Inspiring Story - Three Dolls

A sage presented a prince with a set of three small dolls. The prince was not amused.

“Am I a girl that you give me dolls?” he asked.

“This is a gift for a future king,” said the man. “If you look carefully, you’ll see a hole in the ear of each doll.”

“So?”

The sage handed him a piece of string.

“Pass it through each doll,” he said.

Intrigued, the prince picked up the first doll and put the string into the ear.

It came out from the other ear.

“This is one type of person,” said the man. “Whatever you tell him, comes out from the other ear. He doesn’t retain anything.”

The prince put the string into the second doll. It came out from the mouth.

“This is the second type of person,” said the man. “Whatever you tell him, he tells everybody else.”

The prince picked up the third doll and repeated the process. The string did not reappear from anywhere else.

“This is the third type of person,” said the man. “Whatever you tell him is locked up within him. It never comes out.”

“What is the best type of person?” asked the prince.

The man handed him a fourth doll, in answer.

When the prince put the string into the doll, it came out from the other ear.

“Do it again,” said the sage. The prince repeated the process. This time the string came out from the mouth. When he put the string in a third time, it did not come out at all.

“This is the best type of person,” said the sage. “To be trustworthy and wise, a man must know when not to listen, when to remain silent and when to speak out.”

- Author Unknown

Inspiring story - Commitment

I will never forget what my old headmaster told taught me. Normally when you are only 15 years of age you do not remember most of the things that are preached by your teachers. But, this particular story is one such lesson that I will never forget. Every time I drift off course, I get reminded of this story.

It was a normal Monday morning at an assembly, and he was addressing the students on important things in life and about committing ourselves to what is important to us. This is how the story went:

An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he would wake up every morning and go to the subway. He would get the train right to Central London, and then sit at the street corner and beg. He would do this every single day of his life. He sat at the same street corner and begged for almost 20 years.

His house was filthy, and a stench came out of the house and it smelled horribly. The neighbors could not stand the smell anymore, so they summoned the police officers to clear the place. The officers knocked down the door and cleaned the house. There were small bags of money all over the house that he had collected over the years.

The police counted the money, and they soon realized that the old man was a millionaire. They waited outside his house in anticipation to share the good news with him. When he arrived home that evening, he was met by one the officers who told him that there was no need for him to beg any more as he was a rich man now, a millionaire.

He said nothing at all; he went into his house and locked the door. The next morning he woke up as usual, went to the subway, got into the train, and sat at the street corner and continued to beg.

Obviously, this old man had no great plans, dreams or anything significant for his life. We learn nothing from this story other than staying focused on the things we enjoy doing, commitment.

We should remain true to our course; which may mean committing yourselves to things that people around you would normally disapprove. Let nothing distract us from being happy, let nothing else determine our fate, but ourselves.

What makes us happy is what matters in the end,
not what we acquire.

- Author Unknown

Motivational Story - The Mouse and the Trap

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package.

“What food might this contain?” The mouse wondered - he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning: “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!”

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, “Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.”

The mouse turned to the lamb and told him, “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!”

The lamb sympathised, but said, “I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers.”

The mouse turned to the cow and said “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!”

The cow said, “Wow, Mr. Mouse. I’m sorry for you, but it’s no skin off my nose.”

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s mousetrap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house — like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey.

The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught.

The snake bit the farmer’s wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital, and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient.

But his wife’s sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the lamb.

The farmer’s wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

Moral :

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn’t concern you, remember — when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.

We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

Each one of us is a vital thread in another person's tapestry. Our lives are woven together for a reason.

- Author Unknown

Self Motivational Thoughts

Jump for Challenges

Instead of avoiding challenges, jump into them.
Beat the heck out of them. Enjoy the game.
If your challenges are too large, do not give up.

Failing makes you tired. Instead, reorganize.
Find more determination, more knowledge and more help.
And then, Just go for it!

