Love lasts only as long as life exists.

A Young Man Called Rama Swami Died An Untimely Death.

His Parents, Wife And Nine Year Old Son Were Crying Bitterly Sitting Next To His Dead Body.

They All Happened To Be Disciples Of A Holy Man Whom They Called 'Maharaj Ji'.

When Maharaj Ji Learnt That Rama Swami Had Died, He Came To Visit The Family.

He Entered The House And Found The Family Wailing Inconsolably.

Seeing Maharaj Ji, The Wife Started Crying Even Louder.

She Sobbed Saying, "Maharaj Ji, He Has Died Too Early, He Was So Young... Oh! I Would Do Anything To Make Him Alive Again. What Will Happen To Our Son? I'm So Helpless And Miserable."

Maharaj Ji Tried To Pacify The Crying Lady And The Old Parents, But The Loss Was Too Much For Them To Come To Terms With So Easily.

Eventually, Maharaj Ji Said, "Alright, Get Me A Glass Of Water."

Maharaj Ji Sat Near The Dead Body And Put The Glass Next To It. He Said, "Now, Who Ever Wants That Rama Swami Should Become Alive Again May Drink This Water. Rama Swami Shall Come Back To Life, But The Person Who Drinks The Water Shall Die Instead!"

Silence..!

"Come, Did You Not Say That Rama Swami Was The Sole Bread Winner Of The Family? Who Would die Instead Of Him? It Is A Case Of Fair Exchange, Isn't It?"

The Wife Looked At The Old Mother And The Old Mother Looked At The Wife. The Old Father Looked At Rama Swami's Son. But No One Came Forward...

Then Maharaj Ji Said To The Old Father, "Babuji, Wouldn't You Give Your Life For Your Son?"

The Old Man Said, "Well, I Have My Responsibility Towards My Wife. If I Die Who Will Look After Her? I Cannot Offer My Life To You."

Maharaj Ji  Looked Questioningly At The Old Woman And Said, "Amma?"

Amma Said, "My Daughter Is Due To Deliver Her First Baby. She Will Be Coming To Stay For A Month...If I Die Who Will Look After Her And The Newborn. Why Don't You Ask Rama Swami's Wife?”

Maharaj Ji Smiled And Looked At The Young Widow. She Widened Her Tear Filled Eyes And Said, "Maharaj Ji, I Need To Live For My Son...If I Die,Who Will Look After Him?  He Needs Me. Please Don't Ask Me To Do This Sacrifice..”

Maharaj Ji  Asked The son, "Well Little Boy, Would You Like To Give Your Life For Your Father?"

Before The Boy Could Say Anything, His Mother Pulled Him To Her Breast And Said,..

"Maharaj Ji, Are You insane?.. My Son Is Only Nine. He Has Not Yet Lived His Life. How Could You Even Think Or Suggest Such A Thing?"

Maharaj Ji  Said, "Well It Seems, That All Of You Are Very Much Needed For The Things You Need To Do In This World... It Seems Rama Swami Was The Only One That Could Be Spared...That Is Why God Chose To Take Him Away. So Shall We Now Proceed With His Last Rites?... It's Getting Late..”

Having Said That, Maharaj Ji Got Up And Left.

*Love Lasts As Long As Life Exists*
*The Rest Is Only Memories Of Happy Times..!*

"Be honest when in trouble and be simple when in wealth. Be polite when in authority and be silent when in anger".

This is called the life management!...

Performance Beyond Expectations.

Ezra and Thomas joined a company together a few months after their graduation from university.

After a few years of work, their Manager promoted Ezra to a position of Senior Sales Manager, but Thomas remained in his entry level Junior Sales Officer position.

Thomas developed a sense of jealousy and disgruntlement, but continued working anyway.

One day Thomas felt that he could not work with Ezra anymore.

He wrote his resignation letter, but before he submitted it to the Manager, he complained that Management did not value hard working staff, but only promoted only the favoured!

The Manager knew that Ezra worked very hard for the years he had spent at the company; even harder than Thomas and therefore he deserved the promotion.

So in order to help Thomas to realize this, the Manager gave Thomas a task.

“Go and find out if anyone is selling water melons in town?”

Thomas returned and said, "yes there is someone!"

The Manager asked, "how much per kg?"

Thomas drove back to town to ask and then returned to inform the Manager; "they are 13.50 per kg!"

The Manager told Thomas,

"I will give Ezra the same task that I gave you. Please pay close attention to his response!"

So the Manager said to Ezra, in the presence of Thomas;

“Go and find out if anyone is selling water melons in town?”

Ezra went to find out and on his return he said:

"Manager, there is only one person selling water melons in the whole town.

The cost is 49.00 each water melon and 32.50 for a half melon.

He sells them at 13.50 per kg when sliced. He has in his stock 93 melons, each one weighing about 7kg.

He has a farm and can supply us with melons for the next 4 months at a rate of 102 melons per day at 27.00 per melon; this includes delivery.

The melons appear fresh and red with good quality, and they taste better than the ones we sold last year.

He has his own slicing machine and is willing to slice for us free of charge.

We need to strike a deal with him before 10am tomorrow and we will be sure of beating last year's profits in melons by 223 000.00.

This will contribute positively to our overall performance as it will add a minimum of 3.78% to our current overall sales target.

I have put this information down in writing and is available on spreadsheet.
Please let me know if you need it as I can send it to you in fifteen minutes."

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

As we begin this fresh year, let this story help us keep in mind the importance of going an extra mile in all our endeavors.

You won't be rewarded for doing what you're meant to do, you only get a salary for that!

You're only rewarded​ for going an extra mile; performing beyond expectations.

To be successful in life you must be observant, proactive and willing to do more, think more, have a more holistic perspective and go beyond the call of duty.

May you be blessed with a better perspective to your work this year.

The Power of choice - Ducks Quack Eagles Soar.

Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar.

I was waiting in line for a ride at the airport in Dubai. When a cab pulled up, the first thing I noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for me.

He handed me a laminated card and said: 'I'm Abdul, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement.'

Taken aback, I read the card. It said: Abdul's Mission Statement:
To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment.

This blew me away. Especially when I noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Abdul said, 'Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.'

I said jokingly, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink.'

Abdul smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, lassi, water and orange juice.'

Almost stuttering, I said, 'I'll take a Lassi.'

Handing me my drink, Abdul said, 'If you'd like something to read, I have The NST , Star and Sun Today.'

As they were pulling away, Abdul handed me another laminated card, 'These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio.'

