The Challenge

Let others lead small lives,
But not you.
Let others argue over small things,
But not you.
Let others cry over small hurts,
But not you.
Let others leave their future
In someone else's hands,
But not you.



Jim Rohn

The Japanese master



A great Japanese master received a university professor who came to enquire about wisdom. The master served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he could no longer restrain himself. 'It is overfull. No more will go in!' 'Like this cup,' the master said, 'you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you wisdom unless you first empty your cup?'

Fearless, Thou Shalt Be

In the wake of yawning decadence,
In the arms of dreadful pestilence
In the eyes of hopeless impudence,
Fearless Thou shalt be!
When the time is ripe to cast the sword
When the time is prime to spread the word,
When evil’s ugly head is reared,
Fearless Thou shalt be!
When it’s time to do the best things right,
When it’s time to hold your stance and fight
When you don’t look back to dread your plight,
Fearless Thou shalt be!
When evil’s deed is unvanquished
When all good seems to have perished
When good almighty’s left ravished
Fearless Thou shalt be!
For darkness comes before the light
Victory comes as the hero’s right
Tarry not, Stand up and fight!
Fearless Thou shalt be!


Notes to life

There are many notes to life.
Some are high and some are low,
and the melody they form may seem discordant to some.
But all notes can for a melody, a combination,
of lows and highs.
Telling the song you feel.
There is no right or wrong...
only what you feel.
Your heartstrings play.
Play the lows
Play the highs
Join them together to form your song of life.
Raptyrred



Who Sets Your Standards


There was an older guy who decided to jog around the local high school football field. As he huffed and puffed along, the team was practicing.
    The players soon started running sprints up and down the field. The man told himself, "I’ll just keep running until they quit." So he ran, and they ran, and he ran some more, and they kept running. The old man kept running until he could finally run no longer.
    He stopped in exhaustion. One of the players, equally exhausted, approached him and said, "Boy, am I glad you finally stopped, Mister. Coach told us we had to keep running wind sprints as long as the old guy was jogging."
    He was watching them; they were watching him. He was letting them set his standard; they allowed him to set theirs.

Learn from Mistakes


Thomas Edison tried two thousand different materials in search of a filament for the light bulb. When none worked satisfactorily, his assistant complained, "All our work is in vain. We have learned nothing."
Thomas Edison replied very confidently, "Oh, we have come a long way and we have learned a lot. We now that there are two thousand elements which we cannot use to make a good light bulb."
Motivational Quote: "If you learn from your mistakes then you are intelligent. But if you learn from someone's mistakes, then you are a Genius."
Inspirational Quote: Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines practiced daily and failure is nothing more than a small few errors repeated daily.
How true, the above lines are! Success or failure takes root in our minds. When we don't practice discipline in life, we don't build enough confidence to attempt new and challenging tasks which are important and matters in life. Our confidence depends on what we think of ourselves and whether we believe in ourselves. We are all born with exceptional qualities but only a few really realize their true potentials and forge ahead in life and the others just lead an average life. Do you want to do exceptional?
Success is a fruit which every one wants to eat but it is not found everywhere and no one can achieve it without serious efforts.
Those who want to succeed will find a way, those who don't will find an excuse!
Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.
When you are successful your well wishers know who you are? When you are unsuccessful you know who your well wishers are?

The Cracked Pot, an Uplifting Story


Once upon a time there was a water-bearer in India who had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.
For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pot full of water in his master's house.
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water-bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you." "Why?" asked the bearer.
"What are you ashamed of ?"
"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work and you don't get full value from your efforts, " the pot said. The water-bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."
Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some.
But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.
The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side?
That's because have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."
The moral of this story: Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and warding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

The Playground Earth - an inspiring video clip

The Window Through Which We Look



A young couple moved into a new neighbourhood The next morning while they were eating breakfast, The young woman saw her neighbour hanging the wash outside. 'That laundry is not very clean,' she said. 'She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.'
Her husband looked on, but remained silent. Every time her neighbour would hang her wash to dry, The young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:'Look, she has learned how to wash correctly.
I wonder who taught her this.'

The husband said, 'I got up early this morning and Cleaned our windows.'

And so it is with life. What we see when watching others depends on the window through which we look...

