Accept your destiny and go ahead with your life - APJ Abdul Kalam

A little up the hill from Rishikesh, sadhus at the Sivananda ashram will tell you a true story about APJ Abdul Kalam that not many have heard.

                   

After Kalam failed the interview for Air Force pilot in Dehradun -- he was 9th and the eight 
others before him got selected -- in sheer despondence he took a bus to Rishikesh and
headed to the banks of the Ganga. That would go on to be one of the most defining
moments of Kalam's life. In his words, he “stood at the edge of a cliff with a lake below”.
This was 1957 and his childhood dream of flying a fighter plane had been shattered.
Then, as he brooded over what direction his life would take, Kalam met the man he would
often call the 'Guru of my life'.

Swami Sivananda walked towards the man who would go on to be one of India's most
popular presidents and questioned him about the source of his sorrow. Later, Kalam was
read lines from the Gita’s eleventh chapter. Following this, Sivananda gave Kalam the
mantra of his life — ‘Defeat the defeatist tendency’.

Describing the incident, Kalam wrote in his book, “When the student is ready, the teacher
will appear — How true! Here was the teacher to show the way to a student who had
nearly gone astray!”

Sivananda told Kalam: “Accept your destiny and go ahead with your life. You are not
destined to become an Air Force pilot. What you are destined to become is not revealed
now but it is predetermined. Forget this failure, as it was essential to lead you to your
destined path. Search, instead, for the true purpose of your existence. Become one with
yourself, my son! Surrender yourself to the wish of God.”

During a lesson on how birds fly in 1941, Kalam had decided to pursue aeronautical
science. Later, he completed his degree in aeronautical engineering from Madras Institute
of Technology (MIT) and joined Hindustan Aeronautics limited (HAL) in Bengaluru as a
trainee.

The former president writes in his book ‘Wings of Fire’ that he got two interview calls at this time: one from directorate of technical development and production (DTD & PAir) of the Ministry of Defence in Delhi and the other from Air Force recruitment authorities in Dehradun. He decided to appear in both. The first one in Delhi went well, following which he proceeded to Dehradun.


“I was excited but nervous, determined but anxious, confident but tense. I could finish ninth
in the batch of 25 examined to select eight officers for commissioning in the Air Force. I
was deeply disappointed. It took me some time to comprehend that the opportunity to join
the Air Force had just slipped through my fingers. I dragged myself out of the selection
board and stood at the edge of a cliff. There was a lake far below. I knew that the days
ahead would be difficult. There were questions to be answered and a plan of action to be
prepared. I trekked down to Rishikesh,” Kalam writes in his autobiography.


After Kalam returned to Delhi following his meeting with the guru, he was handed over an appointment letter and he joined DTD&P-Air as senior scientific assistant in 1958.

“If this was to be my destiny, I thought, let it be so. Finally, I was filled with mental peace.
No more did I feel any bitterness or resentment at my failure to enter the Air Force,” he
wrote.

Thus began the journey of the Missile man


Dr APJ Abdul Kalam lived the message of Swami Sivananda, which was, 'Be good, do good, serve, love, meditate and realize'.


Story was published in TOI. 

Self imprisonment is worse than that imposed - Nelson Mandela

A very isolated place called Robben Island, in a concrete cell measuring 8 feet by 7 feet, with a straw mat on which to sleep, after spending 18 years in that Prison, the man came out of that Jail. Yes it is the great Nelson Mandela.

 He told "As I stand before the door to my freedom, I realise that if I do not leave my pain, anger and  bitterness behind me, I will still be in prison".

Self imprisonment is worse than that imposed. How many are in self inflicted pains today for lack of forgiveness. 

How many of us have imprisoned ourselves inside the walls of anger and bitterness. 

Holding grudges does not make you strong, it makes you bitter. Forgiveness does not make you weak, it sets you free.

An expert in passing on the blame to everyone else but yourself.

Must read for all indians. Yesterday, a software guy welcomed his Japanese onsite coordinator to his office in Bengaluru, and it actually changed his life. Let him explain what happened.

"Soon after receiving him at the airport with formal pleasantries, I took him in our company cab, and in no time, we were already chugging along the busy roads of Bengaluru. As expected, we struck up a conversation starting with the weather, and gradually moved towards topics like development, cleanliness, etc. 

