Don't be serious, be sincere !!!

Excerpt from the Speech given by Chetan Bhagat at Symbiosis.

Life is one of those races in nursery school where you have to run with a
marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point
coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the
marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life.
Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being
excited and alive, will start to die.

One thing about nurturing the spark - don't take life seriously. Life is
not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a
pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another
50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so
worked up? It's ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in
love. We are people, not programmed devices.

Don't be serious, be sincere!

"The first virtue of all really great men is that they are sincere"

Happy Life??

If you can understand the secret of Happiness, you will have a Happy Life.

The secret of Happiness is NOT in what you like to do

The secret of Happiness is what you do, so others like it.

- James Berry

Who were you in your past life??

I do not believe in re-incarnation but I found the below link in some website which you might want to try.

http://www.thebigview.com/pastlife/index.html

When I entered my DOB, the below in blue is the result I had got & my comments below that in red, :-)

My past life diagnosis:

---

I don't know how you feel about it, but you were male in your last earthly incarnation.You were born somewhere in the territory of modern Egypt around the year 1850. Your profession was that of a medic, surgeon or herbalist.

Again, I am a male, :-(

I wish I was born as a women as in today's world women rule by all means.. I know some of you might not agree but then, its sure a great boon to be a woman, who has an incredible advantage of having a baby within herself..Its one great feeling to experience & when I had mentioned this to one of my colleagues, he made a joke telling me that I can do an Male-Female surgery but then its primarily done ONLY for Transsexual's...

The thought of me being a medic or surgeon is good, however how do I do it without seeing blood, :-)

---

Your brief psychological profile in your past life:
Ruthless character, carefully weighing his decisions in critical situations, with excellent self-control and strong will. Such people are generally liked, but not always loved.

Hmm...I somehow find the above statements bit contradictory..Ruthless with excellent self-control??? I do carefully weigh my decisions even now on all key situations & the last statement seems to hold good too, :-)

---

The lesson that your last past life brought to your present incarnation:
Your lesson is to study, to practice and to use the wisdom that lies within the psychological sciences and in ancient manuscripts. With strong faith and hard work you will reach your real destiny in your present life.

Wow...My lesson is to learn the psychological sciences? That is something I have been aspiring to do for sometime as I do want to get into Psychology but then have not made much progress as I have been considering to do that in a particular university in US..Let me start taking steps to see if I can do it in '09.

I do have strong faith in myself and work hard but then, I will have to work smart to reach the real destiny, :-)

---

Do you remember now?

No, I do not remember & also never believe in this theory, but had an opportunity to have some fun, :-)

'A Leader Should Know How to Manage Failure'

(Former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam at Wharton India Economic forum , Philadelphia, March 22,2008)    

*Question:* Could you give an example, from your own experience, of
how leaders should manage failure?

*Kalam:* Let me tell you about my experience. In 1973 I became the
project director of India's satellite launch vehicle program,
commonly called the SLV-3. Our goal was to put India's "Rohini"
satellite into orbit by 1980. I was given funds and human resources
-- but was told clearly that by 1980 we had to launch the satellite
into space. Thousands of people worked together in scientific and
technical teams towards that goal.

By 1979 -- I think the month was August -- we thought we were ready.
As the project director, I went to the control center for the
launch. At four minutes before the satellite launch, the computer
began to go through the checklist of items that needed to be
checked. One minute later, the computer program put the launch on
hold; the display showed that some control components were not in
order. My experts -- I had four or five of them with me -- told me
not to worry; they had done their calculations and there was enough
reserve fuel. So I bypassed the computer, switched to manual mode,
and launched the rocket. In the first stage, everything worked fine.
In the second stage, a problem developed. Instead of the satellite
going into orbit, the whole rocket system plunged into the Bay of
Bengal. It was a big failure.

That day, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization,
Prof. Satish Dhawan, had called a press conference. The launch was
at 7:00 am, and the press conference -- where journalists from
around the world were present -- was at 7:45 am at ISRO's satellite
launch range in Sriharikota [in Andhra Pradesh in southern India].
Prof. Dhawan, the leader of the organization, conducted the press
conference himself. He took responsibility for the failure -- he
said that the team had worked very hard, but that it needed more
technological support. He assured the media that in another year,
the team would definitely succeed. Now, I was the project director,
and it was my failure, but instead, he took responsibility for the
failure as chairman of the organization.

The next year, in July 1980, we tried again to launch the satellite
-- and this time we succeeded. The whole nation was jubilant. Again,
there was a press conference. Prof. Dhawan called me aside and told
me, "You conduct the press conference today."  I learned a very
important lesson that day. When failure occurred, the leader of the
organization owned that failure. When success came, he gave it to
his team. *The best management lesson I have learned did not come to
me from reading a book; it came from that experience.* *
  A leader should know how to manage failure !!

The Law of the Garbage Truck

One day I hopped into a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was really friendly. So I asked, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!"

This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call "The Law of the Garbage Truck." He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you.

Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the street. The bottom line is that successful people don't let garbage trucks take over their day.

Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so…

"Love the people who treat you right. Forgive the ones who don't."

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it! Good Day

I will be there.......

	If one day you feel like crying... Call me. I don't promise that I will make you laugh, But I can cry with you
If one day you want to run away-- Don't be afraid to call me. I don't promise to ask you to stop... But I can run with you
	If one day you don't want to listen to anyone... Call me. I promise to be there for you. And I promise to be very quiet.
But if one day you call... And there is no answer... Come fast to see me. Perhaps I need you.

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire. If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary, because it means you've made a difference.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things.

A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.

Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.

Your birthday is a special time to celebrate the gift of 'you' to the world.

Handling adversity !!!

Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn't know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed. Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one  pot, eggs in the second pot and ground coffee beans in the third pot.

He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl.  He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup.

Turning to her,  he asked. "Daughter, what do you see?"

"Potatoes, eggs, and coffee," she hastily replied.

"Look closer", he said, "and touch the potatoes." She did and noted that they were soft.

He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.

"Father, what does this mean?" she asked.

He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity-the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently. The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.

"Which one are you," he asked his daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us. Which one are you? When problems come (and they will) how will we react? Will they make us weak, hard hearted or will they cause us to change into something worthwhile? Think about it…

LUNCH WITH GOD

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of potato chips and a six-pack of root beer and 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 some chips. 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. Again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As twilight approached, 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 potato chips in the park with God." However, before her son responded, she added, " You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of Which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime! Embrace all equally!

