A Short Inspirational Story : Two Frogs

A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them
fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs saw how deep the pit
was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The
two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit
with all their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop,
that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took
heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down
and died.

The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again,
the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He
jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the
other frogs said, “Did you not hear us?” The frog explained to
them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the
entire time.

This story teaches two lessons:
1. There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging
word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it
through the day.

2. A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes
to kill them.

Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your
path. The power of words… it is sometimes hard to understand
that an encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak
words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in
difficult times. Special is the individual who will take the time
to encourage another.

Author Unknown

Story Of The Wise Man And The Scorpion

Once an old man saw a scorpion drowning and decided to pull it out from the water. He calmly extended his hand to reach the creature. When he did, the scorpion stung him. With the effect of the pain, the old man let go the creature and it fell back into the water.

The man realizing that the scorpion was drowning again, got back and tried to rescue it but then again it stung him. He let go of it again. A young boy standing by, approached the old man and said,

“Excuse me Sir, you are going to hurt yourself trying to save the evil-vicious creature, why do you insist? Don’t you realize that each time you try to help the scorpion, it stings you?”

The man replied, “The nature of the scorpion is to sting and mine is to help. It will not change in helping the scorpion.” So the man thought for a while and used a leaf from a nearby tree and pulled the scorpion out from the water and saved it’s life.

MORAL:
We do not have to live the life style of a monk or a saint to demonstrate love to our fellow man. Let us all cease living selfish lifestyles and be like little Christs in this world. Start caring for the less fortunate even on the simplest of ways.

Peace of Mind

Once Buddha was walking from one town to another town with a few of his followers. This was in the initial days.

While they were traveling, they happened to pass a lake. They stopped there and Buddha told one of his disciples:

“I am thirsty. Do get me some water from that lake there.”

The disciple walked up to the lake. When he reached it, he noticed that some people were washing clothes in the water and, right at that moment, a bullock cart started crossing through the lake. As a result, the water became very muddy, very turbid.

The disciple thought, “How can I give this muddy water to Buddha to drink!” So he came back and told Buddha, “The water in there is very muddy. I don’t think it is fit to drink.”

After about half an hour, Buddha asked the same disciple to go back to the lake and get him some water to drink. The disciple obediently went back to the lake. This time he found that the lake had absolutely clear water in it. The mud had settled down and the water above it looked fit to be had. So he collected some water in a pot and brought it to Buddha.

Buddha looked at the water, and then he looked up at the disciple and said, “See what you did to make the water clean. You let it be ... and the mud settled down on its own, and you got clear water! Your mind is also like that. When it is disturbed, just let it be... Give it a little time. It will settle down on its own. You don’t have to put in any effort to calm it down. It will happen. It is effortless.”

What did Buddha emphasize here? He said, “It is effortless.” Having 'peace of mind' is not a strenuous job; it is an effortless process. When there is peace inside you, that peace permeates to the outside. It spreads around you and the environment, so much that people around start feeling your inner peace and grace.

5-Year-Old With Autism Paints Stunning Masterpieces

Reasons not to mess with children.

A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales.
The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small.
The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.
Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.
The little girl said, 'When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah'.
The teacher asked, 'What if Jonah went to hell?'
The little girl replied, 'Then you ask him'.


A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's work.
As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.
The girl replied, 'I'm drawing God.'
The teacher paused and said, 'But no one knows what God looks like.'
Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, 'They will in a minute.'


A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds.
After explaining the commandment to 'honor' thy Father and thy Mother, she asked, 'Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?'
Without missing a beat one little boy (the oldest of a family) answered, 'Thou shall not kill.'


One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head.
She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, 'Why are some of your hairs white, Mom?'
Her mother replied, 'Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white.'
The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said, 'Momma, how come ALL of grandma's hairs are white?'


The children had all been photographed, and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture.
'Just think how nice it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say, 'There's Jennifer, she's a lawyer,' or 'That's Michael, He's a doctor.'
A small voice at the back of the room rang out, 'And there's the teacher, she's dead.'





The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray:
'Take only ONE . God is watching.'
Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies.
A child had written a note, 'Take all you want. God is watching the apples.'


It doesn't matter how many people you send this to, just remember if it made you laugh, your friends will laugh too.

13 Les Brown Quotes That Will Inspire You

Les Brown is one of my favourite motivational speakers and his speeches have been a part of my life for quite a long time. I have tried to live by his philosophy and my life has changed tremendously since I started doing so. This is why today I’ve decided to share with you some of his best quotes. Enjoy!