I think he initially hesitated to say this, but after some familiarity & comfort, he opened up & said that India has good talent but is unfortunately very underdeveloped. I was quick to remind him that India was actually a superpower till the 10th Century, and pointed out to him that this was all due to the 500 years of Mughal rule & 300 years of British rule, which broke our civilisation, and resulted in such an underdeveloped nation. I also started explaining to  him about all the forces breaking India to keep our nation backward. 

As I was explaining this, we were stuck in a traffic jam & I noticed him keenly observing a guy on the street spitting pan-masala right there. He asked me "You see how that guy made the street dirty? Is it because the Mughal rulers & the British taught him such habits 500 years ago?". 

Frankly, I had no answer and tried to mumble something. The very next moment, he saw a vehicle on the other side of the road jumping a traffic signal, leading to chaos & more traffic jam at the other side. He pointed it out to me and asked me "You see how that guy violated the traffic rule & caused a mess? Is it because the British taught him to break rules 300 years ago? Or is it the breaking India agents who are brainwashing him into breaking traffic rules?". 

My entire body became numb. I couldn't say anything. He told me "You guys seem to be an expert in passing on the blame to everyone else but yourself. It is you people who have no civic sense, no respect for rules, no respect for your surroundings, but you people know how to easily blame everything on some medieval rulers, British and breaking India agents etc. How many years has it been since you got independence? 70 years? Look at us. In 1945, our Hiroshima, Nagasaki and almost half of our country was completely destroyed, but within 20 years each of us owned responsibility, and developed. And here, even after 70 years, you guys are busy blaming others while the fault is actually within yourselves?". 

That's it. I had enough of it. I felt humiliated, really pissed off & remained silent throughout the journey. But at the end of the day, when I mentally revisited everything that happened & introspected, I felt that what he said was right. Unless we stop blaming others, and we ourselves gear up, become disciplined, respect our nation, respect rules, respect our surroundings, etc, we cannot improve. And this change should come from within us."

Magician - Insect was dropped in between the circles

"A young chap went to a soothsayer to inquire about the hope of his future.

Right before his eyes, the soothsayer drew two circles. One in white and the other in black. 

He then put a millipede in between the circles, saying "if the millipede crawls into the white circle, your future will be bright and very great,  but if it crawls into the black circle,  then you are finished and doomed! No future at all!".

As soon as the insect was dropped in between the circles, it began crawling towards the white circle. 

This chap was super-excited. 

But suddenly, as it got to the edge of the circle, it turned back and began crawling away from the white circle towards the black one. 

The boy watched as the insect progressively moved farther away from his desire to his doom.

Then, just when the insect got to the edge of the black  circle,  this chap stretched his hands, picked it up and quickly but carefully dropped it in the white circle. 

The soothsayer was taken aback. He had never seen anyone intervene in his own matter. Watching all the while, he asked the boy what he did and why he did what he did. 

The boy smiled and simply replied by saying "I cannot sit and watch my destiny go down the gloom doom! While I can still  do something about it and  to change its course.  My destiny is in my hands". 

He got up and left." 

Important:

This year, get the hell up, pick up the damn millipede and drop it where you want. The power to design and pilot your life is in your hands. You either sit down there, complain and feel someone owes you something or get up and determine the flow of your life. It's up to you.

This is not the year to look for miracles, create your miracles, conjure your own magic.

Face each and every day with magic from within....you'll never go wrong.

Have a great day !!!!

Sunflowers turn towards each other to share their energy

Good morning all.

Sunflowers  turn according to the position of the sun, in other words, they “chase the light.” You might already know this, but there is another fact that you probably do not know!

Have you ever wondered what happens on cloudy, rainy days when the sun is completely covered by clouds?

This is an interesting question, isn’t it?

Perhaps you think the sunflower withers or turns its head towards the ground. Is this what crossed your mind? 

Well, that’s incorrect!

This is what happens?

They turn towards each other to share their energy.

Nature’s perfection is amazing; now let’s apply this reflection to our lives. We all want this light and seek it in different ways: in our family, friends, religion, work and so on. But there are always going to be cloudy days, gloomy days, because there is no escaping them!

When this happens, most people become overwhelmed, low-spirited, and the most vulnerable ones, some-times, become depressed.How about following the example of the beautiful sunflowers supporting and em-powering each other. Nature has so much to teach us.

Wishing everyone a “Sun flower" trait of turning towards each other on their cloudy and gloomy days.

