Yesterday after an idea packed "Power of Giving" book launch meeting, I was buzzing with creativity. I was tempted to move on to the next thing. However, I stuck to going the extra mile with the power of giving ideas and completed a one page marketing plan for the publisher. I felt light and really energized!

The new burst of enthusiasm allowed me not only to go deeper into the power of giving marketing plan, but also gave me the spark to finish other things on my plate.

A HALF CENTURY WORTH CELEBRATING
 
One of my dear friends Naveen Jain, CEO of Intelius sent me this beautiful note this morning:

Once a year, in my faith, we fast from sunrise to sunset (no food or drink including water) for an entire month. It can be very difficult to observe this.

I began my fasting for this year today. And today, I tackled  a storage issue which has been pending for so long.

Here’s a great example of a creative way to give. Giving away your front yard!

It's a unique gift that benefits both the receiver as well as the giver. This wonderful story is from www.tyee.ca, an award-winning online magazine.

"Why Urban Farming Is the Future:  And why it's good to get a little dirty while helping BC feed itself. First in a series." By David Tracey, 18 Aug 2009, TheTyee.ca.

The first odd thing about Cam Macdonald's Mt. Pleasant lawn is that it isn't a lawn. It's a farm.

We went to Ambleside in West Vancouver, B.C. for a family picnic yesterday.

I have lived in Vancouver 29 years and have been to Ambleside quite a number of times. I always felt it was a nice place to go. However, today I saw a different side to it - breath taking beauty and majesty! This made me feel gentle and more giving to my family and close ones.

What changed? It could be because I walked towards an area that I had never gone before. Or, it could be that I was more relaxed and open to take in the beauty?

I was reading the book "3 Cups of Tea" today. A fascinating story! I have been to the areas where the book was conceived and I totally relate to the following message:

When you have one cup of tea, you are a stranger. When you have two cups of tea, you are a friend. When you have three cups of tea, you are family. And you would die for a family member! Wow!

The story gives people in the West a different perspective of Afghanistan. Also, it shows how one man with desire can make a big difference.

 
Usually, I exercise first thing in the morning. Yesterday I missed my exercises because I left it for the evening. I thought I would make up for it when I go play soccer with my son Tawfiq.

However, in the evening we ended up going for a family dinner at The Keg. My parents were treating my daughter Sahar who will be leaving for Spain soon.

This morning, I was having no more of that. I went for a half hour brisk walk at 6.30 am followed by stretching and then giving some quality time to the family. I feel great!

At times, I react to people in a manner that is not uplifting. The reaction, at times, is internal; a feeling inside.

There are some books which seem to gain strength as time goes by. I have observed that with "The Power of Giving"!

Tarcher/Penguin imprint has just paired with Chinese publisher, Simplified, to release a Chinese translation of THE POWER OF GIVING for Mainland China (one of the biggest markets in the world). "The Power of Giving" has now been picked up by publishers in Spain, Turkey, India, Greece, Portugal, Romania, China, indonesia, Canada and USA. Our target is 20 countries by 2011.

On our family drive back from holidays in Alberta, we saw a bear near Jasper wanting to cross the road. As he saw our car, he stopped and went back a couple of feet. As we slowly drove past him, we saw him look left, right and left again before crossing the road rapidly!

I was left pondering who taught the bear to look left, right and left again? Nature is miraculous!