Be the Best whatever You Are

Be the Best whatever You Are

If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill
be a scrub in the valley- but be the best little scrub
by the side of the rill;

Be a bush if you can't be a tree.
If you can't be a bush be a bit of the grass,
and some highway some happier make;
if you can't be a muskie then just be a bass-
but the liveliest bass in the lake!

We can't all be captains, we've got to be crew,
there's something for all of us here.
There's big work to do and there's lesser to do,
and the task we must do is the near.

If you can't be a highway then just be a trail,
if you can't be the sun be a star;
it isn't by size that you win or you fail-
Be the best of whatever you are!

Are you taking care of yourself ?

A cobbler lived in a large village and he was the only cobbler in town, so he was responsible for repairing the boots of everybody else.

However, he didn’t have time to repair his own boots.

This wasn’t a problem at first, but over time, his boots began to deteriorate and fall apart.

While he worked feverishly on the boots of everyone else, his feet got blisters and he started to limp.

His customers started to worry about him, but he reassured them that everything was ok.

However, after a few years, the cobbler’s feet were so injured that he could no longer work and no-one’s boots got repaired.

As a consequence, soon the entire town started to limp in pain, all because the cobbler never took the time to repair his own boots.

This simple principle is so often disregarded.      

If you are in a responsible position and are one of the important links in the groups survival chain and if You  do not look after yourself, after a while you’ll be no good to anyone else either.         
                                
Your best intentions will mean nothing and you’ll be unable to do what you’re meant to do.

If you don’t take the time to care for yourself, no-one else will.

Are you taking care of yourself ??

God loves you. ....

A rich man looked through his window and saw a poor man picking something from his dustbin ... He said, Thank GOD I'm not poor.

The poor man looked around and saw a naked man misbehaving on the street ... He said, Thank GOD I'm not mad.

The mad man looked ahead and saw an ambulance carrying a patient ... He said, Thank GOD am not sick.

Then a sick person in hospital saw a trolley taking a dead body to the mortuary ... He said, Thank GOD I'm not dead.

Only a dead person cannot thank God.

Why don't you thank GOD today for all your blessings and for the gift of life ... for another beautiful day.

*What is LIFE*?
To understand life better, you have to go to 3 locations :

*1. Hospital*
*2. Prison*
*3. Cemetery*

At the Hospital, you will understand that nothing is more beautiful than HEALTH.

In the Prison, you'll see that FREEDOM is the most precious thing.

At the Cemetery, you will realize that life is worth nothing. The ground that we walk today will be our roof tomorrow.

Sad Truth :  We all come with Nothing and we will go with Nothing ... Let us, therefore, remain humble and be thankful & grateful to God at all times for everything.

Could you please share this with someone else, and let them know that God loves them?

Good Job

A couple of weeks ago a child therapist whom I know looked at my kids and said,

"You're such a good mum"

Feeling like a total fraud I blurted, "I don't feel like a good mum. The kids are driving me so crazy, I'm losing my temper and falling asleep at night wondering where am I  going to get the patience for another day"

To which she responded with a statement that I haven't been able to forget,

"Babies cry, it's how they communicate. Toddlers scream, children whine and teenagers complain.
Then mums say the words 'for heaven sake (under their breath before responding every time) It's how we communicate.

But then guess what? It's better than silence.

A house full of screaming kids and fighting teenagers and a parent  who faces barrage of questions and requests is a healthy one to me.
It's the silent children, the scared toddlers, the teenagers that don't come home and the parents who aren't in communication with their children that I worry about.

And kids don't drive you crazy, you were crazy already. That's why you had them."

And just like that, I felt like a good parent again.

Deep breaths, you're doing a good job.

Good day...

Rats

During a study at Harvard in the 1950s, Dr. Curt Richter placed rats in a pool of water to test how long they could tread water.

On average they'd give up and sink after 15 minutes.

But right before they gave up due to exhaustion, the researchers would pluck them out, dry them off, let them rest for a few minutes - and put them back in for a second round.

In this second try - how long do you think they lasted?

Remember - they had just swam until failure only a few short minutes ago...

How long do you think?

Another 15 minutes?
10 minutes?
5 minutes?