Imagine


Click the link above to listen to the song

Don't Loose your "Will Power" in Hardship of Life




An old man lived alone in home. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, who would have helped him, was in prison.
The old man wrote a letter to his son and told his situation.
"Dear Son, I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my potato garden this year. I hate to miss doing the garden, because your mother always loved planting time. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot.
If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me, if you weren't in prison ... Your Father."
Shortly, the old man received the reply from his son: "For heaven's sake, Dad, don't dig up the garden! That's where I buried the Guns!"
The next morning, A dozen FBI agents and local police officers showed up and dug up the entire garden without finding any guns.
Confused old man wrote another note to his son telling him what have happened, and asked him what to do next.
His son's reply was: "Go ahead and plant your potatoes, Dad, It's the best I could do for you from here."
Moral of the Will Power Story: No matter where you are in the world, if you have decided to do something deep from your heart, you can do it!

Three Great Teachers



When Hasan, an Islamic philosopher was about to pass away, he was asked: “ Dear Hasan, who is your teacher?”

Hasan answered: “I have numerous teachers. However, if I have to count the names of these teachers, it will take months, years, and that is too late since I have very little time left. But I can tell you about three of my teachers as follows:

The first one was a thief. There is a time when I was lost in the desert. When I found a village, it was very late at night, and all the people in this village had gone to bed. However, at last, I found a man who was piercing a hole on the wall of a house in the village. I asked him where could I stay and he answered me: “ It is very difficult to find a resting place in this very late night, but you can come to my house if you do not hesitate to stay with a thief.”

He was a wonderful man. I remained at that place for a month! Every night, he said that: “I have to go to work right now. Stay at home and pray for me, ok?”. Every time when he came back, I always asked him: “Did you steal any thing?” and he always replied: “Not today, but I will try my best tomorrow, it could be”. I have never found him in a desperate situation, he was always happy.

There was period of time when I kept thinking and thinking for many years, however, I could not discover any truth . I felt into desperate situations, so desperate that I though I had to put an end to all of these rubbish and valueless thing. Right after that, I thought about the thief , the man that every night had said to me: “I can do it tomorrow, it could be!”

The second teacher was a dog. When I went out to the river to drink water, a dog appeared. He was thirsty, too. But when looking down to the river, he saw his shadow but thought that it was another dog. Being filled with terror, he screamed and run away. However, being too thirsty, he came back. At last, despite of his fear deep inside his heart, he jumped into the river and the shadow disappeared. We understand that this was a message for us: “Human being must triumph over the fear in their soul by action.”

The last teacher was a child. When I came to a city and saw a child bringing a lighted - candle to put into the church, I asked this child: “ You yourself lighted this candle, didn’t you?”. The child answered: “Yes, sir”. Then I asked: “At the beginning, the candle was not lighted, however, after a moment, it was burned. So, do you know where the light come from?”

The child laughed loudly, blown out the candle and said: “You see that the light has disappeared, so tell me where did the light go?”
My scornful selfness absolutely collapsed, and my set of present-and-the-past knowledge also collapsed, too. At that time, I discovered the crass ignorance of myself. And from that moment, I thrown all of my pride about my broad knowledge.

It can be said that I had no one as my teacher, but it does not mean that I am not a student. I accept all things as my teacher. My learning spirit is always broaden than all of yours. I learn from every thing, from a branch of tree to a wild grass, to the cloud in that sky. I have no teacher because I have millions of teachers whenever possible. The necessity in life is always being a student. What does this mean? It means that having the ability to learn, always ready to learn to know the meanings of every thing.

A Camel Story



When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You)




When you're smilin' keep on smilin'
The whole world smiles with you
And when you're laughin' oh when youre laughin'
The sun comes shinin? through
But when you?re cryin' you bring on the rain
So stop your sighin 'be happy again
keep on smilin Cause when you're smilin'
The whole world smiles with you
Oh when you're smilin' keep on smilin'
The whole world smiles with you
Ah when you're laughin' keep on laughin'
The sun comes shinin' through
Now when you're cryin' you bring on the rain
So stop that sighin' be happy again
keep on smilin Cause when you're smilin' 
And the whole world smiles with you
The great big world will smile with
The whole wide world will smile with you

Gandhi and the Shoe


Gandhi was boarding a train one day with a number of companions and followers, when his shoe fell from his foot and disappeared in the gap between the train and platform. Unable to retrieve it, he took off his other shoe and threw it down by the first.
 