1. “Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.”

2. “Your dream was given to you. If someone else can’t see it for you, that’s fine, it was given to you and not them. It’s your dream. Hold it. Nourish it. Cultivate it!”

3. “Life takes on meaning when you become motivated, set goals and charge after them in an unstoppable manner.”


4. “It’s not over until you win.”

5. “Life is a fight for territory and once you stop fighting for what you want, what you don’t want will automatically take over.”

6. “No one will take better care of your dream than you.”


7. “If you run around with 9 losers pretty soon you’ll be the 10th loser.”

8. “Life has no limitations, except the ones you make.”

9. “Other people’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality.”

10. “Most people fail in life not because they aim too high and miss, but because they aim too low and hit.”

11. “Just because Fate doesn’t deal you the right cards, it doesn’t mean you should give up. It just means you have to play the cards you get to their maximum potential.”

12. “The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry our their dream.”

13. “Perfection does not exist — you can always do better and you can always grow.”



Les Brown is a life changer and as you can see he is a man full of so much wisdom for all. If you loved this collection of Les Brown quotes please make sure you share this article with your loved ones and followers.

5 pieces of advice for coping with tough times

They say misfortunes never come singly, and there comes a stage in everybody’s life when this saying becomes a first-person story.

So happened in mine. I’ve had the most amazing summer, half an year full of travelling, meeting incredible people, making friendships I believe will last forever, broadening my points of view, enriching my mind while getting to know other cultures and gathering tons of stories to tell. But when summer was over, so was my happiness. With the change of weather, there was an accident that completely changed the season inside of me, too. Of course, it came with several other ill-fated occurrences that made me question myself how much more bullshit I can take. A few of the most important people in my life were going through a whole lot of pain and there was nothing I could do to help them. This was one of those moments when you think it would be easier to have happened to you rather than watch your beloved ones suffer. It wasn’t long before I reached the point of desperation beyond which I had turned into rude, disrespectful, inactive person. I was not only unhelpful but I was also on my way to push people away from me.

Back in the days I had one or two breakdowns which I overcame, realizing that nothing is gone before it had taught you what you need to be taught. So this time I had some new lessons to learn and I also had to revise some of the older ones.

This article is not about the what-doesn’t-kill-you-makes-you-stronger cliché because we all know that most of the times what doesn’t kill you devastates you mentally. It’s about sharing some advice about how to go through the thunderclouds without getting struck, without losing your way to the sun and the clear sky.


Let people help you


During breakdowns most of the people tend to get locked inside of themselves with the unbearable thought of resigning from this world. Some hate to be felt sorry for, some refuse to believe that a friend’s support can get them out of the hole. But it sure can! Try not to become a prisoner of your grief. It’s not humiliating to take a hand that reaches out for you. It’s not shameful to admit that you need help.

On the other hand, there are people who tend to take it all out on their closest ones. Of course, they should be there for you when the world brings you to your knees, this is what friends are for. But they are human beings so don’t mistaken their patience and understanding with switched off emotions. Next time you shout at them for no reason, remember that there is no taller person than the one, leaning down to help you.


Watch out for the bad habits


When you find yourself lost and desperate, your will is what is being put to the most difficult test. One of the first things that we do because of our blurred appraisal is giving in to the bad habits. They seem to ease the pain at first but all they do is make it double. Before you grab a package of cancer sticks or try to drown the misery into a bottle of liquor, or swallow an amount of food you would normally eat for three days, take a second and think! Think about the fact that punishing your body won’t make it any better. Think about that starting another battle with something bad for you might as well lead you to another breakdown rather than get you out of the current one.


Focus on the positive things


Always, always, always remember that it could have been worse and be thankful that it’s not. By concentrating on how difficult it is, by being hateful, by desiring revenge you become a rotten apple, eating yourself out from the inside, making it even harder to recover. Focus on the lessons that this trouble is teaching you, accept the fact that as life happens there are tons of ups and downs. It’s a journey of discovery – there are moments on mountaintops and moments in deep valleys of despair. Expecting your way to be only ascending is immature and will catch you unprepared for the times when life knocks you down.
Start appreciating everything before it has gone bad. Being able to walk, run, dance, enjoy the sun, work, eat, sleep, even do housework… it is all a gift we never know when it’s going to be taken away.


