Two Ugly Bricks

A story about a scientist that decided to be a pastor. One day,together with other pastors, they decided to build a church.Because they are not very rich, they decided to build it with their own expenses and their own effort.So they need to learn how to build a building.
Without much experiences, this pastor find it very hard to build a wall. When he started to put on a brick on cements, knocked a little bit at one end to make it even, he realized that the other end started to pop up. The tried to make it even but the other end started to pop up!
But as a pastor, he has all the times and patient that he needed. He make sure every bricks is placed correctly. And finally, he successfully build one side of the wall using the bricks and cement.He turned to the other side of the wall to see the result and at that moment he realized....Oh No...he has accidentally arranged 2 bricks. The rest of the bricks are arranged neatly, but these 2 bricks seems out of place. They looked ugly. They spoilt the whole wall...
And by then the cement has already harden and it’s hard to rearrange the two bricks, so the pastor ask the head pastor if he may tear down the whole wall and rebuild a new one. The head pastor told him that it’s not necessary, let wall be like it is.
When the pastor brought his first guests to visit the church, he always tried to avoid bringing them to the wall that he made. The pastor doesn’t like it if people look at it. So one day, 3 or 4 months after the built the wall, the pastor walked with a guest around the church and suddenly the guest commented ”that’s a beautiful wall”.
”Sir,” the pastor responded, ”do you left your glasses in your car? Don’t you see the 2 ugly bricks that make the whole wall look ugly?”
What the guest said then has changed the pastor’s view to the wall, to his life, and more aspect in his life. The guest said, ”Yes, I can see the 2 ugly bricks, but I also see the rest of 998 good and nice bricks.”
The pastors was dumbfounded. For the first time in more than 3 months, he can see other bricks except the 2 ugly bricks. Above, below, at the left side, and at the right side of the 2 ugly bricks are nice and good bricks which are more than the 2 ugly bricks. All these while, the pastor’s eyes only focused on the 2 mistakes that he had done...he was blinded by it. That’s why the pastor doesn’t like the wall or let other people see the wall. That’s why he wanted to destroy it. Now he can see nice bricks and the wall doesn’t look very ugly after all. The bricks become like what the guest say ”A nice and beautiful wall”.
The wall still exist up to today, many years after the incident, but the pastor has forgotten where the 2 ugly bricks are located. He can’t see the mistake anymore.

Many people decided to end their relationship or divorce because all they can see in their partnet are the ”two ugly bricks”. How many of us fell into depression and suicidal thoughts because all we can see are ”two ugly bricks”? In reality, there are many, far more good bricks but at that moment we can’t see it. In fact, everytime we see it, our eyes only focused on the things that we have done wrong. All that we see are mistakes that we have done, and we thought it’s a mere mistake and because of that we want to get rid of it. And many times, unfortunately, we really destroy a ”nice and beautiful wall”.
All of us have ”two ugly bricks” in our life, but there are more nice and good bricks inside us. Once we can see the nice and good bricks, we will not be as ugly as we think. Not only that we can have peace with ourselves, but with our partner.
I have friends who work in building construction. They told me a secret about their profression: ”All of us work in construction building always make a mistake,” he said, ”But we always tell our customer that it’s ”unique feature” that no other houses will has. We then charged extra for the ”unique feature”!!!”
So, this ”unique feature” in your house, can be, initially a mistake. In the same way, what you think as a mistake in you, your friend, your spouse, or in life in general, can be a ”unique feature”, which enrich your life, when you don’t focus on it....

“Wisdom is learning what to overlook.”
- William James -

Carrot, Egg, and Coffee

Let's imagine you are boiling water on 3 separate container.
In the first container, you put in few carrots. In the second container, you put in few eggs. And in the third container, you put coffee powder.
Heat up all 3 containers for 15 minutes and then take out all 3 items for the containers. Carrot that was hard now is soften; Egg that was soft inside now is harden; And Cofee powder is now gone, but, the color of the water has changed and it has a nice smell of coffee.