No!

60 hours!

That's not an error.

That's right! 60 hours of swimming.

The conclusion drawn was that since the rats BELIEVED that they would eventually be rescued, they could push their bodies way past what they previously thought possible.

I will leave you with this thought:

If hope can cause exhausted rats to swim for that long, what could a belief in yourself and your abilities, do for you?

Imaginary Rope

A farmer was taking three of his donkeys for sale to the market.

On the way he saw a river and decided to have a dip.
Since he had only two ropes to tie the donkeys to a tree, he looked around wondering how to tie  the third one.

He saw a sage and sought his help if he could give him a rope to tie the third donkey. The sage did not have a rope but had a suggestion.

He told the farmer, “let the third donkey see you tying the other two donkeys to a tree.  Then you pretend to tie this one also”.

The farmer did as he was told and went for a dip in the river. Coming back, he thanked the sage and saw that the donkeys stood exactly at the same spot where he had left them.
He untied the two donkeys and patted the third one to start moving. After going a little distance, imagine his surprise when the third donkey stood still at the same spot.

Cajoling, kicking or talking did not help with the donkey, refusing to move from the spot. The farmer went back to sage, who told him, “untie the third donkey”.

“But”, protested the farmer, “I have not tied him”. The sage asked, “You know it. But does the donkey know that?”

Sure enough the farmer went back and pretended to untie the donkey. The donkey moved immediately as though released and walked over to join the other two donkeys.

Moral of the story:
We are all, also tied up by too many  imaginary ropes…… which are really non-existent. The only truth is there are no boundaries in real life and anyone can stretch to any extent. Don’t we all see records being broken, every time, everywhere and every day?

Our mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmful can enter except with our permission. Hence as we go along this day let us see what we can do with our minds.

Divinity

According to an old Hindu legend, there was a time when all human beings were gods.... they knew their True Self... but they abused their divinity.

So, Brahma, decided to take the divinity away from them n hide it somewhere they could never find it.

Brahma called a council of the gods to help him decide where to hide divinity. ...

“Let’s bury it deep in the earth,” said some. Brahma answered, “Humans will dig into the earth n find it.”

Some suggested, “Let’s sink it in the deepest ocean.”  Brahma said, “Humans will learn to dive into the ocean n find it.”

Then some suggested, “Let’s take it to the top of the highest mountain n hide it there.” Brahma replied, “Humans will eventually climb every mountain n find their divinity.”

Everyone gave up n said, “We do not know where to hide it, as it seems that there is no place on earth or ocean that human beings will not eventually reach.”

*Brahma thought for a long time said, “We will hide their divinity deep within their own being, Humans will never look for divinity within themselves”*

All the gods agreed that this was the perfect hiding place n the deed was done.

Since that day, humans have been digging, diving, climbing, exploring n looking for something that lies within
themselves ...

“Divinity is within all of us"

It is within us

I have put GOD as a wise man and me as a normal person.

Now, you need to find the answers for yourself from this chat with GOD.

God: Hello. Did you call me?
Me: Called you? No. Who is this?
God: This is GOD. I heard your prayers. So I thought I will chat.

Me: I do pray. Just makes me feel good. I am actually busy now. I am in the midst of something.
God: What are you busy at? Ants are busy too.

Me: Don't know. But I can’t find free time. Life has become hectic. It's rush hour all the time.
God: Sure. Activity gets you busy. But productivity gets you results. Activity consumes time. Productivity frees it.

Me: I understand. But I still can't figure out. By the way, I was not expecting YOU to buzz me on instant messaging chat.
God: Well I wanted to resolve your fight for time, by giving you some clarity. In this era of net savvy people, I wanted to reach you through the medium you are comfortable with.

Me: Tell me, why has life become complicated now?
God: Stop analyzing life. Just live it. Analysis is what makes it complicated.

Me: Why are we then constantly unhappy?
God: Your today is the tomorrow that you worried about yesterday. You are worrying because you are analyzing. Worrying has become your habit. That's why you are not happy.

Me: But how can we not worry when there is so much uncertainty?
God: Uncertainty is inevitable, but worrying is optional.

Me: But then, there is so much pain due to uncertainty. .
God: Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.

