A
fourteen-hour flight across the Atlantic Ocean changed my life forever. On
Tuesday, I was a senior executive at a bank; on Wednesday, a job seeker. I and
my wife had taken a chance on a new country, and on everything we thought we
possessed–our education, our talents and our optimism. We were past the point
of no-return. We were so determined to make it work for ourselves and for our
three-and-a- half year old daughter that we were gladly willing to
sacrifice everything that had protected us thus far from the uncertainties of
life–the things that constituted the status quo for us and kept us from
considering taking any risks in life.
Arriving in Toronto on a frigid November night made us realize the enormity of the change we had embraced, perhaps unknowingly. Were we scared? Yes. Were we unsure? Yes. Were we demoralized? Hell, no. Our spirits were high and our ambition pumped a gushing river of hope into our hearts. Challenging our complacence made perfect sense to us.
Why I wrote The First Dancer
Growing up, both I and my wife had a strong perspective on human purpose. We passionately believed in the higher reason for human existence than merely taking up space in the universe and traversing through time aimlessly. Having embraced this perspective since childhood helped us uncover our inner calling later in life; to use whatever potential we had to do something beyond what was expected of us most naturally.
For me,
haivng a successful career was not enough if it didn’t allow me to contribute
at a higher level to the human society I was part of. In fact, being successful
professionally was becoming more of a hindrance for me in reaching for higher
goals in life. Still, I had been too afraid to give up my comfort
zone—economically and socially—and to venture into an uncharted terrain. Moving
half way across the world necessitated that I step out of that comfort zone and
give up the privileges that came with being a successful banker. So I took up
the challenge with my wife by my side. But things did not progress quite as we
hoped.
Over
the next few months, I went through a struggle—both mental and physical—that
was unknown to me. From financial challenges to a close encounter with death, I
had seen it all. Few months later, when I sat down to reflect on my journey as
an immigrant, I realized that I had gone through an incredible learning
experience. I had learned a lot from my successes and even more from my
failures. I had learned something new every day through the good times and
through the hard times. But I did something more than that. I did not use my
learning only to grow and accomplish more in life. I used it to grow others
along the way. And it was the latter that opened up my eyes to a whole new
world—a world of abundant opportunities.
Through my book, The First Dancer, I intend to do just that: share my learning with my readers and to open the same world of abundance to them. Through this book you will be inspired to dream and to act. You will learn the life lessons that take decades to internalize and benefit from. In this book, I have poured out my heart with just one intent—to inspire you to be the first dancer.
I didn’t
write this book because I am a writer, but because I had something worthwhile
to say; because I had a story to tell. Over the past many years, I have
delivered hundreds of talks on achieving success to people of all ages and all
backgrounds. I have shared my real-life stories with thousands others through
social media. Many in my audience encouraged me to share these stories and the
lessons I took away from them with a larger group of people. They were
convinced that what I had to say deserved a bigger platform. I did not see it
possible except through a book.
Who is the first dancer?
Who is the first dancer you might ask. How does it relate to being the first among equals and attracting unlimited opportunities? Or to begin with, why dance at all?
Good questions! First off, we all have unlimited opportunities for success. We can all benefit from the abundance that nature presents to us in the form of infinite love, infinite talent and infinite wisdom. The only factor keeping us from enjoying these opportunities is our ignorance towards them. We all look for opportunities in the form of an ideal state of affairs; the perfect weather for picnic, enough time to call a friend, or a good offer to sell the house. The truth is, you have the power to create the state of affairs that you call opportunities.
This book is directed to the common person—too busy to notice the abundance that engulfs him or her. Paradoxically, the first dancer is not an angelic enlightened soul, basking in the sun of timeless ancient wisdom. He is you, and he is me. He is each one of us. He is the common person negligent of the music that encapsulates his senses, too embarrassed to dance to the tune of abundance, lest he be called out.
The first dancer is the person who finally decides to let go of his false sense of possession and pride. He is the person who decides to be vulnerable in the face of uncertainties. He does not look for external opportunities or for benefactors anymore; he looks inwardly to what he possesses today. He reflects on the power of what the nature has already bestowed upon him. And he uses this reflection to make his first move. To the utter awe of the audience, the first dancer looks oblivious to the heckling of the crowd. He hears the music in his ears when no one does. He makes his moves when the time is not right, when the music is not loud enough and when no one is willing to dance with him.
The first dancer is comfortable being uncomfortable. He feels safe being vulnerable. He does not fear failure. His only fear is to miss the opportunity to dance to the tune of abundance and to let the music die out. In the midst of his indulgence, he attracts a certain subset of the audience—the few affable folks who actually feel entertained. The energy builds up slowly and pulls a larger crowd. Those who jeered at and disparaged the dancer now cheer for him. Lo and behold! In a few moments, the first dancer is joined by the second, and then the third. A movement is started. And the music is heard far and wide; not because it gets louder, but because the first dancer draws everyone’s attention to it.
This book is directed at everyone who wishes to create opportunities out of thin air. It is for you if you are tired of waiting for the right time. This book is for you if you are bold enough to be the first dancer.
Happy Dancing!
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today on Amazon.com.
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