Monday, November 29, 2010

"Time is not enough" ok it will never be!


Concerned with living happily, I don’t settle only for what I experience and live but I also pay attention to what people say and do. I am deeply convinced that what you need to know about any person, it is already disclosed by his words. You don’t need to become an expert on detecting and analyzing body language and body messages, neither to be well-informed about a person’ past and previous experiences. Only pay attention to the words people frequently use and that is enough you will learn a lot about their convictions and attitudes.

One of expressions I generally hear people repeating is "I am busy, I don’t have time". You can fast conclude that they lack management and self-control. What causes people to “lose” time is the absence of prioritizing; sometimes they don’t even know what activities are important in their lives. Further, they have issues with self-control; they cannot control the activities they do and also cannot say no to FB or TV. I don’t have any problem with that; I won’t say that spending time on FB or TV is a bad thing or a good one. It is neither bad nor good. It depends on many things. However, what I am not able to understand and I won’t be able to do is: how some people consciously waste their time and complain that time is not enough.

According to what I have been taught and to what I know till now (I don’t think they have changed it yet) a day is 24 hours for everyone on earth. That is fair enough! Einstein did not have 5000 hour a day. All of happy or miserable people yesterday today and tomorrow have 24 hours every single day. I guess the problem stems from a lot of beliefs and behaviors. Productivity, for instance, is everyone's target. Everyone wants to become productive at work but no one thinks about being productive doing something fun, recreating or meeting friends. Working all the time will create a need to work more that is normal and we will end up workaholic if we are not already. Time is always the same, and a day is not created to be spent doing one thing only. That is why; I said FB and TV are not bad or good, it depends. Even though you are watching TV for fun, that is ok fun is a part of your life.

I facebook, watch TV, talk too much with mom and do a lot of unreasonable unproductive things but still I am very productive and I know exactly how to get things done. My secret is simple I live a life and a life includes everything fun, career, family, friends... what most people do is to focus on one part and miss the rest. The 24 hours are enough for a lot of fun and things to do. There is nothing called "I don't have enough time"; you simply don't want to have enough time. And if you think that time is not enough guess what?? it will never be. Some people perceive themselves as victims of everything including the clock. When you move on and stop perceiving yourself as a victim you can truly understand that perfection is madness and that time is perfectly enough but only to LIVE!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Eat Pray Love



It was a very beautiful day, not only because it was the most enjoyable Eid I have ever had but also because I let a part of myself be. I was able to understand, plan and accept that some things are tiring, boring but they are so sweet, so beautiful, so original so essential for a balanced life. I watched the sky today and when I am talking about how great I felt just for doing ordinary work just for cleaning up and spending time with my family, I cannot put off the picture of the blue sky; it was marvelous and it was like seeing ‘me’ in the mirror.

I walked, turned the light on and I watched myself in the mirror I figured out that I am beautiful I told myself that I am beautiful; I couldn’t escape from my eyes. Just after watching Eat Pray Love, I walked to the mirror, turned the light on and watched myself; those eyes have been always there, mine and I have seen them beautiful all the time. But I have never ever seen them that beautiful. Watching the movie was like meditating; once I stopped watching I looked to the room around me and it did not feel the same; it was not the same; it was beautiful.

Watching the movie, I was seeing myself in every step:


Italy, I love Italy! it has been an eternal dream to visit it. Oh! Pizza! Planning to visit Italy just to eat pizza is insane but it is totally me. I have a relationship me too with pizza I used the exact term before: ‘relationship’. Pizza for me is not just about another unhealthy meal. I have always thought of pizza as a person as someone else sharing with me a special moment. It has been there when I met friends when I spent time with people I love when I watched great movies. It has been there sharing with me beautiful moments in my life. I have never thought of my size or my blood pressure when I eat pizza even though I am very conscious about my health I workout, I eat well, meditate; but pizza is not my weakness ; I just love it.

