Thursday, January 21, 2010

Ten Steps to Self-Confidence

“Self-confidence is like being rich - it is something we think everyone else is but us. Yet feeling insecure about ourselves is perhaps the most common problem we face.”

"10 step plan" to increasing confidence:

1. Begin a journal. Ask yourself what is making you feel like you cannot get to the point in life you want to reach. Write any thoughts that come to mine. Also, write down what self-confidence means to you.

2. Remember the past is over; you can only change the future.
Write down 10 positive things about yourself. Go through your journal and look at all the positive things about yourself. Concentrate on your strengths. These are the reasons you should love yourself and have high self-esteem and self-confidence in yourself. Give yourself credit for everything positive you have written about yourself. Remember, you are somebody special.

3. Accept yourself and learn to love yourself for whom you are a person.Everyone has his or her own unique qualities and characteristics. We are all born differently for a reason. Do not compare yourself to others.

4. Understand yourself mentally, physically and spiritually.

  • Take some time to relax by yourself in a quiet room...
  • Rest on your back with head and neck comfortably supported.
  • Rest hands on upper abdomen, close your eyes and settle in a comfortable position.
  • Breathe slowly, deeply and rhythmically.
  • Inhalation should be slow, unforced and unhurried.
  • Silently count to four, five or six, whatever feels right for you.
  • When inhalation is complete, slowly inhale through the nose. Count this breathing out, as when breathing in.
  • The exhalation should take as long as the inhalation. There should be no sense of strain. If initially, you feel you have breathed your fullest at a count of three, which is all right.
  • Try gradually to slow down the rhythm until a slow count of five or six is possible, with a pause of two or three between in and out breathing.

5. Be ready. Self-confidence comes a lot easier to the person who is sure their ready.

6. Strengthen your inner self. Write down in your journal what you will be able to do once you acquire the confidence you need.

7. Begin changing what you do not like about yourself. Confidence comes from within. You need to concentrate on the positive things about yourself.

8. Notice the change in our self-esteem and self-confidence. Reward yourself each time you do something that makes you feel proud...go out some place or take it easy for the day.

9. Learn how to give and take. Confidence is being able to find a balance between giving help to people and excepting when we need help.

10. Have a tremendous amount of pride in yourself. Remember, you are number one!

21 Must-Read Articles on Happiness

happiness

Each of these articles delivers a unique, healthy message concerning the topic of happiness.  I’ve read them all… and yes, I think you should read them too.  They need no further introduction.  Enjoy! 

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance.
The wise grows it under his feet. - James Openheim

  1. The Art of Smiling

  2. How To Be Happy

  3. Three Keys to Finding True Happiness

  4. Seven Tips for Making Yourself Happier in the Next Hour

  5. Your Dreams and Desires Are Your Guiding Light To Pursue

  6. The 6 Components of a Happy Life

  7. Tell Your Boss You Need Leisure Time

  8. 100 Ways to Keep Yourself Happy

  9. Find a Job You Love?

  10. Surefire Way to Wake Up Without the Snooze

  11. Happiness at Work

  12. The Incredible Power of Contentment

  13. What Does Your Life Mix Pie Chart Look Like?

  14. Seneca’s Top 10 Fundamentals for Finding Happiness

  15. 12 Techniques to Help You Live a Happy and Fulfilled Life

  16. Your Home: The Best Company To Work For

  17. Flip Your Thoughts: The Key Habit for Weight Loss, Frugality, Happiness, Success

  18. A Personal Experience: Simple Gifts Mean the Most

  19. How To Maximize Your Pleasure and Joy

  20. Top 10 Reasons Why Happiness at Work is the Ultimate Productivity Booster

  21. The 7 Habits of Highly Happy People

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The story of a blind girl

There was a blind girl who hated herself just because she’s blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He’s always there for her. She said that if she could only see the world, she would marry her boyfriend.

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her and then she can see everything, including her boyfriend. Her boyfriend asked her, “now that you can see the world, will you marry me?” The girl was shocked when she saw that her boyfriend is blind too, and refused to marry him. Her boyfriend walked away in tears, and later wrote a letter to her saying. “Just take care of my eyes dear.”


This is how human brain changes when the status changed.

Only few remember what life was before, and who’s always been there even in the most painful situations.

Life is A Gift.

Today before you think of saying an unkind word – Think of someone who can’t speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food – Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife – Think of someone ho’s crying out for a companion.

Today before you complain about life – Think of someone who went too early to heaven/hell.

Before you complain about your children – Think of someone who desires children but they’re barren.

Before you argue about your dirty house, someone didn’t clean or sweep – Think of the people who are living in the streets.

Before whining about the distance you drive – Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.

And when you are tired and complain about your job – Think of the unemployed, the disabled and those who wished they had your job.

But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another – Remember that not one of us are without sin and we all answer to one maker.

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down – Put a smile on your face and thank — you’re alive and still around

Life is a gift – Live it, Enjoy it, Celebrate it, And Fulfill it.

The little boy

Sally jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room. She said: “How is my little boy? Is he going to be all right? When can I see him?”

The surgeon said, “I’m sorry. We did all we could, but your boy didn’t make it.”

Sally said, “Why do little children get cancer? Doesn’t God care any more? Where were you, God, when my son needed you?”

The surgeon asked, “Would you like some time alone with your son? One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes, before he’s transported to the university.”

Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while she said good-bye to son. She ran her fingers lovingly through his thick red curly hair.

“Would you like a lock of his hair?” the nurse asked.

Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a lock of the boy’s hair, put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Sally. The mother said, “It was Jimmy’s idea to donate his body to the university for study. He said it might help somebody else. “I said no at first, but Jimmy said, ‘Mom, I won’t be using it after I die. Maybe it will help some other little boy spend one more day with his Mom.” She went on, “My Jimmy had a heart of gold. Always thinking of someone else. Always wanting to help others if he could.”

Sally walked out of Children’s mercy Hospital for the last time, after spending most of the last six months there. She put the bag with Jimmy’s belongings on the seat beside her in the car. The drive home was difficult. It was even harder to enter the empty house. She carried Jimmy’s belongings, and the plastic bag with the lock of his hair to her son’s room. She started placing the model cars and other personal things back in his room exactly where he had always kept them. She laid down across his bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself to sleep.

It was around midnight when Sally awoke. Laying beside her on the bed was a folded letter. The letter said:

“Dear Mom, I know you’re going to miss me; but don’t think that I will ever forget you, or stop loving you, just ’cause I’m not around to say I LOVE YOU. I will always love you, Mom, even more with each day. Someday we will see each other again. Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you won’t be so lonely, that’s okay with me. He can have my room and old stuff to play with. But, if you decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn’t like the same things us boys do. You’ll have to buy her dolls and stuff girls like, you know. Don’t be sad thinking about me. This really is a neat place. Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will take a long time to see everything. The angels are so cool. I love to watch them fly. And, you know what? Jesus doesn’t look like any of his pictures. Yet, when I saw Him, I knew it was Him. Jesus himself took me to see GOD! And guess what, Mom? I got to sit on God’s knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody important. That’s when I told Him that I wanted to write you a letter, to tell you good-bye and everything. But I already knew that wasn’t allowed. Well, you know what Mom? God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter. I think Gabriel is the name of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to you. God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked Him ‘Where was He when I needed him?’ “God said He was in the same place with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross. He was right there, as He always is with all His children.

Oh, by the way, Mom, no one else can see what I’ve written except you. To everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper. Isn’t that cool? I have to give God His pen back now. He needs it to write some more names in the Book of Life. Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper. I’m, sure the food will be great.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I don’t hurt anymore. The cancer is all gone. I’m glad because I couldn’t stand that pain anymore and God couldn’t stand to see me hurt so much, either. That’s when He sent The Angel of Mercy to come get me. The Angel said I was a Special Delivery! How about that?

Signed with Love from: God, Jesus & Me.

Live and Work

Father was a hardworking man who delivered bread as a living to support his wife and three children. He spent all his evenings after work attending classes, hoping to improve himself so that he could one day find a better paying job. Except for Sundays, Father hardly ate a meal together with his family. He worked and studied very hard because he wanted to provide his family with the best money could buy.

Whenever the family complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he was doing all this for them. But he often yearned to spend more time with his family.

The day came when the examination results were announced. To his joy, Father passed, and with distinctions too! Soon after, he was offered a good job as a senior supervisor which paid handsomely.

Like a dream come true, Father could now afford to provide his family with life’s little luxuries like nice clothing, fine food and vacation abroad.

However, the family still did not get to see father for most of the week. He continued to work very hard, hoping to be promoted to the position of manager. In fact, to make himself a worthily candidate for the promotion, he enrolled for another course in the open university.

Again, whenever the family complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he was doing all this for them. But he often yearned to spend more time with his family.

Father’s hard work paid off and he was promoted. Jubilantly, he decided to hire a maid to relieve his wife from her domestic tasks. He also felt that their three-room flat was no longer big enough, it would be nice for his family to be ablt to enjoy the facilities and comfort of a condominium. Having experienced the rewards of his hard work many times before, Father resolved to further his studies and work at being promoted again. The family still did not get to see much of him. In fact, sometimes Father had to work on Sundays entertaining clients. Again, whenever the family complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he was doing all this for them. But he often yearned to spend more time with his family.

As expected, Father’s hard work paid off again and he bought a beautiful condominium overlooking the coast of Singapore. On the first Sunday evening at their new home, Father declared to his family that he decided not to take anymore courses or pursue any more promotions. From then on he was going to devote more time to his family.

Father did not wake up the next day.

Give time to our family

After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. She said, “I love you, but I know this other woman loves you and would love to spend some time with you.”

The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally. That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie. “What’s wrong, are you well?” she asked.

My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news. “I thought that it would be pleasant to spend some time with you,” I responded. “Just the two of us.” She thought about it for a moment, and then said, “I would like that very much.”

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary. She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel’s. “I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed, “she said, as she got into the car. “They can’t wait to hear about our meeting.”

We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large print. Half way through the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips. “It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small,” she said. “Then it’s time that you relax and let me return the favor,” I responded. During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation – nothing extraordinary but catching up on recent events of each other’s life. We talked so much that we missed the movie. As we arrived at her house later, she said, “I’ll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you.” I agreed.

“How was your dinner date?” asked my wife when I got home. “Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined,” I answered.

A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn’t have a chance to do anything for her. Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place mother and I had dined. An attached note said: “I paid this bill in advance. I wasn’t sure that I could be there; but nevertheless, I paid for two plates – one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you, son.”

