Hi, lovelies!! It gives me great pleasure today to host Azim Jamal and his new book, “Spark: Journey from Success to Significance,” here on FAB!! For other stops on his Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $10 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Azim and to increase your chances of winning!!
Thanks for stopping by!! Wishing you all lots of good luck in this fabulous giveaway!!
SPARK:
Journey from Success to Significance
by Azim Jamal
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Self Help
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOOK 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 ONE:
“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!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GUEST POST:
SPARK Wisdom: What Writing This Book Taught Me
Writing my tenth book, SPARK: Journey from Success to Significance was probably my most telling experience to date. I used to hear about authors who proclaimed how the content of their books were ‘revealed through’ them and not really ‘written by’ them, but it never really hit home until I started scribing my latest book. This was most evident when formulating and organizing the chapters of the fable. Once the concept was formed (using experiences from my personal and professional life) and the characters subsequently developed, the story’s theme, twists, turns and teachings seamlessly manifested themselves as translations rather than creations. These translations seemed to take shape as answers to questions I had circulating in my mind before and when I was producing the book.
Questions like:
● What are the
most driven individuals missing in their lives?
● How do they
define success?
● Is success
enough or is there something more significant or more valuable than success?
● What is the
spark that drives them toward success or significance?
● Do they have a
practical and inspiring blueprint to igniting and fueling this spark?
● Is their
journey a solo one or filled with many key players that they could not do
without?
● And finally, what is their flow state that helps them find purpose, value, fulfillment and balance?
I decided to conduct my search for answers through the main protagonist Steve, a hotshot lawyer fighting to climb the corporate ladder. Through his eyes, the story unfolded to show how a life can be transformed, seemingly overnight, when one is forced out of his or her comfort zone. Steve’s journey began when he was mandated by his boss to complete a task that would take him to India where he had previously never been, nor was particularly fond of going. He was also not thrilled by this assignment as he saw it as a needless hindrance on his path to success. Mainly, a promotion he was in the midst of vying for against colleagues he thought would now be given a leg up from his absence.
While Steve is initially unable to connect this compulsory errand to something larger and more important than his prescriptive plan for success, he soon finds hope in every circumstance and encounter of his journey. He soon grasps that the curveballs life throws at him are opportunities to transcend beyond his safe existence and engage with his desire for significance, not success.
After every step of Steve’s journey, the questions I set out to answer became more clear. Steve’s expedition and exploration revealed five essential principles that lead him to his chosen prosperity by igniting his inner S.P.A.R.K -
1.) Service
2.) Purpose
3.) Attraction
4.) Resilience
5.) Knowing
I share these principles in more depth after every chapter. I highlight key messages and takeaways; offer up reflection questions for readers to ponder, and I share some tips on how to get started on their own path to a life of significance. I also provide readers an opportunity to journal their thoughts and responses. My hope is that this will act as a practical step in helping them find and nurture their innate SPARK.
So, in summary, what did I learn from Steve as I wrote this book? Let’s take each question I laid out previously:
What are the most driven individuals missing in their lives?
Plain and simple, most go-getters like Steve eventually realize it is Significance, not Success, that defines who they are and what they’ve achieved.
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.
How do they define success?
Impact! Truly accomplished individuals measure success on the degree of impact they are making or have made. As my friend and colleague Dr. Nido Qubein puts it, “Success is never enough. The people who are happy reside in the zone of significance, and significance comes from one word. That one word is ‘impact.’”
Is success enough or is there something more significant or more valuable than success?
Success is often a quest for fame, power, recognition or any other self-serving form of achievement. It is often driven by the ego. As Steve quickly discovers through all the people he encounters, residing in “the zone of significance” means impacting every person you meet in a meaningful way. A way that resonates beyond the need for affluence or possessions.
What is the spark that drives them toward success or significance?
A single-minded pursuit for success usually means we have resigned ourselves to chasing classic ideals - money, fame, power, status, etc. And more often than not, this ‘at-all-costs’ drive will lead us to doing whatever it takes to get there. Even if it means compromising our authentic self.
A multifaceted approach to achieving a life of significance is a genuine pursuit that begins with a simple acknowledgment and appreciation of what already lies within us - a natural drive to positively impact as many people as possible. Whether this impact be direct or indirect, it is the intention to effect constructive change that drives any quest for prosperity.
Do they have a practical and inspiring blueprint to igniting and fueling this spark?
The blueprint Steve showed us is the key to any SPARK is Service, Purpose, Attraction, Resilience and Knowing. And whether they know it yet or not, truly driven individuals naturally serve with purpose; attract results with true intention; show resilience in times of strife, and harvest a knowing that they share with others so they can pay it forward. And what comes natural is practical; what is for the greater good is inspiring.
Is their journey a solo one or filled with many key players that they could not do without?
Whether
the pursuit be success or significance; whether in this world or the next, no
journey is traveled alone. We do not arrive alone nor do we depart alone. As
readers will find out, even Steve realizes the impact complete strangers can
have on one’s life trajectory, let alone those we hold dear.
Ask any accomplished person and they will wax lyrical about how they did not get anywhere without someone else or many around them playing a huge part. This goes without saying, but ‘it takes a village’, not only to raise a child but to help achieve their goals. We are all a product of this village.
And finally, what is their flow state that helps them find purpose, value, fulfillment and balance?
Through Steve I learnt and subsequently shared with my readers that any flow state or being in the ‘zone of significance’ is achieved when one aligns what they do with their purpose and values. With this as the core of any action (intention), any result is bound to be fulfilling (action). And the more fulfilling our lives, the more balanced it becomes because we are living a life of integrity, positive impact and legacy.
When analyzing any significantly successful person this is abundantly evident. They align their purpose and values to any and all goals, which naturally creates a balance between challenge and skills, ultimately leading to an experience that is intrinsically rewarding.
In writing this book, I was hoping to find answers. I did. Now my wish is to inspire readers to be able to ignite the same type of fire from their SPARK. One that illuminates the path to their 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!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR BIO:
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:
Website:
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/realazimjamal
Goodreads Author Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/129666.Azim_Jamal
Goodreads Book Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77287693-spark
Author Amazon Page:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon US Kindle eBook:
Amazon US Paperback:
Amazon US Hardcover:
Amazon CA Kindle eBook:
https://www.amazon.ca/Spark-Journey-Significance-Azim-Jamal-ebook/dp/B0BRQKL3D2
Amazon CA Paperback:
https://www.amazon.ca/Spark-Journey-Significance-Azim-Jamal/dp/0228885957
Amazon CA Hardcover:
https://www.amazon.ca/Spark-Journey-Significance-Azim-Jamal/dp/0228885965
Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spark-azim-jamal/1142786704?ean=2940165973291
Barnes and Noble Paperback:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spark-azim-jamal/1142786704?ean=9780228885955
Barnes and Noble Hardcover:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spark-azim-jamal/1142786704?ean=9780228885962
Kobo US eBook:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/spark-160
Kobo CA eBook:
https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/spark-160
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFO:
Azim will be awarding a $10 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those fabulous community outreach projects and awesome giveaways on here**
This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions. Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Sounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a great read.
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds very interesting. Great cover!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your guest post/interview.
ReplyDelete