- Unknown

Self Help, Personal Growth

How to Manage Your Time & Keep Your Life in Balance At All Times

As a busy entrepreneur, do you really know how to manage your time effectively? Do you get to spend time with your family and friends? Are you organized in the office and at home? Do you have your business and personal life in balance? Or, does Sue's story below sound just like you?

Sue's an entrepreneur who never got enough sleep. She was lucky if she got 3 to 4 hours of sleep each night. There was just too much to do and not enough hours in the day to do it all. Lack of sleep turned out to be the tip of the iceberg for Sue. It did not matter to her how many work hours she had to put in. Sue was always drained, perpetually scattered and alone. In time she confessed virtually every available wall in her amply sized office had stacks of papers, files and books propped up against it always on the verge of teetering over. Her home was so full of clutter she was embarrassed to invite friends or dates to visit. Similarly her mind felt like it was bulging at the seams. Her bank accounts were a mess. She regularly bounced checks despite having enough money to cover her expenses. Her social and love life were nearly nonexistent. She had no time for the jewelry she so dearly loved to create. Nor did she have time for the social causes that were close to her heart.

Why? Because she didn't know how to manage her time and balance her life. Sue had an under-energized, self-neglectful relationship with self-care in all aspects. She suffered from insufficiencies in: * Inner Self-Care -- This resulted in exhaustion, irritability, weight problems, chronic stress, physical imbalances, weakened immune system and gluttony.

* Environmental Self-Care --Sue tolerated home and work ambiences that drained her. People began to undermine her wellbeing, self-esteem and her leadership abilities. Crisis and melodrama became part of Sue's lifestyle.

* Logistical Self-Care -- This resulted in complete disorganization. Sue was stretched too thin. She had imbalances between work and play and between spending and saving. She even fell behind with home maintenance or errands. What Is Self Care? Healthy self-care is a key foundational element in all forms of integrity: self-integrity, relationship integrity, societal integrity and leadership integrity. Self-Care is far different from self-centeredness. It is also far more than merely good sleep, nutrition and exercise habits. Our bodies are complex machine. We cannot sustain our energy unless we are supporting our spiritual, our psychological, our physical and our energetic aspects of our whole being.

Self-Care Is About Keeping Your:

* Energy strong and balanced * Mind calm yet alert * Body capable of supporting you in all areas of your life * Environment nourishing * Life logistics under control

7 Tips to Improve Your Self-Care & Balance Your Life Habits

1. Maintain Basic Physical Health Habits.

You need to get enough quality sleep for your body's needs and movement. You also need to add a high-quality nutritional diet to your energy system balancing.

2. Add Time to Soothe, Recharge and Play.

Engage in soothing habits that make you purr, such as a massage or a bath. Take time out to restore your inner juice with activities, such as watching your favorite sitcom, gardening or just about any truly creative endeavor that gives you energy. And, don't forget to participate in activities that bring out the kid in you.

3. Quiet Your Inner Voice.

Participate in activities that allow you to enter inner silence and take a vacation from constant mind chatter. Some people use prayer to quiet their mind. Others will meditate. You can also do Tai Chi, Qigong or Yoga and simultaneously take care of your daily need for physical movement and internal quieting

4. Arrange your surroundings so that they most deeply nurture you.

This includes not only your physical environments but your people environments as well.

5. Know your optimal blend between "alone time" and "people time."

6. Master goal setting, time management, file management and money management strategies.

Balancing work with play, spending with saving, and making sure that your job and financial choices support your needs for creative self-expression and your ability to spend quality time with those you love while still having energy left over to be of service in the world in ways that call to you.

7. Streamline your chores and tasks, including home maintenance and errands Self-Care is unavoidably a daily practice.

No amount of rest, passion or acts of service can substitute for it. True Self-Care is simply "enlightened self-interest and service for the higher good." Follow these tips and you will manage your time and balance your life.

- By Dr. David Gruder

Heart Warming Story For The Soul!!

One day a woman was walking down the street when she spied a beggar sitting in the corner. The man was elderly, unshaven, and ragged. As he sat there, pedestrians walked by him giving him dirty looks. They clearly wanted nothing to do with him because of who he was -- a dirty, homeless man. But when she saw him, the woman was moved to compassion.