At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: “I LOVE YOU” and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is more important than your family. Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till “some other time.”

Helpless love

Once upon a time all feelings and emotions went to a coastal island for a vacation. According to their nature, each was having a good time. Suddenly, a warning of an impending storm was announced and everyone was advised to evacuate the island.

The announcement caused sudden panic. All rushed to their boats. Even damaged boats were quickly repaired and commissioned for duty.

Yet, Love did not wish to flee quickly. There was so much to do. But as the clouds darkened, Love realised it was time to leave. Alas, there were no boats to spare. Love looked around with hope.

Just then Prosperity passed by in a luxurious boat. Love shouted, “Prosperity, could you please take me in your boat?”

“No,” replied Prosperity, “my boat is full of precious possessions, gold and silver. There is no place for you.”

A little later Vanity came by in a beautiful boat. Again Love shouted, “Could you help me, Vanity? I am stranded and need a lift. Please take me with you.”

Vanity responded haughtily, “No, I cannot take you with me. My boat will get soiled with your muddy feet.”

Sorrow passed by after some time. Again, Love asked for help. But it was to no avail. “No, I cannot take you with me. I am so sad. I want to be by myself.”

When Happiness passed by a few minutes later, Love again called for help. But Happiness was so happy that it did not look around, hardly concerned about anyone.

Love was growing restless and dejected. Just then somebody called out, “Come Love, I will take you with me.” Love did not know who was being so magnanimous, but jumped on to the boat, greatly relieved that she would reach a safe place.

On getting off the boat, Love met Knowledge. Puzzled, Love inquired, “Knowledge, do you know who so generously gave me a lift just when no one else wished to help?”

Knowledge smiled, “Oh, that was Time.”

“And why would Time stop to pick me and take me to safety?” Love wondered.

Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and replied, “Because only Time knows your true greatness and what you are capable of. Only Love can bring peace and great happiness in this world.”

“The important message is that when we are prosperous, we overlook love. When we feel important, we forget love. Even in happiness and sorrow we forget love. Only with time do we realize the importance of love. Why wait that long? Why not make love a part of your life today?”

Monday, January 18, 2010

Best ways to learn Anything !

That is some bold statement,still I will go with it ,yes surely any one can learn anything at any time just by applying some rules and principles,nothing is impossible.I am not a Christian actually I BELONG TO HUMANITY not to any religion,bible have some really powerful insights in to human life…"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.… are very simple and powerful lines..

Learning is a continuous process and those who stay student all his life will achieve more and more and those who think their cup is full will definitely suffer.always leave your cup empty.. there are some topics or subjects in this god’s green mystic planet that one life time is not enough to understand them , so leaving E.T topics,for a daily life,for an average person to earn his daily bread and to live a successful life daily learning is essential to keep those grey cells in your brain active is important than any other thing. 
One day I was watching American choppers show on discovery channel and it was competition between two persons to create a new bike and clock was ticking,then one of them was a Chinese origin and He had a wonderful ,amazing philosophy in life that was very contagious and that struck with me forever .. If he can do it then I can do it .and that is not a normal attitude and it really rare one…

Confidence : In life to learn any thing all you need is confidence and though memory,IQ,blah blah are needed above all you need confidence,Trust in self,knowing thy self is more important,If you are not confident on yourself and you don't trust yourself who else in the world will trust you .. Confidence have magical ability in it and it can do wonders for you.. YES I CAN , is the attitude you needed try improving your confidence levels and life will not be same again .

Focus : every one knows it still no body really uses it , when mind is focused on a single topic ,with out distraction it can create amazing results,when you do what you love ,focus will be  included in the package or else you have to practice to improve it and  Meditation is amazing thing to improve it ,solving Sudoku,puzzles and playing chess will also help a lot. if you know some ways please let me know !

Observation : leandro da vinci is a genius and his secret to success is Observation, he says by observing one can learn many things in life and he always observed nature very intensely and created many drawings and amazing paintings all by observing ,from first parachute models ,battle tanks,diving gear,Mona Lisa, the last supper all are amazing outcomes of observation .and observers always achieve more than others .

One thing at a Time : in this multitasking generation this may look like grandpa suggestion,still this is the best and always will be the best.. Most of you are twitter users right, when you are having a nice time tweeting and your are chatting with other friend on gtalk and also doing something else and you are talented you can do all at a time, but can you really enjoy it .I doubt it.. doing one thing at a time,with complete focus and confidence channeling all you energies to one point  your results will transcend your expectations.

Curiosity : Living curious is an art ,but not overdoing it is also art and there is a thin line between them and know that difference and live curious is also a wonderful thing and living curiously helps you learn many things in life and wide range of topics and with curiosity one will develop the constant learning habit ,saw some knew word in paper or net ,grow curious to know what it is .how many of you were curious to know where Haiti was the recent earthquake devastated country ,open wikipedia to see about it .. Live Curious :Everything deserves a why

Sunday, January 17, 2010

quotes by swami Vivekananda

swami-vivekananda

“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, that is way great spiritual giants are produced.”

“We are responsible for what we are, and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves. If what we are now has been the result of our own past actions, it certainly follows that whatever we wish to be in future can be produced by our present actions; so we have to know how to act.”