Italy is a beautiful place on earth it is the most alive country in the world. I am learning Italian. Trying to be a descent and a thoughtful person I could answer the question why? Because I am concerned with my career; because languages are important; because I want to to study or work in Italy. None of these is true. When Silvia my Italian teacher threw that unexpected question on me: why are you studying Italian? I kept repeating ehhh ehh ehe… so one of my colleagues translated that to me. I said I understood but… I did not even complete the sentence what would I say? I am studying Italian because I love to. I cannot even recall the last time I heard someone saying that “I am doing something because I love it”. The Italian class is so beautiful and I am just studying for fun. Not for a CV: a piece of paper that you imagine could describe you. No word can describe me; no résumé can describe me. And I don’t care for my CV. When people say it is very important for your CV and do it for your CV, please somebody kill me! I don’t want to do it for my CV I want to do it for my life, for me. When she (Liza or Julia Roberts) picked the Italian dictionary I couldn’t help it ; the movie is about me.


India, I smile all the time, I have been even named the smiley girl. Arwa is always happy Arwa never gets down… Yes I am but I have never smiled from my liver I don’t know how that feels. Thoughts oh struggling all the time. I Love everything in India. When I think about India I always think about colors. I am a colorful person. Meditating in the morning is beautiful it is very powerful it is so deep peaceful and simple till the point that you forget that YOU are meditating and you don’t recall even why you are doing it.


Bali, I have never thought to go there. But I have always dreamt of a similar place. GREEN GREEN GREEN. I am afraid. I am afraid to fall in love. I don’t want to give up my balance. That is true, I believe in love. I love love. But I am afraid. I can walk away very easily. And all what I have been talking writing or living by can fall apart because I am afraid. I can escape to keep me. It feels as if I fall I will lose myself. It was not easy to find me to find my balance and I am afraid of giving up am afraid of throwing away all what I have.

The movie was about me; I am reflecting myself on the movie; Liza left all of that just to show me my dreams , life, beliefs on the screen; I am crazy. Pick any option you want. I am beautiful and my eyes are my window to my soul. I will watch it again and again and again. I am beautiful and my eyes are my window to the world to my soul.
Eat Pray Love

Friday, November 12, 2010

My First Article on videojug.com: How ‘I’d love to’ instead of ‘I must do’ can change your life?


Few months ago, I received the following e-mail from videojug.com:


Hello Arwa
I am the editor of
videojug.com<http://videojug.com>, the world’s leading ‘how to’ website. We’re about to get bigger and better and i'm looking for some keen & skilled writers to be a part of it.
We've just launched a powerful new self-publishing website that helps people with unique know-how & expertise (i.e. you) connect with our knowledge-hungry audience. The website is called Videojug Pages -
http://pages.videojug.com<http://email.videojug.com/_act/link.php?mId=J8747501896544978413826413714&tId=11264671>
I am searching for a select group of writers & bloggers to become Founder Members on Videojug Pages. I came across your blog - 'Arwa for the future' - and was really impressed.
I'd like to invite you to join our growing community of writers (it's 100% Free).


Well, it has been a long time since I planed to write for How To sites. Obvioulsy, videojug.com seemed a great opportunity. However, I needed to finish some business first :). Today, I published my first article there. It is How ‘I’d love to’ instead of ‘I must do’ can change your life?


Read it here.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

All of you matter to me


Yesterday, I went with some old friends to a café near our college. First published article, first trip…and definitely fiends of the first year journalism are the best. I had SO much fun. And I really love all of them. Five years ago, I was, definitely, different. They were too. I still cannot figure out how we can change and keep being friends. Back home, I had enough time to think about that meeting and meetings with people in general. People, people, people are everywhere, can make you feel the queen of the world or just another miserable on earth. "Hell is other people" Jean-Paul Sartre said. Regardless of what Sartre wanted to say, I believe people are hell because they teach us about ourselves.

