Spark
by Azim Jamal
GENRE: Self Help
BLURB:
In
a world vigorously chasing classic ideals of success, find your spark
and become significant.
Your
journey starts here.
Meet
Steve, a hotshot lawyer fighting to climb the corporate ladder in
this inspiring fable. His life transforms seemingly overnight as he
is sent to India for a task he considers pointless. But things
quickly fall apart. Steve, forced to reconsider his path, realizes
that the curveball life has thrown at him is an opportunity to find
his true purpose. This spiritual odyssey is about to transform him
beyond his wildest dreams.
A
powerful lesson follows each chapter, making up the SPARK that
transforms Steve's life: Selflessness, Purpose, Attraction,
Resilience and Knowing.
This
SPARK is hidden within you too. It may be dormant now, but awakening
to it will catapult you from the "Present You" to the "Best
You." It's time to light up your SPARK today.
Excerpt:
Steve cautiously peered through his large, floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing at the carpet of lights twinkling outside his 48th-floor corner office. He immediately took a step back, feeling the same dizzying rush of blood to his face he always got when he remembered how high up he was. It was a stark reminder that his fear of heights wasn’t getting any better with age. He looked away, back towards his beautiful oak desk, which he had bought from a handmade furniture exhibition in Toronto last year. He picked a sheaf of papers up from its surface. After a year of bitter wrangling, he and Christina were finally divorced. A marriage that had begun with such aplomb a decade ago now lay in tatters (and with that 30% of his assets, too). He flung the divorce papers down and checked his watch. It was time for his five o’clock with Michelle, his boss and CEO at Miles Inc., one of the top three management consulting firms in Canada. Steve felt a tiny rush of excitement. The COO had recently resigned to spearhead an e-commerce start-up, and the firm was looking for a replacement. There Story: Self to Selflessness 12 AZIM JAMAL were three contenders. Steve was one of them. His assistant, Stephanie, popped her head in to inform him she had booked an appointment with the Cypress Valley Golf Club at seven tomorrow. Cypress was an exclusive club with an invitation-only membership criterion and a whopping $50,000 in annual fees. This was more than he was paying at his existing club. The wait-list was three years long, and Steve had to nudge quite a few of his contacts to even get shortlisted for a meeting with the elite membership board that could approve or deny him entry. Steve did not really enjoy golf. But this was the big fish pool, where the who’s who of the city swam. If he wanted to be seen as a dominant player in corporate society, being seen at all the right places was very important. And no place was more right than Cypress Valley.
What is your schedule like when you’re writing a book?
My day normally begins at 4 AM for meditation and prayers, which I wind down at 5:30 AM. I try to get a workout in soon after that, between 5:30 and 6 AM. To kickstart the writing process, and to get my creative juices flowing, I listen to inspirational podcasts. If the day “flows” like this, I will start writing between 6 and 8 AM.
However, I do also find that I’m at my peak penmanship powers between midnight and 4 AM. So, if I have something on my mind and need to get pen to paper, I am more than ready to do it at this time.
The reason I choose these times is because most everyone around me is either fast asleep or winding down, and the quiet calm allows me the space I need to escape and express my thoughts. Having said that, I find I am most alert and fresh between 6 and 8 AM soon after completing my Hour of Power routine - 20 minutes each of exercise, meditation, and learning.
To write in the midnight and 4 AM slot requires me to move my sleep cycle between 6 PM and midnight. But this works for me because between 6 PM and midnight I am at my most unproductive!
Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?
No, I never considered using a pseudonym while writing a book. I have always valued loyalty. Loyalty to and from my readers. What I share is from the heart and I want it to touch their hearts. In order for me to be authentic about this intention and for the readers to genuinely relate to what I have to say, I feel it has to be delivered by the Real Azim Jamal.
However, I have used the Corporate Sufi brand name when writing a few blog posts, articles, or when sharing an inspirational quote.
Have you ever had reader’s block?
I’ve only encountered bouts of reader’s block when reading something that is not relevant or exciting to me. Similarly, I get writer’s block when I find myself writing about something that is not material to achieving my purpose or passion.
Similar to my answer above about writing during my peak hours to maximize my efforts, if I read something uplifting during the Hour of Power, I find it helps me avoid reader’s block. Another simple tip that works for anyone who encounters reader’s block is to move to the audiobook version of that book. I often find that listening to someone else read to you can help you tap into the subconscious part of your brain much easier, and this keeps you more engaged.
Does your family support your career as a writer?
Very much so! My daughter Sahar provides coaching and consulting, my wife Farzana critiques my work in the most positive and productive manner, always improving the outcome, and my son Tawfiq is a constant cheerleader who also gives very insightful feedback. All three of them have been very much a part of my journey. Without their support I would not have been able to write and publish ten books!
We all stand on other people’s shoulders. They help us in what we create. I met my wife by accident when she was on holiday in Vancouver. Today, I can truly say it was no accident as she has made a huge, if not the biggest, contribution in my journey. These “accidents” are something I cover in the third chapter of SPARK when we meet the “Apricot Man” and cover the concept of Attraction.