“Never think there is anything impossible for the soul. It is the greatest heresy to think so. If there is sin, this is the only sin ? to say that you are weak, or others are weak.”

“You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.”

“The goal of mankind is knowledge ... Now this knowledge is inherent in man. No knowledge comes from outside: it is all inside. What we say a man 'knows', should, in strict psychological language, be what he 'discovers' or 'unveils'; what man 'learns' is really what he discovers by taking the cover off his own soul, which is a mine of infinite knowledge.”

“We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far.”

“Where can we go to find God if we cannot see Him in our own hearts and in every living being.”

“You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.”

“The first sign of your becoming religious is that you are becoming cheerful”

“The world is the great gymnasium where we come to make ourselves strong.”

“In one word, this ideal is that you are divine.”

“The Vedanta recognizes no sin it only recognizes error. And the greatest error, says the Vedanta is to say that you are weak, that you are a sinner, a miserable creature, and that you have no power and you cannot do this and that.”

“The more we come out and do good to others, the more our hearts will be purified, and God will be in them.”

“All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark.”

“GOD of truth, be Thou alone my guide…”

“If you think about disaster, you will get it. Brood about death and you hasten your demise. Think positively and masterfully, with confidence and faith, and life becomes more secure, more fraught with action, richer in achievement and experience.”

“The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have faith in yourselves!”

“YOU know, I may have to be born again, you see, I have fallen in love with mankind.”

“BY the study of different RELIGIONS we find that in essence they are one.”

“Our duty is to encourage every one in his struggle to live up to his own highest idea, and strive at the same time to make the ideal as near as possible to the Truth.”

“If faith in ourselves had been more extensively taught and practiced, I am sure a very large portion of the evils and miseries that we have would have vanished.”

“MY nature is love Him. And therefore I love. I do not pray for any-thing. I do not ask for anything. Let Him place me wherever He likes. I must love Him for love’s sake. I can not trade in love.”

“To devote your life to the good of all and to the happiness of all is religion. Whatever you do for your own sake is not religion”

“Truth can be stated in a thousand different ways, yet each one can be true.”

“The will is not free - it is a phenomenon bound by cause and effect - but there is something behind the will which is free.”

“As different streams having different sources all mingle their waters in the sea, so different tendencies various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to God.”

“When an idea exclusively occupies the mind, it is transformed into an actual physical or mental state.”

“All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything.”

“Infinite power of the spirit, brought to bear upon matter evolves material development, made to act upon thought evolves intellectuality, and made to act upon itself makes of man a God. First, let us be Gods, and then help other to be Gods. "Be and Make." Let this be our motto.”

“Religion is the manifestation of the Divinity already in man”

“IT is good to love God for hope of reward, but it is better to love God for love’s sake; and the prayer goes: O Lord, I do not want wealth nor children nor learning. If it be Thy will, I shall go from birth to birth. But grant me this, that I may love thee without the hope of reward - ’love’ unselfishly for love’s sake.”

“TO worship God even for the sake of salvation or any other reward is equally degenerate. Love knows no reward. Give your love unto to God, but do not ask anything in return even from Him through pray.”

“That man has reached immortality who is disturbed by nothing material.”

“External nature is only internal nature writ large.”

“Do not stand on a high pedestal and take 5 cents in your hand and say, "here, my poor man", but be grateful that the poor man is there, so by making a gift to him you are able to help yourself.It is not the reciever that is blessed, but it is the giver.Be thankful that you are allowed to exercise your power of benevolence and mercy in the world, and thus become pure and perfect.”

“GOD is to be worshipped as the one beloved, dearer than everything in this and next life.”

“If money help a man to do good to others, it is of some value; but if not, it is simply a mass of evil, and the sooner it is got rid of, the better.”

“Condemn none: if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If you cannot, fold your hands, bless your brothers, and let them go their own way.”

“It is our own mental attitude which makes the world what it is for us. Our thought make things beautiful, our thoughts make things ugly. The whole world is in our own minds. Learn to see things in the proper light. First, believe in this world, that”

“The moment I have realized God sitting in the temple of every human body, the moment I stand in reverence before every human being and see God in him - that moment I am free from bondage, everything that binds vanishes, and I am free.”

Quotes by Mother Teresa

We forget that forgiveness is greater than revenge. People make mistakes.
We are allowed to make mistakes. But the actions we take while in a rage will haunt us forever.
Pause and ponder. Think before you act. Be patient. Forgive & forget. Love one and all.
If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to
that person, a beautiful thing.

Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the
beginning of love.

Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according
to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to
do the humble work.

It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to
love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve
hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved
in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our
love for each other must start.

The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.

It is a kingly act to assist the fallen.

The important things in life

A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items on the table in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches in diameter.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “Yes.”

“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, your children – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter – like your job, your house, your car.

The sand is everything else. The small stuff.”

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.

Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

Hospital window

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.

Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by.

Although the other man couldn’t hear the band – he could see it. In his mind’s eye as the gentleman by th! e window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days and weeks passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.

He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.

It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window

The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.

She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.”

Saturday, January 16, 2010

How to Help the Haiti Earthquake Victims

American Red Cross
redcross.org
800-HELP-NOW
Donations can be made online or $10 donations can be made by texting "HAITI" to 90999.

CARE
https://my.care.org/
800-422-7385
Donations can be made online.