Have a Great Week Ahead... :-)

## The 4 Wives ##

There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best.

He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to show off her to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men.

He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.

Now, the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.

One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be!"

Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word.

The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart. The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is so good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!" The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the 2nd wife, "I always turned to you for help and you've always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave." The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.

Then a voice called out : "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have !"

Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives

a. The 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'll leave us when we die.

b. Our 3rd wife ? Our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others.

c. The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

d. The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material, wealth and sensual pleasure.

Guess what? It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go. Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until we're on our deathbed to lament

Wheels of Life, :-)

- Parable Of The Pencil -

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box.

"There are 5 things you need to know," he told the pencil, "Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be."

"One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand."

"Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil."

"Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."

"Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside."

"And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write."

The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.

Now replacing the place of the pencil with you.  Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.

And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.

Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you to know that you are a special person and only you can fulfill the purpose to which you were born to accomplish.

Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot make a change. Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.

Don't we all?

I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had just come from the car wash and was waiting for my wife to get out of work. Coming my way from across the parking lot was what society would consider a beggar.

From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money. There are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you just don't want to be bothered. This was one of those "don't want to be bothered times."

"I hope he doesn't ask me for any money," I thought. He didn't.

He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop but he didn't look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus.

After a few minutes he spoke. "That's a very pretty car," he said.He was ragged but he had an air of dignity around him. His scraggly blond beard keep more than his face warm. I said, "thanks," and continued wiping off my car.

He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected plea for money never came. As the silence between us widened something inside said, "ask him if he needs any help." I was sure that he would say "yes" but I held true to the inner voice. "Do you need any help?" I asked.

He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget. We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments. I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. He spoke the three words that shook me. "Don't we all?" he said.

I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a beggar in the street, until those three words hit me like a twelve gauge shotgun. Don't we all?

I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day. Those three little words still ring true. No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help.

Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that. You never know when you may see someone that appears to have it all. They are waiting on you to give them what they don't have. A different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily chaos, that only you through a torn world can see. Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets. Maybe he was more than that.

Maybe he was sent by a power that is great and wise, to minister to a soul too comfortable in themselves.

Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a beggar, then said, "go minister to that man cleaning the car, that man needs help." Don't we all?

"What you see, is NOT what you get"

A young man was getting ready to graduate college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box.

Curious, but somewhat disappointed the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible. Angrily, he raised his voice at his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the holy book.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business.

He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care things. When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart.

He began to search his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. As he read those words, a car key dropped from an envelope taped behind the Bible.

It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words...PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?

The keys to patience are acceptance and faith. Accept things as they are, and look realistically at the world around you. Have faith in yourself and in the direction you have chosen.

How the Infosys CEO Narayanamurthy reached the top !!!

~ Things aren't always what 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 small 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. The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the 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 him the cow instead. Things aren't always what they seem."

Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way they should rather the way we want them to be. If you have faith, you need to trust that the outcome has a purpose. You just might not know it until some time later..... Just have faith.

Installation of LOVE...

Customer Service Rep: Can you install LOVE?

Customer: I can do that. I'm not very technical, but I think I am ready to install now. What do I do first?

CS Rep: The first step is to open your HEART. Have you located your HEART ma'am?

Customer: Yes I have, but there are several programs running right now. Is it okay to install while they are running?

CS Rep: What programs are running ma'am?

Customer: Let me see....I have PASTHURT.EXE, LOWESTEEM.EXE,GRUDGE.EXE, and RESENTMENT.EXE  running right now.

CS Rep: No problem. LOVE will automatically erase PASTHURT.EXE from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory, but it will no longer disrupt other programs. LOVE will eventually overwrite LOWESTEEM.EXE with a module of its own called HIGHESTEEM.EXE. However, you have to completely turn off GRUDGE.EXE and RESENTMENT.EXE. Those programs prevent LOVE from being properly installed. Can you turn those off ma'am?

Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

CS Rep: My pleasure. Go to your Start menu and invoke FORGIVENESS.EXE. Do this as many times as necessary until GRUDGE.EXE and RESENTMENT.EXE have been completely erased.

Customer: Okay, I'm done. LOVE has started installing itself automatically. Is that normal?

CS Rep: Yes it is. You should receive a message that says it will reinstall for the life of your HEART. Do you see that message?

Customer: Yes I do. Is it completely installed?

CS Rep: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other HEARTS in order to get the upgrades.

Customer: Oops...I have an error message already. What should I do?

CS Rep: What does the message say?

Customer: It says "ERROR 412 - PROGRAM NOT RUN ON INTERNAL COMPONENTS." What does that mean?

CS Rep: Don't worry ma'am, that's a common problem. It means that the LOVE program is set up to run on external HEARTS but has not yet been run on your HEART. It is one of those complicated programming things, but In non-technical terms it means you have to "LOVE" your own machine before it can "LOVE" others.

Customer: So what should I do?

CS Rep: Can you find the directory called "SELF-ACCEPTANCE"?

Customer: Yes, I have it.

CS Rep: Excellent, you are getting good at this.

Customer: Thank you.

CS Rep: You're welcome. Click on the following files and then copy them to the "MYHEART" directory: FORGIVESELF.DOC, SELFESTEEM.TXT, REALIZEWORTH.TXT, and GOODNESS.DOC. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching any faulty programming. Also, you need to delete SELFCRITIC.EXE from all directories, and then empty your recycle bin afterwards to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.

Customer: Got it. Hey! My HEART is filling up with really neat files. SMILE.MPG is playing on my monitor right now and it shows that WARMTH.EXE, PEACE.EXE, and CONTENTMENT.EXE are copying themselves all over my HEART!

CS Rep: Then LOVE is installed and running. You should be able to handle it from here. LOVE is freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everybody you meet.

"With Love All Things Are Possible. You'll discover that real love is millions of miles past falling in love with anyone or anything. When you make that one effort to feel compassion instead of blame or self-blame, the heart opens again and continues opening."

If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it was, and always will be yours. If it never returns, it was never yours to begin with.

Why ME ???

Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon player was dying of AIDS.

From world  over, he received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed : "Why does GOD have to select you for such a bad disease"? 

