anything wrong. Something similar happened to me yesterday.