Catholic Relief Services
crs.org
877-HELP-CRS

World Vision
worldvision.org
888-56-CHILD

YELE Haiti Foundation
yele.org
212-352-0552
Haitian musician Wyclef Jean's foundation is accepting online donations.

AmeriCares
americares.org
800-486-4357

UNICEF
unicefusa.org
800-4-UNICEF

International Rescue Committee
theirc.org/crisis-haiti
877-REFUGEE
$5 donations can also be made by texting "HAITI" to 25383

Doctors Without Borders
doctorswithoutborders.org
888-392-0392

Partners in Health
pih.org
617-432-5298

CONCERN WORLDWIDE US
concernusa.org
104 E. 40th St., # 903
New York, NY 10016
212 557 8000
800 59-CONCERN
concernusa.org/HaitiAppeal

Clinton Bush Haiti Fund
clintonbushhaitifund.org/

Quotes on Fulfillment and Happiness

And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.
   - Abraham Lincoln

There's nothing as beautiful as the happiness of a child

The true way to soften one's troubles is to solace those of others.   
- Madame De Maintenon

One of the things I keep learning is that the secret of being happy is doing things for other people. 
- Dick Gregory

The secret to happiness is not in doing what one likes to do, but in liking what one has to do.
- Anonymous

Who is blind? He who can see no other world. Who is dumb? He who can say nothing pleasant about his lot. Who is poor? He who is troubled with too many desires. Who is rich? He who is happy with his lot.
- Indian Proverb 

You can never be happy at the expense of the happiness of others.
- Chinese Proverb

While we pursue happiness, we flee from contentment.
- Hasidic Proverb

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet.
- James Oppenheim

Happiness itself does not stay -- only moments of happiness do.
- Spanish Proverb

Discontent is the source of all trouble, but also of all progress, in individuals and nations.
- Berthold Auerbach


The purpose of life is not to be happy – but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all.
- Leo Rosten, American teacher and humorist

Happiness is not a destination. It is a method of life.
- Burton Hills

Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed.
- Storm Jameson

Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling.
- Margaret B. Runbeck

It is not length of life, but depth of life.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.
- Anonymous

Unless we think of others and do something for them, we miss one of the greatest sources of happiness.
- Ray Lyman Wilbur

The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.
- Allan K. Chalmers

May you live all the days of your life.
- Jonathan Swift

Happiness is a state of activity.
  - Aristotle

The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart.
- Helen Keller

A man is not old until regrets start taking place of dreams.
- Anonymous

Happiness is not a matter of events, it depends upon the tides of the mind.
Alice Meynell

Fortify yourself with contentment, for this is an impregnable fortress.
Epictetus

Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind than on outward circumstances.
Benjamin Franklin

There is only one way to happiness, and that is to cease worrying things which are beyond the power of our will.
Epictetus

I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires, rather than attempting to satisfy them.
John Stuart Mills

You're happiest while you're making the greatest contribution.
Robert F. Kennedy

Action may not always bring happiness;
but there is no happiness without action.
Benjamin Disraeli

Great effort from great motives is the best definition of a happy life.
William Ellery Channing

There is more to life than increasing its speed.
Mahatma Ghandi

The rays of happiness, like those of light, are colorless when unbroken.
Henry W. Longfellow

Happiness grows at our own firesides, and is not to be picked in strangers' gardens.
Douglas Jerrold

Happiness is where we find it, but rarely where we seek it.
J. Petit Senn

To be happy, we must not be too concerned with others.
Albert Camus

Happiness depends upon ourselves.
Aristotle

Try to be happy in this present moment, and put not off being so to a time to come,—as though that time should be of another make from this which has already come and is ours.
Thomas Fuller

Knowledge of what is possible is the beginning of happiness.
George Santayana

No man is happy who does not think himself so.
Publilius Syrus

Quotes on Success

Along with success comes a reputation for wisdom.
Euripides

They can because they think they can.
Virgil

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.
Thomas Jefferson

Keep steadily before you the fact that all true success depends at last upon yourself.
Theodore T. Hunger

We are all motivated by a keen desire for praise, and the better a man is, the more he is inspired to glory.
Cicero

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.
Robert Collier

The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen.
Frank Loyd Wright

A failure is a man who has blundered, but is not able to cash in on the experience.
Elbert Hubbard

There is only one success--to be able to spend your life in your own way.
Christopher Morley

Success is sweet: the sweeter if long delayed and attained through manifold struggles and defeats.
A. Branson Alcott

The secret of success is to know something nobody else knows.
Aristotle Onassis

The greatest results in life are usually attained by simple means and the exercise of ordinary qualities. These may for the most part be summed in these two: common-sense and perseverance.
Owen Feltham

Failures do what is tension relieving, while winners do what is goal achieving.
Dennis Waitley

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.
Vince Lombardi

I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure--which is:
Try to please everybody.
Herbert Bayard Swope

Success does not consist in never making blunders, but in never making the same one a second time.
Josh Billings

The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.
Earl of Beaconsfield

Success is the good fortune that comes from aspiration, desperation, perspiration and inspiration.
Evan Esar

The surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed.
Richard Brinsley Sheridan

If you wish success in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother, and hope your guardian genius.
Jospeph Addison

Impatience never commanded success.
Edwin H. Chapin

The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do, well.
Henry W. Longfellow