And may we be the sunflowers in each other’s lives

Attitude of gratitude - one small green cloth in his hand and become the guard

A sweet short story with a great lesson... worth reading....*

Nearby, a building construction work was going on. 

Lots of poor  labourers were working there and their small  children used to hold onto one another's shirt and play "train-train".

 Someone would become the engine and others would become bogies

 Every day these children used to take turns becoming the engine and bogies ... 

But there was  one small boy wearing only a half pant who used to hold one small green cloth in his hand and become the guard daily. 

So  once I went to him and asked him .."beta, don't u also wish to become an engine or a bogie some time ? 

He softly replied .." Sir , I don't have a shirt to wear so how will the other children catch me to make the train?

 I could see the slight wetness in his eyes..

But  It gave me a lesson.... he could have cried and sat at home and abused his parents for not affording to buy  him a shirt.

 But instead he chose another way to play and enjoy himself..

 In life, we don't get all things we desire and we keep complaining ..

I dont have a bike,  I don't have car , I don't have this or that etc...

Life is like that ....we need to make it beautiful  and be grateful for what we have ..

The wise man and his thoughtful answers

Once lived a very wise man in a village. He was very popular in that area as a man of wisdom. People used to come to him for any good advice.  

Once a visitor  came to know about him and wished to meet him. He went to his house. The gentleman welcome him and offered him seat. They had some conversation 

The gentleman was looking as if he was at his 40. Visitor asked, "How old are you?"

Gentleman replied, "I am 16 years old". 

Visitor was surprised at his answer. He thought, "He was already at his forty with balded head, but still he is hiding his age."

Visitor asked, "Who else there with you here?"

Gentleman replied, "Myself and my only son"

Visitor got pissed off with his answer. He thought, "I am seeing his wife and 3 Sons in the same house but still he is not telling the truth, What else can I expect from him? I must leave"

Then the visitor decided to leave. Then the gentleman asked him his purpose of visit. Visitor told him, "I am seeing that you are not telling the truth, I asked you your age and about your family both of them you lied."

Then the gentleman called his eldest son "Can you please come here?"

Son replied, "Is it fine if I come after sometime."

He called his second son and the similar answer. When he called his youngest son then immediately he came near him. 

He asked the Visitor "Can you know what is the real truth? Though I have 3 Sons, what is the use of them when they are not available when you need. Same thing for my wife". 

"How about your age then?" Visitor asked.

Though I am 46 years old, I have realised the the purpose of life only before 16 years of age and thereafter I started live a conscious live. What is the use of those age when you even do not know how and why you are living?

Maa - It is a concept

Whenever we say "Maa" or "Mother" or "Amma", immediately  our mind create a picture of a lady very close to us. Yes, in fact that is the personification of the concept Mother or Amma or Maa. Yes, You got it right, Mother is not just a lady who has given birth to us, rather it is a concept or "Tatva". 

The quality of extreme Caring, pure affection, ability to give life, true patience to maintain a life, ever ready for scarifies, whose heart is full of blessings for other, living life for other's sake etc are the traits under the concept Mother. Also there are some quality which must not be present to come under this tatva like they are a vacuum of hatred, passion. ego etc. 

That is the reason in Indian Culture we have given this respect not to just the Lady who has given us birther but also it is given to River like "Ganga Maiya", Earth like "Dharti Maa", Country like "Bharath Mata", Cow like "Gau mata" etc.  They are almost exhibit the quality of a mother. They completely live for others, They sacrifices their everything for others, they are fully dedicated and beneficial for others. They are the real well wishers  for others. They are the source of creation, they are the spirit of sustenance. 

In many cases we have seen even the male person as mother. If any body does not have a mother then the role of mother goes to the father. Suddenly the expression of the father changes towards to children as he became a dual role player. In Sanskrit there is a shlok "Ya devi Sarva bhute su matru rupena sansthita ....". The Matrutva feelings exists there everywhere, we all are having these quality of caring, setting things right etc. We may not have explored or identified that dimensions of our quality but when you closely observe that, if we are roaming in a garden if something is not placed correctly then we feel like doing it, sometime we do that and some time it is just a feelings. Setting this room up normally SAA does, however there will be multiple hands helping them. When we see an hungry person, or a careless children, we automatically get compassionate. This is the reflection of the motherly quality which within us. 

