The wooden bowl

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and a four-year old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.

The family ate together nightly at the dinner table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating rather difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass often milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. “We must do something about grandfather,” said the son. I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor. So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner at the dinner table. Since grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. Sometimes when the family glanced in grandfather’s direction, he had a tear in his eye as he ate alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?” Just as sweetly, the boy responded, “Oh, I am making the bowl for you and mama to eat.” The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes ever observe, their ears ever listen, and their minds ever process the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently provide a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives. The wise parent realizes that every day that building blocks are being laid for the child’s future.Let us all be wise builders and role models. Take care of yourself, … and those you love, … today, and everyday!

Face difficulties positively

This parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule praying or whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together, told them what had happened, and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.

Initially the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back, HE WOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP!

This he did, blow after blow. “Shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up!” He repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or how distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought panic and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!
It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well! What seemed like it would bury him actually helped him . . . all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.

THAT’S LIFE! If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity.

Prison help!

An old man lived alone in Minnesota. 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 mentioned 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.
Love,Dad

Shortly, the old man received this telegram: ‘For Heaven’s sake, Dad, don’t dig up the garden!! That’s where I buried the GUNS!!’

At 4 a.m. the next morning, a dozen FBI agents and local police officers showed up and dug up the entire garden without finding any guns.

Confused, the old man wrote another note to his son telling him what had 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: NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN THE WORLD, IF YOU HAVE DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING DEEP FROM YOUR HEART, YOU CAN DO IT. IT IS THE THOUGHT THAT MATTERS, NOT WHERE YOU ARE OR WHERE THE PERSON IS.

What goes around comes around

One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn’t look safe; he looked poor and hungry. He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was those chills which only fear can put in you. He said, “I’m here to help you, ma’am. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.”

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.
As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn’t thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.
He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, “And think of me.”
He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn’t erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan.

After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin.

There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: “You don’t owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I’m helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.”
Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard….
She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, “Everything’s going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.”
There is an old saying “What goes around comes around.”

Temper control

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily, gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said “you have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.”

You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there.

Make sure you control your temper the next time you are tempted to say something you will regret later.

Learn and Earn

Chuan and Jing joined a wholesale company together just after graduation. Both worked very hard.

After several years, the boss promoted Jing to sales executive but Chuan remained a sales rep. One day Chuan could not take it anymore, tender resignation to the boss and complained the boss did not value hard working staff, but only promoted those who flattered him.

The boss knew that Chuan worked very hard for the years, but in order to help Chuan realize the difference between him and Jing, the boss asked Chuan to do the following. Go and find out anyone selling water melon in the market? Chuan returned and said yes. The boss asked how much per kg? Chuan went back to the market to ask and returned to inform boss the $12 per kg.

Boss told Chuan, I will ask Jing the same question? Jing went, returned and said, boss, only one person selling water melon. $12 per kg, $100 for 10 kg, he has inventory of 340 melons. On the table 58 melons, every melon weighs about 15 kg, bought from the South two days ago, they are fresh and red, good quality.

Chuan was very impressed and realized the difference between himself and Jing. He decided not to resign but to learn from Jing.

My dear friends, a more successful person is more observant, think more and understand in depth. For the same matter, a more successful person sees several years ahead, while you see only tomorrow. The difference between a year and a day is 365 times, how could you win?

Think! how far have you seen ahead in your life? How thoughtful in depth are you?