And as if that weren't enough, Abdul told me that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for me.

Then he advised me of the best route to my destination for that time of day. He also let me know that he'd be happy to chat and tell me about some of the sights or, if I preferred, to leave me with my own thoughts.

'Tell me, Abdul ,' I was amazed and asked him, 'have you always served customers like this?'

Abdul smiled into the rear view mirror. "No, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard about POWER OF CHOICE one day."

Power of choice is that you can be a duck or an eagle.

'If you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself. Stop complaining!'

'Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.'

'That hit me. really hard' said Abdul.

'It is about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes, slowly ... a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.'

'I take it that it has paid off for you,' I said.

'It sure has,' Abdul replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on it.'

Abdul made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like a duck and start soaring like an eagle.

Start becoming an eagle today ... one small step every week..next week... And next...And....

A great Thought..

"You don't die if you fall in water, you die only if you don't swim.

Thats the Real Meaning of Life.

Improve yourself and your skills in a different way.
Be an eagle. .not a Duck.

Power of Interdependance.

What a beautiful message...!

A young girl and her father were walking along a forest path.
At some point, they came across a large tree branch on the ground in front of them.

The girl asked her father, “If I try, do you think I could move that branch?”
Her father replied, “I am sure you can, if you use all your strength.”

The girl tried her best to lift or push the branch, but she was not strong enough and she couldn't move it.

She said, with disappointment, “You were wrong, dad. I can't move it.”

“Try again with all your strength,” replied her father.

Again, the girl tried hard to push the branch. She struggled but it did not move.

“Dad, I cannot do it,” said the girl.

Finally her father said, “Young lady, I advised you to use 'all your strength'. You didn’t ask for my help.


Moral :
Our real strength lies not in independence, but in interdependence.
No individual person has all the strengths, all the resources and all the stamina required for the complete blossoming of their vision.

To ask for help and support when we need it is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of wisdom.

Today Choose to Respond.

We were getting ready to go to bed when my 9 year old daughter said in a calm tone, "Mumma tomorrow is my IEO (English Olympiad ) exam"
It was 10.30pm. She was unwell the last week so we didn't practice and on the weekend I was busy with Storytelling.

Amidst all this we forgot about the exam. Now the mother in me wanted to react...I wanted to give my daughter a lecture, maybe like this...

"What?? You're telling me now, why didn't you remind me earlier. Why did you go to play? Why didn't you study? How can you forget? You're so careless. You can't even remember your exam dates"

I could have done that and maybe that's the easiest way to express our anxiety or fear or any big emotion we are going through, but I chose to Respond.

I said, "Hmm both mumma and Samu forgot about it. Sometimes we do forget things. Now we can sit for quick 15 minutes and you can ask me any doubts you have."

She quickly brought her IEO workbook and the next 15 minutes we were engrossed in solving the paper.

What surprised me was the way the things went smoothly and today morning she had more doubts. She even solved one more paper today morning.
All this happened because as a parent I chose to Respond. When children are anxious or scared or are facing any big emotion, they don't need an adult who is yelling, lecturing or advising. They need an adult who is able to guide them to a solution and stand with them. That's your responsibility as , 'A Better Parent.'

Today I want you to think which are some of the situations where you as a parent, react and how can you choose to Respond, effectively.

What is a Blessing.

What is a blessing?

Different people have a different understanding of what a blessing really is… getting a good grade, a nice husband or wife, or money. Actually, everything, potentially, is a blessing if we recognize it. If we don’t recognize a blessing and reciprocate properly, then what appears to be a blessing could be a curse. Sometimes you beg for a blessing, you get it, and it ruins your life.

Yet the real blessing that the soul is seeking is the blessing of a connection with God’s love. That is the highest blessing – to actually connect with the love of God, which is everywhere, in all situations, if we look for it. In the Christian Bible it says, “Seek and you shall find.”  Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita, “As you approach Me, I shall reveal myself accordingly.”  If you are looking for love of God, the opportunities will grow for you to find it. If not, then even the most beautiful things in life it could cause you great frustration, anxiety and ruination.

Real wisdom is to see the hand of God and to be grateful, as a grateful heart can recognize the blessings in everything. Gratitude is one of the most essential virtues for real inner prosperity and happiness because it can connect us to the Divine.

So by being serious and sincere, being free from ulterior motives, and acting in a way that is pleasing to God, full blessings spontaneously and naturally come to you as you are in a good consciousness to recognize and receive them. When those blessings come, the situations you are in are just perfect for you.    

Radhanath Swami

Pune Special.

1. Pune has the impeccable record of highest growth within a span of 20 Years

2. Pune has highest number of pubs in Asia.

3. Pune has highest number of cigarette smokers in India.

4. Pune has the highest number of software companies in India-212, followed by Bangalore - 208,Hyderabad - 97. Hence called the Silicon Valley of Maharashtra

5. Pune has 35 engineering colleges, which is highest in the world in a given city. Pune University has 57 Engineering colleges affiliated to it, which is highest in the world.

6. Pune has commercial and defense Airport operating from the same strip.

7. Pune has highest number of public sectors and government Organizations in India.

8. Pune university has highest number of students going abroad for higher studies taking the first place from IIT-Kanpur.

9. Pune has only 38% of local population (i.e.Marathi) .Hence a true cosmopolitan with around 20% North Indians,10% Tamilians,14% Telugites, 10% Keralites, 8% Europeans(Koregaon Park),5% Africans,2%Bangalis and 6% a mixture of all races

10. Pune police has the reputation of being second best in India

.11. Pune has the highest density of traffic in India.

12. Pune has the highest number of 2-wheelers in the world

.13. Pune is considered the fashion capital of east comparable to Paris

15. Pune is 3rd in producing the maximum international sportsmen 🏉in India for all sports.

16. Pune has produced the maximum number of scientists considered for many high profile Prize nominations

17. Pune has produced the highest number of professionals in USA almost 60% of the Indian population abroad is from Pune (except Gulf).

18. Pune is the only city in India where there are seven Universities.

If you ever live/d in Pune....then....this one has to be shared.

