Flying Penguin Second Edition: Award-winning guide to awakening your childhood genius

Flying Penguin Second Edition: Award-winning guide to awakening your childhood genius

by Eastern spiritual master Asoka Jinadasa, PhD and Western business leader Felício Ferraz

Dedicated to

* Students who are seeking guidance to create the best lifepath.

* Young adults who wish to rediscover their childhood genius.

* Adults seeking faster career growth and better relationships.

* Parents who need a blueprint for bringing up their children.

* Older adults who wish to be younger, healthier and happier.

* Highflyers who want to fly even higher to the edge of reality.

Introduction: Meet Flying Penguin

1. Can penguins and humans fly?

Penguins and humans both discover their wings under life-threatening circumstances.

Emperor penguins can fly. Just for a few seconds. They shoot up from water about five feet (1.5 meters) to land on ice at a higher level when threatened by a predatory leopard seal prowling in the water.[1] We humans also fly beyond the limitations of our everyday reality under life-threatening circumstances. There are many stories of how ordinary people occasionally display extraordinary feats of courage and strength.

1.1 Nonordinary Reality

The seers of Mexico (such as don Juan Matus in his discussions with Carlos Castaneda[2]) explained such rare happenings as a part of "Nonordinary" Reality. This is as real as the Ordinary Reality we are familiar with.[3] For example, every rags-to-riches story is a part of Nonordinary Reality (I was born poor, but I became rich). People who rose from being very poor to very rich have done so by refusing to be bound by Ordinary Reality (I was born poor, so I will stay poor). Among them are many celebrities.

I was as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless. Joanne K. Rowling – author of the most popular book franchise: Harry Potter.

Ordinary Reality is the state of things as they exist. Nonordinary Reality extends the borders of Ordinary Reality to the edge of what is possible. Once you adopt Nonordinary Reality as the model for your goals, you become mentally free to create miracles in your life. For example, just by focusing her mental and physical energy, a feeble 84-year-old woman could make her extended forearm unbendable at the elbow, against attempts by a much stronger man to bend it (see 14.5 b).[4]

“Crocodile in swimming pool” is our bedtime story for highflyers in which an unexpected little push forced a young man into Nonordinary Reality that saved his life and won him valuable prizes (see 31.12).

Another example of Nonordinary Reality is how little children intuitively find and play games on a smartphone – long before they can read. And how they learn to walk and talk with almost no help from adults. Why do they lose such abilities when they grow up in our world of Ordinary Reality?

The purpose of this book is to help you recreate the Nonordinary Reality of your early childhood (I don’t know what I can’t do). You can then aim for goals that go far beyond the Ordinary Reality that limits your adult life (I know what I can’t do).

I am the happiest man alive. I have that in me that can convert poverty into riches, adversity into prosperity. Sir Thomas Browne – author of Religio Medici.

2. You were born to fly high

Every child is a natural-born creative genius. Asoka Jinadasa – coauthor.

You were born brilliant. Your birth landed you in a totally unknown world. Within days, you were able to cope with its intricacies, and communicate nonverbally with adults. And you had the amazing ability to learn almost anything by yourself during your preschool years.

2.1 Preschool genius

When you were 3- to 5-years old, if your ability to look at anything and come up with lots of different ways of using it got tested, you would probably have scored 98% genius level. This was suggested by a study that tested the divergent thinking ability (the source of creativity) of 1,600 3-to-5-year-old kindergarten children (Land & Jarman, 1992). However, when the same children were retested at 10 years of age, and again at 15 years of age, their scores plunged down to 30% and then to 12%. Interestingly, when the same test was given to 280,000 adults (average age of 31), their score was down to 2%, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Children become less creative as they age[5]

All is not lost! Your 98% genius-level creative ability is still sleeping within you. As you grew up, your vast inborn abilities associated with Nonordinary Reality (I will try anything) got tamed by the Ordinary Reality that education forced you to adopt (I will not try anything that I don’t know). But you can awaken your immense preschool abilities simply by applying the numerous methods you will discover in this guidebook for highflyers.