Not just the Human but also other creature animals, even the deadly poisonous snacks has this motherly quality, hence they grow their children well.  When an elephants walks and find any other small animals sleeping in it's way, it does not put his foot there. This is the same way a lot of sages live in forest. They are caring to each other and nobody do any harm to anyone apart from there basic need. If a Lion is not very hungry, it even does not kill a nearby Deer. Also many a times we have heard stories that sometime the lioness leave the baby deer although it is hungry. 

This motherly quality is there in anybody but how come only the lady has taken that name Mother. It is because they have the maximum of these qualities. Not only they have these qualities but also they are very conscious about that quality, also they keep exhibit that  quality throughout their life. A family runs around a mother. She may be the person who does not have any financial income, She may be the person who cannot even speak in English, But still she is the core of the Family. She is the force which binds the entire family together. Without her we cannot imagine a family. When we develop an friendly relation with a family if it is with the mother of the family then that is the true and complete relation. 

To run a family some pople should give some time, some people should give more time and some people should give full time. It is our well wishers, friends and relatives who give some time, it is we the other member of the family who gives more time and the Mother who gives full time to run the family. Hence the entire home is always under the consciousness level of the mother. 

It is the mother who has been given the highest respect in Indian culture. Hence our sanskrit sloka says "Janani, janmabhumischa, swargadapi gariyasi", mother and the mother land is greater then even heaven. 

----------------------------******---------------------------******-------------------------------------------

In Indian Culture the Swarupa of mother is Shakti. It is all the divine Power. In Sanskrit there is a Sloka "Ya devi sarva bhutesu Sakti rupena sansthita". That divine power exists everywhere in the form of Shakti or power. Anything to be active we need power

Mother story - Be Switzerland

Be Switzerland

On the first day of first grade, I stood by the front door with butterflies in my stomach. I voiced my biggest concern to my mother: “How will I make friends?” Crouching in front of me, she handed me advice I carry with me to this day: “Be Switzerland.” Be friends with everyone. Treat everyone equally and fairly. For all of my 20 years, I have lived by these words. Soon I will graduate and become a part of the real world. And on that first day, nervously facing new responsibilities, I know I will whisper two words to myself: “Be Switzerland.”

THE NEED NEVER GOES AWAY

“Mommy, you are a fairy,” I said. My mother laughed like tinkling bells. “I am serious, Mother. You know everything.” “My child, I try to answer as best as I can. When you grow older, you will not need me,” she said. “No, Mom, I will always need you. Nothing can change that,” I said. Her words echo in my heart as I look at the blue sky: “Dear daughter, nothing remains the same except the vast blue sky.” It has been ten years since I lost my fairy. Mom, you were wrong about one thing: I still need you.

- The life she had imagined was stolen in a heartbeat. 

Letting go is not a weakness by Jay Shetty

One day a university professor holding a bottle of water he asked his students how much they think this bottle of water weighs. 500 grams! Shouted one student. Another from the back shouted 600 grams. The professor looked at them and said, ‘Actually until we weigh the bottle we wouldn’t know’.

And then he said, ‘Imagine I hold this bottle for a few minutes what do you think will happen? One of the students shouted, ‘nothing!’ He said, ‘What if I hold it for a bit longer, let’s say I hold this bottle for let’s say a few hours?’ They said, ‘Well your arm will start to hurt.’ And he said, ‘What if I held this bottle for 24 hours?’ One of the students said, ‘Your arm would practically be paralyzed or in extreme pain.’

The professor then said, ‘Notice that the weight of the bottle didn’t change during that time at all. The only thing that changed was how long you were holding it.’ And his lesson to his students from this situation was that this bottle represents our challenges, our problems, our worries, our anxieties about uncertainty that the longer that we hold them the more pain they can do to us.

One of the most moving and powerful quotes I’ve ever heard is from Nelson Mandela, where he said that when I was walking out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew that if I didn’t leave behind my bitterness and hatred I’d still be in prison.

We pollute our consciousness when we allow envy and anger to enter the inner cores of our minds bringing in negativity, injecting anxiety and uncertainty into the way we think and that’s why Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘I’ll never let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.’ But often we see it’s our own very shoes that are causing the dirt.

Forgiveness and letting go and the ability to rise above the challenges that are being caused by others in our life is such an important ability because we need to learn to accept apologies that we never received.

