Inspirational Stories shared by our Readers & Feedback from Followers
Every day, we receive heartwarming stories from our community that remind us of the power of perseverance, kindness, and human spirit. Here are some of the most touching stories that our readers have shared with us.
These stories remind us that every person has the power to make a difference, and that inspiration can be found in the most unexpected places. Share your story with us and become part of our growing community of inspiration.
A Journey to Self-Discipline
Struggling with a lack of focus and motivation, I decided it was time to take control of my life by building better habits. Inspired by The Daily Guru, I started small placing my sports bag in the hallway every evening to remind myself of my morning workout. That simple act made it easier to show up, even on the tough days.
Over time, those small steps short morning workouts and daily reflections grew into a routine that transformed my energy and mindset. Today, I not only run regularly but have also inspired my friends to embrace healthier lifestyles.
Sometimes, the hardest part is just starting. But once you take that first step, you realize you're stronger than you thought.
Thank you, The Daily Guru, for showing me that small changes can lead to big transformations.
The Turning Point
I’m Frank, and if you’d told me last month I’d be sitting here writing a book, I’d have laughed and poured myself another drink. You see, for years, my best friend was the bottle. It kept me company when the nights got long and the house was too quiet. I didn’t set out to be that guy, the one who loses himself a little more every evening but life has a way of sneaking up on you.
I wasn’t always like this. I used to be a teacher, standing in front of a classroom full of young, eager faces, telling them to chase their dreams. I loved it. But retirement came, the students were gone, and suddenly, so was my purpose. I found myself alone with nothing but time a dangerous thing, I’ve learned. Boredom is a killer, and I was its next victim.
Then one night, in a rare moment of clarity, I stumbled upon a website called Daily Guru. At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Motivation? Inspiration? Humor? I thought it sounded like a load of fluff. But then I read this one line: "Boredom is not an absence of things to do; it’s an absence of meaning." That hit me right in the gut.
I started reading every article, every quote, every story. Daily Guru didn’t preach or promise miracles; it just nudged me to take a good, hard look at my life. That’s when I realized the drinking wasn’t the problem it was the symptom. I was bored, aimless, and stuck in a loop of “what’s the point?”
But here’s the kicker: they had this rule, a simple one, but it changed everything for me. It said, "It doesn’t matter if anyone ever sees what you create. The joy is in the making." That line set something loose in me. For years, I’d been telling myself there was no point in starting anything because it wouldn’t matter. But Daily Guru was telling me the opposite: just do it.
So I did.
I dug out an old notebook and started writing. At first, it was just scraps of memories, funny moments from my teaching days, lessons I’d learned from my students, even the mistakes I made. The words came slowly at first, but then they started flowing. And let me tell you, seeing those pages fill up was a feeling I hadn’t had in years.
Now, I write every day. My book is taking shape not because I think it’s going to be a bestseller, but because it feels good to do something meaningful. The bottle? It’s still there, but I don’t reach for it as much. I’m too busy crafting stories and reliving the best years of my life.
Daily Guru taught me something simple but profound: purpose isn’t handed to you; you make it. And sometimes, it’s as easy as picking up a pen and daring to start.
So, here I am, an old guy with a past, working on a book about a life I thought I’d forgotten. Maybe no one will read it. Maybe it’ll gather dust on my shelf. But you know what? I don’t care. Because every page I write reminds me that life isn’t over it’s still unfolding, one word at a time.
And that, my friend, is enough for me.
A Message from my Co-Author Asha
I was captivated and deeply intrigued by Karim's remarkable reinvention. His metamorphosis from a distinguished hospitality industry pioneer and specialist, renowned, astute, and charismatic, into the "Daily Guru” completely fascinated me.
We delved into life's profound meaning, pathways of healing, self growth and the core essence of being human. This instantly evoking memories of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky’s exploration of humanism, drawing parallels to the depth and introspection in Karim's journey. He further, shared how he journaled his emotions, world politics and life as The Daily Guru, through essays. I completely related, confessing that journaling was my voice, my therapy, to understanding life.
Yet, surprisingly, what resonated even more profoundly was the sudden resurgence of all the self-growth literature, team-building workshops, courses, and seminars that I’d ever been exposed to over the past 57 years. It was as if every lesson, every moment of reflection, converged into a eureka moment: that Karim had to write more than a book; he needed to share his techniques that assisted him maintain his emotional fortitude through his most challenging experiences, always accompanied by humour and a smile.