Practice

PRACTICE

Once, Lord Indra got upset with Farmers, he announced there will be No rain for 12 years & you won't be able to produce crops```

Farmers begged for clemency from Lord Indra , who then said , Rain will be possible only if Lord Shiva plays his Damru , but he secretly requested Lord Shiva not to agree to these Farmers & when Farmers reached Lord Shiva he repeated the same thing that he will play Damru after 12 years

_Disappointed Farmers decided to wait till 12 years but one Farmer regularly was digging treating & putting manure in the soil & sowing the seeds even with no crop emerging Other Farmers were making  fun of that Farmer . After 3 years all Farmers asked that Farmer why are you wasting your time n energy when you know that rains will not come before 12 years_

He replied " I know that crop won't come out but I'm doing it as a matter of "practice" . After 12 years I will forget the process of growing crops n working in the field so I must keep it doing so that I'm fit to produce the crop, the moment there is rain after 12 years

```Hearing his argument Goddess Parvati praised his version before Lord Shiva & said You may also lose the practice of playing the Damru after 12 years
The innocent Lord Shiva in his anxiety just tried to play the Damru, if he could,,,  and hearing the sound of Damru immediately there was rain n the farmer who was regularly working in the field got his crop emerged immediately n others were disappointed ```

It is the practice which keeps on making you perfect

The game is won during the practice Not during the performance

You become even diseased or old just because you don't practice on your body or mind.
Practice is the essence of quality survival

An Amazing Story of the Goodness in the world.

AN AMAZING STORY...

Here is an amazing story from a flight attendant on Delta Flight 15, written following 9-11:

On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, we were about 5 hours out of Frankfurt, flying over the North Atlantic .

All of a sudden the curtains parted and I was told to go to the cockpit, immediately, to see the captain. As soon as I got there I noticed that the crew had that "All Business" look on their faces. The captain handed me a printed message. It was from Delta's main office in Atlanta and simply read, "All airways over the Continental United States are closed to commercial air traffic. Land ASAP at the nearest airport. Advise your destination."

No one said a word about what this could mean. We knew it was a serious situation and we needed to find terra firma quickly. The captain determined that the nearest airport was 400 miles behind us in Gander, New Foundland.

He requested approval for a route change from the Canadian traffic controller and approval was granted immediately -- no questions asked. We found out later, of course, why there was no hesitation in approving our request.

While the flight crew prepared the airplane for landing, another message arrived from Atlanta telling us about some terrorist activity in the New York area. A few minutes later word came in about the hijackings.

We decided to LIE to the passengers while we were still in the air. We told them the plane had a simple instrument problem and that we needed to land at the nearest airport in Gander , New Foundland, to have it checked out.

We promised to give more information after landing in Gander .. There was much grumbling among the passengers, but that's nothing new! Forty minutes later, we landed in Gander. Local time at Gander was 12:30 PM .... that's 11:00 AM EST.

There were already about 20 other airplanes on the ground from all over the world that had taken this detour on their way to the US.

After we parked on the ramp, the captain made the following announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen, you must be wondering if all these airplanes around us have the same instrument problem as we have. The reality is that we are here for another reason."

Then he went on to explain the little bit we knew about the situation in the US. There were loud gasps and stares of disbelief. The captain informed passengers that Ground control in Gander told us to stay put.

The Canadian Government was in charge of our situation and no one was allowed to get off the aircraft. No one on the ground was allowed to come near any of the air crafts. Only airport police would come around periodically, look us over and go on to the next airplane.

In the next hour or so more planes landed and Gander ended up with 53 airplanes from all over the world, 27 of which were US commercial jets.

Meanwhile, bits of news started to come in over the aircraft radio and for the first time we learned that airplanes were flown into the World Trade Center in New York and into the Pentagon in DC.

People were trying to use their cell phones, but were unable to connect due to a different cell system in Canada . Some did get through, but were only able to get to the Canadian operator who would tell them that the lines to the U.S. were either blocked or jammed.

Sometime in the evening the news filtered to us that the World Trade Center buildings had collapsed and that a fourth hijacking had resulted in a crash. By now the passengers were emotionally and physically exhausted, not to mention frightened, but everyone stayed amazingly calm.

We had only to look out the window at the 52 other stranded aircraft to realize that we were not the only ones in this predicament.

We had been told earlier that they would be allowing people off the planes one plane at a time. At 6 PM, Gander airport told us that our turn to deplane would be 11 am the next morning.

Passengers were not happy, but they simply resigned themselves to this news without much noise and started to prepare themselves to spend the night on the airplane.

Gander had promised us medical attention, if needed, water, and lavatory servicing.

And they were true to their word.

Fortunately we had no medical situations to worry about. We did have a young lady who was 33 weeks into her pregnancy. We took REALLY good care of her. The night passed without incident despite the uncomfortable sleeping arrangements.

About 10:30 on the morning of the 12th a convoy of school buses showed up. We got off the plane and were taken to the terminal where we went through Immigration and Customs and then had to register with the Red Cross.

After that we (the crew) were separated from the passengers and were taken in vans to a small hotel. We had no idea where our passengers were going. We learned from the Red Cross that the town of Gander has a population of 10,400 people and they had about 10,500 passengers to take care of from all the airplanes that were forced into Gander!

We were told to just relax at the hotel and we would be contacted when the US airports opened again, but not to expect that call for a while.

We found out the total scope of the terror back home only after getting to our hotel and turning on the TV, 24 hours after it all started.

Meanwhile, we had lots of time on our hands and found that the people of Gander were extremely friendly. They started calling us the "plane people." We enjoyed their hospitality, explored the town of Gander and ended up having a pretty good time.

Two days later, we got that call and were taken back to the Gander airport. Back on the plane, we were reunited with the passengers and found out what they had been doing for the past two days.

What we found out was incredible.....

Gander and all the surrounding communities (within about a 75 Kilometer radius) had closed all high schools, meeting halls, lodges, and any other large gathering places. They converted all these facilities to mass lodging areas for all the stranded travelers.

Some had cots set up, some had mats with sleeping bags and pillows set up.

ALL the high school students were required to volunteer theirtime to take care of the "guests."

Our 218 passengers ended up in a town called Lewisporte, about 45 kilometers from Gander where they were put up in a high school. If any women wanted to be in a women-only facility, that was arranged.

Families were kept together. All the elderly passengers were taken to private homes.

Remember that young pregnant lady? She was put up in a private home right across the street from a 24-hour Urgent Care facility.There was a dentist on call and both male and female nurses remained with the crowd for the duration.