Make your pain your motivation


We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment, says Jim Rohn, famous American author and motivational speaker. And here’s the key word – discipline. During breakdowns people might get spoiled by the right not be all right and this can turn into negligence. Instead of lying all day, feeling weak and stuck, go for a walk, cook something good. When trapped in a cage of anger or constant frustration, go to the gym, run a few miles or take it out on the punching bag. Build in your mind the image of what will make you happy and imagine you are running towards it. Sometimes, because of the unfortunate circumstances, we are left with no other choice but to learn how to do things we have never done before. The stress is huge and it’s even harder but you will be surprised by how far beyond your expected abilities you can get.


This too shall pass


Time is the greatest cure. Remember, no matter how hopeless the situation may seem, just don’t give up. It is Winston Churchill who said “If you’re going through hell, keep going”. Nothing lasts forever, not even the pain.

Really bad things happen everywhere and to everyone. Sooner or later everybody finds themselves in a dark place, where all the drama seems endless. “Why me?” is a question that I have asked myself not once or twice, without even thinking how pointless it is. In fact, it’s not only me and if life was to answer, it has the full right to say “Just because.”. It is how things work, some kind of a natural order, balance or law. Accept it, stay disciplined, look for the positive side, keep the quality people close. And never ever let yourself lose hope!

In the era before internet...

In the era before internet...

After the first session in the morning, he stepped out of the college, went straight to the cinema hall, got "extruded" through the sultry and cacophonous milieu of the dark "ticket tunnel" there for about an hour, and emerged out of it victoriously, with the priceless possession of a couple of pieces of yellow coloured paper in his hand. He then rushed into the cheaply scented, air-conditioned luxury of the lobby, and was waiting.

The familiar whiff of her fragrance caught his nose as he turned and saw them. The guy sneered at him while passing the currency notes for the tickets and walked away with her. While counting the notes, his hard earned weekly pocket money, he looked up to catch a glimpse of her turning and smiling at him, before entering the auditorium.

Kishore

5 Behaviours You Should Never Tolerate From Others

There are many things in life we have to tolerate - people or facts. However, there are also many other things we don't actually have to tolerate, but still we do. We step around things, overlook irritations, and mindlessly accept energy drains. Perhaps we've become so immune to these toleration that we don’t recognize the negative impact they have on us.


1)Bullying


Bullying is not a problem just among kids and teenagers. It is a very common issue for adults, too. Many people just don’t recognize it because it is usually disguised as verbal aggression or other types of intolerant behaviour. Bullying should definitely not be accepted! Sadly, some people just won’t be happy until they’ve pushed your ego to the ground and stomped on it. What you have to do is have the nerve to stand your ground. Don’t give them any leeway. Nobody has the power to make you feel small unless you give them that power. It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but just as much to stand up to your family and friends. Sometimes bullying comes from the most unlikely places. Be cognizant of how the people closest to you treat you, and look out for the subtle jabs they throw. When necessary, confront them – whatever it takes to give yourself the opportunity to grow into who you really are.


2) Lack of communication


Draining relationships include bad communication between people or no communication at all. It's really sad. In every single relationship you have, especially your primary relationship, healthy communication is essential to your life happiness. Open, honest, loving communication is the number one ingredient for successful relationships. If you don’t know how to communicate in a healthy way, then learn how to and begin to implement these skills.


3) Dishonesty

Let's be honest, it's true that people tell lies. Some people tell lies in order to protect you from something (even though this is stupid) or to make you happy (these are called white lies). However there are some people who tell lies all the time or people who choose to tell lies that can harm you in the end. This is called dishonesty and you should neither accept it nor be dishonest to someone else. Live your life in such a way as to not feel the need to hide behind them. Don’t allow others (or yourself) the opportunity to nestle into their own cowardice. That is, after all, what lying is. It’s an attempt to get around the consequences of our decisions. Or perhaps it’s a way to avoid the overreaction of someone close or who has authority over us. Even so, have the courage to let the person overreacting choose how to deal with an honest life, not a pretended one. Then have the courage to accept their response.


4)Physical abuse


Most people know that physical violence is a serious issue that should never be ignored and you must never tolerate such behaviour. However it's sad that many families and relationships are going through this right now. So, if you know someone who is struggling with this or has had such an experience before, give him a helping hand and encourage them to let go of their past, anger so that they can move on with their life the healthy way.