To this Arthur Ashe replied:                                            

The world over --                                                       

5 crore children start playing tennis,                                  

50 lakh learn to play tennis,                                           

5 lakh learn professional tennis,                                       

50,000 come to the circuit,                                             

5000 reach the grand slam,                                              

50 reach Wimbeldon,                                                     

4 to semi final,                                                        

2 to the finals,                                                        

When I was holding a cup I never asked GOD "Why me?".                   

And today in pain I should not be asking GOD "Why me?"                  

Be thankful to GOD for 98% of good things in life.

UP

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meaning than
any other two-letter word, and that is "UP."

If you are not confused after reading this you must really be
messed "UP."

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top
of the list but when we waken in the morning, why do we wake UP.

At a meeting, why does a topic come UP?

Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is
it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?

We call UP our friends, we use it to brighten UP a room, polish
UP the silver, we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen.

We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.

At other times the little word has real special meaning.

People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an
appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing
but to be dressed UP is special, and this is confusing.

A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store
in the morning but we close it UP at night.

We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP.

To be knowledgeable of the proper uses of UP, look UP the word
in the dictionary. In a desk size dictionary, UP takes UP almost
1/4th the page and definitions add UP to about thirty.

If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many
ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you
don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun
comes out we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, it wets UP the
earth.  When it doesn't rain for a while, things dry UP.

One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now my time is
UP, so I'll shut UP...!!!!!!

Just one last thing........when we pass on I hope we go UP, :-)

4 Liquid stages of Life

The Subjugation of a Ghost

A young wife fell sick and was about to die. "I love you so much," she told her husband, "I do not want to leave you. Do not go from me to any other woman. If you do, I will return as a ghost and cause you endless trouble."

Soon the wife passed away. The husband respected her last wish for the first three months, but then he met another woman and fell in love with her. They became engaged to be married.

Immediately after the engagement a ghost appeared every night to the man, blaming him for not keeping his promise. The ghost was clever too. She told him exactly what had transpired between himself and his new sweetheart. Whenever he gave his fiancee a present, the ghost would describe it in detail. She would even repeat conversations, and it so annoyed the amn that he could not sleep. Someone advised him to take his problem to a Zen master who lived close to the village. At length, in despair, the poor man went to him for help.

"Your former wife became a ghost and knows everything you do, " commented the master. "Whatever you do or say, whatever you give your beloved, she knows. She must be a very wise ghost. Really you should admire such a ghost. The next time she appears, bargain with her. Tell her that she knows so much you can hide nothing from her, and that if she will answer you one question, you promise to break your engagement and remain single."

"What is the question I must ask her?" inquired the man.

The master replied: "Take a large handful of soy beans and ask her exactly how many beans you hold in your hand. If she cannot tell you, you will know that she is only a figment of your imagination and will trouble you no longer."

The next night, when the ghost appeared the man flattered her and told her that she knew everything.

"Indeed," replied the ghost, "and I know you went to see that Zen master today."

"And since you know so much," demanded the man, "tell me how many beans I hold in this hand!"

There was no longer any ghost to answer the question.

"The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend." - Henri Bergson

Not my Problem !!!

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 pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The pig sympathized, 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 pig.

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.

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 and help one another.

Arithmetical magic

Absolutely amazing!
Beauty of Mathematics !!!!!!!

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn't it?

And look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

Now, take a look at this...

101%

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:

What Equals 100%?
What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?

We have all been in situations where someone wants you to
GIVE OVER 100%.

How about ACHIEVING 101%?

What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help
answer these questions:

If:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

If:

H-A-R-D-W-O- R- K

8+1+18+4+23+ 15+18+11 = 98%

And:

K-N-O-W-L-E- D-G-E

11+14+15+23+ 12+5+4+7+ 5 = 96%

But:

A-T-T-I-T-U- D-E

1+20+20+9+20+ 21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:

L-O-V-E-O-F- G-O-D

12+15+22+5+15+ 6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:

While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will
get you there, It's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

- Negative Personality -

There was a hunter who came into  the possession of a special bird dog.

The dog was the only one of its kind, because it can walk on water. One day he invited a friend to go hunting with him so that he could show off his prized possession.

After some time, they shot a few  ducks, which  fell into the river. The man  ordered his dog to run and fetch the birds. The man was expecting  a compliment about the amazing dog, but did not  receive it. Being so curious, he asked his friend if he had noticed anything unusual about the dog.

The friend replied, "yes, i did see something unusual about your dog, Your dog can't swim!"

We face people with negative thoughts in our daily lives who choose to look at the hole in the middle rather than the doughnut. Do not expect compliments or encouragement from them.

These are the people who cannot pull you out of your present situation. They can only push you down. So be aware of them, and do not let them steal your dreams away from you. Stay far of reach from -ve people as that will do much good to you, even if you are not a +ve person.

Zen Koans - Muddy Road

Tanzan and Ekido were once traveling together down a muddy road. A heavy rain was still falling.

Coming around a bend, they met a lovely girl in a silk kimono and sash, unable to cross the intersection.

"Come on, girl" said Tanzan at once. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her over the mud.

Ekido did not speak again until that night when they reached a lodging temple. Then he no longer could restrain himself. "We monks don't go near females," he told Tanzan, "especially not young and lovely ones. It is dangerous. Why did you do that?"

"I left the girl there," said Tanzan. "Are you still carrying her?"

The outward freedom that we shall attain will only be in exact proportion to the inward freedom to which we may have grown at a given moment. And if this is a correct view of freedom, our chief energy must be concentrated on achieving reform from within - Gandhi

THE SULTAN AND THE VIZIER

A vizier had served his master for some thirty years and was known and admired for his loyalty, truthfulness, and devotion of God. His honesty, however, had made him many enemies in the court, who spread stories of duplicity and perfidy. They worked on the sultan day in and day out until he too came to distrust the innocent vizier and finally ordered the man who had served him so well to be put to death.

In this realm, those condemned to death were tied up and thrown into the pen where the sultan kept his fiercest hunting dogs. The dogs would promptly tear the victim to pieces. Before being thrown to the dogs, however, the vizier asked for one last request. “I would like ten days’ respite,” he said, “so that I can pay my debts, collect any money due to me, return items that people have put in my care, and share out my goods among the members of my family and my children and appoint a guardian for them”. After receiving a guarantee that the vizier would not try to escape, the sultan granted this request.