Phone calls and e-mails to the U.S. and around the world were available to everyone once a day. During the day, passengers were offered "Excursion" trips.
Some people went on boat cruises of the lakes and harbors. Some went for hikes in the local forests.

Local bakeries stayed open to make fresh bread for the guests.

Food was prepared by all the residents and brought to the schools. People were driven to restaurants of their choice and offered wonderful meals. Everyone was given tokens for local laundry mats to wash their clothes, since luggage was still on the aircraft.

In other words, every single need was met for those stranded travelers.

Passengers were crying while telling us these stories. Finally, when they were told that U.S. airports had reopened, they were delivered to the airport right on time and without a single passenger missing or late. The local Red Cross had all the information about thewhereabouts of each and every passenger and knew
which plane they needed to be on and when all the planes were leaving. They coordinated everything beautifully.

It was absolutely incredible.

When passengers came on board, it was like they had been on a cruise. Everyone knew each other by name. They were swapping stories of their stay, impressing each other with who had the better time. Our flight back to Atlanta looked like a chartered party flight. The crew just stayed out of their way. It was mind-boggling.

Passengers had totally bonded and were calling each other by their first names, exchanging phone numbers, addresses, and email addresses.

And then a very unusual thing happened.

One of our passengers approached me and asked if he could make an announcement over the PA system. We never, ever allow that. But this time was different. I said "of course" and handed him the mike. He picked up the PA and reminded everyone about what they had just gone through in the last few days.
He reminded them of the hospitality they had received at the hands of total strangers.

He continued by saying that he would like to do something in return for the good folks of Lewisporte.

"He said he was going to set up a Trust Fund under the name of DELTA 15 (our flight number). The purpose of the trust fund is to provide college scholarships for the high school students of Lewisporte.

He asked for donations of any amount from his fellow travelers. When the paper with donations got back to us with the amounts, names, phone numbers and addresses, the total was for more than $14,000!

"The gentleman, a MD from Virginia , promised to match the donations and to start the administrative work on the scholarship. He also said that he would forward this proposal to Delta Corporate and ask them to donate as well.

As I write this account, the trust fund is at more than $1.5 million and has assisted 134 students in college education.

"I just wanted to share this story because we need good stories right now. It gives me a little bit of hope to know that some people in a faraway place were kind to some strangers who literally dropped in on them.

It reminds me how much good there is in the world."

"In spite of all the rotten things we see going on in today's world this story confirms that there are still a lot of good people in the world and when things get bad, they will come forward.

This is one of those stories that need to be shared. Please do so...

Who is your fallback?

People help you the way they know to help you. To help you to come out of stress, one friend will ask you to drink and another will ask you to meditate. To overcome hurt, one friend will ask you to take revenge and get even, and another will ask you to forgive and get ahead with your life. ‘Who is your fallback’ makes all the difference. Duryodhana’s predicament, in his own words, was, “I know what is right but I am not able to indulge in it. I know what is wrong but I am not able to avoid it.” He needed a fallback. His fallback was his uncle Sakuni, and resultantly, Duryodhana moved from bad to worse. Arjuna’s predicament was different. He was allowing his personal emotions to dominate his sense of duty, and hence wanted to escape from the responsibilities he had towards upholding righteousness. He needed a fallback. His fallback was Krishna, and resultantly, Arjuna was restored to his greatness. Humans we are, at some point or the other, we all need a fallback.
‘Who is your fallback’ makes all the difference.

10 Things to Do Before You Begin Your Week.

10 Things to Do Before You Begin Your Week:

How a Weekly Preview Makes You More Productive

Many people like to do what they call a “weekly review of their week.”

I personally prefer a forward-looking approach.

Let’s call it a weekly preview of your week.

Get Ready Before You Begin Your Week..

Before you begin, you need to do a preview of your week.

Planning and preparing in advance of beginning your week can make a tremendous difference in your productivity. It can also reduce stress and eliminate “life friction.”

A good start will save you much time and effort in your week. Yet, many people are lucky if they get out the door on time, let alone having a forward-looking plan.

Here are 10 Things to Do BEFORE You Start Your Week:

1.  Check Your List – Have a plan. Know what you need to do and prioritize your tasks. This will keep you from being “busy” with menial todos instead of working on what is truly important.

2.  Review Your Calendar – Check your schedule. Do you know where you need to be and where? As well, make sure that you block time for your projects and priorities. Fill your schedule  before heading into the week. You can confirm appointments and resolve any conflicts before they cause issues.

3.  Clean Up Last Week – While your weekly preview is a forward-looking exercise, don’t forget last week. Make sure you carry forward any undone todos. As well, reviewing your notes from last week will often uncover needed actions for this week. Don’t start each week a “blank slate” with no memory of your previous endeavors.

4.  Do that Important Task – Always do your most important task first. Do it before you start the week. Even before you get out of the house. I like to get up early and do my most important work before leaving the house Monday morning.

5.  Get Enough Rest – Do you come out of your weekend… needing another weekend? If you don’t get enough rest before you begin your week, you will be dragging from the outset. Go to bed early, get enough rest, and make sure you are taking care of yourself.

6.  Pack Your Gear – Ever get to work only to discover you forget an important item? Or ever have to go back home to get that technology charger or an important document? Make sure you pack your important items before heading out the door. yet, pack it up the night before.

7.  Get Email Working for You – Email is a double-edged sword. However, it is an excellent tool for follow-up, as well as time-shifting when working with others. You can send off emails before the week begins to get tasks in motion. That way they can be working for you while you do other important tasks. (Extra tip: You can send emails without reading emails. Stay out of your inbox until you are prepared to deal with it.)

8.  Confirm Appointments – Always confirm appointments. Twice recently, I have had medical appointments cancel on me due to doctors schedules. (Funny when they charge patients for missed appointments.) Whether with a physician, plumber, or a client, always confirm your appointments in advance.

9.  Delegate Tasks – Delegate tasks before the week begins, and before they are due. If you sit on them, you are guilty of being a productivity bottleneck in your organization. Get tasks delegated to the appropriate people whether that is a family member or a work colleague.

10. Review Your Goals – Take a moment before you start your week to reflect on your goals. Are you on the right path? Are you doing the right things that will move you closer to your goals? Make sure you are making conscious choices about your actions and where they will take you.

Preview Your Week

A weekly preview can be one of the most productive things you do each week.

It can make the difference between a smooth and stress free week, and one that goes off-the-rails and leaves you exhausted.

Always make sure you have a game plan in place before you begin.

Thank You For Reading It Through.

Tom Smith Story.

At the point of death, a man, Tom Smith, called his children and he advised them to follow his footsteps so that they can have peace of mind in all that they do.