Me: If suffering is optional, why do good people always suffer?
God: Diamond cannot be polished without friction. Gold cannot be purified without fire. Good people go through trials, but don't suffer. With that, experience their life becomes better not bitter.

Me: You mean to say such experience is useful.
God: Yes, inn every term, Experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first and the lessons afterwards.

Me: But still, why should we go through such tests? Why can’t we be free from problems?
God: Problems are Purposeful Roadblocks Offering Beneficial Lessons to Enhance Mental Strength. Inner strength comes from struggle and endurance, not when you are free from problems.

Me: Frankly in the midst of so many problems, we don't know where we are heading..
God: If you look outside, you will not know where you are heading. Look inside. Looking outside, you dream. Looking inside, you awaken. Eyes provide sight. Heart (Mind) provides insight.

Me: Sometimes not succeeding fast seems to hurt more than moving in the right direction. What should I do?
God: Success is a measure as decided by others. Satisfaction is a measure as decided by you. Knowing the road ahead is more satisfying than knowing your road ahead. You work with the compass. Let others work with the clock.

Me: In tough times, how do you stay motivated?
God: Always look at how far you have come rather than how far you have to go. Always count your blessing, not what you are missing.

Me: What surprises you about people?
God: When they suffer they ask, "why me?" When they prosper, they never ask "Why me". Everyone wishes to have truth on his or her side, but few want to be on the side of the truth.

Me: Sometimes I ask, who I am, why am I here. I can't get the answer.
                                                                                                                                     God: Seek not to find who you are, but to determine who you want to be. Stop looking for a purpose as to why you are here. Create it. Life is not a process of discovery but a process of creation.

Me: How can I get the best out of life?
God: Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear.

Me: One last question. Sometimes I feel my prayers are not answered.
God: There are no unanswered prayers. At times the answer is NO. 
                                                                                                                                                                         Me: Thank you for this wonderful chat.
God: Well. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Don't believe your doubts and doubt your beliefs. Life is a mystery to solve not a problem to resolve. Trust me. Life is wonderful if you know how to live. "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that took our breath away!

Believe me; “God and Demons or Good and Evil is within others and us. “
“It is concept and that has been created by wise human beings to control the humankind.”

HTDO

Mathews, a hotshot sales manager, on a Sunday evening, was in the parking lot of a shopping mall. The parking lot was packed. Cars were crawling with anxious drivers looking for that one vacant slot. Mathews, sharp and aggressive as he was known to be, spotted a vacant space ahead and quickly zoomed in.  He could see another car trying to reverse into the same slot, but Mathews was determined to beat the other man to it.  And he did!  Mathews felt jubilant - as we all sometimes do with life's little victories.  The old man driving the car was disappointed. He looked Mathews in the eye and continued his search for another parking slot.  

Two days later, Mathews was preparing for one of the biggest moments of his career.  He was close to winning a big contract for his company.  And all that was left now was the formal handshake meeting with the client's CEO.  As Mathews walked into the client's office and saw the CEO, he felt a sudden sense of discomfort.  Yes, it was the same man from whom he had snatched the parking slot on Sunday.  And you can guess what happened thereafter.  Alas! If only Mathews had grown up with the HTDO habit! 

So whats HTDO?

It has probably happened to you before.  As you walk towards the door of an office, or a hotel, the person walking in front holds the door open for you.  Remember how good it made you feel - if only for that moment.  

Isn't it surprising that although we all feel good when someone holds the door open for us, we seldom do the same for other? How come?

It's probably because we are all preoccupied with ourselves and obsessed with getting ahead.  Here, then, is a life-changing lesson they don't teach you in any B school - 'Hold The Door Open'.

The world can be divided into two types of people. Those who push open a door, walk through and let it slam behind them.  That's the 99% of the population.  And there's the 1% who hold it open to allow the next person to walk through.  Learn to do that, and you too could join the select 1% club.  HTDO doesn't merely make other people feel good. It makes you feel good too. HTDO translates into a behaviour of helping and caring.

Winning in life is less about naked ambition and more about helping other people win. 

Someone once said, "It's nice to be important. But it's more important to be nice"

Make a beginning.  Hold The Door Open...