Many people make New Year’s resolutions at this time of the year only to end up breaking them in a few early months, so my personal practice has evolved to take a long term view of one’s life. Following Steven Covey’s guidance after reading his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People in 1991, I wrote…

2018 was another busy and fulfilling year. As many of you know a large part of my life is the Tariq Khamisa Foundation – which entered its 24th year in October 2018. Since TKF was founded in October of 1995 – I have routinely spent 20 to 25 hours a week as a volunteer in…

 How do you truly give to others? Above I mentioned my spiritual path towards a heartfelt perspective on giving – as I have now devoted my life in service to society through the peacebuilding practices of TKF and my speaking engagements. You do not need a personal tragedy to awaken you to the joy of giving, but…

We are in the season of giving and receiving. However, what is more significant is not the weight of the gift but the emotion and the sentiment behind the act of giving. While I do not profess to have perfected this art – I do find that giving has a certain quality of fulfillment inherent in…

One of the most powerful tools is to “count your blessings.” As Charles Dicken’s sage advice explores: “Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” We all have much to be thankful and be in gratitude for.  I was reflecting on…

The holidays are upon us. As we enter the eve of Thanksgiving it is important to cultivate a strong mindset of gratitude irrespective of the many challenges we may all be facing. This is a time when there is a sense of good cheer and celebration in the air all over the world. Many are…

The big news this season is that Tony now goes in front of the parole board on November 28th. Tasreen and I will be there advocating for his release.  Please say a prayer for Tony. Let me share with you a miracle – In June of 1996 – 18 months after the tragedy, the LA…

As the fall season approaches, we naturally start to regroup into our communities and routine and also start to plan the slew of holidays and community gatherings.  As we look toward the new year, this is also a time where many nonprofit organizations, institutes of higher learning, and corporations organize conferences and annual gatherings.  We…

My newsletter is typically published on the second Tuesday of each month – it just so happens that this Tuesday’s date in September is 9/11.  This date reminds us of the catastrophic event that shook the whole world and forever changed the world we knew before into the world we live in today.  I decided…

Yes absolutely, the steps outlined above do not need to be done in one day. It took me 9 months to forgive and start the Tariq Khamisa Foundation and another 3.5 years to grieve before the clouds finally parted. It took 5 years after the tragedy to finally reach out to Tony – he was…