The vizier hurried home, collected one hundred gold pieces, then paid a visit to the huntsman who looked after the sultan’s dogs. He offered this man the one hundred gold pieces and said, “Let me look after the dogs for ten days.” The huntsman agreed, and for the next ten days the vizier cared for the beasts with great attention, grooming them well and feeding them handsomely. By the end of the ten days they were eating out of his hands.

On the eleventh day the vizier was called before the sultan, the charges were repeated, and they sultan watched as the vizier was tied up and thrown to the dogs. Yet when the beasts saw him, they ran up to him with wagging tails. They nibbled affectionately at his shoulders and began playing with him. The sultan and the others witnesses were amazed, and the sultan asked the vizier why the dogs had spared his life. The vizier replied, “I have looked after these dogs for ten days. The sultan has seen the result for himself. I have looked after you for thirty years, and what is the result? I am condemned to death on the strength of accusations brought by my enemies”. The sultan blushed with shame. He not only pardoned the vizier but gave him a fine set of clothes and handed over to him the men who had slandered his reputation. The noble vizier set them free and continued to treat them with kindness.

Any momentary triumph you think you have gained through argument is really a Pyrrhic victory: The resentment and ill will you stir up is stronger and lasts longer than any momentary change of opinion. It is much more powerful to get others to agree with you through your actions, without saying a word. Demonstrate, do not explicate.

Love People.... Not things!!

While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 yr old son picked stone & scratched lines on the side of the car.

In anger, the man took the child's hand & hit it many times, not realizing he was using a wrench.
At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures. When the child saw his father....
With painful eyes he asked 'Dad when will my fingers grow back?'

Man was so hurt and speechless. He went back to car and kicked it a lot of times.

Devastated by his own actions...... sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches, child had written 'LOVE YOU DAD'. The next day that man committed suicide. . .

Anger and Love have no limits; choose the later to have a beautiful & lovely life....  

Things are to be used and people are to be loved,
But the problem in today's world is that,
People are used and things are loved.......

Think Simple to Solve Complex Problems..

Always look for simple solutions as shown in below examples & learn to focus on solutions, not on problems..

1. When NASA began launching astronauts into
space, they found out that the astronauts' pens wouldn't work at zero gravity  (ink wouldn't flow down to the writing surface). It took them one decade and  $12 million to solve this problem. They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on practically any surface including crystal, and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 300 degrees C.

And what did the Russians do? The Russians used a pencil.

2. One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management techniques was the case of the empty soap box, which occurred in one of Japan's biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soap box that was empty. Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soap box went through the assembly line empty. Management asked its engineers to solve the problem. Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes that passed through the line, to make sure they were not empty. No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent whoopee amount of time and money to do so.        

But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with the same problem, he did not get into the complications of X-rays, etc but instead came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.

If you look at what you do not have in life, you don't have anything. If you look at what you have in life, you have everything.

Murphy's Technology Laws says "what can go wrong, will go wrong"

1.You can never tell which way the train went by looking at the track.
2.Logic is a systematic method of coming to the wrong conclusion with confidence.
3.Whenever a system becomes completely defined, some damn fool discovers something which either abolishes the system or expands it beyond recognition.
4.Technology is dominated by those who manage what they do not understand.
5.If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization.
6.The opulence of the front office decor varies inversely with the fundamental solvency of the firm.
7.The attention span of a computer is only as long as it electrical cord.
8.An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less until he knows absolutely everything about nothing.
9.Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he'll have to touch to be sure.
10.All great discoveries are made by mistake.
11.Always draw your curves, then plot your reading.
12.Nothing ever gets built on schedule or within budget.
13.All's well that ends.
14.A meeting is an event at which the minutes are kept and the hours are lost.
15.The first myth of management is that it exists.
16.A failure will not appear till a unit has passed final inspection.
17.New systems generate new problems.
18.To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer.
19.We don't know one millionth of one percent about anything.
20.Any given program, when running, is obsolete.
21.Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic2E
22. A computer makes as many mistakes in two seconds as 20 men working 20 years make.
23.Nothing motivates a man more than to see his boss putting in an honest day's work.
24.Some people manage by the book, even though they don't know who wrote the book or even what book.
25.The primary function of the design engineer is to make things difficult for the fabricator and impossible for the serviceman.
26.To spot the expert, pick the one who predicts the job will take the longest and cost the most.
27.After all is said and done, a hell of a lot more is said than done.
28.Any circuit design must contain at least one part which is obsolete, two parts which are unobtainable and three parts which are still under development.
29.A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that works.
30.If mathematically you end up with the incorrect answer, try multiplying by the page number.
31.Computers are unreliable, but humans are even more unreliable. Any system which depends on human reliability is unreliable.
32.Give all orders verbally. Never write anything down that might go into a "Pearl Harbour File."
33.Under the most rigorously controlled conditions of pressure, temperature, volume, humidity, and other variables the organism will do as it damn well pleases.
34.If you can't understand it, it is intuitively obvious.
35.The more cordial the buyer's secretary, the greater the odds that the competition already has the order.
36.In designing any type of construction, no overall dimension can be totalled correctly after 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The correct total will become self-evident at 8:15 am. on Monday.
37.Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. And scratch where it itches.
38.All things are possible except skiing through a revolving door.
39.The only perfect science is hind-sight.
40.Work smarter and not harder and be careful of yor speling.
41.If it's not in the computer, it doesn't exist.
42.If an experiment works, something has gone wrong.
43.When all else fails, read the instructions.
44.If there is a possibility of several things going wrong the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong.
45.Everything that goes up must come down.
46.Any instrument when dropped will roll into the least accessible corner.
47.Any simple theory will be worded in the most complicated way.
48.Build a system that even a fool can use and only a fool will want to use it.
49.If it jams, force it. If it breaks, it probably needed to be replaced anyway.
50.The degree of technical competence is inversely proportional to the level of management.
51.If there are 2 ways of doing anything, you have no chance of getting it right the first time and 50% chance of getting it right the second time.

Is "idol worship" possible?

If I tell you ‘idol worship’ is not possible, you will be surprised; but actually it is the truth. It is true because for someone who knows how to worship, the idol does not remain just an idol. A person who only sees the idol does not know what worship is or how to worship. We are using two words: one is idol, and the other is worship. These two concepts cannot be experienced by the same person simultaneously. The word ‘idol’ is for those who have never worshipped, and the word ‘worship’ belongs to those who have never seen an idol.