It was very cold that day and the man had his tattered coat -- more like an old suit coat rather than a warm coat -- wrapped around him. She stopped and looked down. "Sir?" she asked. "Are you all right?"

The man slowly looked up. This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like she had never missed a meal in her life. His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before. "Leave me alone," he growled.

To his amazement, the woman continued standing. She was smiling -- her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. "Are you hungry?" she asked.

"No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with the president. Now go away."

The woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm. "What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily.

"I said to leave me alone."

Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked.

"No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?"

The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?"

"See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile."

"Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go in there!" Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up. "Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything."

"This is a good deal for you, Jack," the officer answered. "Don't blow it."

Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner.

It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived. The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by the table. "What's going on here, officer?" he asked. "What is all this. Is this man in trouble?"

"This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered.

"Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business."

Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place."

The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. "Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?"

"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms."

"And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?"

"What business is that of yours?"

"I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company."

"Oh."

The woman smiled again. "I thought that might make a difference." She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a giggle. "Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?"


"No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty."

"Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?"

"Yes, ma'am. That would be very nice."

The cafeteria manager turned on his heel. "I'll get your coffee for you right away, officer."

The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in his place," he said.

"That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this."

She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently. "Jack, do you remember me?"

Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes "I think so -- I mean you do look familiar."

"I'm a little older perhaps," she said. "Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry."

"Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry.

"I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat."

Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said. "I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy."

"I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble. Then, when I looked over, I saw you put the price of my food in the cash register. I knew then that everything would be all right."
"So you started your own business?" Old Jack said.

"I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered." She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. "When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons. He's the personnel director of my company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm
certain he'll find something for you to do around the office." She smiled. "I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet. And if you ever need anything, my door is always opened to you."

There were tears in the old man's eyes. "How can I ever thank you," he said.

"Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. Thank him. He led me to you."

Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways. "Thank you for all your help, officer," she said.

"On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget. And... And thank you for the coffee."

She frowned. "I forgot to ask you whether you used cream or sugar. That's black."

The officer looked at the steaming cup of coffee in his hand. "Yes, I do take cream and sugar -- perhaps more sugar than is good for me." He patted his ample stomach.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"I don't need it now," he replied smiling. "I've got the feeling that this coffee you bought me is going to taste as sweet as sugar."

If you have missed knowing me, you have missed nothing.

If you have missed some of my emails, you have missed a laugh.

But, if you have missed knowing GOD, you have missed everything in the world.

God is love.

- Author Unknown

Positive Thoughts :Today is the Best Day of My Life

Today, when I awoke, I suddenly realized that this is the best day of my life, ever!

There were times when I wondered if I would make it to today; but I did!

And because I did I'm going to celebrate!
Today, I'm going to celebrate what an unbelievable life I have had so far: the accomplishments, the many blessings, and, yes, even the hardships because they have served to make me stronger.

I will go through this day with my head held high, and a happy heart.

I will marvel at nature's seemingly simple gifts: the morning dew, the sun, the clouds, the trees, the flowers, the birds.

Today, none of these miraculous creations will escape my notice.

Today, I will share my excitement for life with other people. I'll make someone smile.

I'll go out of my way to perform an unexpected act of kindness for someone I don't even know.

Today, I'll give a sincere compliment to someone who seems down.

I'll tell a child how special he is, and I'll tell someone I love just how deeply I care for them and how much they mean to me.

Today is the day I quit worrying about what I don't have and start being grateful for all the wonderful things God has already given me.

I'll remember that to worry is just a waste of time because my faith in God and his Divine Plan ensures everything will be just fine.

And tonight, before I go to bed, I'll go outside and raise my eyes to the heavens.

I will stand in awe at the beauty of the stars and the moon, and I will praise nature for these magnificent treasures.

As the day ends and I lay my head down on my pillow, I will thank the Almighty for the best day of my life.

And I will sleep the sleep of a contented child, excited with expectation because I know tomorrow is going to be the best day of my life, ever!

- Author Unknown