Never Give Up On Anything

Its Madness -
To hate all roses, because you got scratched by one thorn.
To give up all your dreams, because one did not come true.
To lose faith in prayers, because one was not answered.

To give up on your efforts, because one of them failed.
To condemn all your friends, because one of them betrayed.
Not to believe in love, because someone was unfaithful.

Remember that, another chance may come up.
A new friend, A new love, A new life.

Never Give Up on Anything!

- Unknown

Four Rules of Time

There are four rules of time. The first is that time is perishable. This means that it cannot be saved. In fact, time can only be spent. Because time is perishable, the only thing you can do with it is to spend it differently, to reallocate your time away from activities of low value and toward activities of higher value. But once it is gone, it is gone forever.

Time Is Indispensable :

The second rule of time is that time is indispensable. All work requires time. No matter what it is you want to do in life, even looking out a window or sleeping in for a few extra minutes, it requires a certain amount of time. And according to the 10/90 Rule, the 10% of time that you take to plan your activities carefully in advance will save you 90% of the effort involved in achieving your goals later. The very act of thinking through and planning your work in advance will dramatically reduce the amount of time that it takes you to do the actual job.

The Currency of the Future :

The third rule of time is that time is irreplaceable. Nothing else will do, especially in relationships. Time is the only currency that means anything in your relationships with the members of your family, your friends, colleagues, customers and coworkers. Truly effective people give a lot of thought to creating blocks of time that they can then spend, without interruption, with the important people in their lives.

Spell the Word Correctly :

There is a question: "How do children spell the word 'Love?'" And the answer is "T-I-M-E." It is the same with your spouse, as well. The important people in your life equate the amount of time that you spend with them, face to face, head to head, knee to knee, with the amount that you actually love them.

Grow Your Relationships :

The more time that you spend with another person, especially a member of your family, the deeper grows your understanding and affection for that person. If you get too busy to spend time with your children, you eventually lose contact with them and they go off into their own personal world of school, peers and other activities.

The Key to Goal-Achievement :

The fourth rule is that time is essential for accomplishment. Every goal you want to achieve, everything you  want to accomplish, requires time. In fact, one of the smartest things you ever do, when you set a goal, is to sit down and allocate the exact amount of time that you are going to have to invest to achieve that goal. The failure to do this almost always leaves the goal unaccomplished.

- By Brian Tracy

Small Change Can Make A Big Change

I was in the line at Dunkin Donuts.  The couple in front of me had ordered their food and stepped to the side. I proceeded to order mine. Quick and simple. Then I noticed a young man. I could tell was not having the best of luck and it showed on his face.

He walked in carrying his belongings in a torn plastic bag. The couple ahead of me turned, looked, then turned away. The lady grabbed her purse tighter and her husband quickly stood in front of her.

I moved over so he could order. He looked at the board, checked his pockets and didn't seem to have enough for anything. So, he turned around and walked out.

I picked up my coffee and followed him out. He had gone maybe five paces when I shouted, "Hey! Do you want a donut?"

A little embarrassed, he said, "I dont have any money." I told him to come on back in. As we approached the

counter the couple who were still inside looked shocked and confused. We approached the cashier and I said, "What kind do you want?" He whispered, "Jelly."

I said, "Go ahead. Tell her what you want."

"Jelly donut please," he said.

The cashier looked at me and said, "Is that it?"

 I looked at him. "Do you want anything else?"

"Can I have a coffee?" he asked me. I said, "Yes. Tell her."

He did. The total came to $2.30, which is small change compared to what the typical person spends in a day.

But to him it made a great difference.

I walked out and the couple were outside talking. The lady whispered to me, "I am glad you did that - before 

he tried to rob the place for a donut."

I stopped, looked at her, and said, "Are you a Christian?" She said, "Of course!" I said, "Are you sure? Because aren't Christians supposed to love their brothers and sisters, and help them when they need it, and not judge?"

She didnt have a response.

Being able to help the young man truly made my day. And I hope that perhaps it helped change the attitudes of the people watching, which would be a good thing too.

--by Nesquick

Inspired By A Moment of Trust

In my line of work we often hold conferences and workshops. The university I work for kindly provides food for all attendants (and anyone passing by at the right time) but it bothers me that they throw away all leftovers - and there's usually lots!

Last week I finally made my point and was allowed to take a huge tray of very nice sandwiches away with me. They were yummy and healthy and it would have been a real shame to see them ending up in the bin. The guy from catering even allowed me to borrow a large tray to carry them on.

I went looking for the homeless guy that usually sits in front of our local supermarket. He was sitting there reading and petting his dog on a blanket, and was thrilled when I showed him the food.