I wonder how meeting people, talking to people, hearing people’s viewpoints can tell you a lot about yourself. Every human being you meet is able to teach you a lot about yourself and who you, really, are. Every human being you meet can reveal a part of your character that sometimes you were not aware it even exists. Every human being challenges you and can push you beyond your limits. People tell you who you are, repeat complements till you believe them, shape, on one way or the other, your self-image; how much beautiful, intelligent successful you are.

People ask questions:

Did you get a job? Did you get married? Do you have children?

You wonder, are you here to get their things done, or to do your business?

We all want to be accepted, desired, liked and even envied. We want to be noticed on the crowd and to be noticed the crowd has, first, to exist. We need people to feel loved, to know how much they love us, how much we matter in the world, and how much tears would fall if we were gone.

Still, people are so beautiful. No matter happens, no matter they say, we cannot live without them. People show you other ways to see the world. What could matter for you may not matter for them. They uncover the eternal truth: reality does not exist and perfection cannot be handled on earth.

The most beautiful thing about people is when they remind of what you truly are, when they believe in you and perceive you as an ideal person. It is a lot of pressure, I know, but it is beautiful. When you interact directly with people, your immune system boosts, you energy gets uplifted. When you hug people, energy flows from your heart to them and vice versa.

This post is for all people on this planet. Every single one of you is already making a difference, a huge difference. Without you, we won’t be who we are and earth will lose balance. This post is to all people that, directly, matter in my life; to my family (no word can describe you), to my closest friends (millions of thank you), to people who taught me, who loved or hated me, to all those that challenged me, to all who let me know myself better. To people, my heart joins, daily, the living symphony that we are, harmoniously, playing together. We are ONE.

Monday, November 8, 2010

My Daily Happiness Commitment : Until Your Wildest Dreams Come True


Have you ever heard about people who travelled the whole world looking for their true calling? People who had to spend nights outside watching the stars in the middle of terrifying jungles; people who fought monsters, escaped captivation and came back alive from death, people who saw their families and beloved ones tortured, raped or assassinated in front of them, people who carry weapons as their little kids because it is not a safe world out there? Those people, you wonder, can tell you about the real meaning of life; those people know exactly who they are; they have 'experiences'; they know the answer. Have you ever heard about people who retreat and spend hours and hours contemplating without even thinking about the word bored? People who have discovered that ‘scary’ inner world and live peacefully with it; people who ‘possess’ wisdom, people who understand life; people who have something to talk about.

What about you? Sitting on your chair; doing the same things everyday; no adventures; no big achievements. Ok wait a minute! I don't agree with all this madness. You don't have to fight a dragon to discover the sense of achievement. Who can give me an example of a dragon, a monster more dangerous and terrifying than Fear? You don't have to go to India; to meditate the whole day in order to uncover your true calling. You know it right here right now; whether you like what to do or you don't; you have the answer. You don't have to meet native people to understand love and compassion; you can see love and compassion right now on her or his eyes.

The bottom line is that the most important moment in your life is NOW. It may not seem that special because you are not in Hawaii drinking a refreshing cocktail and watching the ocean. But believe me, there is a huge ocean inside you. If only you choose to see and not to escape or hide from it all the time.

I dream of skydiving, I love it I know I am not that brave but flying is SUPER. I love diving too; the mystery of oceans appeals me; I want to see all that colours and creatures, closely. I love to jump from Australian mountains; to attend the Brazilian carnival; to visit India and spend a month there learning secret lessons about life. I want to walk on the Great Chinese Wall; I want to visit the moon; I want to make 'Tour d'Europe' on my feet or train; I want to have a dinner in the White House; to attend “le cirque de soleil”; to eat a real Italian pizza (still addicted to pizza and my home-made pizza is becoming more delicious every time; a great cooker is going to impress the world :) I want to spend a night watching the stars in front of a beautiful lake.... But until I make all or some of them come true, am I wasting my life? is what am doing not enough? Are people who did all of this understanding life more than me?

