1. 12/10/2011 8:10:41 PM By Dr.Rajesh Patel,Director, nrvmba,email:1966patel@gmail.com 1

2. 12/10/2011 8:10:41 PM By Dr.Rajesh Patel,Director, nrvmba,email:1966patel@gmail.com 2

3. 12/10/2011 8:10:41 PM By Dr.Rajesh Patel,Director, nrvmba,email:1966patel@gmail.com 3

4. 1.First, Find Out What You “Signed up to
do” – Take the time to reflect on what you
believe are your 10 best qualities, and
write them down. Stir vigorously, and then
apply them, every day.
12/10/2011 8:10:41 PM By Dr.Rajesh Patel,Director, nrvmba,email:1966patel@gmail.com 4

5. •2.Life Requires Trust – because
as Henri Nouwen once said, “Nothing
alive is the same from moment to
moment. To live is to face the unknown
over and over again.“ This, I learned
from a chance reading of an obituary of
a 78 year-old who loved his simple life.
12/10/2011 8:10:41 PM By Dr.Rajesh Patel,Director, nrvmba,email:1966patel@gmail.com 5

6. •3.Watch Out for the Under Toad! – Don’t
let the accumulated weight of thoughts of
the past and future “pull you under” the
present, to where what’s going on at that
very moment is of the least importance.
(Thanks to John Irving and Garp for the
inspiration here).
12/10/2011 8:10:41 PM By Dr.Rajesh Patel,Director, nrvmba,email:1966patel@gmail.com 6

7. •4.Never Stop Dreaming - Elvis reminded me
of this through a powerful song, “If I Can
Dream” from his ’68 comeback special.
“But as long as a man has the strength to
dream, he can redeem his soul and fly…“
(lyric by W. Earl Brown)
12/10/2011 8:10:41 PM By Dr.Rajesh Patel,Director, nrvmba,email:1966patel@gmail.com 7

8. •5..“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things” –
This line from the movie “The Shawshank
Redemption“ has stood the test of time for me for the
message it tells us all about the power of the human spirit.
Because no good thing ever dies.
12/10/2011 8:10:41 PM By Dr.Rajesh Patel,Director, nrvmba,email:1966patel@gmail.com 8

9. •6.Always Stop and Learn from Mistakes - I’ve
developed a 4-step approach to do this –
Acknowledgment, Correction, Learning, & Rear-
View Mirror - because our ability to take
positive things out of the errors we make is
critical to making our life’s journey a fulfilling
one
12/10/2011 8:10:41 PM By Dr.Rajesh Patel,Director, nrvmba,email:1966patel@gmail.com 9

10. •7.The Last Hurdle to Happiness is YOU – Sometimes
the hardest thing is to simply accept the fact that we
can be, or are, happy. We all too often back away
when we near that threshold, as if we don’t deserve
it. Yes, we do. Go for it.
12/10/2011 8:10:41 PM By Dr.Rajesh Patel,Director, nrvmba,email:1966patel@gmail.com 10

11. •8.We CAN Make a Difference in This World
– I know, heard that before, right? But I have
proof, with these three words (thanks Chris
Garrett) – Chicken Tikka Masala. Go here
and see what I mean.
12/10/2011 8:10:41 PM By Dr.Rajesh Patel,Director, nrvmba,email:1966patel@gmail.com 11

12. •9.Make Fear Your Friend – Think about the times you got
over the hump and conquered fear. Remember how good
that felt? Yes, there is a “Joy of Fear” -ask a few mountain
climbers. I’m not advising you to climb K-2, but perhaps you
could take the advice of the retailer Lululemon – “Do one
thing a day that scares you“.
12/10/2011 8:10:41 PM By Dr.Rajesh Patel,Director, nrvmba,email:1966patel@gmail.com 12

13. •10.Never Grow Up, Never Give Up, and Earn Your
Fulfillment - This is my triptych on the “Secret of Life”
– three posts, linked together, as a life mantra. It
really summarizes the way I wish to live each day of
my life. Keep the child-like awe. Be persistent in
achieving my goals. And find fulfillment in earning
them.
12/10/2011 8:10:41 PM By Dr.Rajesh Patel,Director, nrvmba,email:1966patel@gmail.com 13

14. 12/10/2011 8:10:41 PM By Dr.Rajesh Patel,Director, nrvmba,email:1966patel@gmail.com 14