How many hours a day do you write?
If I’m working on a specific title, I spend many more hours than usual. During this time, I devote several hours a day to brainstorming, researching and creating. When I am not working on writing a specific book, I spend about an hour a day on writing a blog post and also contributing to my daily journal. I would say on average I write about two to three hours a day.
If you could invite any three people for dinner, whom would you invite?
Ariana Huffington, Oprah Winfrey and Paulo Coelho.
Ariana Huffington because I am fascinated by how she was able to transition from being a journalist to developing a huge successful business that resonates with the world. Also for her out-of-the-box thinking that birthed the Huffington Post. I can only imagine what I could learn from a conversation with her.
Oprah Winfrey because of the sheer chutzpah she had to speak her mind and unwavering spark to be authentic regardless of how others saw her. This was so evident in how she evaluated and selected books and authors from so many thousands of submissions. With so much knowledge and wisdom, the conversation at dinner would be down-right amazing!
Paolo Coelho because I am curious to know if he had any doubts about his career choice and how he dealt with them. From outside looking in it seems he would have had zero doubts, but given the depth of topics he’s covered and the esoteric nature of his writings, surely he would have had a defined process that allowed him to produce his works, seamlessly, from concept to completion. I would love to learn about that process.
These three creators seem to work from the best version of themselves. They have genuinely tapped into and opened their birth-day gift - a concept covered in the second chapter of the book on Purpose. For me, the inspiration to elevate from the “Present Me” to the “Best Me” is what I see in these three. Something I share more in the Introduction of my book, SPARK: Journey from Success to Significance.
Would you share something about yourself that your readers don’t know (yet)?
I was never the best student academically. Science especially seemed too complicated for me. For a very long time, I did not know what I would end up doing with my life. I was always driven when it came to three areas: sports, leadership and volunteering. My passion for these helped me consider making a living in these areas.
There were times when I doubted the feasibility of making a living in sports, leadership or volunteer work. Thus, I was open to being a taxi driver because it would at the least allow me to engage with a multitude of people and characters which I enjoy. However, luckily I got a chance to study accounting and because I did enjoy it, I went on to receive three qualifications in the field - an ACCA from the UK, and CPA and CFP accreditations in Canada.
Then, 25 years ago I changed my career from accounting for business (profit) to accounting for life (impact). By becoming an inspirational speaker, leadership coach and author, I was able to combine all my passions and fields of expertise into one pursuit, which is now my mantra and mission - Business, Balance, Beyond!
My journey shows that although I was lousy at science, and good at accounting, I became brilliant at what I do now - inspire, coach and write. ‘The enemy of the best is the good’ as my late colleague Dr. Stephen Covey would say. It also shows that we cannot be great or brilliant in everything - we have to pick a lane aligned to our birth-day gift (what we are born with) and our purpose. I was lucky to find that at the age of 43 and have never looked back. It is never too late!
Final thing I’ll share here is that I try to believe that everything is exactly where it needs to be and that after any and every failure I will always be able to bounce back bigger and stronger. The failures and struggles make me stronger and more hungry, rather than weaker. I share this message in more depth in chapter four of SPARK titled, “Resilience”.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
I strive to be authentic by bringing my truest voice to the people. My originality is influenced by my life experiences, including volunteering. my time, as well as working with, and coaching, successful CEOs of great companies around the world. By honestly immersing myself at all degrees of the societal spectrum, I allow myself to grow in ways I couldn’t otherwise, but also it allows me to share my growth and takeaways from these interactions with others at all levels. With authenticity comes true originality and the most honest delivery.
For example one of the questions I often ask my clients is: What are you missing in your life?
Invariably, I get a reply which always seems to include the following, “Purpose”, “Fulfillment”, “Inner happiness”, “Life Balance”.
Another question I ask is: How do you define Success?
Usually, the essence of their answers describes Significance, and not the classic ideals of success.
One of the questions my clients usually ask me when I speak about SPARK is: How does one create a practical and inspiring blueprint to unleash one’s SPARK?
I found my responses often centered around Selflessness, Purpose, Attraction, Resilience and Knowing, which formed the acronym S.P.A.R.K. which eventually inspired the book.
How do you celebrate when you finish your book?
Over and above a celebratory dinner with my wife Farzana, there’s not much fanfare to tell you the truth. I get most festive when I am sharing the message of the book to as many people as I can, including doing lots of interviews, podcasts and talks. The joy of all the hard work of writing comes alive when I am able speak about the book and share the knowledge with thousands around the world.
If you could be mentored by a famous author, who would it be?
As I briefly touched on above, it would be Paulo Coelho. If I could have a chance to enhance the art of storytelling from the master that would be superb!
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Azim Jamal is one of the finest inspirational life-altering personalities with a global following. He is the CEO and founder of Corporate Sufi Worldwide, whose mission is to inspire individuals and corporations to unleash the power within and find harmony between Business, Balance and Beyond.
Connect with Azim Jamal
Instagram ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads
2 comments:
Looks like a great read.
Excellent interview!! I really enjoyed reading it!!
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