Now let's think about our work. Work is not always easy, it's not always comfortable, sometimes work can even be very hard and demanding. Our situations do not always turn out to be what we wanted. People treated us not the way we hoped. We worked hard, but didn't get the optimal result. What happened when we face difficulties?

Let's think back on the 3 containers. Boiling water is like problems in our work.
We can be like carrot, we start a work strong and firm but we have to come out soft and helpless. We becoming very tired and lose hope, we quit. Lost our self confidence. DON'T BE LIKE CARROT!!!
We can be like egg, we start work with a mild and sensitive heart but we end up very egoistic and indifference. We hate other people, we hate ourselves. There's no more warmth in our life. DON'T BE LIKE EGG!!!
We can be like coffee powder. Water didn't change the coffee powder, but it's the coffee powder that changed the water. The water changed because of coffee powder. See, smell, and drink it. The hotter the water, the better the taste of the coffee. We can be like coffee powder. We try to make something good out of the challenges that we face. We learn new things. We gain new knowledge, wisdom and new skills. We grow with experiences. We made our world around us be a better place. In order to be successful, we have to try...try...and try again. We must believe in what we do. We should not give up, we have to be patient. We must always keep our spirit high. Problems and difficulties give us an opportunity to be a stronger and better person. We can decide to be carrot, egg, or coffee powder.
LET'S BE LIKE COFFEE POWDER!!!


"We are exactly where we have chosen to be"
-Vernon Howard-

How to stay young

1. Throw out nonessential numbers
This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That’s why you pay them.

2. Keep only cheerful friends
The grouches pull you down. (Keep this in mind if YOU are one of those grouches.)

3. Keep learning
Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, and whatever. Never let the brain get idle. An idle mind is the devil's workshop. And the devil's name is Alzheimer's!

4.Enjoy the simple things

5.Laugh often, long and loud until you gasp for breath
And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with HIM / HER.

6.Surround yourself with what you love
Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, or whatever. Make a spot your refuge. Keep good relationship with God.

7.The tears happen
Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us in our entire life, is yourself. LIVE while you are alive.

8.Cherish your health
If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, GET HELP.

9.Don't take guilt trips
Take a trip to the mall, even to the next country, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10.Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity


"Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter"
- unknown -

Different Perception

A father who is dying gave 2 advices to his 2 sons:
1. Never ask money back from people that owe you.
2. If you go to shop, never let sun shine on your face.

Time passes and few years later after the father died, the eldest son become richer but the youngest son become poorer.One day the mother asked what happened to both of them.

The youngest answered:"This is because I follow what Dad told me. Dad said that I can't ask people to return back my money if they owe me.And because of that my asset keep decreasing because people never pay me what they owe me."
"Dad also said that if I went out or come back to work, I should not see the sun. And because of that, I have to take vehicle to work even tough I can walk, and that made my expenses keep increasing."

When the mother asked the eldest son, he answered:"All these because I kept father's advice. Because dad said not to ask money from people who owe me, I never owe people money and because of that my asset never decrease."
"Dad also said not to see the sun when I go and come back to work, and because of that I open my shop earlier than other shops and close only when other shops close. And that habit cause people recognise my shop and my business is good because of the long opening hour."

Morale of the Story:
The story above shows how a sentence can be interpreted with different perception.If we look at it with a positive attitude, every difficulty can be a journey that lead us to a success but we can also be swept away with the difficulties because of our routine.

