Teaching My First Ever Dating Workshop!

Today, I taught my first ever dating workshop to a group of individuals on the autism spectrum. Most of the members had mild autism or Asperger's Syndrome, and many of them were very nervous. We had actual girls come out from a nearby college to help work with the guys, and everything went great!

To be honest, I was not supposed to teach the workshop. I felt that I wasn't the right person for the job, and so I appointed a girl who was very outgoing and offered honest feedback about this sort of thing. But, it ended up at the last minute that she could not make it, so I was in charge, and for that I am grateful. Looking back, I now realize that it should have been me all along that facilitated this workshop. Overall, I felt very confident running this workshop even though just about everyone was nervous at times, sometimes super nervous. Although, I did experience slight anxiety at times, but for the most part, I felt confident teaching this workshop.

We started off with a discussion about dating and that the most important thing a girl looks for in a guy is CONFIDENCE. So, we talked about posture, body language, being assertive, projecting one's voice, handshakes, etc. Then, at some point, I broke the guys and girls off into groups and had the guys practice going up to the girls and striking a conversation with them. After that, feedback was provided on areas that could use improvement.

Overall, I felt everyone did a great job. I was super grateful for the girls that participated. I really hope they can return and help with this workshop in the future. They were amazing. My group members also did well, and I really pushed some of them out of their shells and past their comfort zones, and I think that's a good thing. I felt some guys really learned a lot and hopefully they take with them what they were taught and practice. Who knows, maybe one of them will actually meet someone and perhaps something blossom between the two of them. That would be nice.

Also, I learned a couple of things from this workshop. Perhaps the most important thing I got out of it is that it is best to contact a girl at least two days after meeting her because sooner than that can seem a bit desperate. I understand how from a girls perspective that can make a guy seem desperate, but I just never saw that perspective before until today. So, for that, I am grateful. It makes sense though when you think about.

In addition, I felt even the girl participants learned something. There was one exercise where I had the girls and guys switch roles and had the girls pretend they were the guys. Interestingly, the girls found the exercise though and realized that it is difficult to try and constantly find things to say to keep the conversation going.

Overall, I felt the workshop was a sucess. I am very excited for the direction that my program and autism groups are taking. I feel good progress is being made. With that said, I thank you for reading today's entry, and I wish everyone a most awesome day of awesomeness!

My Life is Moving in the Right Direction

Lately, I have been facing some financial hardships, some very bad financial hardships, to say the least. But, despite these hardships, I realize that right now my life is on the right track. I am moving towards a very good direction. I think by the year 2013, a lot of problems that I am facing now will be gone, and I also believe I will be living out one of the most successful periods of my life.

By the end of 2013, I feel that my life will be at an even better place. I believe that the things that I am doing now and have been working on for many years will finally take fruition. I have a program now, and I am also offering Life Coaching to individuals on the spectrum. I wrote a book as well. I think all of these endeavors will be very successful.

Lately, a lot of weird coincidences have been happening. I have been running into people I’ve been meaning to talk to, deals are happening quickly, and everything is moving along fairly easily. There is little struggle on my part, but I am getting much done. And, I am happier. All of a sudden, a major shift has happened in my life. I feel transformed, and I am transformed.

One day, I woke up, and I was a different Arman. I was more confident, wiser, and all of sudden, I understood things that were once a challenge to me. It is as if I leveled up like one would do in a roleplaying game. I am a new Arman now. Yes, I am still the old me, but I now have a reassurance and confidence that I didn’t once have. I am more organized, and I am getting things done.

This is a good time in my life and things are moving forward. I thank you for reading today’s entry and wish everyone a most awesome day of awesomeness!

Some of my Favorite Songs

A month or so ago, I did a YouTube video on Autism Musical Tastes. In it, I talked about the kind of music that I thought people on the autism spectrum were most interested. Anyway, I talked about myself having a very diverse taste in music, so today, I thought I would share some of my favorite tracks with everyone. I am into all sorts of music from movie soundtracks, to classical, to dubstep, to rap, to whatever the pop culture is into, and much more. Listen to some tunes below and tell me what you think.

YouTube: What Somone on the Spectrum Wants Most

Random Thoughts From Arman Khodaei

The future is looking bright for me. For now, I feel like I am headed in the right direction. I have a feeling that 2013 is going to be a big year for me in a very positive way. Many great things are coming my way thanks to the efforts I have put in over the years. But, it wasn't easy. I made a lot of sacrifices and for the longest time, it seemed like my life was going nowhere. I still have a lot of kinks to work out, but I think in time, everything will resolve itself. For me the biggest challenge is earning an income. Hopefully, my program, Empower Autism Now takes off so that I may earn a salary, even if it were a small salary like $10K a year. Any money is more than no money.

I do believe that next year will finally be the year that I get an agent for my book. I think that within the first quarter I will have an agent and before I turn 28 in July, a publisher will buy my book. Constantly, I keep going back and revising my book. There are a lot of good parts, but then there are some things that need a litlte tweaking, but overall, I am pleased with my project. For almost ten years, I have worked on my book. I have read it hundreds of times and made thousands of revisions. I realize that I still have a long way to go before I become an amazing writer, but I feel that everyone who reads my book will be very pleased. This is the autism book that I wished existed when I was in my teens and early twenties. I think a lot of people are going to gain an understanding about autism that they never had before, including other people on the spectrum. I am proud of my book and can't wait for it to come out someday. 

As far as everything else in my life is going, slowly I am overcoming and conquering some of my biggest fears. A part of what holds me back in life is also that I wish I were perfect. It makes me upset that I am not a perfect person. This causes me to be embarassed, and I realize a lot of fears and anxieties stem from this fact. But, I am pushing myself forward, and I am moving out of my comfort zone. Soon, I think that I will overcome some of my biggest barriers. I am nervous, but I know I can do it. What are these fears, you ask? Well, it is a bit personal, so I don't want to get into it. You see, that is how much afraid I am. I won't even talk about it in my blog. If I told you though, you would probably think it was a silly fear. But, sometims, it is the small things that can really hold us back in life. But, I do have faith in myself, and I know that I can overcome my biggest barriers. I keep telling myself I can do this. 

Tomorrow is also a big day for me. First, I have a leadership workshop which lasts for four or five hours. I am teaching this workshop to other individuals on the spectrum. I am very excited for this workshop because the previous one was such a huge success. Also, I go dancing that evening, and that is always fun.

So, that is a little bit of where I stand right now in life. It is a good time. It is a time of major changes. It is a time when I move forward into the future.

I thank you for reading today's blog entry. May you have a most awesome day of awesomeness!