Once a fisherman was sitting near seashore, under the shadow of a tree smoking his beedi. Suddenly a rich businessman passing by approached him and enquired as to why he was sitting under a tree smoking and not working. To this the poor fisherman replied that he had caught enough fishes for the day.
Hearing this the rich man got angry and said: Why don’t you catch more fishes instead of sitting in shadow wasting your time?
Fisherman asked: What would I do by catching more fishes?
Businessman: You could catch more fishes, sell them and earn more money, and buy a bigger boat.
Fisherman: What would I do then?
Businessman: You could go fishing in deep waters and catch even more fishes and earn even more money.
Fisherman: What would I do then?
Businessman: You could buy many boats and employ many people to work for you and earn even more money.
Fisherman: What would I do then?
Businessman: You could become a rich businessman like me.
Fisherman: What would I do then?
Businessman: You could then enjoy your life peacefully.
Fisherman: What do you think I’m doing right now?
MORAL – You don’t need to wait for tomorrow to be happy and enjoy your life. You don’t even need to be more rich, more powerful to enjoy life. LIFE is at this moment, enjoy it fully.
As some great men have said “My riches consist not in extent of my possessions but in the fewness of my wants”.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Perspective changes everything
A woman was waiting at the airport one night,
With several long hours before her flight.
She hunted for a book in the airport shop,
Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.
She was engrossed in her book, but happened to see,
That the man beside her, as bold as could be,
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag between,
Which she tried to ignore, to avoid a scene.
She read, munched cookies, and watched the clock,
As the gutsy “cookie thief” diminished her stock.
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,
Thinking, “If I wasn’t so nice, I’d blackened his eye!”
With each cookie she took, he took one too.
When only one was left, she wondered what he’d do.
With a smile on his face and a nervous laugh,
He took the last cookie and broke it in half.
He offered her half, as he ate the other.
She snatched it from him and thought, “Oh brother,
This guy has some nerve, and he’s also rude,
Why, he didn’t even show any gratitude!”
She had never known when she had been so galled,
And sighed with relief when her flight was called.
She gathered her belongings and headed for the gate,
Refusing to look back at the “thieving ingrate.”
She boarded the plane and sank in her seat,
Then sought her book, which was almost complete.
As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise.
There was her bag of cookies in front of her eyes!
“If mine are here,” she moaned with despair,
“Then the others were his and he tried to share!”
Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,
That she was the rude one…the ingrate…the thief!
With several long hours before her flight.
She hunted for a book in the airport shop,
Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.
She was engrossed in her book, but happened to see,
That the man beside her, as bold as could be,
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag between,
Which she tried to ignore, to avoid a scene.
She read, munched cookies, and watched the clock,
As the gutsy “cookie thief” diminished her stock.
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,
Thinking, “If I wasn’t so nice, I’d blackened his eye!”
With each cookie she took, he took one too.
When only one was left, she wondered what he’d do.
With a smile on his face and a nervous laugh,
He took the last cookie and broke it in half.
He offered her half, as he ate the other.
She snatched it from him and thought, “Oh brother,
This guy has some nerve, and he’s also rude,
Why, he didn’t even show any gratitude!”
She had never known when she had been so galled,
And sighed with relief when her flight was called.
She gathered her belongings and headed for the gate,
Refusing to look back at the “thieving ingrate.”
She boarded the plane and sank in her seat,
Then sought her book, which was almost complete.
As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise.
There was her bag of cookies in front of her eyes!
“If mine are here,” she moaned with despair,
“Then the others were his and he tried to share!”
Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,
That she was the rude one…the ingrate…the thief!
Puppies for Sale
A store owner was tacking a sign above his door that read "Puppies For Sale." Signs like that have a way of attracting small children and sure enough, a little boy appeared by the store owner's sign. "How much are you going to sell the puppies for?" he asked. The store owner replied, "Anywhere from $30-$50."
The little boy reached in his pocket and pulled out some change. "I have $2.37," he said. "May I please look at them?" The store owner smiled and whistled, out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the aisle of his store followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur. One puppy was lagging considerably behind.
Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, "What's wrong with that little dog?" The store owner explained that the veteriarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered it didn't have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame. The little boy became excited. "That is the little puppy that I want to buy." The store owner said, "No, you don't want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I'll just give him to you."
The little boy got quite upset. He looked into the store owner's eyes, pointing his finger, and said, "I don't want you to give him to me. That dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I'll pay full price. In fact, I'll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for."
The store owner countered, "You really don't want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies."
To this, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the store owner and softly replied, "Well, I don't run so good myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!"
The little boy reached in his pocket and pulled out some change. "I have $2.37," he said. "May I please look at them?" The store owner smiled and whistled, out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the aisle of his store followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur. One puppy was lagging considerably behind.
Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, "What's wrong with that little dog?" The store owner explained that the veteriarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered it didn't have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame. The little boy became excited. "That is the little puppy that I want to buy." The store owner said, "No, you don't want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I'll just give him to you."
The little boy got quite upset. He looked into the store owner's eyes, pointing his finger, and said, "I don't want you to give him to me. That dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I'll pay full price. In fact, I'll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for."
The store owner countered, "You really don't want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies."
To this, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the store owner and softly replied, "Well, I don't run so good myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!"
The Rock
An old farmer had plowed around a large rock in one of his fields for years. He had broken several plowshares and a cultivator on it and had grown rather morbid about the rock.
After breaking another plowshare one day, and remembering all the trouble the rock had caused him through the years, he finally decided to do something about it.
When he put the crowbar under the rock, he was surprised to discover that it was only about six inches thick and that he could break it up easily with a sledgehammer. As he was carting the pieces away he had to smile, remembering all the trouble that the rock had caused him over the years and how easy it would have been to ged rid of it sooner.
After breaking another plowshare one day, and remembering all the trouble the rock had caused him through the years, he finally decided to do something about it.
When he put the crowbar under the rock, he was surprised to discover that it was only about six inches thick and that he could break it up easily with a sledgehammer. As he was carting the pieces away he had to smile, remembering all the trouble that the rock had caused him over the years and how easy it would have been to ged rid of it sooner.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Life's Little Instructions
1. Every so often push your luck.
2. Never underestimate the power of a kind word or deed.
3. Never give up on anybody -- miracles happen every day.
4. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
5. Learn to listen.
6. Think big thoughts, but relish small pleasures.
7. Don't expect others to listen to your advice or ignore your example.
8. Opportunity sometimes knocks very softly.
9. Leave everything a little better than you found it.
10. Don't forget: a person's emotional need is to feel appreciated.
11. Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.
12. Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
13. Make new friends but cherish the old ones.
14. Don't use time or words carelessly, neither can be retrieved.
15. Judge your success by the degree that you're enjoying peace, health, and love.
16. Smile a lot: it costs nothing and is beyond price.
2. Never underestimate the power of a kind word or deed.
3. Never give up on anybody -- miracles happen every day.
4. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
5. Learn to listen.
6. Think big thoughts, but relish small pleasures.
7. Don't expect others to listen to your advice or ignore your example.
8. Opportunity sometimes knocks very softly.
9. Leave everything a little better than you found it.
10. Don't forget: a person's emotional need is to feel appreciated.
11. Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.
12. Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
13. Make new friends but cherish the old ones.
14. Don't use time or words carelessly, neither can be retrieved.
15. Judge your success by the degree that you're enjoying peace, health, and love.
16. Smile a lot: it costs nothing and is beyond price.
Monday, September 27, 2010
The Tricks Of Positive Thinking
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” ~Winston Churchill.
We have all heard enough about the power of positive thinking, right? You only get about 4 million hits when you type in the key words of ‘positive thinking’ in Google search. Positive thinking—easier said than done? Of course it is.
I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t believe in the power of positive thinking but then again I don’t know many experts who can tell you how to do it. That is because it is all a common sense thing and common sense is always difficult to explain or teach. You see it when you see it and use it when you have it.
Here are some very valuable insights for those who would like to get a better handle on their own ability to think more positively.
1. Most thinking is unconscious. Opps, we start out with a formidable obstacle. Brain research tells us that most of the physiological/mental thinking we do is unconscious, so how do we analyze the content of our own thinking to determine where it is positive or negative? Slowing down long enough to think about your own thinking is not easy in this nanosecond instantaneous world we live in, but you will get nowhere by continuing with the speed game. So like it or not, you must discipline yourself to slow down at times to think about what you are telling yourself about another person or event, and then slowly notice the results you are getting with your own feelings and outcomes. Once or twice and you are on the right path.
2. Things aren’t always as they first appear. You might be thinking your thoughts are positive when they are actually subtly negative, or at least negative enough to attract negative, undesirable consequences. Wanting to get over an illness, lose weight, beat out another person for a promotion, or rid a marriage of conflicts are not positive thoughts that will get positive results. Thinking about good health, getting to the right weight for you, becoming an excellent employee who deserves a promotion and doing something to create a happy marriage are positive thoughts. Of course it takes a lot of discernment of your own thoughts to finally notice the sometimes subtle difference between these separate thinking styles. Again, once or twice starts you on the right path.
3. You must have ‘negative’ to appreciate ‘positive.’ The Yang and Yin of life involve both positive and negative things, or at least this and that dualistic categories, against which we compare and contrast our experiences. We probably carry things a little too far with over-ascribing good and bad-like qualities to these opposite things like wealth and poverty, beauty and homeliness, and truth and fiction. Lessening the tendency to over-flavor things as positive or negative is a very good way to release the iron-like grip that negative thinking may have on you. After all, if you don’t experience dark dreary rain you probably can’t appreciate the brilliance and warmth of sunlight. As it turns out, they are both just different sides to the same coin, just like positive and negative thinking.