"Do ordinary thing with an extraordinary attitude"

Stress Management

I received this from a forwarded email and I thought it's a very good to share with all of you.
A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked 'How heavy is this glass of water?' Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.
The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.' He continued, 'And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. ''As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.'' So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home.You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.'
So, my friend, Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now.Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.
Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:
- Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.
- Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
- Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
- Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.
- If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
- It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply be kind to others.
- When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
- Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
- You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
- Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
- A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle"
- Albert Einstein -

The Donkey

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.
He invited all his neighbours to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly.
Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step upAs the farmer's neighbours continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of t he deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.
Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.
2. Free your mind from worries - Most never happen.
3. Live simply and appreciate what you have.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less

"Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.”
- Marie Curie -

Things Aren't Always as They Seem

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room. Instead the angels were given a space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied..."Things aren't always what they seem".
The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel "how could you have let this happen!? The first man had everything, yet you helped him," she accused. "The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let their cow die."
"Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied. "When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave her the cow instead.
Things aren't always what they seem."Sometimes this is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way you think they should. If you have faith, you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage. You might not know it until some time later

"He who has faith has... an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assuring trust that all will come out well - even though to the world it may appear to come out most badly."
- B.C. Forbes -

What Is Important to You?

A Native American and his friend were in downtown New York City, walking near Times Square in Manhattan. It was during the lunch hour and the streets were filled with people. Cars were honking their horns, taxicabs were squealing around corners, sirens were wailing, and the sounds of the city were almost deafening.
Suddenly, the Native American said, "I hear a cricket."
His friend said, "What? You must be crazy. You couldn't possibly hear a cricket in all of this noise!"
"No, I'm sure of it," the Native American said, "I heard a cricket."
"That's crazy," said the friend.
The Native American listened carefully for a moment, and then walked across the street to a big cement planter where some shrubs were growing. He looked into the bushes, beneath the branches, and sure enough, he located a small cricket. His friend was utterly amazed.
"That's incredible," said his friend. "You must have super-human ears!"
"No," said the Native American, "My ears are no different from yours. It all depends on what you're listening for."
"But that can't be," said the friend. "I could never hear a cricket in this noise."
"Yes, it's true." came the reply. "It depends on what is really important to you. Here, let me show you."
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few coins, and discreetly dropped them on the sidewalk. And then, with the noise of the crowded street still blaring in their ears, they noticed every head within twenty feet turn, and look to see if the money that tinkled on the pavement was theirs.
"See what I mean," asked the Native American. "It all depends on what's important to you."

"The things which are most important don't always scream the loudest"
- Bob Hawke -

The Dash

A man stood up at his wife's funeral and spoke. They had been married for more than fifty years. This is the core of the husbands' speech:
"On the tombstone you will notice there are two dates. The first is the date of my wife's birth the second is the date of her passing. What we often forget to notice is that there is a dash between those two numbers. This dash represents her life."
That dash is what makes us who we are. It is what took place in between those two dates. There are many lessons learned, many tears of joy and sorrow, much love shared and many lives touched; all portrayed within that simple little dash.

Just like the story above, everytime I walk pass a graveyard and look at the tombstones, I'll always be reminded about how we should live our life. What will be your epitaph?
Epitaph is a commemorative inscription on a tomb or mortuary monument about the person buried at that site.So what is your epitaph? What will other people remember you for? Will you be remembered for?

(epitaph of Mel Blanc)

When we are born you are crying and everyone is smiling. Live your life so that when you die you are smiling and all those around you are crying. Put more dash in your life, and may it be a very long dash indeed.

"To me, my greatest achievement in life will be seeing more lives being changed for the better because I was once on this earth"
~ unknown ~

Life Lesson from Horse Riding

I used to read a Manga about a horse named "Sylphid". A young horse with a pair of weak leg which eventually trained and turned into a fastest racing horse. I'm not going to share how can a weak horse turned into a powerful racing horse, but throughout the process and even in the racing arena, there are some life lessons that we can learn from riding a horse:

