The Power by Rhonda Byrne

As the title depicts, this is going to be yet another book review! Yay:) Come New Year 2011 and I'm still in the reading mood, Alhamdulillah.. I bought 'The Power by Rhonda Byrne' on 24 December 2010. Attracted by the cover (and the 30% discount and on it!), I did a flip through and  the first few words caught me right at the heart...

"You are meant to have an amazing life!"

says Rhonda Byrne.

"You are meant to be fulfilling your dreams.."

I absolutely love the positivity she was putting through there and immediately bought a copy. Dr. Muhaya on IKIM.fm a couple of weeks ago talked about how one should spend at least an hour a day digesting motivational materials. So this is me following her advice, picking up a totally inspiring book..love, love, love.. I do hope I'll get to attend Dr. Muhaya's workshop, "Kuasa Minda: Ke Arah Sikap Yang Positif"(the power of the mind: towards a positive attitude). I would love to be under her tutelage and have her as one of  my life coaches. She sounds phenomenal! Did I mention she's an ophthalmologist? To undergo LASIK is another one on my wish-list:)! love..love..love..

Now back to the book under scrutiny! 'The Power', in a way to me is similar to 'The Secret'. While the former focuses on the Law of Attraction, 'The Power' zooms in on the power of LOVE.. And love is actually the law of attraction..Yes, love. Love makes the world go round. Love is the essence of living. Love conquers all!

To be able to live the amazing life we all dream about, it is essential that we learn how to fully utilise the attractive force of love. Because like attract likes and what we give, we receive. So give good to receive goodness. It all totally makes sense.

If everyday in our lives, we focus on the positive, it is this positive part of our thinking that will materialize. Therefore, we have to think and talk about what we love: all the good news and the things that went well in our day. And next, we have to feel good about it. Inject positive feelings towards it. Feelings of love, gratitude, joy, passion, excitement, enthusiasm, satisfaction, hope and many more. Increase the frequency of these emotions to benefit even more from it.

According to Byrne,

"....Every decision you make in your life is based on how you feel.."

What we want in our lives, we want it because it makes us feel good. To receive the good, we need to have good feelings. Give love through good feelings.

"You have to be happy first, and give happiness, to receive happy things!"

The next few part of the book talks about The Creation Process. It takes you through a few simple steps to harness the force of love in every areas of your life - IMAGINE, FEEL, RECEIVE.

Yes, it all starts with the visualization process.  This may be nothing new to some of us. Even major athletes use this visualisation technique before taking part in an event. This envisioning of the whole process and the victorious ending. It is said that the mind cannot tell the difference between what is imagined and what is real. This is what we have to use to our advantage. But how many of us have done it?

I love how Byrne describes that there is nothing too big for the law of attraction. We have to think of the things that we want and desire in life, no matter how big, to be just the size of a dot. It's achievable! And this is as far as I'm going to reveal. Especially, since I haven't finished reading the book whole yet.

But one thing's for sure.. Getting your mind to focus on what you love, really brightens the day..when you think happy thoughts and feel it through positive emotions, your day just turns out so much better. You feel more relaxed, at ease, and you'll find that others respond to you better and you just learn to enjoy the moment. Love, love, love!!

No Time Like The Present and Reading For Knowledge

My 4-year-old son, Hariz is an excellent example of someone who makes full use of his waking hours. Some days he is awake 12 hours and sleeps another 12. Most days he sleeps less than that (8 - 10 hours) and is awake, the rest of the time. What does he do? He plays, explores, learns, interacts.. The world is his playground! Ofcourse, whatever he does is always under supervision (be it my own, husband's or his grandparents'). What I love about this part of him is his zest for life. He looks forward to every new day. When he opens his eyes in the morning, he won't just lie around in bed daydreaming (nor does he sneaks in a few more hours of sleep). He just sits up, gets up and is on the move! We adults sure can learn from this kind of zesty attitude!

So why is it important to make full use of our waking hours? Because we don't know how long we'll live! And if you have your life goals mapped out, I am sure you would want to have them realised during your lifetime, God-willing. So there is no time to waste!