His daughter, Sara, said,
"Daddy, its unfortunate you are dying without a penny in your bank..
Other fathers' that you tag as being corrupt, thieves of public funds left houses and properties for their children; even this house we live in is a rented apartment..
Sorry, I can't emulate you, just go, let's chart our own course..

Few moments later, their father gave up the spirit..

Three years later, Sara went for an interview in a multinational company..
At interview the Chairman of the committee asked,
"Which Smith are you..??"

Sara replied,
"I am Sara Smith. My Dad Tom Smith is now late.."

Chairman cuts in,
"O my God, you are Tom Smith's daughter..?"

He turned to the  other members and said,
"This Smith man was the one that signed my membership form into the Institute of Administrators and his recommendation earned me where I am today. He did all these free. I didn't even know his address, he never knew me. He just did it for me.."
He turned to Sara,
"I have no questions for you, consider yourself as having gotten this job, come tomorrow, your letter will be waiting for you.."

Sara Smith became the Corporate Affairs Manager of the company with two Cars with Drivers, A duplex attached to the office, and a salary of £1,000,000 per month excluding allowances and other costs..

After two years of working in the company, the MD of the company came from America to announce his intention to resign and needed a replacement. A personality with high integrity was sought after, again the company's Consultant nominated Sara Smith..

In an interview, she was asked the secret of her success,,

With tears, she replied, "My Daddy paved these ways for me. It was after he died that I knew that he was financially poor but stinkingly rich in integrity, discipline and honesty".

She was asked again, why she is weeping since she is no longer a kid as to miss her dad still after a long time..

She replied, "At the point of death, I insulted my dad for being an honest man of integrity. I hope he will forgive me in his grave now. I didn't work for all these, he did it for me to just walk in".

So, finally she was asked, "Will you follow your father's foot steps as he requested ?"

And her simple answer was, "l now adore the man, I have a big picture of him in my living room and at the entrance of my house. He deserves whatever I have after God".


It pays to build a name, the reward doesn't come quickly but it will come however long it may take and it lasts longer..

Integrity, discipline, self control and fear of God makes a man wealthy, not the fat bank account..

Leave a good heritage for your children..

As an agent of CHANGE, please share this true life story with your loved ones.

Spiritual Maturity.

What is spiritual maturity?

1. Spiritual Maturity is when you stop trying to change others, ...instead focus on changing yourself.
2. Spiritual Maturity is when you accept people as they are.
3. Spiritual Maturity is when you understand everyone is right in their own perspective.
4. Spiritual Maturity is when you learn to "let go".
5. Spiritual Maturity is when you are able to drop "expectations" from a relationship and give for the sake of giving.
6. Spiritual Maturity is when you understand whatever you do, you do for your own peace.
7. Spiritual Maturity is when you stop proving to the world, how intelligent you are.
8. Spiritual Maturity is when you don't seek approval from others.
9. Spiritual Maturity is when you stop comparing with others.
10. Spiritual Maturity is when you are at peace with yourself.
11. Spiritual Maturity is when you are able to differentiate between "need" and "want" and are able to let go of your wants & last but most meaningful !
12. You gain Spiritual Maturity when you stop attaching "happiness" to material things !!

"Wishing all a happy Spiritually matured life"

Bhagavad Gita.

🕉
BHAGWAD GITA in one sentence per chapter.

Chapter 1

Wrong thinking is the only problem in life

Chapter 2

Right knowledge is the ultimate solution to all our problems

Chapter 3

Selflessness is the only way to progress & prosperity

Chapter 4

Every act can be an act of prayer

Chapter 5

Renounce the ego of individuality & rejoice in the bliss of infinity

Chapter 6

Connect to the Higher consciousness daily

Chapter 7

Live what you learn

Chapter 8

Never give up on yourself

Chapter 9

Value your blessings

Chapter 10

See divinity all around

Chapter 11

Have enough surrender to see the Truth as it is

Chapter 12

Absorb your mind in the Higher

Chapter 13

Detach from Maya & attach to Divine

Chapter 14

Live a lifestyle that matches your vision

Chapter 15

Give priority to Divinity

Chapter 16

Being good is a reward in itself

Chapter 17

Choosing the right over the pleasant is a sign of power

Chapter 18

Let Go, Lets move to union with God

Everyone is Awesome.

A very inspiring article for everyone . Worth reading:

Once there was a man who did not make it to university. So, his mother got him a wife. After the marriage, he worked as a teacher in a primary school. Due to the lack of experience, he was squashed by the students in less than a week.

When he returned home, his wife dried his tears. She comforted him with these words. 'When one is too full, he could either pour it out what's in him or he just could not pour it out at all. You should not be too sad about it. Probably there is a more suitable job waiting for you out there.'

Later on, he found another job and not for so long, he was fired due to his slowness. This time, the wife commented. 'There are always people who are skilful and non skilful. Some have experience from their years of work. As for you, you were in school all this while. So, how could you acquire these needed skills?'

He went for a number of jobs but never stayed long in those jobs. Each time, he would return home with a dejected spirit. His wife would always comfort him and never for once, she was disappointed or resentful.

He was in his thirties when he aquired a flair in languages. He became a counselor in a school for the deaf and mute. Later on, he opened a school for the disabled. A few years later, he set up chain stores in different cities and provinces selling apparatus & equipment for the disabled. He became a multi-millionaire. He was John Doe!

One day he asked his wife. 'When I was looking bleak at my own future, what's the reason that you have so much faith in me?'

His wife gave him a very simple reply. She said, 'When a piece of land is not suitable for planting wheat, we could try planting beans. If the beans are not growing well, we could try planting fruits or gourds. If the vegetation is not economical, we can instead scatter buckwheat seeds. These seeds will one day bloom into flowers. On this land itself, there will be one seed that will germinate and grow.'

After having listened to the wife's explanation, he cried. His wife's faith, love, patience, and persistence in him is liken to the one seed in the land. This is the seed that persists and creates the miracle on this piece of land.

"In this world, there's no one person who is useless. It is just that they have not positioned themselves firmly in right place"

If you like the story share it with others...Sharing is caring...

The Kiss...Sweet Memories...

The Kiss

Getting late for a meeting, need to run’, he said, as he slung his coat over the shoulder, and bounded out of the house. As he drove away, she came running down the stairs two at a time. ‘Wait, wait’, she said, but he had already left.

Her mouth crumpled like used wrapping paper. ‘He forgot to give me a goodbye kiss’, she whispered in a voice that trembled under the weight of her hurt. She called him, ‘you left without giving me a kiss’, she said accusingly. ‘I am sorry sweetheart’, he said, his voice contrite. ‘It is okay’, she said, trying to be all grown up as she cut the call.

She gulped down her breakfast morosely, wore her shoes, picked up her school bag and started to walk out of the door, her shoulders slumped. As she climbed down the steps, the car glided to a stop outside the house. He got out of the car. She ran to him, her whole face lit up like a Christmas tree.

‘I am sorry I forgot’, he said, as he picked her up and hugged her. She said nothing. Her jaw ached from smiling.

Fifteen years later .....
.....
.....
NO ONE & no one would remember he was late for a meeting,
BUT .....................

a little girl would never ever forget that her father drove all the way back home just to kiss her goodbye!!!