The teacher who is wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.
Kahlil Gibran – 19th century Lebanese-American poet

Congratulate yourself for embarking on this exciting voyage of self-discovery. As you blend simple high-flying practices into your everyday life, you will start achieving goals you never dared to imagine. These could include getting younger, becoming healthier, achieving fame, earning millions, and becoming spiritually enlightened. In the meantime, while struggling against obstacles posed by Ordinary Reality, find the time to relax and enjoy life! That means accepting and even loving things you cannot change. As Stephen Stills sang, if you can't be with the one you love, love the one you are with!

“Plucking a strawberry” is our bedtime story for highflyers of a terrified villager, threatened by two predators, plucking and eating a strawberry to calm his fears and wait until danger passed (see 31.28).

3. Revive your flying skills

We are making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources. William James – father of American psychology.

3.1 Falling creativity

Our world is becoming increasingly chaotic. To survive and prosper in this turbulent world, developing human creativity at home, school, and work is becoming a top priority. Interest in the science of creativity started back in the 1940s with the work of Dr. E. Paul Torrance, nicknamed the Father of Creativity. Tests such as his TTCT (Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking) are still being used to measure the creativity of children and adults.

Numerous research papers, books, and workshops on creativity have attempted to define it, measure it, and develop it. These propose different theories and methods relating to creativity.[6] Since we now seem to know everything about human creativity, are people becoming more creative?
No! A study of creativity levels of 300,000 people shows the opposite. A team analyzed the test results of several key creativity assessments over several decades. They wanted to study how creativity scores were changing over time. From 1990 to 2008, they found a steady decline in the average creativity of people taking the assessments. Their results are shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. People are becoming less creative[7] Source: The Creativity Crisis: The decrease in creative thinking scores on the Torrance tests[8]

The main reason for this decline could be the focus on information-based Science of Creativity, without considering the less tangible but equally important Art of Creativity.

3.2 Remedying falling creativity

We are becoming less creative. This is despite our genius-level creativity scores as preschoolers. And despite numerous publications and programs that claim to boost our creativity. We therefore need a radically new approach to awaken the inborn genius within us. We need to adopt Nonordinary Reality to rediscover our 98% genius-level creativity as preschoolers. This new approach must go far beyond currently used analytical frameworks that are all part of Ordinary Reality.

Can we find a simple and actionable method to awaken our vast preschool abilities? This was the ambitious goal of coauthor Asoka. He wanted to create a holistic new foundation we could use to unleash our vast inborn human potential to extend Ordinary Reality to Nonordinary Reality. His goal was as complicated as finding the illusive Theory of Everything – a hypothetical framework that can explain all known physical phenomena in the universe.[9] Asoka wanted to formulate a similar framework to cover every aspect of human endeavor. His aim was to merge modern scientific research with ancient knowledge to create a simple foundation that anyone could easily understand and use.

All the books he studied, and the courses he attended, described some aspects of what to do (e.g., think positive), but not how to do it (e.g., how to eliminate negative thoughts). What was unclear was how their fragmented approach to empowering people fitted into a simple foundation that everyone could understand, remember, and use.

3.3 New foundation

After decades of research, Asoka formulated and personally validated the holistic six-skills foundation he presented in the first edition of this book: Flying Penguin: How to create miracles in your life using the six dimensions of success.

It covers the full spectrum of life skills: healthy lifestyle, emotional intelligence, loving relationships, knowledgeable parenting, good social relations, better communication, and personal empowerment leading to artistic, sporting, and musical excellence. It also nurtures the full range of professional skills: destressing, leadership, innovation, business acumen, technical proficiency, critical thinking, coaching and mentoring, public speaking, and work-life balance.

While helping you acquire tangible Hard Skills made up of work-related knowledge and skills, this six-dimensional foundation also improves attitudinal and behavioral Soft Skills that are intangible. Most importantly, it fosters a favorable mindset even under unfavorable circumstances. So you can make optimum use of your hard skills and soft skills when they are most needed.