I have been spending the last few weeks buying discounted books at the MPH sale in Alamanda. Mostly books on personal finance, parenting and writing. I have also been spending last weekend devouring these books. As you can see, I am in the reading mood and nothing, nobody can stop me from reading book after book! Right now I am reading 'Smart Parents Richer Kids' by Azizi Ali and Zaid Mohamad. Although I have read many other Personal Finance books (by Robert Kiyosaki, Azizi Ali, Dave Ramsey etc.) this particular book shares how we could get the whole family and especially the kids involved in financial planning, instilling good financial habits in kids from young and securing a better future for them. Some tips mentioned in this book are familiar. But it's being conveyed in such a delightful manner with Zaid, who's very much a family man sharing delightful anecdotes based on his real day-to-day life experience. I love it!

I feel like starting a Total Money Makeover again! Yes, I've been slacking these past few years. The problem is, the more I earn, the more my desire to buy increases. So now is no better time than ever to put a stop to these useless desires! Time for me to think rationally and get back on track to my goal of becoming financially free (and not to have to work for others but to make money work for me). Due to my spending fury these past couple of years (I have vague memories of what I've spent on, except one expensive hair treatment programme), I have alot of catching up to do. Damage control: credit card bills to pay up, monthly budget to scrutinize (items to be divided into categories: essentials, nice, crap), 20% of income to be put aside each month (the pay- yourself- first concept which actually should top the list), to teach my son to save (he spends like his mom these days and he uses other people's hard earned money - which just drives my mom up the walls) and ofcourse to set out our family's Objectives, Goals, Strategies and Measures (OGSM). Like Zaid mentioned in his book, (in my own words now) you won't know which path to take unless you have it all mapped out. So yes, we shall be doing that. Infact, I've been making drafts of it while going through the book. Now all I need is to go through the OGSM with hubby and son before we get to the implementing stage. Phew! Some work needed there!

Now the next book on my reading list is, 'Bear Hunt: Earn Your Living By Doing What You Love' by Malcolm McClean. I am also in the midst of reading 'Rumahku, Ofisku' (My Home, My Office) by Mazneera Zainal which is also pretty inspirational for a woman like me who is yearning, wanting, trying and is in the process of realising my dream of becoming a WAHM. Another mind blowing book I read last week was 'The One Minute Entrepreneur' by Ken Blanchard, Don Hutson and Ethan Willis. They share their secrets to Creating and Sustaining a Successful Business. Yes, yes, that is one of my long term goal - to become a successful entrepreneur. Before that I must have solid foundations which is what I am working at right now - good financial planning and then I'll need a sound business plan.

More books on my reading list (books I've bought and have yet to read):

English:

1. How They Started In Tough Times by David Lester and Beth Bishop ( I got this book at 50% discount! and it's just been published this year!! Thanks MPH - my fave bookstore!)

2. Writing Fiction For Children by Judy K. Morris (70% discount - yay!)

3. The Power of a Positive No by William Ury (among the first books I bought when the year 2010 opened its curtain)

4. The 48 Laws of Power by Robbert Greene (bought July 2009 - hmm wonder why I didn't get around to reading it - I guess I'm not so crazy about being controlling and being in power over others. But then again it is actually necessary to be in power over your own self - having self-control.

Bahasa Malaysia:

1. Jejak Bisnes Rasul by Mohamed Sulaiman and Aisuddinur Zakaria

2. 7 Formula Individu Cemerlang by Dr. Danial Zainal Abidin

3.Rahsia Bisnes Isteri Nabi: Khatijah by Shadi Zain

4. Jana RM Dari Rumah by Masayu Ahmad

5. Rahsia Bisnes Orang Cina by Ann Wan Seng (fantastic!!)

6. Mudahnya Bisnes dengan Blogshop by Zamri Mohamad

7. Rancang Wang Dari Sekarang by Pakdi (founder of bicarajutawan.com community)

(All these Bahasa Malaysia books I've started but have yet to finish reading  - these are mostly on business, personal development and personal finance)

8. Satu Rasa Dua Hati by Pahrol Mohd Juoi (on marriage)

9. Teknik Memotivasikan Anak Cara Positif (on parenting)

Wow, I just realised I have loads of reading to do. Actually, there's probably about 5-10 other books (including fiction) which are still left untouched (mostly because I bought them on sale especially the novels and over time I felt too adult to be reading them tsk...tsk..I also would rather be filling my brain with more useful knowledge than fantasy - better excuse!).

Ok guys, all these listing is actually to serve as a reminder to myself, a way to keep track of my reading materials. And if you're looking for interesting books to read, feel free to pick one from my list. If I am not mistaken, the MPH sale at Alamanda is still on! See you there!!

