Spark

 

 

Spark

by Azim Jamal

GENRE:   Self Help

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:

“What are you missing in your life?” I’ve put that question to successful leaders all over the world. Not surprisingly, I often hear similar answers: purpose, fulfillment, happiness, balance and the like. What I’ve found is that many of us resign ourselves to vigorously chasing classic ideals of success without realizing that it is, in fact, “significance” that we seek. The truth is, no matter your age, position or status, connecting your daily functions with authentic intentions and values is imperative. Otherwise, we are simply hamsters on a wheel—covering miles and miles in distance, yet never truly moving forward towards our desired destinations. Sure, there is some physical benefit from such rooted motion. But over time, it has a negative effect on matters of the heart and mind, creating a domino effect that has ongoing ramifications for our own lives and society at large. The subtitle of this book, “Journey from Success to Significance,” was borne from my own expeditions and explorations, all of which helped me form a steadfast belief: that we are all destined, by our very nature, to be explorers— pioneers who intrinsically understand that it is the journey, and not the destination, that matters. It is the twists and turns of life that guide our principles. What I wish for you to discover is that a life of significance is not some unattainable, pie-in-the-sky dream. Rather, it is a genuine pursuit that begins with a simple acknowledgment and appreciation of what already lies within you: Natural traits fuelled by a SPARK!

About the Author:

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.

 

Q&A With the Author:

 

What did you enjoy most about writing this book? 

The whole process was enjoyable as it allowed me to rekindle all my experiences that played a huge part in creating a life of balance and purpose. 

For the past 25 years I have been fortunate to work with some of the most successful and brightest minds in the corporate world, and I have learned that while they are outwardly successful, they struggle to find purpose, fulfillment, inner happiness, and balance.

Blessed to be immersed in each of their journeys, I soon realized that it is not success they were really looking for—it is Significance! Success is personal; you can have wealth, fame, titles and power, but unless you are making a genuine impact on others, there will always be something missing. 

For Significance to be achieved one need always sow and cultivate a genuine desire to strive and create impact for the advancement of others, regardless of the level of individual success attained. Hence, the process of writing and completing this book felt like a cathartic release. It allowed me to find my own path to Significance. 

Steve, the main protagonist in SPARK: Journey from Success to Significance, not only resembles a mixture of people I have worked with, but also mirrors my personal journey, which I share at the end of the book. 

This part-fable, part-self help book, I believe, will be one many successful people will be able to relate to, especially those who realize that their outward and material success isn’t yet complete and they are looking for something more, something deeper. The book will also connect with those who are yet to taste success, by helping them reflect on what it is that they really want to do in life. 

The story of Steve’s life transforms seemingly overnight when he is forced to leave his comfort zone to complete a task he sees as pointless. While he is initially unable to connect this journey to something larger and more important than his repetitive drive for success, he soon finds hope in every circumstance and encounter of his odyssey. Steve soon realizes he is not unlike many of us in the world who, although disconnected from certain parts of their purpose, are at some level aware that there is a lot more to life than what is currently on offer. He soon grasps that the curveball life has thrown him is an opportunity to transcend beyond his safe existence and engage with his desire for Significance.

Being able to tell that tale of how Steve navigated his way to Significance, and also to be able to provide my readers with a blueprint to do the same was what I enjoyed the utmost!

Do you have any other books you are working on that you can tell us about?

 

Life is constantly unfolding and I believe, when you give yourself wholly to life, there are infinite possibilities for growth and learning. Currently, I am in a detached state of awareness, witnessing and documenting my experiences, and hopefully, this will lead to another book in the future. 

Strangely as I speak about SPARK, I find a lot more that can be done with this message. I see this message unfolding into another book or several more.

 

Can you tell us about what you have planned for the future?

 

I want to continue to grow my mission to inspire more and more people to identify and strive to achieve their life goals blended with a deep sense of purpose, happiness, and balance. I believe when you live your life’s purpose, you are able to shine your light and inspire others to do the same. 