3 Ways to Strengthen Perseverance

Photo by [j]t on flickr

How to build perseverance? How do determined people manage to deal with various situations while others simply fall into despair when confronted with problems? Here are three recommended ways to strengthen your perseverance :

1. Concentrate on your successful final achievement

When you fall apart and none of your friends comes to help, then whom you can count on to support you? The answer is : your own thinking.
Yes, it is your mind, not your friends, nor your partner nor even your spouse, that can take you out from the pit of disappointment. They might motivate you to rise again but somehow in the end it will be your own thinking that will actually help you at that crucial moment.
Let your mind concentrate or look at your successful final achievement and it will keep your spirit and courage to struggle on. It also will prevent you from feeling so desperate and completely defeated.
When they fail, most people tend to sink into a deep despair, a greatsense of loosing materially and psychologically. This is where the danger lies.
Most people usually let their present low scoring achievements worry and haunt their mind. Say that up to this moment your achievement so far is “not good”. Naturally you would then let this fact serve as a basic upon which reason your further thinking goes. It would result in some “not good consciousness” in your mind. If this “not good consciousness” or “failure consciousness” is repeatedly introduced into your mind, eventually it would sink into your sub consciousness and remain trapped there with all harmful consequences it may inflict.

Here is a relevant expression :
“Control your mind for you can do a lot of things with it.”

2. Surround yourself with positive things

Having positive things around you will greatly stimulate you in building up your perseverance or resolution :
Positive things may vary :
- Praying
- Listening to motivating narrations from cassettes
- Putting positive pictorial posters around your place
- Reading books of positive material
- Decorate your room with positive atmosphere
- Making friends with positive thinking people

3. Keep away from unlikely worries

Just accept and admit whenever your business venture fails. You loose a lot of money, you are in huge debts you can’t pay. That’s really an enormous problem! And still you let yourself even more burdened with things like : what people would say about you, how their judgments against you would be, what your neighbour would say, what your parent would say, what your parent would ask you and tell you, and so on.
But by deeper thinking, you would generally find no real disturbing things there. Actually no one would really care about the fate of your business. More likely they would mind their own business and spare no time on yours.
One most recent study states that 93% of the things we worry about, do not actually exist, only 7% do. And of the existing real problems, some are beyond our capabilities to deal with. Thus why should you worry about things you can do nothing about?

Moments in Life

There are moments in life when you miss someone so much
that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real!

When the door of happiness closes, another opens;
But often times we look so long at the closed door that we don’t see the one,
Which has been opened for us.

Don’t go for looks; they can deceive.
Don’t go for wealth; even that fades away.
Go for someone who makes you smile,
Because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright.
Find the one that makes your heart smile.

Dream what you want to dream;
Go where you want to go;
Be what you want to be,
Because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet
Enough trials to make you strong,
Enough sorrow to keep you human and
Enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don’t necessarily he the best of everything;
They just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past;
You can’t go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.
Live your life so at the end,
You’re the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

Please send this message to those people who mean something to you;
To those who have touched your life in one way or another;
To those who make you smile when you really need it;
To those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down;
To those whose friendship you appreciate;
To those who are so meaningful in your life.

Don’t count the years - count the memories!

From Author Unknown

If Tomorrow Never Comes

Photo by AmirBayat

If I knew it would be the last time that I’d see you fall asleep, I would tuck you in more tightly and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time that I see you walk out the door, I would give you a hug and kiss and call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time I’d hear your voice lifted up in praise, I would video tape each action and word, so I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time, I could spare an extra minute or two to stop and say “I love you,” instead of assuming, you would know I do.

If I knew it would be the last time I would be there to share your day, well I’m sure you’ll have so many more, so I can let just this one slip away.

For surely there’s always tomorrow to make up for an oversight, and we always get a second chance to make everything right.

There will always be another day to say our “I love you’s”, and certainly there’s another chance to say our “Anything I can do’s?”

But just in case I might be wrong, and today is all I get, I’d like to say how much I love you and I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old alike, and today may be the last chance you get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you’re waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today?

For if tomorrow never comes, you’ll surely regret the day, that you didn’t take that extra time for a smile, a hug, or a kiss and you were too busy to grant someone, what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today, whisper in their ear, tell them how much you love them and that you’ll always hold them dear, take time to say “I’m sorry,” “please forgive me”, “thank you” or “it’s okay”.