Wealth Files

'Secrets of the Millionaire Mind' by T. Harv Eker is by far the most brilliant book I've read this year! So much so that Harv's voice keeps playing over and over again in my head (despite me having never attended his seminar)! This goes to show how powerful his messages on wealth creation are. His words just resonates through me and I actually feel financially liberated. I can't recommend his book enough! I so want to attend his 'Millionaire Mind Course', I feel like writing to Harv inviting him to share his expertise right here in Malaysia!! Harv, you've made such an impact on me!!

That said, allow me to share the tip of the iceberg as to the secrets of the millionaire mind.

The first chapter of this book talks about your financial blueprints (as mentioned in my previous entry). Your financial blueprints are thoughts, ideas and beliefs on money that has been programmed into your mind while you were growing up. If you end up with a lousy financial blueprint, you can always undo it (undoing it is important as it determines your success in this area). Supposing your mind is a filing cabinet. Your financial blueprints are the files that get filled into these cabinets. Changing your blueprints means taking out the old and putting in new files. In his book, Harv provides you with new, more positive wealth files in order to help you achieve a millionaire mindset.

Now these wealth files come together with declarations and activities you must do to have a millionaire mind. I'll let you in on Wealth File #3 as I find it quite amusing. This particular wealth file talks about 'complaining'. According to Harv, "when you are complaining, you become a living, breathing 'crap' magnet" and "what you focus on, you expand". So complaining can do more damage to your financial success than you think. To help resolve this, Harv instructs us to do the following activity: for the next 7 days, go through each day without a single complaining whether out loud or in your mind. Doing this would really make a remarkable difference in your life. When you stop complaining, you start to view life in a more positive manner. You view the good side of things. And when you focus on the good things in life, you put your energy in it or to it and more of these good stuff start flowing into your life. Again let me repeat as Harv likes to do,"what you focus on, you expand".

I found the above exercise to be rather challenging as although I can manage the not complaining out loud part,quietening the mind is a task that takes some discipline. But I know I'll succeed in doing it for the rest of this week and for the rest of my life (as that's part of what it takes to become a millionaire!).

Now say it with me, "I am committed to taking the necessary actions to becoming a millionaire. I have a millionaire mind!!"

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker

It's a brand new week, and I have a brand new book in hand! And boy, I'm glad I got my hands on it!! The book as you must have guessed by now is 'Secrets of the Millionaire Mind' by T. Harv Eker. I think Anamiraa recommended this book previously (Thanks Ana!). I was actually attracted to it's cover and when I viewed it's content, I made up my mind to purchase it right away. I bought other books as well and using my trusty MPH member card, I'd managed to collect myself points and received free book vouchers (festive seasons people!).

What's so great about this particular book? Well, it provides you with the missing link between your desire for success and your achievement of success. Now this is very important since, nearly everybody wants to be successful and rich. And most of these wannabees have the intense desire to be so. But what is it that's lacking in many that they haven't achieved this success or richness? Could it have something to do with the economic downturn? Limited opportunities? If no, then what?

Ahaa.. I have yet to find out.. But for now, the chapter I'm reading refers to our financial blueprints. These are our preprogrammed thoughts on success and money. And how the results we have or see in ourselves now is actually contributed by the programming we've had in the past. Redo the program and you are most likely going to get a different and more desirable outcome should you have done it correctly. That's what I'm trying to find out in this book. That and many, many other secrets which will soon be revealed to my eyes/mind/soul.

The Panther Personality

If when asked to choose from a panther, an owl, a dolphin and a peacock, you choose a panther, then the following may describe your personality:

A person with panther personality is one who has good leadership quality, is good at making decisions, are people oriented and values productivity.

Each of the animal personalities I mentioned before have their strengths and weaknesses. However, I do not mention them all here. The ones I did mentioned are described in my own words. If you're interested in the whole material, please get a copy of "Conquer Fear!" by Lisa Jimenez;)

Conquer Fear!

While my son was napping during the day, I'd checked my email and discovered a delightful surprise from Success University. My SU weekly plan for this week contained a free e-book entitled "Conquer Fear!" by Lisa Jimenez. Out of excitement, I decided to start reading it there and then. And what I read really intrigued me.

According to the author, the reason why many of us don't achieve the goals we set out is because we have a fear of either 'failure' or 'success'. The author goes on to explain the differences between the two so that we can recognise which category we fall under. However, it is deemed more serious if you have a fear of success. People who fear success have a negative perspective on what success does to them. They may associate success with being arrogant, losing friends, being too busy and many other negative attributes. Their subconscious mind responds to this fear by either fleeing away from it or fighting it, bringing them even further away from their intended goal. Now that makes sense doesn't it?!