“Different views of reality” is our bedtime story for highflyers in which a journalist finds three people who interpret and live the same harsh reality in three completely different ways (see 31.15).

4. First edition of Flying Penguin

Presents a program of self-discovery and action to create a life of unimaginable health, energy, and success. Deborah Lloyd – book reviewer for Readers' Favorite.

4.1 Flying high

The first edition of Flying Penguin, written by coauthor Asoka, was published in 2015. It introduced a groundbreaking foundation and action plan to elevate ordinary people into natural-born superstars. It helped awaken their vast inborn human potential using a pioneering blend of modern research and ancient knowledge:

* Modern research in behavioral psychology, neuroscience, genetics, nutrition, and healthcare.

* Ancient knowledge drawn from diverse sources such as Oriental martial arts, Himalayan wisdom, Buddhist philosophy, Chinese Taoism, Mexican Toltec practices, and Greek Stoic philosophy.

Flying Penguin introduced a simple two-dimensional model for success and leadership in a chaotic world:

* Wisdom: knowing what to do next, under unpredictably fast-changing conditions.

* Skills: knowing how to do it, or get it done by others willingly.

Flying Penguin explains in detail how you can develop Wisdom and Skills using six symbolic abilities:

* Heart: love and compassion, caring for everyone and everything;

* Mind: rational, intuitive, emotional, and spiritual intelligence;

* Body: physical and mental energy, and body language;

* Passion: fuel that transforms ordinary people into superstars;

* Focus: overcoming setbacks and avoiding distractions;

* Health: enjoying stress-free and drugfree natural health.

4.2 International book awards

The first edition of Flying Penguin presented many new concepts using flying as a metaphor. By explaining complex concepts in a simple manner with the backing of extensive research (132 online and 36 print references), it became an Award-Winning Finalist at three international book awards:

* 2016 International Book Awards, in the Self-Help Motivational category;

* 2016 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards, in the Nonfiction Inspirational category;

* 2019 TopShelf International Book Awards.

4.3 Five-star reviews

Here is one of three 5-star reviews of Flying Penguin from Readers’ Favorite book reviewers.[10]

I love how Dr. Asoka rolled out each chapter. He says to let go of your fears and fly; take more risks. Here are some nuggets that will send you soaring: rediscovering your power; identifying limiting beliefs; creating new beliefs; developing flying skills with detailed information about the Six Dimensions to use for success. He even suggests what foods to eat and avoid, destressing exercises, and techniques to create a successful you. If you want to change your old way of being and soar like an eagle, Flying Penguin is the book to start with! Vernita Naylor – book reviewer for Readers' Favorite.

5. Enlarged second edition

Reads like a complete encyclopedia of techniques to use to enlighten yourself. Dr. Jordan Alexander – book reviewer for Readers' Favorite

5.1 Taking you higher

The enlarged second edition of Flying Penguin helps you fly even higher. The coauthors present many innovative ideas and methods, such as a totally new approach to meditation and mindfulness. They have added several new sections for your empowerment: leading others, hard and soft skills, emotional intelligence, public speaking, and becoming younger – backed by 126 online and 41 print references.

This new edition includes gems of wisdom collected from 114 celebrities. These inspire and challenge you to adopt Nonordinary Reality to reach dizzy heights, just as they have done. To encourage you to use all these ideas in real-life situations, the coauthors have added 42 fascinating bedtime stories for highflyers.

“Lifelong learning” is one such bedtime story for highflyers in which an elderly person shares amusing lessons learned right through his long life, based on different life experiences (see 31.24).

Irrespective of your age, gender, education, or experience, Flying Penguin will help you develop all six skills that underpin success in everything you do. As your vast inborn power awakens, you will adopt the mindset, attitudes, and behaviors of highflyers to reach lofty goals. What is your first step toward reinventing your life? And reaching goals others only dream of? As Lou Reed sang, take a walk on the wild side!