Responding to the puzzlement of his fellow travellers, Gandhi explained that a poor person who finds a single shoe is no better off - what's really helpful is finding a pair.

Everything is a miracle

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.
Albert Einstein 

The Donkey In The Well



One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well that the farmer had accidentally left uncovered. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway, so it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down.
A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.
As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.
Now, most people think that's the end, but it isn't.
The donkey later came back and bit the hell out of the farmer who had tried to bury him. The gash from the bite got infected, and the farmer eventually died in agony from septic shock.
So the real moral from today's lesson?
When you do something wrong and try to cover your ass, it always comes back to bite you.

The Tale Of The Three Trees


Once upon a mountain top, three little trees stood and dreamed of what they wanted to become when they grew up. The first little tree looked at the stars and said, "I want to hold treasure. I want to be covered with gold and filled with precious stones. I will be the most beautiful treasure chest in the world !"
The second little tree looked out at the small stream trickling by on its way to the ocean. "I want to be traveling mighty waters and carrying powerful kings. I'll be the strongest ship in the world !"
The third little tree looked down into the valley below where busy men and women worked in the busy town. "I don't want to leave theh mountain top at all. I want to grow so tall that when people look at me, they'll raise their eyes to heaven and think of God. I will be the tallest tree in the world."
Years passed. The rains came, the sun shone and the three little trees grew tall.
One day three woodcutters climbed the mountain. The first woodcutter looked at the first tree and said, "This tree is beautiful. It is perfect for me." With a swoop of his shining axe, the first tree fell. "Now I shall be made into a beautiful chest, I shall hold wonderful treasure," the first tree said.
The second woodcutter looked at the second tree and said, "This tree is strong, it is perfect for me." With a swoop of his shining axe the second tree fell. "Now I shall sail mighty waters," thought the second tree. "I shall be a strong ship for mighty kinds !:
The third tree felt her heart sink when the last woodcutter looked her way. She stood straight and tall and pointed bravely to heaven. But the woodcutter never even looked up. "Any kind of tree will do for me," he muttered. With a swoop of his shining axe the third tree fell.
The first tree rejoiced when the woodcutter brought her to a carpenters shop, but the carpenter fashioned her into a feedbox for animals. The once beautiful tree was not covered with gold nor with treasure. She was coated in sawdust and filled with hay for hungry farm animals.
The second tree smiled when the woodcutter took her to a shipyard, but no mighty sailing ship was made that day. Instead the once strong tree was hammered and saved into a simple fishing boat. She was too small and too weak to sail to an ocean, or even a river, instead she was taken to a little lake.
The third tree was confused when the woodcutter cut her into strong beams and left her in a lumberyard. ""What happened, " the once tall tree wondered ? "All I ever wanted was to stay on the mountain top and point to God."
Many, many days and nights passed. The three trees nearly forgot their dreams. But one night golden starlight poured over the first tree as a woman and her husband whispered. The mother squeezed his hand and smiled as the starlight shone on the smooth and sturdy wood. "This manger is beautiful," she said. And suddenly the first tree knew that he was holding the greatest treasure in the world.
One evening a tired traveler and his friends crowded into the old fishing boat The traveler fell asleep as the second tree sailed quietly out into the lake. Soon a thundering and thrashing storm arose. The little tree shuddered, she knew she didn't have the strength to carry so many passengers safely through the wind and the rain. The tired man awakened. He stood up, stretched out his hand and said, "Peace." The storm stopped as quickly as it had begun. And suddenly the second tree knew that he was carrying the king of heaven and earth.
One Friday morning, the third tree was startled when her beams were yanked from the forgotten woodpile. She flinched as she was carried through an angry jeering crowd. She shuddered when soldieries nailed a man's hands to her. She felt ugly harsh and cruel. But, on Sunday morning, when the sun rose and the earth trembled with joy beneath her, the third tree knew that God' love had changed everything. It had made the third tree strong. And every time people thought of the third tree, they would think of God. That was better than being the tallest tree in the world.
So the next time you feel down because you didn't get what you wanted, just sit tight and be happy because God is thinking of something better to give you.