Behind these fears lies a negative belief system that have been built upon us based on what we've gone through in life.

For you to go to the root of these negative beliefs, it is also important to first know yourself well. What is your personality type? What are your positive traits? What kind of natural abilities/skills do you have? What are your values and principles in life? I did a little bit of soul searching based on the above questions by going through the activities provided. One of the activities required for us to ask our loved ones to list down 6 positive words which describes us. I turned to my parents for this since hubby was away. And the words they listed down really surprised me just as the author had forewarned.

So just to share, my father had listed down the following words to describe me:

1. active (am I? maybe it's because I can't sit still when I'm at my parents' place),
2. courage (hmm.. yeah.. I've had had some courageous moments),
3. happy(I act that even when I don't feel that so that I'd eventually feel that..),
4. kind (awwe thanks dad, I'm really touched that you think so - that you actually think so brought tears to my eyes),
5. conservative (my dad still can't get over how fast I changed my fashion sense)and
6. fast (fast-learner? fast walker? fast..?).

While my mother listed down the following:

1. intelligent (due to the many awards I received in the past..),
2. hard-working (yes.. I am),
3. kind (thanks ma - same as dad)
4. friendly (really?:)),
5. sweet (ahahahaha) and
6. responsible (have to be!!).

Ok, enough bragging about it already! The main purpose of this particular exercise was to point out to us that sometimes how we view ourselves may differ to that of others (or so, I think). So try it out! It's a real confidence booster:D

I'll share more about this book after I'm done with it, ok:)

the real secret

After reading the Secret and now reading a self-enrichment book by the author of Chicken Soup for the Soul series, i want to more than anything to be able to work from home. As advised in the Secret, my husband and i have put up a visual board to stick or write down our dreams and goals. That being the first step to realising ones vision. Because all dreams are achievable. For what the mind can perceive, it can achieve. The next step is to believe that what we asked for or wish for is making it's way to us. When we pray to Allah s.w.t. we have faith that Allah the Al-Mighty will listen to our prayers. Ask and He will give. Provided that it is in line with Islamic teachings. Then according to the author of the Secret, we should make believe that we are actually living this dream of ours now. and i guess this actually works. eg. act confident and u will soon start feeling confidence.. pretend that you are unwell and you will start feeling weak.. so whatever it is that u desire, act the part.

In achieving ones dreams, it is also important to regard others in a positive light no matter how they treat us. because like attracts like. if you treat people unrightfully, then you will most probably end up being treated the same way by some other people. treat nature with respect. respect everyone. send out loving energy to every one you know or meet. be grateful for what you have now. do charity. donate more...

the zahir

not sure what i should write about.. so i'm leaving out the title until i figure out the contents of this morning's entry. since i'm in a rush to leave for work (only 2 minutes left), it'll have to be the shortest entry for this chapter.. have i mentioned about the zahir? it's a book by paulo coelho.. i have yet to finish reading it.. but already, i'm loving his writing.. or rather the translated version of it.. so i'll be reading more of his work.. ok, got to go.. more on the book later..

finally i can log on!!

goodness! i dunno how many times i changed my password till i totally forgot what it was.. now this new password, i WILL remember:P i sort of miss blogging... it has really been ages. and reflecting back on my previous writings, they were rather sadistic.. but let's not dwell on that.. from today onwards i, azrina will make an effort to blog every single day (all positive entries) no matter how short. so there you have it!!

i have an announcement to make. i've come up with a new resolution! it may be the middle of the year, but better later than never! i've decided to turn over a new leaf.. and this rather has got something to do with discovering the innertalk series at a recent book fair. awesome technology!! if u haven't checked it out already, visit innertalk.com.my. oh and another interesting find is a book called the secret.. which supposedly is quite the rage at the moment. but i have yet to get hold of a copy. did check out what others had to say about it on oprah's site. pretty interesting, though i agree that most of the contents are no big secret to some of us.. still, like all motivational books, i expect this to serve as a confidence booster. so yes, i'm definitely going to bag it:)

oh yes! now back to my resolution!! the new azrina will focus her thoughts on only the positive. as mentioned in the secret, like attracts like.. therefore i will choose only to like the good, the positive energy that will attract all the goods which life has to offer... wealth, happiness, health, love...

ok, enough said.. goodnite people of the world..