5) Ingratitude

Ingratitude is a particularly ugly form of selfishness. It’s taking others’ kindness for granted, indifferent to their thoughtfulness. Ingratitude is intolerable because it fails to recognize the humanity of the person who has done something kind. Even Jesus asked the 10th leper where the other nine were he had healed when the 10th was the only one to thank him. Help people grow by gently and lovingly and compassionately reminding them to express gratitude more freely. You will be helping them lay a foundation for greater and deeper and more consistent levels of happiness. Still, the most effective way to encourage gratitude in others is to be grateful yourself

The Monk's Secret

A man is driving down the road and breaks down near a monastery. He goes to the monastery, knocks on the door, and says, My car broke down. Do you think I could stay the night?

The monks graciously accept him, feed him dinner, and even fix his car. As the man tries to fall asleep, he hears a strange sound; a sound like no other that he has ever heard. The next morning, he asks the monks what the sound was, but they say, We can't tell you because you're not a monk.

The man is disappointed but thanks them anyway and goes about his merry way. Some years later, the same man breaks down in front of the same monastery.

The monks again accept him, feed him, and even fix his car.
That night, he hears the same strange mesmerizing sound that he had heard years earlier.


The next morning, he asks what the sound was, but the monks reply,
We can't tell you because you're not a monk.

The man says, all right, all right. I'm dying to know.

If the only way I can find out what that sound was is to become a monk, how do I become a monk?

The monks reply, you must travel the earth and tell us how many blades of grass there are and the exact number of sand pebbles. When you find these numbers, you will become extremely learned and a monk.
The man sets about his task. Some forty-five years later, he returns and knocks on the door of the monastery. He says, I have travelled the earth and devoted my life to the task demanded and have found what you had asked for. There are 371,145,236, 284,232 blades of grass and 231,281,219, 999,129,382 sand pebbles on the earth.

The monks reply, "congratulations, you are correct, and you are now considered a monk" .
We shall now show you the way to the sound.
The monks lead the man to a wooden door, where the head monk says, the sound is behind that door.
The man reaches for the knob, but the door is locked. He asks, May I have the key ?
The monks give him the key, and he opens the door.
Behind the wooden door is another door made of stone. The man requests the key to the stone door.
The monks give him the key, and he opens it only to find a door made of ruby. He asks for another key from the monks, who provide it. Behind that door is another door, this one made of sapphire.

And so it went on until the man had gone through doors of emerald, silver, topaz, and amethyst.

Finally, the monks say, This is the key to the last door .

>

>

>

>

The man ( who is now a monk ) is relieved to be at the end. He unlocks the door,

turns the knob, and behind that door he is astonished to find the source of that

strange sound. It is truly an amazing and
>
>
>
>

>

>

>

>

>

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But I can't tell you what it is because you're not a monk !

A short story -- Ego will kill you‏

There was once a learned scientist..

After a lot of practice and efforts, he developed a formula and learned the art of reproducing himself. He did it so perfectly that it was impossible to tell the reproduction from the original.

One day while doing his research, he realized that the Angel of Death was searching for him. In order to remain immortal he reproduced a dozen copies of himself. The reproduction was so meticulous that all of them looked exactly like him. Now when this Angel of Death came down, he was at a loss to know which of the thirteen before him was the original scientist, and confused, he left them all alone and returned back to heaven.

But, not for long, for being an expert in human nature, the Angel came up with a clever idea. He said to the scientist addressing all thirteen of them, "Sir, you must be a genius to have succeeded in making such perfect reproduction formula of yourself. However, I have discovered a flaw in your work, just one tiny little flaw."

The scientist immediately jumped out and shouted, Impossible! where is the flaw?" "Right here" said the Angel, as he picked up the scientist from among the reproductions and carried him off.

The whole purpose of the scientist and his formula of reproduction failed as he could not control his pride and lost his life.

Traditional Management Lesson Vs Modern Management Lesson

One night when the whole world was sleeping, a thief broke into the house of a washer man.

The washer man was fast asleep but the donkey and the dog were awake.
The dog decided not to bark since the master did not take good care of him and wanted to teach him a lesson.

The donkey got worried and said to the dog that if he doesn't bark, the donkey will have to do something himself.

The dog did not change his mind and the donkey started braying loudly.
Hearing the donkey bray, the thief ran away, the master woke up and started beating the donkey for braying in the middle of the night for no reason.
Moral of the story: One must not engage in duties other than his own.
Now take a new look at the same story.