To climb steep hills requires a slow pace at first.
Shakespeare

Try not to become a man of success but a man of value.
Albert Einstein

The man who makes a success of an important venture never wails for the crowd. He strikes out for himself. It takes nerve, it takes a great lot of grit; but the man that succeeds has both. Anyone can fail. The public admires the man who has enough confidence in himself to take a chance. These chances are the main things after all. The man who tries to succeed must expect to be criticized. Nothing important was ever done but the greater number consulted previously doubted the possibility. Success is the accomplishment of that which most people think can't be done.
C. V. White

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There's no use being a damn fool about it.
W.C. Fields

Don’t shoot for something unattainable – completely outside of your nature or opportunity.
    - Michael Johnson

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.
       - Abraham Lincoln

It is possible to fail in many ways...while to succeed is possible only in one way.
   - Aristotle

Man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed, but not defeated.
    - Ernest Hemingway

You learn as much from those who have failed as from those who have succeeded.
- Michael Johnson

The road to success is lined with many tempting parking spaces.
       - Traditional Proverb

If your success is not on your own terms, if it looks good to the world but does not feel good in your heart, it is not success at all.
  - Anna Quindlen

It's nice to be the best, but not when being the best brings out the worst in you.
- Rodney Dangerfield

You can make goals for family, relationships, anything.
    - Michael Johnson

To succeed, you need to take that gut feeling in what you believe and act on it with all of your heart.
       - Christy Borgeld

Real success is finding your lifework in the work that you love.
- David McCullough

Success is counted sweetest by those who ne'er succeed.
- Emily Dickinson

I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite.
- G. K. Chesterton

You owe it to yourself to find your own unorthodox way of succeeding, or sometimes, just surviving.
    - Michael Johnson

To freely bloom - that is my definition of success.
  - Gerry Spence

Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.
  - Henry David Thoreau

People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.
- Dale Carnegie

From success to failure is one step; from failure to success is a long road.
       - Yiddish Proverb

Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value.
    - Albert Einstein

(Natural Talent + Opportunity) Hard Work = Success
    - Michael Johnson

There are defeats more triumphant than victories.
    - Michel Montaigne, sixteenth-century French essayist

It is clearly not the journey for everyone. People succeed in as many ways as there are people. Some can be completely fulfilled with destinations that are much closer to home and more comfortable. But if you long to keep going, then I hope you are able to follow my lead to the places I have gone. To within a whisper of your own personal perfection. To places that are sweeter because you worked so hard to arrive there. To places at the very edge of your dreams.
    - Michael Johnson

Friday, January 15, 2010

Integrity - The Carpenter's House

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family.He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.  The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.


When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.


So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized that we would have done it differently.


Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project." Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.

Quotes on Teamwork

Teamwork quotes and team quotes that are inspirational and full of words of wisdom. Enjoy these inspirational quotes on teamwork and may they inspire and motivate the team you are a part of.

"Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results."
Andrew Carnegie

"Individual commitment to a group effort-that is what makes a team work, a company work,
a society work, a civilization work."
Vince Lombardi

"Teamwork is mainly about situational leadership, letting the person with the relevant core competency for a situation take leadership."
Author Unknown

"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress.
Working together is success."
Henry Ford

"The ratio of We's to I's is the best indicator of the development of a team."
Lewis B. Ergen

"There is no I in TEAMWORK."
Author Unknown

"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships."
Michael Jordan

"None of us is as smart as all of us."
Ken Blanchard

"No one can whistle a symphony.
It takes an orchestra to play it."
H.E. Luccock

"It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed."
Napoleon Hill

"Teams do not seek consensus; they seek the best answer." Jon R. Katzenbach & Douglas K. Smith, from The Wisdom of Teams

"I've worked too hard and too long to let anything stand in the way of my goals. I will not let my teammates down and I will not let myself down." Mia Hamm

"I don't believe in team motivation. I believe in getting a team prepared so it knows it will have the necessary confidence when it steps on a field and be prepared to play a good game." Tom Landry

T ogether
E veryone
A chieves
M ore
Author Unknown

"What sets apart high-performance teams, however, is the degree of commitment, particularly how deeply committed the members are to one another." Jon R. Katzenbach & Douglas K. Smith, from The Wisdom of Teams

"The strength of the team is each individual member... the strength of each member is the team." Coach Phil Jackson

"Teamwork is so important that it is virtually impossible for you to reach the heights of your capabilities or make the money that you want without becoming very good at it." Brian Tracy

"I've always found that the speed of the boss is the speed of the team." Lee Iacocca

"To give less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." Steve Prefontaine

"Real teams are much more likely to flourish if leaders aim their sights on performance results that balance the needs of customers, employees, and shareholders." Jon R. Katzenbach & Douglas K. Smith, from The Wisdom of Teams

"Stellar teams are invariably made up of quirky individuals who typically rub each other raw, but they figure out – with the spiritual help of a gifted leader – how to be their peculiar selves and how to win championships as a team...at the same time." Tom Peters

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world.
Indeed. It is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead

"Synergy - the bonus that is achieved when things work together harmoniously." Mark Twain

"We must all hang together, or assuredly, we shall all hang separately." Benjamin Franklin

"No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helped you." Althea Gibson

"If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself." Henry Ford

"No problem is insurmountable. With a little courage, teamwork and determination a person can overcome anything." B. Dodge