1. Always look where you are going. If you must take a circuitous route, don't run over the instructor. They tend to get very upset when a thousand plus pound animal is coming at them out of control. This applies to the people you meet daily. Don't run over them out of control.
2. Keep in balance. Everything will flow together in harmony if you simply allow it.
3. Plan ahead. This means have respect for another's personal space. No one likes it when you run up behind them and stay there. They are moving at the pace that is comfortable for them. Make allowances. Honor their right to be right where they are. (Refer to number 1.)
4. Know your stride and be ready to adjust it if necessary. (This refers back to number 1 and 3.)
5. Forward! Always forward! This is a dressage term that means even when it is necessary to back up the momentum is still going forward.
6. When navigating any obstacle focus upon the next obstacle. Consider the obstacle as merely a step in the overall course.
7. When you fall off, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, understand the mistake you made that caused you to fall off and then get right back in the saddle.
8. Teach and train; not punish and blame. This is used in dog training. Prepare yourself through learning and understanding. Ultimately the choices you make are based on learning and understanding. Take responsibility for your actions and feelings. Should you find your understandings and actions no longer serve you, change them. Change your actions and thought and you will change your life and world.

May all your falls be gentle ones and your mistakes little ones. May you learn to walk in Balance and fly over obstacles.

"Change of life starts with change of mindset followed by change of action"
- unknown -

Young at Heart

Recently, I received an email and it's a very interesting email because it talked about how to stay young and I believe the 'young' here is talking about young at heart. Everybody will grow old in terms of age and look, but not everybody can stay young on the inside.
You can be young on the outside yet old on the inside, you are pessimistic, lost of hope, no future to look forward to, etc. On the other side, you can be 60+ or 70+ years old, but you are still energetic, optimistic, full of confidence and hope. The difference is on the choice that you made.
So, here are 10 things you can do to stay young at heart:
1. Throw out nonessential numbers
This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That’s why you pay them
2. Keep only cheerful friends
The grouches pull you down. (Keep this in mind if YOU are one of those grouches.)
3. Keep learning
Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, and whatever. Never let the brain get idle. An idle mind is the devil's workshop. And the devil's name is Alzheimer's!
4. Enjoy the simple things
5. Laugh often, long and loud until you gasp for breath
And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with HIM / HER.
6. Surround yourself with what you love
Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, or whatever.
7. The tears happen
Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us in our entire life, is yourself. LIVE while you are alive.
8. Cherish your health
If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, GET HELP.
9. Don't take guilt trips
Take a trip to the mall, even to the next country, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
10.Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity

"I promise to keep on living as though I expected to live forever. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul"
- unknown -

The Cracked Pot

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole, which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After 2 yrs of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you. I have been able to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts."

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape. Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life!

"Sometimes our greatest strength come from our weakness"
- Unknown -

Person of Strength

A Strong Person vs A Person of Strength
A strong person works out every day to keep their body in shape.
A person of strength builds relationships to keep their soul in shape.

A strong person isn't afraid of anything.
A person of strength shows courage in the midst of their fear.

A strong person won't let anyone get the best of them.
A person of strength gives the best of themself to everyone.

A strong person makes mistakes and avoids the same in the future.
A person of strength realizes life's mistakes can also be unexpected blessings and capitalizes on them.

A strong person wears a look of confidence on their face.
A person of strength wears grace.

A strong person has faith that they are strong enough for the journey.
A person of strength has faith that it is in the journey that they will become strong.

"I can handle anything that life throws at me - I may not be able to handle it well, or correctly, or gracefully, or with finesse, or expediently - but I will handle it. Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!!!!!"
- Unknown -

Obstacles in Life

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further. So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.
Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

I've read this story many times, but everytime I read this I'll get motivated knowing that every problem that I'm facing right now is working for my good and it'll slowly mold my character to be a better person. And I believe that's the attitude that everyone of us must have. It's true that life is challenging and it's never an easy path, but because of these problems our life can be more interesting, they somehow added color into our life. So never expect life to be smooth, it will never happened! And even though it did happen, I think it'll be a pretty boring life. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If we to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!
So for those who are facing problems right now be it big or small, let's show our courage and stand strong to overcome it. You'll eventually emerge as a winner over the problems!


“If you trust the winner within you, you will win.If you can keep your courage, you will go so far.If you follow your ambitions, your course will guide you toward a ladder that you can climb to your stars.”
-unknown-

Happiness in Making Others Happy

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 life 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 of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, 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 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 the 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 world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself. 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."