The washer man was like a typical top management corporate guy.
He had the fundas of looking at the bigger picture and thinking out of the box.
He was convinced that there must be some reason for the donkey to bray in the night.

He walked outside a little and did some fact finding, applied a research approach, figured out from the ground realities that there was a thief who broke in and the donkey only wanted to alert him about it.

Looking at the donkey's extra initiative and going beyond the call of the duty, he rewarded him with lot of hay and other perks and the donkey became his favorite pet.

The dog's life didn't change much, except that now the donkey was more motivated in doing the dogs duties as well.

In the Appraisal the dog managed an "8".

The donkey was rated as "9".

Soon the dog realized that the donkey is taking care of his duties and he can enjoy his life sleeping and lazing around.

The donkey had to live up to his already high performance standards.
Soon he was over burdened with work and always under pressure and now is looking for a switch....

Moral of the story-Remains the same- "One must not engage in duties other than his own"

Disclaimer: All characters in the story are not at all imaginary. Any resemblance to person living or dying of work is purely intentional.

Don't Mind And Keep Going...

My physics teacher told me this in 11th...

When James Watt invented the steam engine (which was a great invention at that time), People around him couldn't believe it and told Aahhh This thing won't start...

Once it started.. They then said.. Ahhh this thing won't stop..

Moral: People around you keep pulling you down. Don't mind and keep going

Wisdom Comes When You Stop reading Books... And Start Feeling Them

if 'knowledge' does not awaken more love in you,

it's not knowledge ... it's dry intellectualism

-- Swami Amar Jyoti --

Tale to Understand - Don't believe everything that you hear!

A thief hired a room at an inn and stayed there at night. The next morning when he looked out of his window he saw the owner of the inn sitting in the courtyard. The man was wearing an expensive new coat which the thief decided would look good on himself.

Accordingly he went out and sitting beside the innkeeper, struck up a conversation with him. Presently he yawned and then to the innkeeper's astonishment, howled like a wolf.

"Why did you do that?" asked the innkeeper.

"I have no control over it," said the thief. "If I yawn three times I actually turn into a wolf. Please don't leave me. I'm frightened!"

And with that he yawned again and let out another howl. The innkeeper turned pale and got up to go but the thief caught hold of his coat and begged him to stay. Even as he pleaded, he yawned again.

The terrified innkeeper wriggled out of the coat to which the thief was tightly holding on and ran into the inn and locked himself in.
The thief calmly put on the coat and walked away.


REFLECTION

Don’t believe to every tale you hear, whether it is good or bad or whether it’s about someone or even about you. Every tale heard from others need not be true. In other words, gossip is like the smoke that comes from the dirty tobacco-pipes of those who diffuse it: it proves nothing but the bad taste of the smoker.

In our appetite for gossip, we tend to gobble down everything before us, only to find, too late, that it is our ideals we have consumed, and we have not been enlarged by the feasts but only diminished.

Be alert to the power of discrimination and just be like an elephant which knows to separate good water from the bad and consume only the good. Take only what is needed for your own improvement and discard the rest!

What you don't see with your eyes, don't witness with your mouth.

THIS MOM WOULDN'T QUIT TRYING TO FIND HER TRAFFICKED DAUGHTER; BUT WHAT SHE ACCOMPLISHED LEFT THE POLICE AMAZED

"Had it not been for that mother's involvement, we certainly wouldn't have been aware of [the trafficking ring] as quickly as we were, and may not have been aware of it at all." -Pierce Co. Sherriff

(Washington)—Never underestimate the life-changing power of a mother's bond with her child. (Photo via KTUL)

I can attest to that in my own experience, but what a Washington state mom did when she discovered her missing daughter had been sold into a human trafficking ring, fired-up every ounce of maternal passion in me!

In at least one news report, this mother's teenage daughter (names not disclosed) was described as a runaway, but that didn't stop her from continually searching for her girl.

Thinking she may have been caught into human trafficking, the mom began poring over websites like Backpage and Craigslist that have been used by traffickers to advertise girls for sex.

Her efforts were rewarded when she discovered her own daughter's photo on one of the sites, and that's when she took it upon herself to get her back.

The Washington mom called the number on her daughter's photo and asked "how much she could get for $200," she was then told where to go.

The mom successfully retrieved her daughter, and then reportedly led police to two of the suspects; effectively breaking up a human trafficking ring near Tacoma that police say may have otherwise gone undetected.