Put differently, we can say that worship is the art of making the idol disappear. It is the art of slowly dropping the manifest and entering into the unmanifest. The manifest form gradually dissolves into the unmanifest, and as the worship deepens only the unmanifest remains. So ‘idol worship’ is self-contradictory. Hence someone who is worshipping will be puzzled as to where the idol is; and someone who has never worshipped will wonder what a stone idol can do. These two types of people have two different types of experiences – and between them there is no common ground.

Meera can be found totally absorbed in her worship. For her there is no idol. As soon as real worship deepens, the idol dissolves...

Lesson for Life - 1 : Do NOT Trust anyone Blindly

Mulla  Nasruddin asked his son to climb up a ladder. The boy was about ten years old. Mulla stood at the bottom of the ladder spreading his arms out, and told his son to jump down.

The boy hesitated: “What if I fall down?”

Nasruddin said, “You fool! Your father is here to catch you in his arms, so why should you fall?”

“I am afraid,” said the son.

Nasruddin told him, “Why be afraid when I am standing here?”

The son hesitated, but the father persuaded him and the boy jumped. Nasruddin moved away. The son fell down and hurt his knees.

He asked his father, “Why did you do that?”

Nasruddin said, “I have given you a lesson about life: don’t trust anyone blindly, even if it's your father."

This world is NOT to be trusted blindly; a lot of deceitful persons live in this world and lets be careful.

A BRIDGE TOO FAR?

The Lord surveyed the Ram Setu and said "Hanuman, how diligently and strenuously you and your vanara sena had built this bridge several centuries back. It is remarkable that it has withstood the ravages of the climatic and geographical changes over centuries. It is indeed an amazing feat especially considering the fact that a bridge at Hyderabad built by Gammon using latest technology collapsed the other day even before they could stick the posters on its pillars."

Hanuman with all humility spoke "Jai Sri Ram, it is all because of your grace. We just scribbled your name on the bricks and threw them in the sea and they held. No steel from TISCON or cement from Ambuja or ACC was ever used. But Lord, why rake up the old issue now."

Ram spoke "Well, Hanuman some people down there want to demolish the bridge and construct a canal. The contract involves lot of money and lot of money will be made. They will make money on demolition and make more money on construction. "

Hanuman humbly bowed down and said "Why not we go down and present our case"

Ram said "Times have changed since we were down there. They will ask us to submit age proof and we don't have either a birth certificate or school leaving certificate. We traveled mainly on foot and some times in bullock carts and so we don't have a driving license either. As far as the address proof is concerned the fact that I was born at Ayodhya is itself under litigation for over half a century, If I go in a traditional attire with bow and arrow, the ordinary folks may recognize me but Arjun Singh may take me to be some tribal and, at the most, offer a seat at IIT under the reserved category. Also, a God cannot walk in dressed in a three-piece suit and announce his arrival. It would make even the devotees suspicious. So it is dilemma so to say."

"I can vouch for you by saying that I personally built the bridge."

"My dear, Anjani putra, it will not work. They will ask you to produce the layout plan, the project details, including financial outlay and how the project cost was met and the completion certificate. Nothing is accepted without documentary evidence in India. You may cough but unless a doctor certifies it, you have no cough. A pensioner may present himself personally but the authorities do not take it as proof. He has to produce a life-certificate to prove that he is alive. It is that complicated."

"Lord, can't understand these historians. Over the years you have given darshan once every hundred years to saints like Surdas, Tulsidas, Saint Thyagaraja, Jayadeva, Bhadrachala Ramdas and even Sant Tukaram and still they disbelieve your existence and say Ramayana is a myth. The only option, I see, is to re-enact Ramayana on earth and set the government records straight once for all."

Lord smiled "It isn't that easy today. Ravan is apprehensive that he may look like a saint in front of Karunanidhi. I also spoke to his mama Mareech, who appeared as a golden deer to tempt Sita maiyya when I was in the forest and he said that he won't take a chance of stepping on earth as long as Salman Khan is around."

California consumes more petrol than India!

Never ones to let raw facts get in the way of a good story, a familiar line spouted by Americans these days is, 'Why should the US curb energy consumption, when India and China are guzzling petrol and polluting the whole globe?'  From New York to Los Angeles, and everywhere in between, the chorus can be heard: 'Blame India! Blame China!'

Well, brought to our attention by Wired, recent empirical data rubbish this argument and kick it to the curb. (PDF file) The state of California's own statistics show that, in 2006, the state consumed 20 billion gallons of diesel and petrol as transportation fuel, a more than 50 per cent increase over the past two decades. But even more interestingly, 20 billion gallons a year tops the transportation fuel usage of the entire nations of China or India!

Chew on that for a while, and allow it to truly sink in: California alone uses more petrol and diesel for fuel that any other country in the world, save the United States as a whole, which used a whopping 136 billion gallons, or 44% of the world's transportation fuel consumption.

Of course, listening to US politicians, talking heads and media reports, one wouldn't know it. They constantly inundate us with stories of India and China and their rapid growth, and what it portends for the developed world. The two emerging Asian giants have been blamed for everything from food shortages to rising fuel prices to global warming.

But instead of worrying why Indians need two rotis per day rather than one, or why our rapid development has led to increased vehicles on India's roads, perhaps it's time for America to do some soul searching and ask a few questions of itself.

Isn't it outrageous for a state with 36 million people to consume more transportation fuel than a nation of 1 billion, India, and still point the blame elsewhere?

The second question, how is this even possible? How can every 1 Californian consume more transportation fuel than 30 Indians?

It's simple, really. In Asia, we utilize compressed natural gas, mass transportation, bicycles and our good old fashioned leather chappals to get around. In California, it's not unusual for a family of four to have four vehicles, and for each member to drive his or her own separate way, every day!

Whereas the Indian railway system is the world's envy for its efficacy and efficiency, trains are a thing of the past in the States, more of a novelty than anything else. Buses are used only as a last resort, and metros, subways and other urban forms of mass commute are practically non-existent in the Golden State, save San Francisco's iconic streetcars. And even those are primarily tourist attractions.

The average American's idea of 'public transportation' is sharing a taxi. Compare this with Mumbai, where an estimated 6 million people avail of the local trains each day, cramming one on top of another into packed compartments. Now, the discrepancy starts to make sense.

