Schools  – Main Page (summary of everything)

NOTES FOR UK SCHOOLS

(Different terms apply for non-UK schools – please email me.)

My events were completely FREE for schools in Phase One.  A nominal fee of £240 (full day, all inclusive, no additional charges) has been introduced for Phase Two and Phase Three, to contribute to all my expenses (airfares to/from UK, basic hotel near the school, car mileage at standard 45 pence per mile, egg and cress sandwiches, Costa coffee ...).

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Life Lessons

Despite the subtitle of the book, for school audiences I steer clear of talking about: Religion or specific religions, God or specific gods, politics, current world conflicts, etc.  

My focus is on: emotional intelligence; our common humanity; some positive 'Rules for Life'.  The book is quoted to demonstrate the extraordinary evolution of British society over the last 50-60 years.  I also talk about my publishing journey, the lessons I learned and am still learning.  This is a very lively narrative performance, with age-appropriate humour.  

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–  Unity, Diversity, Equality: there is no 'Other'.  Our common humanity is greater than all of our perceived or imagined differences.  It is a mistake to base our personal identity on not being one of them.  

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–  Don’t make assumptions about anyone if you don’t know them or haven’t met them in person.

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–  Anything which happens to you, or which anyone does to you – don’t take it personally.  If you can avoid taking things personally, it can significantly improve your entire life.  This is very, very difficult – but if you can put it into practice, you can sail through life a much happier person.  If the school is a Church school (of whatever denomination), I will extend this (by several orders of magnitude) to mention: 'Forgive them, Father, they know not what they do' ... as the most powerful version of this attitude.  But only if appropriate for the school.  

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–  Always do your best.  Whatever you are doing, whatever the task in hand (even if it’s a chore like washing up or sweeping leaves), give it your best effort and your full attention.  The Buddhists call this ‘mindfulness’ (oops ... I mentioned a religion, but only in passing).  Doing your best at everything you do can have wonderful outcomes in your life which you can’t imagine. 

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– Visualise your Dream ... but you must take the first steps and do the necessary work. 

– Disappointments line the route to success. 

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– Don’t be afraid to try something new … something outside your experience and comfort zone.

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– When your intentions are pure ... MAGIC happens … illustrated with amazing real life examples.

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– 'This, too, shall pass' … change is inevitable ... the dark night of the soul ... it cannot last for ever ... there are always possibilities ... 'Life can turn on a dime' ... all illustrated with astonishing real life examples.

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Some of these lessons (but not the real-life examples) are derived from The Four Agreements, an inspiring book by Don Miguel Ruiz – this is acknowledged during the narrative performance. 

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I talk about my personal ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ – in which both my corporate career and my writing career were at rock bottom – but change and transformation came from a most unexpected direction (does not involve drugs or religion – this is a secular and ‘clean’ talk).  I had to be willing to step out of my old established patterns and try something new which came my way.  

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Book:

The Perfect Gentleman – a Muslim boy meets the West  by  Imran Ahmad 

(Originally published in the UK/Australia as Unimagined – but renamed when my American publisher took global rights.)

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I quote from my book and also talk about my extraordinary experiences (and lessons learned) from the amazing publishing journey.  The book narrates in poignant and immersive detail the evolution of Britain and the extraordinary social changes which have taken place over the last 50-60 years.  Today's young people are incredulous about how life used to be – but the narrative timeframe is less than one lifetime! 

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With all the current preoccupation with colonial wrongdoing and historical injustices, my opinion is that no one alive today is responsible for what their ancestors may (or may not) have done to my ancestors (and vice versa).  Instead, let us focus on where we are today – we must strive for: social justice, equality of rights and opportunities for all, unity, humanity, compassion, respect, integrity ... and, by the way, our precious Earth (the only home we have) is seriously unwell and we must together do everything we humanly can to help her to heal (for all our sakes).  

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I am happy to inscribe and sign books after each event, but I do not carry any copies for sale – therefore, I would appreciate it if pupils are advised of the website (www.unimagined.org) in good time before the event, to source their own copies.  The book is orderable from all local independent bookshops (as well as the usual corporates), and independent bookshops are being given a discount which allows them to be competitive with Amazon.  Your school could also negotiate a favourably discounted bulk order from a local independent bookshop. 

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Technology

I do have very interesting visuals, to illustrate the narrative, so a screen/projector is required.  (I can potentially deliver the narrative performance without visuals, but it would be less engaging.)  I have the visuals on a USB memory stick, so if I can use your computer, that is preferable.

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The Evolution of British Society in the Last 50-60 Years

I quote from the book generally to demonstrate how much the United Kingdom has changed in just in one lifetime.  Contemporary pupils find some of these observations jaw-dropping. ​

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