I believe that you can’t fix yourself by breaking someone else. It’s like what Buddha said, ‘Resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.’ When we recognize that actually by holding any negative feelings towards another individual simply only harms the way we think. That’s when we’ll truly be able to forgive, move on and let go and realize that that internal healing is what lets us take care of the external circumstances.

And this is not easy at all because we’ve all be caused pain sometimes to extreme lengths, sometimes our hearts have been broken, sometimes our trust has been misused, sometimes we have been exploited, sometimes our loyalty has been tested. And that’s why forgives doesn’t excuse the behavior but it prevents the behavior from negatively affecting us. And our ego wants us to put others in their place but we should try to put ourselves in their place.

"Why Me?" by Arthur Ashe

"Why Me?" A Beautiful Message by Arthur Ashe, The legendary Wimbledon Player who was dying

of AIDS, which he got due to Infected Blood he received during a Heart Surgery in 1983 ! 

during his illness, he received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed : 

"Why did God have to select you for such a bad disease?" 

To this Arthur Ashe replied : 

- 50 Million children started playing Tennis, 

- 5 Million learnt to play Tennis , 

- 500 000 learnt Professional Tennis , 

- 50 Thousand came to Circuit, 

- 5 Thousand reached Grand Slam, 

- 50 reached Wimbledon, 

- 4 reached the Semifinals, 

- 2 reached the Finals and 

1 when I was holding the cup in my hand, I never asked God :  "Why Me?" 

So now that I'm in pain how can I ask God : " Why Me ?" 

Happiness ... keeps you Sweet ! 

Trials ... keep you Strong! 

Sorrows ... keep you Human ! 

Failure ... keeps you Humble ! 

Success ... keeps you Glowing ! 

But only, Faith ... keeps you Going! 

Sometimes you are not satisfied with your life , while many people in this world are dreaming of living your life. 

A child on a farm sees a plane fly overhead dreams of flying, while a pilot on the plane sees the farmhouse and dreams of returning home. 

That's life! 

Enjoy yours ... If wealth is the secret to happiness, then the rich should be dancing on the streets. 

But only poor kids do that. 

If power ensures security, then VIPs should walk unguarded. But those who live simply, sleep soundly. 

If beauty and fame bring ideal relationships , then celebrities should have the best marriages. 

Live simply, be happy ! Walk humbly and love genuinely ! 

Inspirational love stories - Love and Time

Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others, including Love. One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink, so all constructed boats and left. Except for Love.

Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out until the last possible moment.

When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help.

Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said,

"Richness, can you take me with you?"

Richness answered, "No, I can't. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you."

Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. "Vanity, please help me!"

"I can't help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat," Vanity answered.

Sadness was close by so Love asked, "Sadness, let me go with you."

"Oh . . . Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!"

Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her.

Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come, Love, I will take you." It was an elder. So blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask the elder where they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the elder went her own way. Realizing how much was owed the elder,

Love asked Knowledge, another elder, "Who Helped me?"

"It was Time," Knowledge answered.

"Time?" asked Love. "But why did Time help me?"

Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, "Because only Time is capable of understanding how valuable Love is."

Struggle to gain strength : Metamorphosis

The class was full of students, eagerly waiting for their favorite teacher to come. The topics were the process of metamorphosis, how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. The teacher came with a matured cocoon in his hand, which was ready to go for the process of metamorphosis. He placed it before the students and asked them to wait for the next couple of hours. He tolds that a beautiful butterfly would struggle to come out of the cocoon and fly in the earth. But warned the student not to hamper with it but just to watch with patience. The eager students were excited to see this process and waited very patiently. Finally it started happening. . The butterfly struggled to get out of the cocoon, with a lot of effort and time  it could able to take it’s head out. It kept on trying to take out the other part of body. With this effort and pain a boy took a great pity on it and decided to help the butterfly coming out of the cocoon which was against the advice of the  teacher. He broke the cocoon to help the butterfly so it didn't have to struggle anymore. But what happened ? A premature butterfly whose body was yet to be built came out. Rather than flying in the classroom it fall down on the floor. Shortly afterward the butterfly died. When the teacher returned, he was told what happened. He explained to this student that by helping the butterfly, he had actually killed it because it is a law of nature that the struggle to come out of the cocoon actually helps develop and strengthen its wings. The boy had deprived the butterfly of its struggle and the butterfly died. Apply this same principle to our lives. Nothing worthwhile in life comes without a struggle.