4. You usually fail before you succeed. Nobody that has mastered the art of positive thinking was born that way. They had to overcome lots of negative thinking before they could succeed at being able to influence there own thinking to be more positive and get more positive results…(in becoming an over night success during a ten-year trail period). It is hard work and a gradual process, so be patient so you can be more sensitive to recognizing the moment of transition between failure and success. If you are presently failing with too much negative thinking (or getting too many negative results from your thinking), it is mainly so you can learn to succeed with more positive thinking, maybe sooner than you think.
5. Questioning basic assumptions is good. Personally I believe common sense starts when you finally wake up to the unavoidable realization that what you think you know may not necessarily be so. Then you start questioning your own basic assumptions and other things you are certain to be so, only to find out the real truth, like some of these other useful insights. One good assumption to question in your pursuit of positive thinking is the real value of the consequences you are getting from whatever thinking you are doing. When you don’t like the results you are getting, just trace them back to the thinking that created them.
6. You don’t get what you want until you want what you have. This is so true that it is boring, but never-the-less there is a lesson that must be learned. One of the best caveats of accessing the power of The Secret (Law of Attraction), is that it is a very good practice to show appreciation of what you do have. Even when I was homeless, jobless. loveless and penniless, I did have good health humor and friends. I certainly don’t have it all now, but I do have much to be thankful for that I am not bashful or frugal in acknowledging and appreciating (or as our back door sign says. “We may not be all together, but together we have it all.”)
7. Don’t be too hard on yourself (unless you really deserve it!). Most of the time we are doing better than we imagine and are in fact making good progress at growing up and improving into our best self. This includes doing what we need to do in taking advantage of the power of positive thinking. Probably the only time you should beat yourself up is when you fall asleep at the wheel or forget to return from your break. Onward and upward.
We have all heard enough about the power of positive thinking, right? You only get about 4 million hits when you type in the key words of ‘positive thinking’ in Google search. Positive thinking—easier said than done? Of course it is.
I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t believe in the power of positive thinking but then again I don’t know many experts who can tell you how to do it. That is because it is all a common sense thing and common sense is always difficult to explain or teach. You see it when you see it and use it when you have it.
Here are some very valuable insights for those who would like to get a better handle on their own ability to think more positively.
1. Most thinking is unconscious. Opps, we start out with a formidable obstacle. Brain research tells us that most of the physiological/mental thinking we do is unconscious, so how do we analyze the content of our own thinking to determine where it is positive or negative? Slowing down long enough to think about your own thinking is not easy in this nanosecond instantaneous world we live in, but you will get nowhere by continuing with the speed game. So like it or not, you must discipline yourself to slow down at times to think about what you are telling yourself about another person or event, and then slowly notice the results you are getting with your own feelings and outcomes. Once or twice and you are on the right path.
2. Things aren’t always as they first appear. You might be thinking your thoughts are positive when they are actually subtly negative, or at least negative enough to attract negative, undesirable consequences. Wanting to get over an illness, lose weight, beat out another person for a promotion, or rid a marriage of conflicts are not positive thoughts that will get positive results. Thinking about good health, getting to the right weight for you, becoming an excellent employee who deserves a promotion and doing something to create a happy marriage are positive thoughts. Of course it takes a lot of discernment of your own thoughts to finally notice the sometimes subtle difference between these separate thinking styles. Again, once or twice starts you on the right path.
3. You must have ‘negative’ to appreciate ‘positive.’ The Yang and Yin of life involve both positive and negative things, or at least this and that dualistic categories, against which we compare and contrast our experiences. We probably carry things a little too far with over-ascribing good and bad-like qualities to these opposite things like wealth and poverty, beauty and homeliness, and truth and fiction. Lessening the tendency to over-flavor things as positive or negative is a very good way to release the iron-like grip that negative thinking may have on you. After all, if you don’t experience dark dreary rain you probably can’t appreciate the brilliance and warmth of sunlight. As it turns out, they are both just different sides to the same coin, just like positive and negative thinking.
4. You usually fail before you succeed. Nobody that has mastered the art of positive thinking was born that way. They had to overcome lots of negative thinking before they could succeed at being able to influence there own thinking to be more positive and get more positive results…(in becoming an over night success during a ten-year trail period). It is hard work and a gradual process, so be patient so you can be more sensitive to recognizing the moment of transition between failure and success. If you are presently failing with too much negative thinking (or getting too many negative results from your thinking), it is mainly so you can learn to succeed with more positive thinking, maybe sooner than you think.