So next time you read of an environmentally conscious American preaching about India's lack of a commitment to green-friendly practices, chances are, that the American is alone in his sports car, cruising the highways around Los Angeles, with the air conditioning on high. Then, picture that packed Virar-Churchgate local in Mumbai.

Are you a Sensitive person???

A lady went to PARAMAHAMSA SRI NITHYANANDA complaining that she is hurt by even small criticisms coming from others as she claimed she was a very sensitive person & asked him to help to overcome this. 

He asked her to stop using that word & said, ‘You are not sensitive. A really sensitive person will be porous; she will allow the words to pass through her. Only arrogant people get hurt. If you are hurt, please understand that you are arrogant. You are strong like a stone, which is why words come and hit you.’

A sensitive person would have allowed the words pass through her; she will never suffer. Even if someone is deliberately rude, a sensitive person understands where such a person is coming from and is not defensive.
Suffering is always from arrogance, never from sensitivity. A person who is sensitive will never suffer. A sensitive person will suffer on account of another person in distress, not for oneself.

You suffer from words when you stop them, when you resist them, when you create your own meaning out of them. When we do not create our own meanings out of words, we do not suffer. We play with words. We always choose nice words to support our ego. We do not say, ‘I am hurt because I am arrogant.’ We always use polished words such as, ‘I am hurt because I am sensitive.’ Please don’t cheat yourself with words.

Let your words be unfiltered by your ego.

Once, a contractor wanted to donate a sports car to an official. The official refused, saying, “I am an honest person and I cannot think of accepting this gift.” The contractor asked him, “In that case how would it be if I sell you this car for Rs 10?’ The official replied immediately, ‘In that case, I will have two cars!’

When an untruth is wrapped in gift packing, you forget you have a problem. You accept it without a murmur. However, when truth is presented bare, you do protest. Presented bare, truth hurts; ego cannot tolerate truth easily. We are so concerned about politically and socially correct statements, it seems no longer acceptable for anyone to speak the truth. But it seems to be perfectly acceptable to lie in a politically correct manner.

Ramakrishna says beautifully, ‘Let your words and mind be straightened’.

Whatever is, let it be offered straight without filtering. Learn to accept truth bare. At least you will know you have a problem that you can solve.

Looking for something Beautiful

Do you remember the story of the sailor who over-imbibed and fell asleep at his table? His buddies smeared a bit of strong smelling cheese dip on his mustache, which caused him to wake up and look around. He sniffed and then walked outside, sniffed again and came back in, walked out and back in one more time and finally sat back down in his seat. "It's no use," he said to his friend, "the whole world stinks!" Ever felt that way? We have all experienced bad days and horrible situations. We've felt trapped, helpless and, at times, hopeless. We may have even believed that the whole world stinks.

But I like the tremendous way one woman has learned to approach living. She grew up in extreme poverty, but was privileged to be in a Sunday School class taught by a young woman named Alice Freeman Palmer, who was later to become president of Wellesley College. One Sunday, the teacher asked the children to find something beautiful in their homes, and then tell the other children about it the next week. The following Sunday, when the little girl was asked what she found that was beautiful at home, she thought of her impoverished condition and replied, "Nothing. There's nothing beautiful where I live, except ... except the sunshine on our baby's curls."

Years later, long after Mrs. Palmer's untimely death, her husband was lecturing at a university in the western United States. He was approached by a distinguished looking woman who fondly recalled that she had been a member of his wife's Sunday School class. "I can remember that your wife once asked us to find something beautiful in our homes, and that I came back saying the only beautiful thing I could find was the sunshine on my sister's curls. But that assignment your wife made was the turning point in my life. I began to look for something beautiful wherever I was, and I've been doing it ever since." That one suggestion turned her life around.

If you have been thinking your "whole world stinks", the daily habit of "looking for something beautiful" can help you see the good that is around and can transform your hope into a positive energy to build a life that counts.

Everybody Can Do Something !!!

Roger Crawford had everything he needed to play tennis -- except two hands and a leg. When Roger's parents saw their son for the first time, they saw a baby with a thumb- like projection extended directly out of his right forearm and a thumb and one finger stuck out of his left forearm. He had no palms. The baby's arms and legs were shortened, and he had only three toes on his shrunken right foot and a withered left leg, which would later be amputated. The doctor said Roger suffered from ectrodactylism, a rare birth defect affecting only one out of 90,000 children born in the United States. The doctor said Roger would probably never walk or care for himself.

Fortunately Roger's parents didn't believe the doctor. My parents always taught me that I was only as handicapped as I wanted to be,� said Roger. They never allowed me to feel sorry for myself or take advantage of people because of my handicap. Once I got into trouble because my school papers were continually late, explained Roger who had to hold his pencil with both hands to write slowly. I asked Dad to write a note to my teachers, asking for a two-day extension on my assignments.Instead Dad made me start writing my paper two days early! Roger's father always encouraged him to get involved in sports, teaching Roger to catch and throw a volleyball, and play backyard football after school. At age 12, Roger managed to win a spot on the school football team.
Before every game, Roger would visualize his dream of scoring a touchdown. Then one day he got his chance. The ball landed in his arms and off he ran as fast as he could on his artificial leg toward the goal line, his coach and teammates cheering wildly. But at the ten-yard line, a guy from the other team caught up with Roger, grabbing his left ankle. Roger tried to pull his artificial leg free, but instead it ended up being pulled off.

I was still standing up, recalls Roger. I didn't know what else to do so I started hopping towards the goal line. The referee ran over and threw his hands into the air. Touchdown! You know, even better than the six points was the look on the face of the other kid who was holding my artificial leg. Roger's love of sports grew and so did his self-confidence. But not every obstacle gave way to Roger's determination. Eating in the lunchroom with the other kids watching him fumble with his food proved very painful to Roger, as did his repeated failure in typing class. I learned a very good lesson from typing class, said Roger. You can't do everything - it's better to concentrate on what you can do. One thing Roger could do was swing a tennis racket. Unfortunately, when he swung it hard, his weak grip usually launched it into space. By luck, Roger stumbled upon an odd- looking tennis racket in a sports shop and accidentally wedged his finger between its double-barred handle when he picked it up. The snug fit made it possible for Roger to swing, serve and volley like an able-bodied player. He practiced every day and was soon playing - and losing - matches. But Roger persisted. He practiced and practiced and played and played. Surgery on the two fingers of his left hand enabled Roger to grip his special racket better, greatly improving his game. Although he had no role models to guide him, Roger became obsessed with tennis and in time he started to win. Roger went on to play college tennis, finishing his tennis career with 22 wins and 11 losses. He later became the first physically handicapped tennis player to be certified as a teaching professional by the United States Professional Tennis Association. Roger now tours the country, speaking to groups about what it takes to be a winner, no matter who you are.