Do not just wish rather Act: The flood and the man

 

There was a beautiful town located in a bank of a river. People were happy there with the wonderful weather and river side environment. However a rainy session came and it started raining heavily. It made the city disconnected from other part of the land because of a lot of flood water. Soon after that the district administration declared that area as flood affected. Then the evacuation work started a lot of boats were deployed to move the people to a safe places. All the people were rushed to move but a man did not want to go anywhere, He told, “God will save me I have faith on God”. In spite of many requests from the neighbor he did not want to go anywhere. Finally the last boat came for his rescue but he was undisturbed with this decision and his believe. Now he was the only person in that entire artificial island. As the water level started increasing, the man went to the roof top. A rescue helicopter flied for the final fetch and they saw this man. They dropped the rescue rope. But to their surprise the man denied. He shouted, “God will save me I have faith on God”. Waiting for some time they took their own way. Unfortunately the downpour continued and the flood took it’s dangerous shape. The building did not last and it stumbled, leaving the man in the water. He drowned inside water and died. After his death he went to heaven and got a chance to meet the God. Angrily he asked the God “I had faith on you to save me and I prayed you a lot. Why did not u listen my prayer and saved me ?”. The tranquil God replied “Son, If I did not listen your prayer, If I did not think to save you then who did you think sent you the Boat and the Helicopter”.

This story makes us think that, if we wait, wonder and wish we cannot achieve anything in life. If you want to accomplish something in our life  then we have to plan, prepare and act.

There is always a better way: A blind boy story

In a beautiful day, there was a place in the city full of crowd and a blind boy having tear and dirty cloths, sat on the road side. He displayed a sign board with a hat in his feet. The sign board said, “I am blind and please help me” and there were only few coins in the hat.  Many people were coming and going through that ignoring the boy. But a young man had a look at this boy and his sign board. He paused for a second and came near that boy. He picked some coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. Then he took the sign board and flipped it and wrote some words and placed it such that the newly written words will be visible to people walking there. Then he left that place. Soon after that the hat began to fill up. Many people coming and dropping coins. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The blind boy was very happy and he recognized his footsteps and excitingly asked,” Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?” The man said, “I only wrote the truth, but in a different way.” I wrote, “Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it.”.

If you think both the signs were saying the same thing that the Boy was blind and he needed help. But the impact of the second sign was much more. It means that they were able to enjoy the beauty of the day, but the boy could not enjoy it because he was blind. This story convey that there is always a way, there is always multiple ways, in fact there is always a better way if you are creative, if you are innovative and if you think differently.

The rose within you

A man was over pleased with the ornamental flower ‘The rose ’  and decided to plant it in his garden. He was so ingrained with the beauty of this flower that he watered  it very faithfully throughout the coldest winter and the hottest summer. He did not spend a single day without caring the flower plant. He had a great hope that the plant will grow one day as matured and produce a beautiful rose flower. He was cheering as it was growing. One day he observed that there was a small bud which would soon blossom to be a flower. But to his pity, he noticed that there are so many thorns upon the stem. He thought, "How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns? “ All his dreams faded. He saddened by his thought. Eventually he neglected watering the rose plant. Just before it was ready to blossom it prematurely died and fell down.

 This happens in many of us, there is a god like quality planted within ourself. But in many times we could not recognise that rose rather we see only our faults and weaknesses.  We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from us. We neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies. Hence this story makes us think to identify the rose within us and water it, which will blossom one day and will conquer the thorns.

Small thing makes a big difference: Starfish

In a sunny morning a boy started his morning walk at a sandy sea beach. He was overjoyed with the nice weather and the soft sea wind. He was totally involved with the sound of the fresh morning tide. Just after a while he served that along with the morning tide, there were hundreds of live starfishes coming to the beach. When the tide receded, the live starfishes were left behind. When the the warm sun ray fall on them, they would die. The boy paused for a second, thought something and then bent down to pick a starfish and then threw it into the sea to give him life. He repeated the same. Right behind him there was a man who couldn't understand what this boy was doing. He caught up with him and asked, "What are you doing? There are hundreds of starfishes. How many can you help? What difference does it make?". This boy looked at the man, did not reply, took two more steps, picked up another starfish, threw it into the water, and said, "It makes a difference at least to this one”.