Thats how memories are built !!

May Luck be on your side.

Here is A really nice message about luck.

Why some people have all the Luck ?

By Professor Richard  Wiseman, University of Hertfordshire.

Why do some people get all the luck while others never get the breaks they deserve?
A psychologist says he has discovered the answer.

Ten years ago, I set out to examine luck. I wanted to know why some people are always in the right place at the right time, while others consistently experience ill fortune. I placed advertisements in national newspapers asking for people who felt consistently lucky or unlucky to contact me.

Hundreds of extraordinary men & women volunteered for my research & over the years, I have interviewed them, monitored their lives & had
them take part in experiments.

I carried out a simple experiment to discover whether this was due to differences in their ability to spot such opportunities. I gave both lucky and unlucky people a newspaper, and asked them to look through it & tell me how many photographs were inside. I had secretly placed a large message halfway through the newspaper saying : "Tell the experimenter you have seen this and win $50."

This message took up half of the page & was written in type that was more than two inches high. It was staring everyone straight in the face, but the unlucky people tended to miss it & the lucky people tended to spot it.

Unlucky people are generally more tense than lucky people, and this anxiety disrupts their ability to notice the unexpected.
As a result, they miss opportunities because they are too focused on looking for something else. They go to parties'; intent on finding their perfect partner & so miss opportunities to make good friends.
They look through newspapers determined to find certain types of job advertisements & miss other types of jobs.

Lucky people are more relaxed & open, and therefore see what is there rather than just what they are looking for. My research eventually revealed that lucky people generate good fortune via four principles. They are skilled at creating & noticing chance opportunities, make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition, create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations, and adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good.

Here are Professor Wiseman's four top tips for becoming lucky:
1) Listen to your gut instincts - they are normally right
2) Be open to new experiences and breaking Ur normal routine
3) Spend a few moments each day remembering things that went well
4) Visualize Urself being lucky before an important meeting or telephone call.
Have a Lucky day and work for it...

"The happiest people in the world are not those who have no problems, but those who learn to live with things that are less than perfect."

" There is a great difference  between "worry"  &  "concern",
A worried person only sees the problem & a concerned person solves the problem..!

May luck be your side!!!💃👏💞

Are you ready for the future?

In 1998, Kodak had 170,000 employees and sold 85% of all photo paper worldwide.  Within just a few years, their business model disappeared and they went bankrupt.
Interestingly the inventor of digital photography in 1975  Steven Sasson worked for Kodak but Kodak ignored the new technology and in the process ignored their future!!

What happened to Kodak will happen in a lot of industries in the next 10 years - and most people don't see it coming.

Did you think in 1998 that 3 years later you would never take pictures on paper film again? Yet digital cameras were invented in 1975. The first ones only had 10,000 pixels, but followed Moore's law. So as with all exponential technologies, it was a disappointment for a long time, before it became way superior and got mainstream in only a few short years.

It will now happen with Artificial Intelligence, health, autonomous and electric cars, education, 3D printing, agriculture and jobs.

Welcome to the 4th Industrial Revolution.

Welcome to the Exponential Age.

Software will disrupt most traditional industries in the next 5-10 years.

Uber is just a software tool, they don't own any cars, and are now the biggest taxi company in the world.

Airbnb is now the biggest hotel company in the world, although they don't own any properties.

Artificial Intelligence : Computers become exponentially better in understanding the world. This year, a computer beat the best Go player in the world, 10 years earlier than expected.

In the US, young lawyers already don't get jobs. Because of IBM Watson, you can get legal advice (so far for more or less basic stuff) within seconds, with 90% accuracy compared with 70% accuracy when done by humans. So if you study law, stop immediately. There will be 90% fewer lawyers in the future, only specialists will remain.

Watson already helps nurses diagnosing cancer, 4 times more accurate than human nurses.

Facebook now has a pattern recognition software that can recognize faces better than humans.

By 2030, computers will become more intelligent than humans.Autonomous Cars:

In 2018 the first self-driving cars will appear for the public. Around 2020, the complete industry will start to be disrupted. You don't want to own a car anymore. You will call a car with your phone, it will show up at your location and drive you to your destination. You will not need to park it, you only pay for the driven distance and can be productive while driving.

Our kids will never get a driver's license and will never own a car. It will change the cities, because we will need 90-95% fewer cars for that. We can transform former parking space into parks. 1.2 million people die each year in car accidents worldwide.

We now have one accident every 100,000 km, with autonomous driving that will^ drop to one accident in 10 million km. That will save a million lives each year.

Most car companies may become bankrupt. Traditional car companies try the evolutionary approach and just build a better car, while tech companies (Tesla, Apple, Google) will do the revolutionary approach and build a computer on wheels. I spoke to a lot of engineers from Volkswagen and Audi; they are completely terrified of Tesla.

Insurance Companies will have massive trouble because without accidents, the insurance will become 100x cheaper. Their car insurance business model will disappear.

Real estate will change. Because if you can work while you commute, people will move further away to live in a more beautiful neighborhood. Electric cars won’t become mainstream until 2020. Cities will be less noisy because all cars will run on electric.

Electricity will become incredibly cheap and clean: Solar production has been on an exponential curve for 30 years, but you can only now see the impact. Last year, more solar energy was installed worldwide than fossil. The price for solar will drop so much that all coal companies will be out of business by 2025.With cheap electricity comes cheap and abundant water.

Desalination now only needs 2kWh per cubic meter. We don't have scarce water in most places, we only have scarce drinking water. Imagine what will be possible if anyone can have as much clean water as he wants, for nearly no cost.

Health: There will be companies that will build a medical device (called the "Tricorder" from Star Trek) that works with your phone, which takes your retina scan, your blood sample and you breathe into it. It then analyses 54 biomarkers that will identify nearly any disease. It will be cheap, so in a few years everyone on this planet will have access to world class medicine, nearly for free.

3D printing: The price of the cheapest 3D printer came down from $18,000 to $400 within 10 years. In the same time, it became 100 times faster.

All major shoe companies started 3D printing shoes.

Spare airplane parts are already 3D printed in remote airports.

The space station now has a printer that eliminates the need for the large number of spare parts they used to have in the past.

At the end of this year, new smart phones will have 3D scanning possibilities. You can then 3D scan your feet and print your perfect shoe at home.

In China, they already 3D printed a complete 6-storey office building. By 2027, 10% of everything that's being^ produced will be 3D printed.

Business Opportunities: If you think of a niche^ you want to go in, ask yourself: "in the future, do you think we will have that?" and if the answer is yes, how can you make that happen sooner? If it doesn't work with your phone, forget the idea.