"There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all of the things you have that money can't buy"
- Unknown -

Be Patient

This is a true story which happened in the States. A man came out of his home to admire his new truck.
To his puzzlement, his three-year-old son was happily hammering dents into the shiny paint.
The man ran to his son, knocked him away, hammered the little boy's hands into pulp as punishment.
When the father calmed down, he rushed his son to the hospital. Although the doctor tried desperately to save the crushed bones, he finally had to amputate the fingers from both the boy's hands.
When the boy woke up from the surgery & saw his bandaged stubs, he innocently said, " Daddy, I'm sorry about your truck." Then he asked, "but when are my fingers going to grow back?"
The father went home & committed suicide.
Think about the story the next time u see someone spill milk at a dinner table or hear a baby crying. Think first before u lose your patience with someone u love. Trucks can be repaired. Broken bones & hurt feelings often can't.
Too often we fail to recognise the difference between the person and the performance.
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. Understand & love.

"If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow."
- Chinese Proverbs -

Stay Focus

We stood in the kitchen talking. I was discussing my upcoming change in lifestyle. I was excited yet hesitant as I talked about it.
We set a goal many years ago to change our lifestyle from one of the hectic city life, working to pay the bills... to one of a slower country pace, working on our "wanna do's". Yet as I talked to my friend about this, there was hesitation in my voice. Leaving a company where I had worked for over 26 years, leaving friends who have become like family to me, leaving a province where I had lived, raised my children and worked for the last 16 years. I expressed my concerns of leaving a steady paycheck for a much, much lower income. As I talked, that little voice in my head was saying, "what are you doing, will you be able to make it?"
My friend left the room and came back carrying a bag. "This is for you," she said smiling.
I opened the bag and in it was a plaque with the following poem:

Believe In Yourself
And in your dream though impossible things may seem,
Someday, somehow you'll get through to the goal you have in view.
Mountains fall and seas divide before the one who in his stride
Takes a hard road day by day sweeping obstacles away.
Believe in yourself and in your plan.
Say not - I cannot but, I can.
The prizes of life we fail to win,
Because we doubt the power within.

As I read the poem, my hesitation disappeared, my confidence restored, I knew it would be all right. I did have a dream, and although, at times it appeared impossible, I set my goal and never lost sight of that end goal. Yes, many times as I worked towards that goal I had setbacks, and faced many challenges.
When I faced those challenges I always remembered the quote: "persistence prevails when all else fails". I never lost focus. I believed I could do it. And, as I reflected on the poem I knew, tomorrow will work out. I have come this far and faced many obstacles and challenges, but I overcame them.
What are your dreams? Do they seem impossible? Set your goal, don't give up when you face challenges, and stay focused, as the power within is truly amazing!!

“Our thoughts create our reality -- where we put our focus is the direction we tend to go.”
-Peter McWilliams-

Appreciation

Showing an appreciation is not something that can be done easily, especially to the person that we do not like. Nevertheless, it is the most powerful act that we can do if we need to have friends in our life. Everybody needs to be felt appreciated. You'll never know that a small praise of yours can brighten someone's day. So don't be a cynical person, don't be too quick to judge without knowing the facts.
Here is a story about a barber who is very cynical and hope we'll learn something from it and start to show appreciations and praises whenever we can.