And if tomorrow never comes, you’ll have no regrets about today.

From author unknown.

14 Facts of Life You Must Know

Photo by Sara >>New Killer Star<<

We often lost our confidence and feel useless in life. My friend sent me the 14 facts of life some times ago and now I want to share it to you all. If there is something which you think is not right, don’t take it too seriously, use the principle “take the good ones, leave the bad ones”. I hope it will be useful :

1. At least 5 people in this world, love you so much they would die for you.

2. At least 15 people in this world love you, in some way.

3. The only reason everyone would ever hate you, is because they want to be just like you.

4. A smile from you, can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don’t like you.

5. Every night, someone thinks about you they go to sleep.

6. You mean the world to someone.

7. Without you, someone may not be living.

8. You are special and unique, in your own way.

9. Someone that you don’t know event exist, loves you.

10. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it.

11. When you think the world has turned it’s back on you, take a look, you most likely turned you back on the world.

12. When you think you have no chance at getting what you want, you probably won’t get it, but if you believe in yourself, you probably sooner or later will get it.

13. Always tell someone how you feel about them, you will fell much better when they know…..be honest as you can…..it won’t hurt you…..and in the end you’ll be glad you did……

14. Always remember complements you received, forget about the rude remarks. You will go through this life peacefully without grudge.

Source : unknown

Life That Can Be Explained In One Sentence

Photo by cliff1066

Arthur Ashe, is a legendary Wimbledon Tennis player who died of AIDS as the cause of blood transfusion he took in his heart operation at 1983.

One day, he received a letter from one of his fans who asked, “Why God chose you to take that cursed disease?”

Arthur replied, “There are 50 million kids who started to play tennis on the whole world. But, only 5 million learned to play tennis. There are 500.000 people who learn tennis professionally. Among them, 50.000 are ready to join the tournaments anytime. There are 5000 tennis player who made it into Grand slam tournament. There are 50 tennis players who join Wimbledon tournament, but only 4 made it to semi final, then 2 made it to final. But, I’m the only one who won the trophy. When I held that trophy with my hand, I didn’t asked God “Why me?” Today I wont ask God when I am ill “Why me?”

Happiness will keep you behave sweetly. Challenge will keep you strong. Sorrow will keep you human. Failure will keep you modest.Success will keep you passionate, but only your attitude and loyalty which will keep you moving forward.

Each Day Is A Gift

Photo by Finvara

The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.

Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.

As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. “I love it,” she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room …. just wait.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged, it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away, just for this time in my life.”

She went on to explain, “Old age is like a bank account, you withdraw from what you’ve put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing.”

And with a smile, she said:

“Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.”

7 Tiny Places to Find Everyday Inspiration

You don’t need to travel to a mountaintop or meet a guru to add a little inspiration to your life. There are plenty of small places in your life that you see every single day that can provide you with loads of inspiration, free of charge and in abundance. Here are some little things you can appreciate in your life today:

1. A smile
Whether it’s someone you know, a child or a stranger, a smile can change the way you see the world. However small, a smile can inspire you to see things you might have missed, look at the bright side or just appreciate all the blessings in your life.

2. The ugly
It’s not only beautiful things that can inspire you but the less attractive as well. The pigeon at the bus stop getting by with only one leg can be just as inspirational as a magnificent stag in the woods if you look at it in the right way.

3. The natural world
The world that surrounds you is full of small things that can inspire you. From a dewy spider web to a grand sunset, look to the world at large to find landscapes, creatures and phenomena that can awe and inspire you.

4. Your morning commute.
Whether you take public transportation or drive your own car, looking at the scenery, watching other travelers or listening to a new radio program can radically change how you see your day, week or year.

5. The past
While the past is behind you, it can play a big role in your present day life. Whether you think about what obstacles you’ve overcome or look to older ways of life, you’ll find loads to stay interested in through years past.