The Oyster


 Author Unknown


There once was an oyster
Whose story I tell,
Who found that some sand
Had gotten into his shell.
It was only a grain,
But it gave him great pain,
For oysters have feelings
Although they're so plain.

Now, did he berate
The harsh workings of fate
That had brought him
To such a deplorable state?
Did he curse at the government,
Cry for election,
And claim that the sea should
Have given him protection?

"No," he said to himself
As he lay on a shell,
Since I cannot remove it,
I shall try to improve it.
Now the years have rolled around,
As the years always do,
And he came to his ultimate destiny ...Stew!

And the small grain of sand
That had bothered him so
Was a beautiful pearl
All richly aglow.

Now the tale has a moral:
For isn't it grand
What an oyster can do
With a morsel of sand?

What couldn't we do
If we'd only begin
With some of the things
That get under our skin.

Look to the horizon, spread your wings, and fly



The nest of young eagles hung on every word as the Master Eagle described his exploits. This was an important day for the eaglets. They were preparing for their first solo flight from the nest. It was the confidence builder many of them needed to fulfill their destiny.
"How far can I travel?" asked one of the eaglets.
"How far can you see?" responded the Master Eagle.
"How high can I fly?" quizzed the young eaglet.
"How far can you stretch your wings?" asked the old eagle.
"How long can I fly?" the eaglet persisted.
"How far is the horizon?" the mentor rebounded.
"How much should I dream?" asked the eaglet.
"How much can you dream?" smiled the older, wiser eagle.
"How much can I achieve?" the young eagle continued.
"How much can you believe?" the old eagle challenged.
Frustrated by the banter, the young eagle demanded, "Why don't you answer my questions?"
"I did."
"Yes. But you answered them with questions."
"I answered them the best I could."
"But you're the Master Eagle. You're supposed to know everything. If you can't answer these questions, who can?"
"You." The old wise eagle reassured.
"Me? How?" the young eagle was confused.
"No one can tell you how high to fly or how much to dream. It's different for each eagle. Only God and you know how far you'll go. No one on this earth knows your potential or what's in your heart. You alone will answer that. The only thing that limits you is the edge of your imagination."
The young eagle puzzled by this asked, "What should I do?"
"Look to the horizon, spread your wings, and fly."



Tom Reilly

The two bags

Every man, according to an ancient legend, is born into the world with two bags suspended from his neck all bag in front full of his neighbors' faults, and a large bag behind filled with his own faults. Hence it is that men are quick to see the faults of others, and yet are often blind to their own failings.


Aesop's Fables

From a distance





From a distance the world looks blue and green,
and the snow-capped mountains white.
From a distance the ocean meets the stream,
and the eagle takes to flight.

From a distance, there is harmony,
and it echoes through the land.
It's the voice of hope, it's the voice of peace,
it's the voice of every man.

From a distance we all have enough,
and no one is in need.
And there are no guns, no bombs, and no disease,
no hungry mouths to feed.

From a distance we are instruments
marching in a common band.
Playing songs of hope, playing songs of peace.
They're the songs of every man.
God is watching us. God is watching us.
God is watching us from a distance.

From a distance you look like my friend,
even though we are at war.
From a distance I just cannot comprehend
what all this fighting is for.

From a distance there is harmony,
and it echoes through the land.
And it's the hope of hopes, it's the love of loves,
it's the heart of every man.

It's the hope of hopes, it's the love of loves.
This is the song of every man.
And God is watching us, God is watching us,
God is watching us from a distance.
Oh, God is watching us, God is watching.
God is watching us from a distance.

Everyday choices




A Cherokee elder sitting with his grandchildren told them, "In every
life there is a terrible fight - a fight between two wolves.

One is evil: he is fear, anger, envy, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentment,
and deceit.
The other is good: joy, serenity, humility, confidence,
generosity, truth, gentleness, and compassion."

A child asked,
"Grandfather, which wolf will win?" The elder looked him in the eye.
"The one you feed."