A man was getting a haircut prior to a trip to Rome. He mentioned the trip to the barber who responded,"Rome? Why would anyone want to go there? It's crowded and dirty and full of Italians. You're crazy to go to Rome! So, how are you getting there?"
"We're taking TWA," was the reply. "We got a great rate!"
"TWA?" exclaimed the barber.
"That's a terrible airline. Their planes are old and their flight attendants are ugly, and they are always late. So, where are you staying in Rome?"
"We'll be at the downtown International Marriott."
"That dump! That's the worst hotel in the city. The rooms are small the service is surly and they're overprices. So whatcha doing when you get there?"
"We're going to go see the Vatican and we hope to see the Pope."
"That's rich," laughed the barber.
"You and a million other people trying to see him. You'll be at the back of St. Peter's Square and from that distance he'll look the size on an ant. Boy, good luck on this lousy trip of yours. You're going to need it."
A month later, the man again came in for his regular haircut. The Barber asked about his trip to Rome. "It was wonderful", explained the man. "Not only were we on time in one of TWA's brand new planes, but it was overbooked and they bumped us up to first class. The food and wine were wonderful and I had a beautiful 28 year old stewardess who waited on me hand and foot. And the hotel was great! They'd just finished a $2.5 million remodeling job and now its the finest hotel in the city. They too, were overbooked, so they apologized and gave us the Presidential Suite at no extra charge."
"Well," muttered the barber, "I know you didn't get to see the Pope."
"Actually, we were quite lucky, for as we toured the Vatican, a Swiss Guard tapped me on the shoulder and explained that the pope likes to personally meet some of the visitors, and if I'd be so kind as to step into his private room and wait, the Pope would personally greet me. Sure enough, five minutes later the Pope walked through the door and shook my hand! I knelt down as he spoke a few words to me."
"Really?" asked the barber.
"What did he say?"
He said, "Where did you get the ugly haircut?" !!

"Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well."
- Voltaire -

Excellence

To live your life to the fullest, you need to develop a thinking with excellence. In everything you do, you need to think how to do it with excellence.
A good description for excellence is "To be superior in QUALITY, greater in QUANTITY, to TRANSCEND your job description, and to OUTDO yourself each time"
And I believe that everytime you do something with excellence, you'll enjoy life more. The reason why people are bored with life is because they let everyday passes by with the same motivation and same action. Boring people will do the same using the same method achieving the same thing again and again. The moment you think with excellence and do thing with excellence, your life will automatically be changed.

Below story is an example of a person who has a spirit of excellence.
One day, the boss of Mercedez Benz had a problem with his wash basin. The pipe was already broken and water keep flowing out to the floor and he afraid it will be dangerous to his kids.
Upon his friend recommendation, Mr.Benz called up a plumber to fix it. The plumber make an appointment to fix it 2 days later because he is quite busy. The plumber has no idea that the caller is the boss of the largest car company in Germany.
One day after called by Mr.Benz, the plumber contacted Mr.Benz and thanked him because he has willingly waited for one day. After fixing the broken pipe, the plumber then received the payment for his service.About 2 weeks later, the plumber contacted Mr.Benz to check if the pipe was well fixed or there's some problem that he need to come down and fix again. Mr.Benz thought that this person must be a great man even tough he is a plumber. Mr.Benz answered on the phone and said that the wash basin is working perfectly fine and thank the plumber for his service.
Few monts later, Mr.Benz recruited this plumber to work in his office? Yes, his name is Christopher L.Jr. He is now a General Manager for Customer Satisfaction and Public Relation in Marcedez Benz!
Always add cheese and best service even if it's not required from you!

Excellence is not a skill, it is an attitude. That means everyone can excel in everything they do. So, let's start to have excellence in whatever you do.
Excellence can be obtain if :
...care more than others think is wise;
...risk more than others think is safe;
...dream more than others think is practical;
...expect more than others think is possible.

"Excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-John W. Gardner-

Attitude towards life

Recently I received a video link from my friend. The video is basically about a last lecture given by a professor in America who is dying from pancreatic cancer. I was totally amazed by the attitude he has towards life. Even tough he only has months to live, he didn't live in self pity. Instead he uses the remaining time he has on earth to inspire his students, the people around the world and especially his 3 children with his last lecture on how to live life.
And I believe that's the attitude that everyone of us should have. Imagine if today is your last day on earth, you will have lots of things to do and you will do everything that you can with excellence.
Below is the 10-minute length video of professor Randy Pausch. Hope all of you will be inspired.



"Live everyday as if it is your last day on earth."
- Unknown -