5.2 Your flying instructors

You will be guided by two first-class flying instructors who come from the opposite sides of the world. They pool their diverse knowledge and global experience to help you rediscover your wings.

Dr. Asoka Jinadasa – Asian spiritual Master with an American Ph.D.

If you win every game, your game won’t improve. Asoka Jinadasa – coauthor.

Looking and behaving 25 years younger than his 75 years, Sri Lankan Asoka started winning prestigious awards after his 70th birthday. He explains how you too can create such miracles in your life by adopting Nonordinary Reality. He started his career as a UK Chartered Engineer in computer technology with a US Ph.D. in business strategy. He then became an award-winner in corporate communication, media advertising, brand marketing, and feature filmmaking. During his long stay in the West, he was featured in Who’s Who in Western Europe, and in Marquis Who’s Who in the World.

After his 60th birthday, Asoka became renowned as a modern-day spiritual Master who blends modern science with ancient Buddhist, Chinese Taoist, and Himalayan practices. He formulated and personally validated his groundbreaking six-skills foundation that can awaken the vast inborn human potential mostly sleeping within us. His discoveries, which take you beyond the limits of Ordinary Reality, won him the Global Training and Development Leadership Award, and the Asia-Pacific Award for Outstanding Contribution to HR (human resources). He has made keynote speeches and presentations at 15 global conferences in seven countries. And he has helped thousands of people in dozens of organizations reach personal and career goals they only dreamt of, simply by awakening their vast inborn power.

Mr. Felício Ferraz Júnior – Western business leader with CEO-level global experience

In today’s chaotic world, insanity is repeating the same things expecting the same results. Felício Ferraz – coauthor.

Based on decades of international experience in turning around businesses, Brazilian Felício is now focusing on turning around people by awakening their vast inborn leadership potential. He was CEO and managing director of multinational companies in many parts of the world: Brazil, Central America, Cuba, the Caribbean, Caucasus, and Sri Lanka. He was a board member or chairman of companies in Guyana, Panama, and Pakistan. His extensive global business experience, combined with his focus on helping people unleash their full leadership potential, has won him thousands of followers on social media.

After living in 7 countries and managing 40 markets, Felício was featured on the front cover of the Forbes magazine in Caucasus, Georgia in 2019. He holds several Bachelor’s degrees in business administration, mechanical engineering, and industrial/production engineering. He also holds a postgraduate degree in marketing, and a certificate in strategic marketing from University of Virginia Darden School of Business, USA. He shares his extensive international business experience through social media, training programs, and presentations. He will guide and empower you to lead yourself and others to succeed under favorable as well as unfavorable conditions.

5.3 Gems of wisdom from highflying celebrities

Highflying celebrities are your best role models. All the highflyers who share their wisdom below started their lives as little children – just like you. Some grew up in dismal poverty. They then broke through all obstacles and became celebrities by adopting Nonordinary Reality. You also have that inborn power to do the same. But, one thing is clear: What got you here, won't get you there. Dr. Marshall Goldsmith – #1 Executive Coach and #1 Leadership Thinker.

If you don't get out of the box you've been raised in, you won't understand how much bigger the world is. Angelina Jolie – award-winning actress, filmmaker.

The limit I thought existed, was purely psychological. Arnold Schwarzenegger – award-winning actor, author, former politician and professional bodybuilder.

If everything were perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow. Beyoncé – award-winning singer, songwriter, actress, director, record producer.

Success is a state of mind. It isn't about conquering something. It's being happy with who you are. Britney Spears – award-winning singer, songwriter, actress.

etc.

[1] https://bit.ly/3c5oNhT

[2] https://bit.ly/3fAsWfU

[3] https://bit.ly/3dbVKt1

[4] https://bit.ly/3uyREl5

[5] https://bit.ly/3u4k06T

[6] https://bit.ly/3u6OdTb

[7] https://bit.ly/3fPHXta

[8] https://bit.ly/3w03BCx

[9] https://bit.ly/3dbi5qC

[10] https://amzn.to/3g3WpxM