Mobeen Malik is a motivational speaker and an entrepreneur based in London, UK. Motivation is a basic necessity but we often undermine the importance of it. The UK based motivational coach in a talk with Team Storiyaan highlights the Do’s and Don’ts of a successful life and helps us retrospect. One must always understand that a balanced life leads to a balanced mind and a balanced mind leads to fulfilment of the purpose of life as Mobeen rightly asks us to, focus on what’s important, find support, lessen our response to stress and most importantly take care of yourself.
Read his interview to learn a few healthy habits for a healthy lifestyle and do not forget to practice them religiously.
Interview
Questions and answers
When did you realize you could spark the flames of motivation in people?
I love to encourage, inspire, and uplift. In the past, people used to come to me to share their hardships. They thought my suggestions were productive and helpful.
They came up to me, and before leaving, said, “I never thought about it that way.” It motivated me to start my own YouTube channel during the lockdown. I thought it could help people and make a difference in their lives. That’s how I began my journey.
What is your approach towards the audience to conceptualize your topic understandably?
As Albert Einstein once said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you did not understand it well enough.” This means that you need to know what you want to convey to communicate ideas effectively. My approach is simple; I try to be poised and clear when I interact with the audience. They need to think I’m talking to them individually and ensure they’re with me at every step. I also use examples to make it relatable.
Can you emphasize on how body language, consciousness, and psychology play a role in delivering an outstanding speech?
No one should ever underestimate the importance of body language, consciousness, and psychology in public speaking and presentations. Give off the wrong vibes, and you’ll end up pushing your audience away.
With the right body language and consciousness, you can just as easily win them over. Your eye contact, facial expressions, head movements, hand gestures, and body posture all need to be connected to deliver a great speech. You need to grab your audience’s attention in the first 30 seconds to make sure they are with you. This is one of the main points I highlight in every YouTube video when I start, giving the viewer a few seconds to see if they can relate.
What are three of your most successful habits you'd like to suggest to people as well?
1) Spend time on focused thinking – Focused thinking is the most alerted state of your mind because it allows your brain to concentrate at its best by removing all the distractions. So practice that daily.
2) Avoid things that waste time – I believe that time is money for every successful person. It should be used effectively.
3) Practice self-control – Self-control has the power to improve your focus and decision-making capability. I try to spend limited time on tempting things but do not contribute positively to my success.
What do you do to keep yourself motivated while motivating others?
Doing exercises daily – A cliché, you may say, but it is very important. Doing it daily helps me stay energetic throughout the day, and that way, I feel like I can achieve anything in this world.
Make it enjoyable – One reason people don’t put effort into achieving their goal, such as doing exercises, is because it seems like hard work. Well, this might be true, but the key is to find a way to make it fun or pleasurable.
Talk to us about mentorship. Do you have a mentor of your own? If so, can you tell us the importance of mentors in life?
Mentorship is important in life. They come in different faces, and we always have someone we look up to in our life. For me, it’s my mother. My mother always taught me never to give up. I managed to receive a scholarship at the University Of Westminster, London, and completed my degree in Business Management. She has taught me to stay diligent and work on something until I succeed. I failed many times, but eventually, I grew with her help.
My mother has been a single mother and has taught me to embrace failures as it meant I was one step closer to success. It is very important to have a mentor in life. Just remember that the right mentor will tell you the real rules.
What are some retrospective questions we can ask ourselves daily to grow better?
1) What was I doing a year ago?
2) Do I enjoy how I’m spending my time?
3) Who do I spend the most time with?
I am such a firm believer that you are a direct reflection of the five people you spend the most time with.
4) How are my five buckets being filled?
Each of us has five buckets that we fill with our time: career, Fulfilment, Community, Personal health, and Intimate relationships.
You have highlighted vulnerability in a few of your talks. Was there a time when you felt vulnerable? How did you overcome it?
Each time I am exposed to a new situation or new people, I tend to be vulnerable. I am vulnerable when I make friends. I am vulnerable when I change my place of work. I am vulnerable when I travel to a new place. I am vulnerable when I love it. I am vulnerable when I am all by myself. So much so, writing this answer makes me vulnerable as well. And as I said, this vulnerability is an inherent part of me. Because, every time, with everyone and in every situation, I give away a part of me, a significant part, that I may not have to myself ever.
How I overcome my vulnerability? Maybe just by being myself in the situation by sustaining and letting myself be vulnerable. You shouldn’t be ashamed or feel negative about it. Just be honest. Rightly said by Brene, “Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage!”
In one of your videos, you've mentioned that 'society teaches us that we shouldn't let our emotions overcome us.' Could you shed some more light on this for us?
One of the best things you can do to stay positive is accepting things as they come. This also includes feelings and emotions that are hard to accept. Because society teaches us that we shouldn’t let our emotions overpower us. Accepting our emotional reactions is not letting them overpower us. Rather its simply letting emotions be what they are. If you need to cry because you feel sad, don’t regret doing so. Cry and accept that you’re sad. And when you’re happy and joyful, make sure to accept that wholeheartedly too. So, when society says we shouldn’t let our emotions overcome us, ignore and don’t cloud your judgment.
What are some of the necessary ingredients you believe people must acquire to efficiently fight mental health?
Look after your body – Stay active and eat well.
Connect – Connect with other people through any means of communication.
Take notice and focus on the present – Slow down, pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, senses, and the world around you. Taking notice helps us to learn about ourselves and feel connected with our world.
Look after your sleep – Good quality sleep makes a big difference in how we feel.
Try to maintain your regular sleep pattern and stick to good sleep practices.
Can you share with us some effective ways to deal with crisis situations?
Focus On What’s Important – When dealing with the aftermath of a crisis, it’s important to focus your resources. Just getting through the day is an accomplishment.
Find Support – If others know about your trauma, chances are they will offer help. Let your loved ones lighten your load by helping you with tasks or being a good listener in the least. You can always return the favor when they need it.
Lessen Your Stress Response – When you experience a crisis (or even when someone close to you experiences a crisis), your body’s stress response may be triggered and stay triggered, keeping you in a state of constant stress. So, don’t let it overtake you.
Take Care of Yourself – To avoid adding to your existing problems, be sure to eat a healthy diet, get enough sleep, exercise regularly, and do other things to keep your body healthy.
Quick 5
1) An inspiring quote – “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” -Robert Frost
2) One Book you’ll recommend -“The Power of Intention” – Book by Wayne Dyer
3) Winning or succeeding– Succeeding as it means to achieve a long-term goal.
4) One word for excuses-Insidious
5) Criticism or Pep Talk– A bit of both depends on how you see it.