The only difference between you and me is that you can see my handicap, but I can't see yours. We all have them. When people ask me how I've been able to overcome my physical handicaps, I tell them that I haven't overcome anything. I've simply learned what I can't do - such as play the piano or eat with chopsticks - but more importantly, I've learned what I can do. Then I do what I can with all my heart and soul.

Reflection

Long ago in a small, far away village, there was a place known as the House of 1000 Mirrors.

A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit. When he arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the house, he thought to himself, "This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit it often."

In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, "That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again."

All the faces in the world are mirrors. Please think of reflections  you see in the faces of the people you meet.

Who is hindering your growth?

One day all the employees of an organization reached their office and they saw a big notice on the door on which it was written: "Yesterday the person who has been hindering your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral in the room that has been prepared in the gym".

In the beginning, they all got sad for the death of one of their colleagues, but after a while they started getting curious to know who was that man who hindered the growth of his colleagues and the company itself.

The excitement in the gym was such that security agents were ordered to control the crowd within the room. The more people reached the coffin, the more the excitement heated up. Everyone thought: "Who is this guy who was hindering my progress? Well, at least he died!"

One by one, the thrilled employees got closer to the coffin, and when they looked inside it, they suddenly became speechless. They stood nearby the coffin, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul.

There was a mirror inside the coffin: everyone who looked inside it could see himself. There was also a sign next to the mirror that said: "There is only one person who is capable to set limits to your growth: it is YOU. You are the only person who can revolutionize your life. You are the only person who can influence your happiness, your realization and your success. You are the only person who can help yourself".

Examine yourself. Watch yourself. Do not be afraid of difficulties, impossibilities and losses. Be a winner; build yourself and your reality. The world is like a mirror: it gives back to anyone the reflection of the thoughts in which one has strongly believed.

Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your parents change, when your partner changes or when your company changes. Your life changes only when YOU change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs and when you realize that you are the only one responsible for your life.

Are you Happy ???

We wish everyone to be Happy on Birthdays, festivals, new year and so on.

Have you ever wondered why is it that so many people just aren't happy? Doesn't it seem strange that so many of us are putting off being happy until something happens ?

We listen to people talk and say things like; wow, when I get that new job, car, home, lover, more money and clothes, I will be so happy. I am asking what's wrong with being happy right now in this moment ?

Why is it that most of us just can't seem to feel joy without something happening ? It is like we are addicted to happenings and have forsaken joy for joy's sake. We watch little babies and toddlers, aren't we amazed at how joyful they are. For the most part they are in an almost constant state of joy. They smile without reason, and giggle with delight over the light fixture hanging overhead.

Babies remind us of a basic wisdom, joy just in being. Some people say; what do I have to be happy about ? After that question they go on to communicate a long list of what is wrong in their lives.

The key difference between those who are joyful and those who are not, depends on what are you focused on in your life ? Do you fill your day with gratitude for all that you already have rather than moaning over what you don't ? Do you go about aches and pain, bills, relationships or lack thereof ?

Knowing that the law of attraction works to attract more of what we are focused on, it  only makes sense that we practice being happy. This is a simple process of shifting gears and changing thoughts. Line your thoughts and statements with what do you want. Spend a few moments throughout the day with thought shifter statements.

A few of the thought shifter statements we can use are - I am so happy and joyful to be alive. I am so happy and grateful for this wonderful mind and body that allows to enjoy touch, taste, sound and movements. I am so happy and grateful for my family and friends and the love we share. I am so happy and grateful for my computer, my internet, my ability to type and share with friends all over the world. I am so happy and grateful for love, prosperity, abundance, joy, laughter, giggles and all the smiles shared with others. Taking time and attention to be in now, this present moment and saying thank you for all these little things open us up to bigger blessings.

The idea is, don't put off being happy, go ahead, be happy right now. It's a new day, new week, new year and of course a new Sunday. Fill yourself up with joy. Take time each day to focus on all the beauty in your life and you will find yourself surrounded by more and more beauty. The act of gratitude opens floodgate to blessings and joy.

I am so HAPPY and Grateful for you reading this, :-)

Perception

The train has just started moving. It is packed with people of all ages, mostly with the working men & women and young college guys & lass. Near the window, seated an old man with his 30 year old son. As the train moves on, the son is overwhelmed with joy as he was thrilled with the scenery outside..

"See dad, the scenery of green trees moving away is very beautiful"

This behavior from a thirty year old son made the other people feel strange about him. Every one started murmuring something or other about this son."This guy seems to be a crack" newly married Anup whispered to his wife.

Suddenly it started raining. Rain drops fell on the travellers through the opened window. The Thirty year old son, filled with joy "see dad, how beautiful the rain is .."

Anup's wife got irritated with the rain drops spoiling her new suit.

Anup too echoed with her wife and the reacted to the old man, "can't you see its raining, you old man, if your son is not feeling well get him soon to a mental asylum and don't disturb public henceforth".

The old man hesitated first and then in a low tone replied, "we are on the way back from hospital, my son got discharged today morning. He was a blind by birth, last week only he got his vision, these rains and nature are new to his eyes.. Please forgive us for the inconvenience caused".

The things we see may be right from our perspective until we know the truth; However, when we know the truth our reaction to that hurt even us. So try to understand the problem rather situation better before taking a harsh action and don't react to the situation, try to respond. You will feel the difference.

THE SUCCESS OF MARRIAGE

Once upon a time a married couple celebrated their 25th marriage anniversary. They had become famous in the city for not having a single conflict in their period of 25 years. Local newspaper editors had gathered at the occasion to find out the secret of their well known "happy going marriage".

Editor: " Sir. It's amazingly unbelievable. How did you make this possible?"

