It's called Mindset!!

As my friend was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from the ropes they were tied to but for some reason, they did not. My friend saw a trainer nearby and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away.

"Well," he said, "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free." My friend was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before? So make an attempt to grow further.... Why shouldn't we try it again?

"YOUR ATTEMPT MAY FAIL, BUT NEVER FAIL TO MAKE AN ATTEMPT.

My Son Shay

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the school's 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. "Everything God 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 God's plan reflected in my son?"

The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. "I believe," the father answered, "that when God brings a child like Shay into the world, an opportunity to realize the Divine Plan presents itself and it comes in the way people treat that child." Then, he told the following story:

My son and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they will let me play?" Shay's father knew that most boys would not want him on their team. But the father understood that if his son were allowed to play it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging. Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play.
The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, "We are losing by six run! s, and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning."

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. At the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the outfield. Although no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father 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. Shay was scheduled to be the next at bat. Would the team actually let Shay bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat and I knew it was 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 moved a few  steps to lob the ball in so! ftly so Shay could at least be able to 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 toward Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher.

The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have ended the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far beyond reach of the first baseman.

Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first, run to first." Never in his life had Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, "run to second, run to second!" By the time Shay was rounding first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman for a tag. But the right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions had been, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman's head. Shay ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home.

As Shay reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "run to third!" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams were screaming, "Shay! run home!"

Shay ran home, stepped on home plate and was cheered as the hero for hitting a "grand slam" and winning 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 the Divine Plan into this world."

Self Appraisal

A little boy  went into a drug store, reached for a soda carton and pulled it over to the telephone. He climbed onto the carton so that he could reach the buttons on the phone and proceeded to punch in seven digits (phone number).

 

The store-owner observed and listened to the conversation:

  

Boy               : "Lady, Can you give me the job of cutting your lawn?

Woman        : (at the other end of the phone line) "I already have someone to cut my lawn."

Boy               : "Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price of the person who cuts your lawn now."

Woman        : I'm very satisfied with the person who is presently cutting my lawn.

Boy               : (with more perseverance) "Lady, I'll even sweep your  curb and your sidewalk, so, on Sunday you will have the prettiest lawn in all of Palm beach , Florida ."

Woman         : No, thank you.

 

 

With a smile on his face,  the little boy replaced the receiver. The store-owner, who was listening to all this, walked over to the boy.

 

Store Owner       : "Son... I like your attitude; I like that positive spirit and would like to offer you a job."

Boy                      : "No thanks,

Store Owner       : But you were really pleading for one.

Boy                      : No Sir, I was just checking my performance at the  job I already have. I am the one who is working for that lady I was talking  to!"

 

 

This is what we call

"Self Appraisal"

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross Can Teach Us about Life, Happiness and Pain

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross was a Swiss born psychiatrist who spent much of her career writing and speaking about illness, death and dying. Kubler-Ross, who wrote the famous book, 'On Death and Dying,' developed the idea of the 'stages of grief' at a time when the medical establishment was largely refusing to address these issues.

Her work on death is monumental in scope and importance, and through her writing comes an immense humanity, compassion and wisdom. She has much to teach us about our daily life.

"You will not grow if you sit in a beautiful flower garden, but you will grow if you are sick, if you are in pain, if you experience losses, and if you do not put your head in the sand, but take the pain as a gift to you with a very, very specific purpose."

The message here is that we can learn from every experience, and that in fact every experience can be regarded as a gift. This, perhaps, is a hard thing for us to hear - we have been conditioned to think of illness and pain in a negative way and we try to avoid suffering at all costs. But all growth involves pain and so perhaps we should be less eager to shy away from it, learning instead to welcome it and take something of value from these experiences.

"People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within."

I once read a beautiful description of the sun shining through the branches of a tree. When the tree is in full foliage, the light cannot get through, but in winter, when the tree is stripped of its leaves and only the bare branches remain, the sunlight can shine through to the other side. Our suffering can teach us profound lessons and allow us to be more sensitive and to add more value to the world. Through our suffering we can become more than the shallow and selfish consumers we often associate with being successful.

"I believe that we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word, and thought throughout our lifetime."

If we wish to live a good life, we cannot abdicate responsibility for our lives to someone or something else. We cannot allow other people or circumstances to pull our strings. Realizing that we are in control, frightening though this may seem, is the first step to an authentic, actualized life. This proactivity, as Viktor Frankl calls it, is the cornerstone of all personal productivity, and is the first of Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

"There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from."

Viktor Frankl wrote that 'man's search for meaning is the primary motivation in his life' and we all have a purpose which, to use Frankl's language, we have to 'detect.' It appears that the unique circumstances of our life are oriented to enable us to detect this meaning, which is different for each of us.

Why, then, spend so much time worrying about all the apparently terrible things which happen the world? It is enough for me that I grow and learn from the experiences of my own life, using my own unique challenges and difficulties to construct a meaningful and fulfilled life. How do I know why my neighbor is experiencing a certain kind of problem? This is his concern, and his alone.

"There is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden or even your bathtub… Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose."