6. Families
They don’t have to be your own to be inspiring but your own children, parents and relatives can also be a great source of inspiration. From watching their growth to appreciating the bond between relatives, families can touch your heart and use your emotions to inspire.

7. Walking
Walking around can be a great way to meditate, think about important ideas and see new parts of your community. Use the opportunity walking provides to break through creative blocks and start feeling inspired about your life.

The Power of Giving & Gratitude

Photo by Mr.Kris

The Power of Giving

“We make a living with what we get. But we make a life with what we give.”
- Winston Churchill-

“One cannot truly help others without helping himself.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson -

The greatest world leaders, people with great achievements, and extremely successful people are always great givers. Napoleon Hills said, “I attract others to serve me because of my willingness to serve others.”

The law of cause and reaction states that every reaction has a cause, and every cause has a reaction. It also can be stated as the principals of boomerang, which says that what you give to the universe will come back directly to your life. Give more and you will receive more. Give less and you will receive less.

The problem is many people give less and wish more. It will not work, and then they will be disappointed.

Why giving is so important for success? There are two reasons :

1. If you give great service and value to others, you will receive great repayment.

2. Giving is the quickest way to plant the new ideas and reality about abundance into your subconscious. When you give, you say to yoursubconscious that you have more than enough and that you live in total abundance. You don’t have to pile it, take care what you have, be stingy, or hide it in some certain way. You can always attract to yourself more than you need-all the time, and from an infinite resources.

The Power of Gratitude

“When you feel grateful, you become very good, and then you attract very good things.”
- Plato -

“The act of gratitude is the source of goodness.”
- Marcus Tullius Cicero -

The act of gratitude is not only the source of goodness, but also the source of all life goodness. Being grateful brings love, health, happiness, and prosperity. Wherever you find really successful people, you will find a lot of acts of gratitude. The act of gratitude creates a magnetic field which is stronger than the others, it is so strong it cannot hold the coming of your vision to you.

The other side of the coin is that the lack of gratitude can extremely paralyzes you. If we are not careful, we can forget all goodness that has came to our life. Focusing to what you do not have, not to what you really have, throw all your systems into the negative vibrant and the state of imbalance. According to the law of gravity, people who are not grateful intend to attract and manifest things that they in fact fear of and hate: poorness, and all its form. They think about poorness, so they manifest poorness.

To have a continuous feeling of gratitude, you have to understand and believe three truths:

1. Your situation now is very good and will always get better.

2. Your life now is full of things that you can be grateful of.

3. Your results now will continuously change, grow, and become better.

According to the law of relativity, our reality is created only because of comparison. We can feel grateful or ungrateful for whatever our situation is right now. Some people may feel truly blessed and grateful for a 30.000 dollars salary. Some other people may not be satisfied at all with that amount.

Luckily, we all have many things to be grateful of. We are alive. Most of us have relation with others, well fed, have a place to rest, and clothes. To get into the ungrateful mind set, we have to forget all of it and focus on limited amount of things which makes us unsatisfied.

For example, you may be not satisfied with your salary now. The only way for you to feel unsatisfied is to compare it with something else, to value it with certain criteria. There is nothing wrong with the desire to increase your earnings, but it’s actually useless to think about that amount of money as too much or too small. May be the amount is not exactly as much as you wanted, but that amount is probably quite a lot if compared to the annual average income of 180 dollar in Bangladesh. If you look at it from that point of view, your feeling about it will change.

Your situation now is the result of your past thoughts and your past acts. This situation is not good or bad. This situation is just how it is now. There is no connection with how much will you earn in the future and there is no real meaning except the one you gave to it. Since you can choose to be grateful or ungrateful, why not choose the framework of mind which will star to bring more goodness to yourself? The grateful attitude is one of the strongest magnet in the universe. Use it to attract more than anything you want.

The moment you start to be actively grateful for all the good things in your life, know that more good things are coming to you. When you send these positive and grateful vibrations, it is impossible for you to fail.