Work and self-worth are the two factors in pride that interact with each other and that tend to increase the strong sense of pride found in superior work teams. When people do something of obvious worth, they feel a strong sense of personal worth. Dennis Kinlaw

"Do you want a collection of brilliant minds or a brilliant collection of minds?" R. Meredith Belbin

"A team based environment demands that you make responsible decisions;
it requires you to take charge of your career. It requires you to develop excellent interpersonal skills because you have to interact at a much different level with your team members. No longer is it just you and your job!" Catherine Pulsifer, from Wings for Work

"Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates." Magic Johnson

"The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime." Babe Ruth

"Teamwork meas that you are willing to compromise when it is best for the team to advance to reach their goals." Byron Pulsifer, from Major Human Capacities

"The key elements in the art of working together are how to deal with change, how to deal with conflict, and how to reach our potential...the needs of the team are best met when we meet the needs of individual persons." Max DePree

"Working together, ordinary people can perform extraordinary feats. They can lift things a little higher, a little farther, towards excellence." Author Unknown

"In these times of self-directed teams, empowered employees, and "boundaryless" organizations, your worth as an individual employee will also get measured by your work group's collective results." Price Pritchett

"Empowered teams provide organzations with a capacity to leverage people as a competitive advantage. Russell D. Robinson

"Teamplayer: One who unites others toward a shared destiny through sharing information and ideas, empowering others and developing trust." Dennis Kinlaw

Dream and You Shall Become

True imagination is not fanciful daydreaming; it is fire from heaven.— Ernest Holmes

One of the huge imbalances in life is the disparity between your daily existence, with its routines and habits, and the dream you have within yourself of some extraordinarily satisfying way of living. Buried within you is an unlimited capacity for creation that’s anxious to plant seedlings to fulfill your dreams and your destiny.

The absence of balance between dreams and daily routine can reveal itself in symptoms of depression, illness, or anxiety—but it’s more often something that feels like an unwelcome companion by your side, which continually whispers to you that you’re ignoring something. You sense that there’s a higher agenda; your way of life and your reason for life are out of balance. Until you pay attention, this subtle visitor will continue to prod you to regain your equilibrium.


When you live your life going through the motions, it may seem to be convenient, but the weight of your dissatisfaction creates a huge imbalance in the only life you have now. It shows up when you’re sound asleep and your dreams are filled with reminders of what you’d love to be, but you wake and return to pursuing your safe routine. Allow yourself to think about this “fire from heaven.” What are your dreams and how can you shift your thinking habits to match your dreams? Commit to thinking about what you want, rather than how impossible or difficult that dream may seem.

Give your personal dreams a place to hang out so that you can see them in your imagination and they can soak up the energy they deserve. Thoughts are mental energy; they’re the currency that you have to attract what you desire. Learn to stop spending that currency on thoughts you don’t want. Your body might continue, for a while, to stay where it’s been trained to be, but meanwhile, your thoughts are being aligned with your dreams. Align your inner creative energy—your thoughts—so that they match up perfectly with your desires. Dream and you shall become.

                                                                  by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

101 zen stories

Here is the complete collection of 101 Zen Stories,which are highly inspirational and full of wisdom,which teaches valuable lessons and short and takes hardly a minute or two to read a story.. Hope you will like this collection..

  1.  Buddha's Zen
  2.  The Silent Temple
  3.  Tosui's Vinegar
  4.  Non-Attachment
  5.  Teaching the Ultimate
  6.  A Drop of Water
  7.  A Letter to a Dying Man
  8.  Midnight Excursion
  9.  Storyteller's Zen
  10.  Fire-Poker Zen
  11.  The Taste of Banzo's Sword
  12.  The Last Rap
  13.  Zen Dialogue
  14.  Arresting the Stone Buddha
  15.  How to Write a Chinese Poem
  16.  Three Kinds of Disciples
  17.  The Living Buddha and the Tubmaker
  18.  Time to Die
  19.  True Friends
  20.  No Work, No Food
  21.  Nothing Exists
  22.  Just Go to Sleep
  23.  The Real Miracle
  24.  Incense Burner
  25.  Real Prosperity
  26.  No Attachment to Dust
  27.  The Stone Mind
  28.  Temper
  29.  True Reformation
  30.  Ten Successors
  31.  The Blockhead Lord
  32.  Learning to Be Silent
  33.  The Most Valuable Thing in the World
  34.  Eating the Blame
  35.  One Note of Zen
  36.  What Are You Doing! What Are You Saying!
  37.  Children of His Majesty
  38.  The Subjugation of a Ghost
  39.  Kasan Sweat
  40.  Killing
  41.  In the Hands of Destiny
  42.  Gudo and the Emperor
  43.  The Tunnel
  44.  Soldiers of Humanity
  45.  The Gates of Paradise
  46.  The True Path
  47.  The Tea-Master and The Assassin
  48.  The Last Will and Testament
  49.  The Giver Should Be Thankful
  50.  Your Light May Go Out
  51.  Sour Miso
  52.  Ryonen's Clear Realization
  53.  Black-Nosed Buddha
  54.  Accurate Proportion
  55.  The Stingy Artist
  56.  How Grass and Trees Become Enlightened
  57.  Right and Wrong
  58.  The Thief Who Became a Disciple
  59.  Zen in a Beggar's Life
  60.  The Dead Man's Answer
  61.  Joshu's Zen
  62.  In Dreamland
  63.  Sleeping in the Daytime
  64.  Gisho's Work
  65.  Publishing the Sutras
  66.  Flower Shower
  67.  Every-Minute Zen
  68.  A Smile in His Lifetime
  69. Mokusen's Hand
  70.  Inch Time Foot Gem
  71.  Everything is Best
  72.  Calling Card
  73.  No Water, No Moon
  74.  Open Your Own Treasure House
  75.  The Voice of Happiness
  76.  Trading Dialogue For Lodging
  77.  Three Days More
  78.  Reciting Sutras
  79.  Eshun's Departure
  80.  My Heart Burns Like Fire
  81.  The Sound of One Hand
  82.  A Mother's Advice
  83.  The First Principle
  84.  A Parable
  85.  Stingy in Teaching
  86.  Not Far From Buddhahood
  87.  Shoan and His Mother
  88.  Muddy Road
  89.  A Buddha
  90.  Happy Chinaman
  91.  The Story of Shunkai
  92.  The Last Poem of Hoshin
  93.  The Moon Cannot Be Stolen
  94.  Great Waves
  95.  Announcement
  96.  No Loving - Kindness
  97.  If You Love, Love Openly
  98.  Obedience
  99. Is That So?
  100. Finding a Diamond on a Muddy Road
  101.  A Cup of Tea