He had nothing to carry the food in and offered to bring the tray back the following week. Although we had never spoken before I decided to trust him with it, and I was not disappointed. He brought it back squeaky-clean yesterday and we had a nice chat while sharing some oranges.

This has inspired me to share more with local homeless people and to share my own luck at having my own needs met and being able to do what I love. 

- by ICCM 

Love Is Stronger Than Fear

My Daughter and I recently encountered, as we often do, in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, a Homeless man, who was hunkered down for the night, under a few sleeping bags with his book and all of his belongings. We encountered him as we were walking home after dinner.

We had been so hungry at dinner, after a day of touring colleges, that our eyes were too big for our stomachs and we ordered too much. The appetizer ended up being enormous, and ravenous as we were, we ate it hungrily. There was still some to spare. When our meals arrived, we picked at them, out of obligation, but decided to take the whole portions home, although we were staying in a hotel, and leaving early the next morning, and likely wouldn't have even eaten it. 

As we were walking home from dinner, we passed the homeless man and he made some gesture to us, to alert us he was there. We kept walking as I normally would do (I usally feel quite apprehensive in these situations) but then suddenly, together, my daughter and I looked at each other and had the same though, "Should we give him our left overs?" I have never done that before, in all of my opportunities. 

We walked towards him, and said, "Are You hungry?" He replied, "I never turn down food," and graciously accepted it, thanking us, as a neighbor might do when you loan him your ladder. I told him what was in the bag and how good the food was and said I hoped he enjoyed it. As we left, a local walked by, coming from the opposite direction, and acknowledged the homeless man, calling him by name.

We felt good. But I admit there was some apprehension, as I approached him. But, I believe, that if my daughter has an opportunity, Yes, an Opportunity, in the future, to help someone in need, she will do so with less apprehension than we had on this day.  I will too.

For we have innumerable opportunities for giving and for sharing what we have.  We always have more than we really need don't we?

I believe in 'The Loaves and The Fishes', for even if we give what we have and we are left with less than enough, we receive so much more: satisfaction in having shared, satisfaction in having given a fellow human

something that made his existence a little more comfortable. Satisfaction in doing unto others. And that kind of satisfaction can provide more nourishment than any loaf or fish could ever give.

- By Glorioski

The Indispensable Quality

Dare to Go Forward :

Winston Churchill once said, "Courage is rightly considered the foremost of the virtues because upon it, all others depend." Courage is the chief distinguishing characteristic of the true leader. It is almost always visible in the leader's words and actions. It is absolutely indispensable to success, happiness and the ability to motivate other people to be the best they can be.

Follow Through On Your Vision :

In a way, it is easy to develop a big vision for yourself and for the person you want to be. It is easy to commit yourself to living with complete integrity. But it requires incredible courage to follow through on your vision and on your commitments. You see, as soon as you set a high goal or standard for yourself, you will run into all kinds of difficulties and setbacks.

Refuse to Compromise :

You will be surrounded by temptations to compromise your values and your vision. You will feel an almost irresistible urge to "get along by going along." Your desire to earn the respect and cooperation of others can easily lead to the abandonment of your principles, and here is where courage comes in.

Stick to Your Principles :

Courage combined with integrity is the foundation of character. The first form of courage is your ability to stick to your principles, to stand for what you believe in and to refuse to budge unless you feel right about the alternative. Courage is also the ability to step out in faith, to launch out into the unknown and then to face the inevitable doubt and uncertainty that accompany every new venture.

Avoid Your Comfort Zone :

Most people are seduced by the lure of the comfort zone. This can be likened to going out of a warm house on a cold, windy morning. The average person, when he feels the storm swirling outside his comfort zone, rushes back inside where it's nice and warm. But not the true leader. The true leader has the courage to step away from the familiar and comfortable and to face the unknown with no guarantees of success. It is this ability to "boldly go where no man has gone before" that distinguishes you as a leader from the average person. This is the example that you must set if you are to rise above the average. It is this example that inspires and motivates other people to rise above their previous levels of accomplishment as well.

- By Brian Tracy

The Rock

An old farmer had plowed around a large rock in one of his fields for years. He had broken several plowshares and a cultivator on it and had grown rather morbid about the rock.

After breaking another plowshare one day, and remembering all the trouble the rock had caused him through the years, he finally decided to do something about it.

When he put the crowbar under the rock, he was surprised to discover that it was only about six inches thick and that he could break it up easily with a sledgehammer. As he was carting the pieces away he had to smile, remembering all the trouble that the rock had caused him over the years and how easy it would have been to ged rid of it sooner.

- Brian Cavanaugh

"The Sower's Seeds"