Lt. Ron Mead, with the WSP Exploited and Missing Children Task Force noted, "She really kind of did her own sting and located the hotel they were using and set up a 'meet' and recovered her daughter."

Besides this mom's recovery of her daughter, there were at least two other teens recovered, and—according to the KATV report, possibly more by the time it's all over.

Way to go, mom!

Trust your loved one. Be faithful.

A woman wanted to know how her husband would react if she left without telling him where she had gone to.

So she decided to write him a letter saying that she's tired of him and doesn't wanna live with him anymore.

After writing letter, she placed it on the table in their bedroom then hid under the bed. When her husband came back home, he saw the letter and read it, after reading he wrote something on the letter, then began to sing and dance, he changed his clothes. Then took his phone, called someone.


"Hey babe, am just changing my clothes and will join you soon, as for that foolish wife of mine, it has finally dawned on her that I was just fooling around with her and she packed her things and left. I was wrong to have married her, I wish I knew u before then. See you soon honey!"

He then walked out of the room and left.

The wife in tears and very very upset, came out from under the bed and decided to read what her husband wrote on the letter.

And it says "I saw your feet woman! I'm going to buy bread, so stand up and stop your silly games, prepare my meal before I get back. Because I am hungry please. I love u baby''

Moral : Trust your loved one. Be faithful.

Roles and How We Play Them

Whenever I'm disappointed with my spot in my life, I stop and think

about a little Boy. The boy was trying out for a part in a school play.

His mother told me that he'd set his heart on being in it, though she

feared he would not be chosen. On the day the parts were awarded,

his mother went to collect him after school. The boy rushed up to her,

eyes shining with pride and excitement. "Guess what Mom," he

shouted, and then said those words that will remain a lesson to me:

"I've been chosen to clap and cheer."

No Problem

Don't worry if you have problems! Which is easy to say until you are 

in the midst of a really big one,I know. But the only people I am

aware of who don't have troubles are gathered in little

neighbourhoods. Most cities and villages have at least one. We call

them cemeteries. If you're breathing, you have difficulties. It's the way

of life. And believe it or not, most of your problems may actually be

good for you! Let me explain.

Maybe you have seen the Great Barrier Reef, stretching some 1,800

miles from New Guinea to Australia. Tour guides regularly take

visitors to view the reef. On one tour, the guide was asked an

interesting question. "I notice that the lagoon side of the reef looks

pale and lifeless, while the ocean side is vibrant and colourful," a

traveller observed. "Why is this?"

The guide gave an interesting answer: "The coral around the lagoon

side is in still water, with no challenge for its survival. It dies early. The

coral on the ocean side is constantly being tested by wind, waves,

and storms -- surges of power. It has to fight for survival every day of

its life. As it is challenged and tested it changes and adapts. It grows

healthy. It grows strong. And it reproduces." Then he added this

telling note: "That's the way it is with every living organism."

That's how it is with people. Challenged and tested, we come alive!

Like coral pounded by the sea,we grow. Physical demands can

cause us to grow stronger. Mental and emotional stress can produce

tough-mindedness and resiliency. Spiritual testing can produce

strength of character and faithfulness.

So, you have problems -- no problem! Just tell yourself, "There I

grow again; stronger and powerful!"

A seed of Honesty

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together. He said, “It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you.”
The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. “I am going to give each one of you a SEED today – one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO.”

One man, named Gaurav, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed.
Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.
Gaurav kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Gaurav didn’t have a plant and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by — still nothing in Gaurav’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Gaurav didn’t say anything to his colleagues, however… He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil – He so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.
Gaurav told his wife that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Gaurav felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right.
He took his empty pot to the board room. When Gaurav arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful — in all shapes and sizes.
Gaurav put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!
When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.
Gaurav just tried to hide in the back. “My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown,” said the CEO. “Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!”
All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Gaurav at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front.
Gaurav was terrified. He thought, “The CEO knows I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!”
When Gaurav got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed – Gaurav told him the story.
The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Gaurav. He looked at Gaurav, and then announced to the young executives, “Behold your next Chief Executive Officer! His name is Gaurav!”
Gaurav couldn’t believe it. Gaurav couldn’t even grow his seed.

“How could he be the new CEO?” the others said.

Then the CEO said, “One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead – it was not possible for them to grow. All of you, except Gaurav, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. He was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!”

* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment.
* If you plant hard work, you will reap success.

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later..

“Whatever You Give To Life, Life Gives You Back”