The synthesis of Karim’s narrative with his lifelong learnings illuminated a path that felt both familiar and revolutionary, a testament to the enduring power of reinvention and introspection. His journey, his crisis, the pain, the optimal management thereof whilst keeping his wits, never loosing the twinkle in his eyes and continuing to laugh, determined to beat any darkness or bondage during any tumultuous phase of his life. Episodes of my evolutionary journey felt totally in-sync.
Karim, clearly, through The Daily Guru, possessed a contemporary formula for a fresh, unconventional, self-growth and discovery publication, through his lens as a humorous, quirky, highly intelligent and seasoned individual. The more he shared his writings the more enthralled I became - he was simply brilliant! He captured daily life, current affairs, and politics as a common man without any agenda. His essays were refreshingly simple and pure. Even where I disagreed with some of his views, the beauty of his writing enlightened me to appreciate life from a different perspective.
This wisdom and techniques could easily assist each one of us cultivate wisdom as a means of personal and collective development and advancement in every facet of our lives to achieve even greater heights.
Where wisdom thrives we rise is not a title! It is Karim’s personal ethos.
Why me? Why choose me to co-author this publication despite me offering to assist wherever possible unconditionally without any expectation. I was simply excited by the mental stimulation of sharing my insights to assist Karim. The more I resisted, the more he insisted.
Finally, it dawned on me that it was his personal ethos, his selflessness, and his complete empowerment that truly made him kind and committed to empowering those around him. He was giving me an opportunity.
Who is Asha Singhania?
On the day I was born, my mother looked at me for the first time and thought, “What have I done by bringing a girl child into a country of absent opportunities?”
I was born in South Africa on April 7, 1968, to my 17-year-old housewife mother. That day, she vowed that I would not follow the same path as her. My 21- year -old, shop keeper, father, like my mother, was a third-generation Indian and, therefore, classified non-white according to the apartheid regime.
Apartheid, meaning "separateness" in Afrikaans, was a system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination in South Africa that lasted from 1948 to the early 1994. It was enforced through a series of laws that classified people by race and imposed restrictions on their movement, housing, employment, education and other aspects of life.
As non-whites we lived in our Indian areas or township’s as it was known, went to Indian schools and attended the Indian university. Apartheid education aimed to maintain racial hierarchy by providing inferior education to non-white South Africans while ensuring higher quality education for Whites, thus limiting our educational and economic opportunities.
Fast forward, despite apartheid, I completed two university degrees, becoming the first university graduate in my family. In 1995, I was admitted as an Attorney and worked for a white law firm before transitioning to two of South Africa’s largest banks as a legal adviser. During my tenure at Nedbank South Africa, Mr. Nick Jacobs, the head of the Risk, Litigation and Loss Control division, offered me the opportunity to participate in an executive professional development program in New York City. This program encompassed both academic and practical components, and I was placed at one of New York’s top 10 law firms. I attended university there until the program concluded. Never, in my wildest dreams had I ever imagined that a girl like me coming from a small Indian township would ever live this experience. After being invited as a guest to witness the opening of New York Stock Exchange, I realised that I needed learn more about finance, markets and corporate listed entities.
Upon my return to South Africa after this transformative experience, I decided to pursue a career in finance. I became the first woman and first person of color to be employed at the Nedbank Corporate Division in Durban, KwaZulu Natal. Three years later, I was recruited to join the Municipal Public Private Partnership (PPP) unit, a division of the South African National Treasury. Shattering the proverbial glass ceilings as I progressed.
I acquired several other local and international academic accreditations throughout my professional career in South Africa.
I met my now-husband at the airport in Paris in 2004. Within nine months of meeting, we developed a deep connection and decided to marry. The marriage required me to leave my family and friends behind, sacrificing my career and the well-established life I had worked hard to achieve.
I relocated to Vienna, embarking on a new journey. The transition involved entering a promising new relationship, adapting to a new country, culture, and language, and redefining my identity. This period was undoubtedly one of the most challenging and revealing phases of my life. In life we often don’t realise what we have until we loose it or abandon it. Until this bold move I never realised what an integral part of my identity was defined by career, professional and academic accomplishments.
As I sit here writing my story I finally understand my life and why I am at this point.