I had a conversation once with one of my friends, a journalist by the way. I know I have sometimes strange ideas that people cannot cope with. He was telling me: "I don't believe people who tell you how to live or what to do unless they had ‘huge experiences’"( maybe one of what I mentioned in the beginning). He said: “how can soemone leaving in a conformable neighbourhood write and tell me how to live?” I said: “you don't travel the world or try everything to discover true answers.” I am always convinced that everything is within, going from mini cooper (I love to drive a red one because I have never seen a rosy one :) or the ideal partner. Everything you want is inside you; all answers are inside you. He said: “you are young and you don't know anything about life.” I wondered, you have no idea :) I answered: “sometimes little experiences can teach you huge lessons and huge experiences can leave you with nothing.” I am convinced it is not about what you do or what you have is about YOU; what you are.

Lao Tzu (Oh that man really understands me; if he is still alive I would propose for him:) reiterated my thought (I Know he lived in the 4th century BC, so he is not reiterating my thought but Einstein said present past and future happen at the same time:). So Lao Tzu said:

Without stirring abroad, One can know the whole world; Without looking out of the window; One can see the way of heaven. The further one goes; The less one knows.”

Until your wildest dreams come true - and believe me they will do - keep dreaming but keep living the moment, you have yourself now and you will come back to yourself always. You will spend a month meditating in India; you will skydive (May Allah be with us:) you will realize everything you want but you will always come back to yourself; you will always have nothing but you. What you have done, you do or what you will do cannot tell anything about you. And half of people are miserable so they will always underestimate you, but you have billions of cells just in your brain and you have a reason to be a human being don't throw it away. Until your biggest dreams come true be happy, grateful and hopeful; love and give as much as you can because you receive as much as you give.

"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn

from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you

by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while

I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails

into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself

taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world,

your return." Mary Jean Iron

Friday, November 5, 2010

As Happy as I deserve to be!



Deep in my heart, I keep the same secret goal. I want nothing out from life but to be happy. That is why; my way to perceive things is different. My way to deal with 'ordinary' things is different. I don’t question much what benefits or advantages something has to bring me, I merely care of what I feel.

Am I happy? That is a question, I repeat everyday so life does not succeed to destruct me; so what people call duties or priorities do not turn me down or turn me into a robot. A robot, who definitely accomplishes all tasks needed and even before deadlines, but a robot with no feelings or life. When the answer to that question is no, I feel, terribly, not me. I hate that feeling and honestly I try to escape from it, to hide somewhere because I cannot face moments where I am not happy. Happiness is my purpose in life, is my job, my partner, the other me. I don't want to just be one of millions who do not even realize that they have something that beats within; that they carry life in their chests. Happy is how I want to be today yesterday and certainly tomorrow.

I don't want to get a job and that is it; get married and that is it; have children and that is it; do my social duties perfectly and that is it; finally die and that is it. I want to die happily; and I guess if I want to die happy, I have to live happy first. I want to have a job that really makes me happy and doesn’t poison my time; I want love to be in everything around me; I want to see it everywhere I go and I want to breathe it instead of air; I want to do things with my heart telling me go on; I simply want to live a life where the only thing I am asked to do is to be who I am.

A lot of things that I am doing daily this period make me feel happy. Regardless of what people may think or how they judge what I do; I can say strongly that I am happy. Not only because a lot of things are exactly how I would love them to be, but also because I feel that fun makes a new composing of my blood. I definitely hate to nag about things that are not going right or time that seems to do nothing more than passing, relatively, fast. I love to appreciate the moment and love and accept me just how I am now; since I am perfectly how I need to be on this exact moment of my life.

I admit that I am less happy than before and I am missing a lot of beautiful feelings I used to keep inside. But I guess we evolve; we cannot remain the same forever. As we grow things change; I will try to make sure that the real essence of who I am remains untouched and at the same time make sure that on my pursuit of happiness; I keep in mind that I am already happy and I keep in mind that nothing in this world can bring me sorrow or happiness unless I permit that. Only me, decides how I feel and how my life is going to be; for that reason I will make sure that I live as happy as I deserve to be.