The scorpion and the old man

One morning, after he had finished his meditation, the old man opened his eyes and saw a scorpion floating helplessly in the water. As the scorpion was washed closer to the tree, the old man quickly stretched himself out on one of the long roots that branched out into the river and reached out to rescue the drowning creature. As soon as he touched it, the scorpion stung him. Instinctively the man withdrew his hand. A minute later, after he had regained his balance, he stretched himself out again on the roots to save the scorpion. This time the scorpion stung him so badly with its poisonous tail that his hand became swollen and bloody and his face contorted with pain.

At that moment, a passerby saw the old man stretched out on the roots struggling with the scorpion and shouted: "Hey, stupid old man, what's wrong with you? Only a fool would risk his life for the sake of an ugly, evil creature. Don't you know you could kill yourself trying to save that ungrateful scorpion?"

The old man turned his head. Looking into the stranger's eyes he said calmly, "My friend, just because it is the scorpion's nature to sting, that does not change my nature to save."

(As told by Henri Nouwen, contributed by Fan Zhen Zhen) If you liked this Article, please Bookmark this on Delicious and Be sure to sign up for our free subscription and have posts delivered daily, direct to your Email inbox or your RSS reader. Thanks for reading! 

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Quote of the day

I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind's problems.

And I'm going to talk about it everywhere I go. I know it isn't popular

to talk about it in some circles today. I'm not talking about emotional

bosh when I talk about love, I'm talking about a strong, demanding

love. And I have seen too much hate... I have decided to love. If you

are seeking the highest good, I think you can find it through love. And

the beautiful thing is that we are moving against wrong when we do it,

because John was right, God is love. He who hates does not know God,

but he who has love has the key that unlocks the door to the meaning of

ultimate reality.

--Martin Luther King, Jr.

Meeting God

There once was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer and he started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her a Twinkie. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Once again she smiled at him. The boy was delighted ! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever. When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?" He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, "Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?" She replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." But before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Fifteen Things God Won’t Ask

God won’t ask what kind of car you drove, but will ask how many people you drove who didn’t have transportation.

God won’t ask the square footage of your house, but will ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

God won’t ask about the fancy clothes you had in your closet, but will ask how many of those clothes helped the needy.

God won’t ask about your social status, but will ask what kind of class you displayed.

God won’t ask how many material possessions you had, but will ask if they dictated your life.

God won’t ask what your highest salary was, but will ask if you compromised your character to obtain that salary.

God won’t ask how much overtime you worked, but will ask if you worked overtime for your family and loved ones.

God won’t ask how many promotions you received, but will ask how you promoted others.

God won’t ask what your job title was, but will ask if you reformed your job to the best of your ability.

God won’t ask what you did to help yourself, but will ask what you did to help others.

God won’t ask how many friends you had, but will ask how many people to whom you were a true friend.

God won’t ask what you did to protect your rights, but will ask what you did to protect the rights of others.

God won’t ask in what neighborhood you lived, but will ask how you treated your neighbors.

God won’t ask about the color of your skin, but will ask about the content of your character.

God won’t ask how many times your deeds matched your words, but will ask how many times they didn’t.

Whom, then, do I call educated?

First, those who manage well the circumstances which they encounter day by day; and

those who can judge situations appropriately as they arise and rarely miss the suitable

course of action.

Next, those who are honorable in their dealings with all men, bearing easily what is

unpleasant or offensive in others, and being as reasonable with their associates as is

humanly possible.

Furthermore, those who hold their pleasures always under control and are not unduly

overcome by their misfortunes, bearing up under them bravely and in a manner worthy of

our common nature.

Most important of all, those who are not spoiled by their successes, who do not desert

their true selves, but hold their ground steadfastly as wise and sober-minded men,

rejoicing no more in the good things that have come to them through chance than in

those which through their own nature and intelligence are theirs since birth.

Those who have a character which is in accord, not with one of these things, but with all

of them these are educated--possessed of all the virtues.

--Socrates (47~399 B.C.)