"What difference are we making? what positive impact we are bringing ? What good thing we are doing ? Whether it is big or small, large or tiny,  it does not matter. If everyone make a small difference then we will end up with a big difference. If you bring a positive impact everyday then eventually it will be a great impact. Hence they say “A thousands mile journey started with a single step”

Faith, Trust, Hope & Confidence

Once, all villagers decided to pray for rain,on the day of prayer all the People gathered but only one boy came with an umbrella. This is called FAITH. When you throw a baby in the air, she laughs because she knows you will catch her. That is called TRUST.  Every night we go to bed, without any assurance of being alive the next Morning but still we set the alarms to wake up. That is called HOPE. We plan big things for tomorrow in spite of zero knowledge of the future. That is called CONFIDENCE. This life is built up of faith & trusts, Hope & confidence . All these can make or break things.

The Obstacles in our Path

In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway.

Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it.

Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but no one did anything to move the big stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables.

On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded.As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been.

The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many others never understand.

Reflections :

“Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one's condition”.

Blaming others is not the solution for all the problems.

The story portrays the importance of taking initiative.

bunch of tiny frogs - the deaf one

There once was a bunch of tiny frogs... who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower. A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants...

The race began...

Honestly, no-one in crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower. You heard statements such as : "Oh, WAY too difficult!!"

"They will NEVER make it to the top". "Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!"

The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one... ... Except for those who in a fresh tempo were climbing higher and higher...

The crowd continued to yell "It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!" More tiny frogs got tired and gave up... But ONE continued higher and higher and higher... This one wouldn't give up!

At the end, everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top! THEN all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it? A contestant asked the tiny frog how the one who succeeded had found the strength to reach the goal?

It turned out that the winner was deaf.

Reflections :

- The story portrays how negative external influences impact our lives.

-Perhaps, when someone is telling you that your dream is impossible, catch their sentence and reframe it into a positive statement. Thank them for creating the passion in you to win against the odd.

-Never listen to other people’s tendencies to be pessimistic because they can take away your most wonderful dreams and wishes. Always think of the power which words have because everything you hear and read will affect your actions ! Therefore, always be POSITIVE.

-Above all : learn to be deaf when people tell you that you cannot fulfill your dreams! Always think: “I CAN DO THIS!”

Confucius The Sage

Pu Shang once said to Confucius, “ What kind of Sage are you that you can say that Yen Hui excels you in straight forwardness ? That in clarifying things Tuan-mu Tz’u is superior to you ? That Chung Yu is more courageous than you ? And that Chuan-Sun is more dignified than you ? “

In his eagerness to get a reply Pu Shang moved to the edge of the mat and nearly fell off it. “If these things are true,” he said, “ then why are these four men your disciples?”

Confucius replied, ”Stay right where you are and I shall tell you. Yen Hui knows how to be straightforward, but he does not know how to be flexible without losing his straightforwardness. Tuan-mu Tz’u knows how to clarify things, but he does not know how to give a simple Yes or No for an answer. Chung Yu knows how to be dignified, but he does not know how to be unassuming. That is why these four men are glad to study under me.”

 Learnings

· We should try and be balanced persons

· An ideal combination of all qualities makes an ideal person

· Let us be aware of our strengths and weaknesses

Reflections

· What constitutes my personality ?

· What is my behavior pattern?

· How do I handle situations with balanced view point ?

"The Importance of Time"

A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door.

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future and nothing could stop him. Over the phone his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days. "Jack, did you hear me?" "Oh sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.

"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him. "I loved that old house he lived in." Jack said. "You know, Jack, after your Father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said. "He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said, "I wouldn't be in this business if it wasn't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important. Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said. As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own and most of his relatives had passed away. The night before he had to return home Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time. Standing in the doorway Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture...Jack stopped suddenly. "What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.  "The box is gone," he said. "What box?" Mom asked. "There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was, 'The thing I value most'," Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.  "Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said, "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom." It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read. Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The package was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read. Jack took the package out to his car and ripped it open. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside. "Upon my death please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I value most in my life". A small key was taped to the letter. His heart raced as tears filled his eyes. Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved: "Jack, Thanks for your time! - Harold Belser." "The thing he valued most...was...my time."

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant, asked. "I need some time to spend with my son," he said. "Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time".