The next step is an online course. A seven-week facilitated program to help leaders at all levels translate their knowledge into a habit by doing a small exercise every day for 49 days. Habits form continuity, and continuity becomes instinct. The aim is to make a life of Significance an instinctual practice in everyone’s day to day.

Your inner spark is not dependent upon the environment, current circumstances or your past. You have access to your inner spark at all times. However, you need to constantly reignite it through a practice of implementing the following ingredients which are embodied in the acronym (S.P.A.R.K.):

S for Service: The more you give your SPARK to others, the more SPARK you will have!

P for Purpose: The purpose and meaning in your life sets you on your path to creating the SPARK.

A for Attraction: As you aspire the universe will conspire to provide you the SPARK.

 

R is for Resilience: Resilience is the byproduct of your positive attitudes and positive habits.

K is for Knowing: An innate knowing of what is right for you will lead you to ignite your SPARK.

As is the mantra of my company, Corporate Sufi, the synergy of “Business, Balance and Beyond: is the truly differentiating factor in all my leadership coaching. The seven week program will continue to stay true to this overarching synergy. 

For most people business is always a work in progress, never a finished product. The seven week program will address how to improve your Business from applying the productivity paradox (how to do less and achieve more), as well as how to be a transformational leader instead of a transactional one.

Next, most people struggle with balancing their lives between their work, family, health, finances, lifelong learning and their spirituality. My seven week program will address how to find that Balance by applying best practices, including scheduling your priorities instead of prioritizing your schedule.

Then comes the deep desire to find meaning, purpose, and inner happiness in your life. This is the Beyond component of the program, which will address how to find your purpose, meaning and inner happiness.

On each day of the seven-week program, via a short video and an accompanied, ease to use workbook, leaders will be guided through one of the seven nuggets of each secret. Step by step, participants will learn how to implement each of the seven nuggets of each of the secrets until they become second nature.

 

How long have you been writing?

 

I have been writing for over 25 years now when I changed my career from “accounting for business (profit)” to “accounting for life (impact)”.  

It was a difficult switch from crunching numbers to creatively writing, but over the 25 years I have slowly become better at it, but I still have a ways to go.  

 

Anything more you would like to say to your readers and fans?

Three things:

Firstly, after every step of Steve’s journey in the book, I highlight key messages and takeaways. I offer up some reflection questions for my readers to ponder, and I propose some tips on how to get started on your own path to a life of Significance. Readers will also have an opportunity to journal their thoughts and responses to the self help questions. My hope is that by providing some constructive guidance, the book will transform into a practical handbook that they can use along their own Journey from Success to Significance, and that it will continue to fuel, nurture, and sustain their innate SPARK. 

Secondly, never run away from obstacles or challenges. If there is one surefire way to tap into your intrinsic power, it is via obstacles. Unless you face setbacks, your power remains dormant. Failures, obstacles, hurdles, and challenges are stepping stones to success. My friend Dr. John Demartini has a beautiful perspective on obstacles. He says, “They are not in the way, they are on the way.”

Everyone experiences failures and disappointments; even super-successful people like Steve Jobs faced enormous setbacks. Hence try looking at disappointments and failures as a blessing instead of a burden. Instead of saying “Why me?”, try saying, “Why not me?”. You are born with genius, and the best way to tap into your genius is to be tested.

Third, and most importantly, recognizing your innate SPARK can awaken and drive you to express and manifest your innermost desire. It is the catalyst that catapults the “Present You” into the “Best You”—now and well into the future. The SPARK you have hidden within you is yearning to come alive. All it asks of you is to recognize its existence by tapping fully into the present moment. This SPARK of possibility, though dim or dormant now, flickers within each one of us. When fuelled, it can become unshakeable!

In writing this book, my solemn wish is that it inspires everyone who reads it to, at the least, take a crack at igniting the SPARK, and eventually fuel it into a fire that illuminates the path to magnificence, while also bringing light to the world. 

More than ever, the world needs your glow in full flow. The time to light up your SPARK is now!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realazimjamal

Author Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Azim-Jamal/author/B001S03N14

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/129666.Azim_Jamal

GIVEAWAY

Azim Jamal will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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