My name is Liam and I am in control
My name is Liam, and for a long time, I felt lost. Every day blurred into the next, and I couldn’t figure out why I even bothered getting out of bed. I was stuck in this heavy, dark place, where nothing felt like it mattered. I wasn’t living, I was just... existing.
One night, while scrolling through my phone like I always did, I came across this article on Daily Guru. The title grabbed my attention: “Are You in Control of Your Mind?” I didn’t know why, but I clicked on it. The article started with a simple question: “Are you in control of your mind, or is something else steering your life?” I sat there staring at the screen, reading those words over and over. And I realized something. I wasn’t in control. Not even close. I was letting everything else my insecurities, my fears, my bad habits take the wheel. My life wasn’t mine anymore. Then the article said something that really hit me: “Your mind is like a car. If you’re not driving it, someone or something else will. If you don’t like where it’s going, get in the driver’s seat and take control.” It was such a simple way to think about it, but it made so much sense. I’d been sitting in the passenger seat, letting life drag me along. I wasn’t steering, and I wasn’t choosing. There was this one example in the article that stuck with me. It said, “Think about your fridge. When you open it, are you in control of what you eat, or are you letting the fridge decide? If you let the fridge decide, you can’t blame it for bad choices. But if you decide, then you’re in charge.” I couldn’t stop thinking about it. My life was like that fridge. I’d let it control me instead of the other way around. That night, I grabbed a notebook and started writing, just like the article suggested. I asked myself, “If I’m the driver, where do I want to go?” At first, I didn’t know what to write. But then it started pouring out of me. I wanted to feel alive again. I wanted to stop hiding from people. I wanted to do things that actually made me happy, not just numb. The next day, I started small. I set my alarm earlier. I went for a short jog, well, more of a walk but it was a start. I texted a friend I hadn’t spoken to in months. And yeah, it was awkward, but it felt good to reach out. It wasn’t easy. Honestly, some days I still felt like falling back into old habits, just letting life drag me along again. But every time I felt that way, I’d stop and remind myself: “I’m the driver. I decide where this car goes.” Now, weeks later, things aren’t perfect, but they’re better. I wake up with purpose. I make choices instead of letting life make them for me. I even go back to that article sometimes, just to remind myself how far I’ve come. So, if you’re reading this and you feel stuck, let me tell you this: You can take the wheel. You just have to decide you want to. Start small, one step at a time. The moment you take control, things start to change. I’m not letting fear or doubt drive my life anymore. I’m driving, and it feels pretty damn good. P.S. The story of Michel chasing a pigeon had me laughing so hard. I couldn’t stop! Very crazy!!
Reader Response: Susan
Subject: Thank You for the Article on Fear
Dear Daily Guru,
I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for your incredible article on fear. The way you explained it truly resonated with me, especially the gem you shared: "False Evidence Appearing Real." It was such a simple yet powerful reminder that fear often stems from our own false interpretations of situations rather than reality itself.
For so long, I’ve let fear hold me back, fear of failure, fear of judgment, even fear of the unknown. But as I read your words, I realized how often my fears were nothing more than stories I created in my mind. They weren’t truths; they were just shadows, amplified by my own doubts.
Your article helped me shift my perspective. Now, whenever fear starts to creep in, I repeat to myself, “False evidence appearing real,” and it grounds me. It reminds me to take a breath, look at the situation clearly, and choose courage over fear.
Thank you for the wisdom, the insight, and the positivity you bring into the world. Your words truly make a difference.
With gratitude,
Susan
Susan
Reader Response: Franziska from Germany
Subject: A Big Thank You for the Laughs and Wisdom
Dear Daily Guru,
I just have to say how much I absolutely love the funny recordings of all the Gurus! Michel and Vladimir? Oh, they are hilarious. I can’t stop laughing every time they appear. The way they deliver messages with humor and wit is pure genius.
What I appreciate most is your unconventional approach to sharing wisdom. It’s refreshing, engaging, and so different from the usual self-help style. Somehow, you manage to make deep, meaningful lessons stick while keeping us entertained, an art in itself!
And the fact that all these Gurus are actually you? Brilliant! It just shows your creativity and dedication to making personal growth fun and accessible. You’ve created something truly special here, and I hope you continue this amazing venture for a long time to come.
Thank you for brightening my days with laughter and inspiration. Wishing you all the best as you keep spreading joy and wisdom around the world!
Viele Grüße aus Deutschland,
Franziska
Franziska