5. Questioning basic assumptions is good. Personally I believe common sense starts when you finally wake up to the unavoidable realization that what you think you know may not necessarily be so. Then you start questioning your own basic assumptions and other things you are certain to be so, only to find out the real truth, like some of these other useful insights. One good assumption to question in your pursuit of positive thinking is the real value of the consequences you are getting from whatever thinking you are doing. When you don’t like the results you are getting, just trace them back to the thinking that created them.
6. You don’t get what you want until you want what you have. This is so true that it is boring, but never-the-less there is a lesson that must be learned. One of the best caveats of accessing the power of The Secret (Law of Attraction), is that it is a very good practice to show appreciation of what you do have. Even when I was homeless, jobless. loveless and penniless, I did have good health humor and friends. I certainly don’t have it all now, but I do have much to be thankful for that I am not bashful or frugal in acknowledging and appreciating (or as our back door sign says. “We may not be all together, but together we have it all.”)
7. Don’t be too hard on yourself (unless you really deserve it!). Most of the time we are doing better than we imagine and are in fact making good progress at growing up and improving into our best self. This includes doing what we need to do in taking advantage of the power of positive thinking. Probably the only time you should beat yourself up is when you fall asleep at the wheel or forget to return from your break. Onward and upward.
What's the big picture for your life?
"We need to learn to set our course by the stars, not by the lights of every passing ship." -- Omar Nelson Bradley
Every day, there are so many details to be managed. So many distractions. So many demands placed upon us. No wonder we end up allowing other people and circumstances to set the agendas for our lives.
It's understandable. Is it acceptable? NO!
Think about it. It's your life! It's all you've got. What are you making of it? What does the big picture look like for you? If your life were captured on film, would you (or anyone else) want to watch it?
If this question pierces your heart and mind, please MAKE THE TIME to reflect on what makes your life meaningful. Dream a little. What would you do if you could do anything at all? Connect with the longings of your heart and resolve to attend to them. Your meaningful dreams are worthy of being brought to life.
And don't sell yourself short! If you can conceive of something, you can achieve it. Call forth the power of your imagination to create a vision of what you most want your life to be. Feel yourself living that life in your imagination. Do something every single day to bring you closer to making your big picture a reality.
When you clearly know what you want from life, you have the foundation for saying "No" to those activities that pull you away from your dreams. Meaningful goals will give you the courage to make empowering decisions. They'll give you the ammunition to resist being swayed by the agendas of others.
You have choice in every moment. Choose what matters for you.
Every day, take just a few moments first thing in the morning to connect with your goals. Every day, as often as you remember, ask yourself, "What's most important for me to be doing right now?" And remember that what's most important is not usually what's most urgent.
So cast yourself as the hero of your own feature film. Make it as big and dramatic and powerful as you like. Wear the hats of producer, director and star. Be creative with this magical opportunity to express the uniqueness of who you are. Then watch yourself grow to fill this big picture of your life!
"The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach." -- Benjamin E. Mayes
"The world would have you agree with its dismal dream of limitation. But the light would have you soar like the eagle of your sacred visions." - Alan Cohen
Every day, there are so many details to be managed. So many distractions. So many demands placed upon us. No wonder we end up allowing other people and circumstances to set the agendas for our lives.
It's understandable. Is it acceptable? NO!
Think about it. It's your life! It's all you've got. What are you making of it? What does the big picture look like for you? If your life were captured on film, would you (or anyone else) want to watch it?
If this question pierces your heart and mind, please MAKE THE TIME to reflect on what makes your life meaningful. Dream a little. What would you do if you could do anything at all? Connect with the longings of your heart and resolve to attend to them. Your meaningful dreams are worthy of being brought to life.
And don't sell yourself short! If you can conceive of something, you can achieve it. Call forth the power of your imagination to create a vision of what you most want your life to be. Feel yourself living that life in your imagination. Do something every single day to bring you closer to making your big picture a reality.
When you clearly know what you want from life, you have the foundation for saying "No" to those activities that pull you away from your dreams. Meaningful goals will give you the courage to make empowering decisions. They'll give you the ammunition to resist being swayed by the agendas of others.
You have choice in every moment. Choose what matters for you.
Every day, take just a few moments first thing in the morning to connect with your goals. Every day, as often as you remember, ask yourself, "What's most important for me to be doing right now?" And remember that what's most important is not usually what's most urgent.
So cast yourself as the hero of your own feature film. Make it as big and dramatic and powerful as you like. Wear the hats of producer, director and star. Be creative with this magical opportunity to express the uniqueness of who you are. Then watch yourself grow to fill this big picture of your life!
"The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach." -- Benjamin E. Mayes
"The world would have you agree with its dismal dream of limitation. But the light would have you soar like the eagle of your sacred visions." - Alan Cohen
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