This is a real life story of engineer John Roebling building the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, USA back in 1870. The bridge was completed in 1883, after 13 years. In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before. Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built. Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was also injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to talk or walk.“We told them so.” “Crazy men and their crazy dreams.” “It’s foolish to chase wild visions.” Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever. He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife. He touched his wife’s arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again. For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife’s arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man’s indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.

Reflections :

-Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal. Isn’t it a true example of Passion to Win!

-Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realized, no matter what the odds are.

-Brooklyn Bridge is a testimony of engineers raising the bar and team work. Can we do the same at our workplace ?

-Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.

"You Are My Life"

There was a boy in India who was sent by his parents to a boarding school. Before being sent away this boy was the brightest student in his class. He was at the top in every competition. He was a champion.

But the boy changed after leaving home and attending the boarding school. His grades started dropping. He hated being in a group. He was lonely all the time. And there were especially dark times when he felt like committing suicide. All of this because he felt worthless and that no one loved him.

His parents started worrying about the boy. But even they did not know what was wrong with him. So his dad decided to travel to the boarding school and talk with him.

They sat on the bank of the lake near the school. The father started asking him casual questions about his classes, teachers and sports. After some time his dad said, 'Do you know son, why I am here today?"

The boy answered back, "to check my grades?"

"No, no" his dad replied, "I am here to tell you that you are the most important person for me. I want to see you happy. I don't care about grades. I care about you. I care about your happiness. YOU ARE MY LIFE."

These words caused the boy's eyes to fill with tears. He hugged his dad. They didn't say anything to each other for a long time.

Now the boy had everything he wanted. He knew there was someone on this earth who cared for him deeply. He meant the world to someone. And today this young man is in college at the top of his class and no one has ever seen him sad!

Thanks a lot dad. YOU ARE MY LIFE.

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."

"The Ripples"

A man was sitting by a lake. He was throwing small pebbles into it from time to time. A young boy happened to cross by. He was intrigued to see that after every few minutes or so, the man would toss a pebble into the lake.

The boy went up to the man and said, "Good pastime, this stone throwing, huh?" "Hmmm," said the man. He seemed to be deep in thought and obviously did not wish to be disturbed. Sometime later, the man said softly, "Look at the water, it is absolutely still." The boy said, "Yeah, it is."

The man tossed a pebble into the water and continued, "Only till I toss a pebble into it now do you see the ripples?" "Yeah," said the boy, "they spread further and further."

"And soon, the water is still again," offered the man. The boy said, "Sure, it becomes quiet, after a while." The man continued, "What if we want to stop the ripples? The root cause of the ripples is the stone. Let's take the stone out. Go ahead and look for it." The boy put his hand into the water and tried to take the stone out. But he only succeeded in making more ripples. He was able to take the stone out, but the number of ripples that were made in the process were a lot more than before.

The wise man said, "It is not possible to stop the movement of the water once a pebble has been thrown into it. But if we can stop ourselves from throwing the pebble in the first place, the ripples can be avoided altogether! So too, it is with our minds. If a thought enters into it, it creates ripples. The only way to save the mind from getting disturbed is to block and ban the entry of every superfluous thought that could be a potential cause for disturbance. If a disturbance has entered into the mind, it will take its own time to die down. Too many conflicting thoughts just cause more and more disturbances. Once the disturbance has been caused it takes time to ebb out. Even trying to forcibly remove the thought may further increase the turmoil in the mind. Time surely is a great healer, but prevention is always better than cure."

Before you allow a thought or a piece of information to enter your mind, put it through the triple filter test of authenticity, goodness and value.

The Elephant Rope

Once Vasuki and Ashok were passing near the circus pavilion. Saw many animals – Lions, Tigers, Giraffe’s, elephants and obliviously Monkey’s. While passing the elephants, they 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 their bonds but for some reason, they did not.

They saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. "Well," trainer said, "when elephant was a baby, we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. The baby elephant tried to break but couldn’t. The baby again tried but couldn’t break the rope.

After few attempt’s baby elephant give’s up with the belief that it cannot break FREE. As the elephant grow up, elephant’s are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. Elephants believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free."

Vasuki and Ashok were amazed that 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.

Reflections :

-Is it the rope that shackles the adult elephant ? Or is he real shackle its own mental and emotional conditioning!?

-Think over – what ropes are holding us ? Can we stretch more, raise the bar to realize our Dreams ?

-How many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?

-Failure is part of learning; we should never give up the struggle in life.