We can pursue happiness in external things - money, success, career, social achievements, religion, even family. But happiness will elude us until we realize that it is not to be found 'out there' - it is not something to be acquired, but rather it is found in the silence of our inner world. It is found in the quiet place at the center of our selves, and this silence is available to us every moment. The outside world can only be truly enjoyed when we have come to this realization.

"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassions, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen."

We have a task to perform here on earth. It is not to do with the acquisition of property, money or worldly success.  Although I believe that these things are good in themselves and that striving for them is a worthy pursuit, there is a deeper purpose to our lives, and this purpose is usually (perhaps always) arrived at through suffering and pain of some kind. In the words of Nietzsche, 'Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich starker,' That which does not kill me, makes me stronger.

Love Never Fakes

Grandpa and Grandma always got very excited when they recalled the old days they were together. They made a decision one day, to make it "yesterday once more". They made a date on the riverbank they used to go when they were young. The next day, Grandpa got up 6 a.m. in the morning, dashed to the bank, picked up a big bunch of wild flowers before sunrise, waited there for his sweetheart to come. But grandpa ended in disappointment grandma never showed up even after sunset. Grandpa went home in such anger. He opened the door, seeing grandma lying on the sofa with her pillow. He threw the flowers on the floor and questioned: "Why didn't you come to our date?" Grandma hid her head in the pillow and replied shyly: "Mom didn't allow me to go..."

A Small Story to think on…

A boy and a girl were playing together. The boy had a collection of marbles. The girl had some sweets with her. The boy told the girl that he will give her all his marbles in exchange for her sweets. The girl agreed. The boy kept the biggest and the most beautiful marble aside and gave the rest to the girl. The girl gave him all her sweets as she had promised. That night, the girl slept peacefully. But the boy couldn't sleep as he kept wondering if the girl had hidden some sweets from him the way he had hidden his best marble.

Moral of the story: If you don't give your hundred percent in a relationship, you'll always keep doubting if the other person has given his/her hundred percent.. This is applicable for any relationship like love, friends, employer-employee relationship etc., Give your hundred percent to everything you do and live peacefully.Picture (Metafile)

Veg OR Non-Veg

One of common question i was asked by friends "Whether u r veg or non-veg?"
If they are expecting very short answer..
then i say "Non-Veg".
but if we are in the mood of discussion,
i say "I dont want to differentiate or divide the food as Veg or Non-Veg".
Basically i am from the family or religion, where eating non-veg is considered as sin.
In my earlier days,i even had a same feeling,but later started eating egg .which is common now-a-days.Many of people debate to classify EGG in veg or non-veg.
The people who eat egg, classify it as veg. and people havent dared for it,classify it as non-veg.I dont want here to conclude, whether egg is veg or non-veg , but to pin-point the people dilemma, about the egg or about the whole non-veg.
I seen the some person's where, he eats egg or non-veg and still he have some fear or conflict inside whether ,it is a sin. and some other person's who claim's themselves as pure-vegetarian, but wanted or willing to taste the non-veg. but they are bounded with the belief.
This is state of every person who grown in the environment of pure-veg.Even he eats non-veg also he fall in dilemma, even if he wont he will fall in dilemma.
but i started eating the non-veg few years back, coming to the conclusion that, the logic behind the classifying the food into veg and non-veg itself is invalid.
It all depends upon where you grown,and what beliefs you have.The definition of non-veg changes from person-to-person and area-to-area. some of person consider egg is non-veg,and it cant eat beyond that.some other person says eventhough he is non-veg,he can eat upto chicken,he can'teat everyting beyond that. some of old rishis claimed that even the milk is non-veg.In some other country(mainly islands) where fish is easily available,it is categorized into veg.and In africa there are people who eat man(cannibals).
From viewing all these people perception, i can say that,
CLASSIFICATION IS A BELIEF OF MAN.
IT CHANGES ITS FACE IN DIFFERENT PLACES AND IN DIFFERENT TIME.
THUS BELIEF IS NOT ALWAYS TRUTH.
i am not talking abt the classication only in terms of veg or non-veg.
But in general.it may be related to caste,religion or colour.

Thus define yourself related to non-veg in terms of sympathy or some other factor you consider and put your belief in between that.
something like a waves with particular wavelength will have particular bandwidth.
but for me, i dont want to hold a belief at all,as per related to food.
Human has the digestive system which can digest both veg and non-veg.every living being in ecosystem eat some other living being for his survival.and it is called as food chain, not classified as veg or non veg.
everything which is digestive and edible,that all things i will eat.but considering sympathy as a factor depending upon the time and availability of food.
I want to make another point here. if you really claim yourselves as veg.and have a sympathy towards animals.
STOP USING MATERIALS MADE OF LEATHER.
Many materials like shoes,belt,wallet,bags etc made of leather are in great demand in markets.
bcoz of this lots of leather industries killing lots of innocent animals daily.
if we kill animal to eat, it is considered as food chain.
but killing animals for fashion...
Judge yourself, what it is...
and categorize yourself as vegetarain or non-vegetarian depend upon the materials you use.not with what you eat.