And any idea designed for success in the 20th century is doomed in to failure in the 21st century.

Work: 70-80% of jobs will disappear in the next 20 years. There will be a lot of new jobs, but it is not clear if there will be enough new jobs in such a small time.

Agriculture: There will be a $100 agricultural robot in the future. Farmers in 3rd world countries can then become managers of their field instead of working all days on their fields. Agroponics will need much less water.

The first Petri dish produced veal is now available and will be cheaper than cow-produced veal in 2018. Right now, 30% of all agricultural surfaces is used for cows. Imagine if we don't need that space anymore.

There are several startups that will bring insect protein to the market shortly. It contains more protein than meat. It will be labeled as "alternative protein source"
(because most people still reject the idea of eating insects).

There is an app call "moodies" which can already tell in which mood you are.

Until 2020 there will be apps that can tell by your facial expressions if you are lying. Imagine a political debate where it's being displayed when they are telling the truth and when not.

Bitcoin will become mainstream this year and might even become the default reserve currency.

Longevity: Right now, the average life span increases by 3 months per year. Four years ago, the life span used to be 79 years, now it's^ 80 years. The increase itself is increasing and by 2030, there will be more than one year increase per year. So we all might live for a long long time, probably way more than 100. By that time the elites will have a secondary Brain embedded close to both sides of their fronto-temporal scalp it stores information about their experiences books they read what they heard etc through a High Def Camera just below their eyelids. For those who can afford it forgetfulness will be a forgotten phenomenon.
Advanced stem cell technology will allow you to " make " your own organs or replace defective ones early. Life expectancy will be around 115 to 125 yrs in most of developed world and around 100 years in the rest of the world.

Education: The cheapest smart phones are already at $10 in Africa and Asia. Until 2020, 70% of all humans will own a smart phone. That means, everyone has the same access to world class education.


Are you ready for the future...?

Train your mind to see good in every paeron and every situation.

An elderly woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.

 

One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.

 

At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

 

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water..

 

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.

 

But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do ha lf of what it had been made to do.

 

After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream.

 

'I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.

 

The old woman smiled, 'Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?'

 

'That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.'

 

For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table.

 

Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.'

 

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.

 

You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

 

SO, to all of my cracked pot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!

 

And send this to any or all of your Cracked Pot friends and see what a smile you will put on their faces.

 

Don't forget the Crack Pot that wrote this for you!!

 

What's inside you and what comes out of you is up to you.

मैं पेड़ हूं ....
हर रोज़ गिरते हैं पत्ते मेरे...
फिर भी हवाओं से..
बदलते नहीं रिश्ते मेरे....!

A conversation between Wayne Dyer and his student:

“If I were to squeeze this orange as hard as I could, what would come out?” I asked him.

He looked at me like I was a little crazy and said, “Juice, of course”.

“Do you think apple juice could come out of it?”

‘No! he laughed.

‘What about grapefruit juice?’

‘No!’

‘What would come of it?’

‘Orange juice, of course’

‘Why? Why when you squeeze an orange does orange juice comes out?’

He may have been getting a little exasperated with me at this point.

“Well, it’s an orange and that’s what’s inside.”

I nodded.

“Let’s assume that this orange isn’t an orange, but it’s you. And someone squeezes you, puts pressure on you, says something you don’t like, offends you.
And out of you comes anger, hatred, bitterness etc. Why?

The answer, as our young friend has told us, is “because that’s what’s inside”.

It’s one of the great lessons of life.

What come out
when life squeezes you? When someone hurts or offends you?
If anger, pain and fear come out of you, it’s because that’s what’s inside.

It doesn’t matter who does the squeezing: your mother, your brother, your children, the government.

If someone says something about you that you don’t like, what comes out of you is what’s inside.
And what’s inside is up to you, it’s your choice.

When someone puts the pressure on you and out of you comes anything other than love, it’s because that’s what you’ve allowed to be inside.

Once you take away all those negative things you don’t want in your life and replace them with love, you’ll find yourself living a highly functioning life.

Aging is good.

Aging is good

the story

A German Shepherd starts chasing rabbits and before long, discovers that he's lost.

Wandering about, he notices a panther heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch.

The old German Shepherd thinks, "Oh, oh! I'm in deep shit now!"

Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat.

Just as the panther is about to leap, the old German Shepherd exclaims loudly,
"Boy, that was one delicious panther!  I wonder if there are any more around here?"

Hearing this, the young panther halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and slinks away into the trees.

"Whew!" says the panther, "That was close! That old German Shepherd nearly had me!"

Meanwhile, a squirrel who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the panther.....So, off he goes.

The squirrel soon catches up with the panther, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the panther.

The young panther is furious at being made a fool of and says, "Here, squirrel, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!"

Now, the old German Shepherd sees the panther coming with the squirrel on his back and thinks, "What am I going to do now?"

But instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old German Shepherd says...
(This made me smile😁)

"Where's that squirrel? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another panther!" 😁😁

*Moral of this story...*

1. Don't mess with old dogs

2. Age & skill will always overcome youth & treachery

3. Bullshit & brilliance only come with age & experience

What if there are no mistakes? Only opportunities?

Five men got lost in a vast forest. They tried to find their way out.

The first man said, “I will follow my intuition and go left.”

The second man said, “I will go right. I have a strong feeling about this.”

The third man said, “I think I will walk back the same path we came. This should be the safest option.”

The fourth man said: “I think we are on the right track already, so I will keep going straight. I am sure this forest will end and I will find a village or a farm to ask for directions.”

The fifth man said, “I don’t know what to do. I think I will climb up this tall tree and take a better look around before I make up my mind.”

So the fifth man did that. While he was climbing, the other four men scattered towards their own directions. The fifth man now could see from above what was the shortest way to a village. He thought that the others should not have chosen the paths they did. He was wrong, though.

Each man chose his own path and gained a different experience. The man who went left, found a long path but in the end, it led him to the town.

The man who went right, had to fight a pack of wolves, but this way he learned how to survive in the forest.

The man who went back, met another team of hikers and he made new friends.

The man who went straight, found indeed a farm and was hosted by the family for a couple of days before leaving for the village.

Everyone was enriched in their own unique way by the journey.

~~~

Some reflections on this story...

What if, there are no "right" or "wrong" decisions?

Could it be that every decision offers us new experiences, which in turn offers us innumerable further opportunities for growth?

It has taken every decision of our life to bring us to where we are right now. In the fullness of the present, are we really in the wrong place? Even if it feels so, can we be sure?

What if there are no mistakes? Only opportunities?

Association

Beautiful explanation by Swami Vivekananda:
Explaining the meaning of ‘Association’ he said:..“A rain drop from the sky: if it is caught by clean hands, is pure enough for drinking. If it falls in the gutter, its value drops so much that it can’t be used even for washing your feet. If it falls on a hot surface, it will evaporate... If it falls on a lotus leaf, it shines like a pearl and finally, if it falls on an oyster, it becomes a pearl...The drop is the same, but its existence & worth depends on whom it is associated with.”...Always be associated with people who are good at heart..You will experience your own inner transformation"...
Send this to all people with a beautiful heart💓 whom you wish to be associated with....😌

Restoring the natural order of things in this world.

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:
 
'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection.

Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do.

Where is the natural order of things in my son?'

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realise true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'

 
Then he told the following story:

Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?'

I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.'

Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.
 
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs, but was still behind by three.

In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.

Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognising that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.

The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.

The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.

As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over.

The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.

Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.

Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!'

Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.

He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!'

Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.

By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball. The smallest guy on their team now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.

He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.

Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.
All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'.

Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay, run to third!'

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!'

Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.
 
'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'.

Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

AND NOW A LITTLE FOOT NOTE TO THIS STORY:

We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate.
 
The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.

If you are thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you are probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference.

We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realise the 'natural order of things.'

So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice.

Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?

A wise man once said, "Every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them".
You now have two choices:
1. Delete
2. Forward
May your day be wonderful !

The Power of determination (True Story)

The power of determination (true story)
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
The little country schoolhouse was heated by an old-fashioned, pot-bellied coal stove. A little boy had the job of coming to school early each day to start the fire and warm the room before his teacher and his classmates arrived.

One morning they arrived to find the schoolhouse engulfed in flames. They dragged the unconscious little boy out of the flaming building more dead than alive. He had major burns over the lower half of his body and was taken to a nearby county hospital.

From his bed the dreadfully burned, semi-conscious little boy faintly heard the doctor talking to his mother. The doctor told his mother that her son would surely die – which was for the best, really – for the terrible fire had devastated the lower half of his body.

But the brave boy didn’t want to die. He made up his mind that he would survive. Somehow, to the amazement of the physician, he did survive. When the mortal danger was past, he again heard the doctor and his mother speaking quietly. The mother was told that since the fire had destroyed so much flesh in the lower part of his body, it would almost be better if he had died, since he was doomed to be a lifetime cripple with no use at all of his lower limbs.

Once more the brave boy made up his mind. He would not be a cripple. He would walk. But unfortunately from the waist down, he had no motor ability. His thin legs just dangled there, all but lifeless.

Ultimately he was released from the hospital. Every day his mother would massage his little legs, but there was no feeling, no control, nothing. Yet his determination that he would walk was as strong as ever.

When he wasn’t in bed, he was confined to a wheelchair. One sunny day his mother wheeled him out into the yard to get some fresh air. This day, instead of sitting there, he threw himself from the chair. He pulled himself across the grass, dragging his legs behind him.

He worked his way to the white picket fence bordering their lot. With great effort, he raised himself up on the fence. Then, stake by stake, he began dragging himself along the fence, resolved that he would walk. He started to do this every day until he wore a smooth path all around the yard beside the fence. There was nothing he wanted more than to develop life in those legs.

Ultimately through his daily massages, his iron persistence and his resolute determination, he did develop the ability to stand up, then to walk haltingly, then to walk by himself – and then – to run.

He began to walk to school, then to run to school, to run for the sheer joy of running. Later in college he made the track team.
Still later in Madison Square Garden this young man who was not expected to survive, who would surely never walk, who could never hope to run – this determined young man, Dr. Glenn Cunningham, ran the world’s fastest mile**!

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🔰**On June 16, 1934, Glenn Cunningham ran the mile in 4:06.8 minutes, breaking the world’s record. His effort portrays that whatever you want to create in your life is yours for the making. As long as you desire it enough and allow your will to guide you, you can have and be whatever your heart desires. The only one that can put limits on our personal will is ourselves. Develop and encourage your will to create and all the forces of nature within and without will help you bring your desire to pass.

😊👍📚✌📚👍📚😊Have a fantastic Life 🙏

The 90/10 Principle of Stephen Covey.

The 90/10 principle

I am sharing this article by Stephen Covey

I hope you Enjoy it

Discover the 90/10 Principle

It will change your life (at least the way you react to situations)

What is this principle? 10% of life is made up of what happens to you

90% of life is decided by how you react

What does this mean? We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us

We cannot stop the car from breaking down

The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off

A driver may cut us off in traffic

We have no control over this 10%

The other 90% is different

You determine the other 90%

How? ……….By your reaction

You cannot control a red light but you can control your reaction

Don't let people fool you; YOU can control how you react

Let's use an example

You are eating breakfast with your family

Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt

You have no control over what just happened

What happens next will be determined by how you react

You curse

You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over

She breaks down in tears

After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table.

A short verbal battle follows

You storm upstairs and change your shirt

Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and could not get ready for school

She misses the bus

Your spouse must leave immediately for work

You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school

Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit

After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 traffic fine away, you arrive at school

Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye

After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase

Your day has started terrible

As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse

You look forward to coming home

When you arrive home, you find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter

Why?

Because of how you reacted in the morning

Why did you have a bad day

A) Did the coffee cause it
B) Did your daughter cause it
C) Did the policeman cause it
D) Did you cause it

The answer is “D"

You had no control over what happened with the coffee

How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day

Here is what could have and should have happened

Coffee splashes over you

Your daughter is about to cry

You gently say, "Its ok honey, you just need to be more careful next time"

Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs

After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus

She turns and waves

You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff

Your boss comments on how good the day you are having

Notice the difference

Two different scenarios

Both started the same

Both ended different

Why?

Because of how you REACTED

You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens

The other 90% was determined by your reaction.