Husband recalling his old honeymoon days said: "We had been to Shimla for honeymoon after marriage. Having selected the horse riding finally, we both started the ride on different horses. My horse was pretty okay but the horse on which my wife was riding seemed to be a crazy one.

On the way ahead, that horse jumped suddenly, making my wife topple over.

Recovering her position from the ground, she patted the horse's back and said "This is your first time". She again climbed the horse and continued with the ride. After a while, it happened again. This time she again kept calm and said "This is your second time" and continued. When the horse dropped her third time, she silently took out the revolver from the purse and shot the horse dead !!

I shouted at my wife: "What did you do you psycho. You killed the poor animal. Are you crazy?" .
She gave a silent look and said: "This is your first time!!!"."

"That's it. We are happy ever after."

IT - Panchatantra

Encouraged by the Panchatantra story of his childhood (the woodcutter and the axe )

Once upon a time , there was a software engineer who used to develop programs on his Pentium machine, sitting under a tree on the banks of a river. He used to earn his bread by selling those programs in the Sunday market.

One day, while he was working, his machine tumbled off the table and fell in the river. 
He started praying to the River Goddess. The River Goddess wanted to test him and so appeared only after one month of rigorous prayers. The engineer told her that he had lost his computer in the river.

As usual, the Goddess wanted to test his honesty. She showed him a match box and asked, " Is this your computer ?" Disappointed by the Goddess' lack of computer awareness, the engineer replied, " No."

She next showed him a pocket-sized calculator and asked if that was his.

Annoyed, the engineer said " No, not at all !!"

Finally, she came up with his own Pentium machine and asked if it was his.

The engineer, left with no option, sighed and said " Yes ."

The River Goddess was happy with his honesty. She was about to give

Him all three items, but before she could make the offer, the engineer

Asked her, "Don't you know that you're supposed to show me some better computers before bringing up my own ?"

The River Goddess, angered at this, replied, "I know that, you stupid donkey! The first two things I showed you were the Trillennium and the Billennium, the latest computers from IBM !". So saying, she disappeared with the Pentium!!

Moral : If you're not up-to-date with technology trends , it's better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you're a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

Its not me, :-)

A Senior Manager working in an MNC, as usual after lunch goes to the cafeteria for coffee.

He relaxes in canteen. He sees a canteen boy cleaning tables there. To Kill time he decides to have fun with him & so he calls him.

Senior Manager - (Asks canteen boy) : How much do you earn?

Canteen boy smiles...

Senior Manager - what are your future plans?

Canteen boy keeps quiet...

Senior Manager - where do you see yourself 10 years down the line?

Canteen boy gives a cold stare.

Senior Manager - Jab mai Bangalore aaya tha tab mere paas bhi kuch
nahi tha... Aaj mere paas kya nahin hai... naam hai..., shohrat hai...., paisa hai..... Izzat Hai...,

tumhare paas kya hai?

Scroll down to find out his answer

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Don't think that he answered like Shashi Kapoor of Deewar ki "Mere
paas Maa hain" or those stupid Pj - "Mere Paas Raaj Maa Hai Types"
Just Scroll some more..............

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Canteen boy - Sa'ab mere paas bahut KAAM hai....
Senior Manager leaves the cafeteria silently, :-)

Tax Structure in India!!

Qus. : What are you doing?  
Ans. : Business.  
Tax : PAY PROFESSIONAL TAX!  

Qus. : What are you doing in Business?  
Ans. : Selling the Goods.  
Tax : PAY SALES TAX!!  

Qus. : From where are you getting Goods?  
Ans. : From other State/Abroad  
Tax : PAY CENTRAL SALES TAX, CUSTOM DUTY & OCTROI!  

Qus. : What are you getting in Selling Goods?  
Ans. : Profit.  
Tax : PAY INCOME TAX!  

Qus. : How do you distribute profit ?  
Ans : By way of dividend  
Tax : Pay dividend distribution Tax  

Qus. : Where you Manufacturing the Goods?  
Ans. : Factory.  
Tax : PAY EXCISE DUTY!  

Qus. : Do you have Office / Warehouse/ Factory?  
Ans. : Yes  
Tax : PAY MUNICIPAL & FIRE TAX!  

Qus. : Do you have Staff?  
Ans. : Yes  
Tax : PAY STAFF PROFESSIONAL TAX!  

Qus. : Doing business in Millions?  
Ans. : Yes  
Tax : PAY TURNOVER TAX!  
Ans : No  
Tax : Then pay Minimum Alternate Tax  

Qus. : Are you taking out over 25,000 Cash from Bank?  
Ans. : Yes, for Salary.  
Tax : PAY CASH HANDLING TAX!  

Qus.: Where are you taking your client for Lunch & Dinner?  
Ans. : Hotel  
Tax : PAY FOOD & ENTERTAINMENT TAX!  

Qus.: Are you going Out of Station for Business?  
Ans. : Yes  
Tax : PAY FRINGE BENEFIT TAX!  

Qus.: Have you taken or given any Service/s?  
Ans. : Yes  
Tax : PAY SERVICE TAX!  

Qus.: How come you got such a Big Amount?  
Ans. : Gift on birthday.  
Tax : PAY GIFT TAX!  

Qus.: Do you have any Wealth?  
Ans. : Yes  
Tax : PAY WEALTH TAX!  

Qus.: To reduce Tension, for entertainment, where are you going?  
Ans. : Cinema or Resort.  
Tax : PAY ENTERTAINMENT TAX!  

Qus.: Have you purchased House?  
Ans. : Yes  
Tax : PAY STAMP DUTY & REGISTRATION FEE !  

Qus.: How you Travel?  
Ans. : Bus  
Tax : PAY SURCHARGE!  

Qus.: Any Additional Tax?  
Ans. : Yes  
Tax : PAY EDUCATIONAL, ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL & SURCHARGE ON ALL THE CENTRAL GOVT.'s TAX !!!  

Qus.: Delayed any time Paying Any Tax?  
Ans. : Yes  
Tax : PAY INTEREST & PENALTY!  

Qus.: Can I Die now?? 
Ans: No  
Tax: WAIT, WE ARE ABOUT TO LAUNCH THE FUNERAL TAX!!!

Soar like an Eagle

Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks?

The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it.

The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm.

When the storms of life come upon us - and all of us will experience them - we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward the purpose & goal of life. The storms do not have to overcome us. We can allow power of our life’s purpose to lift us above them.

Purpose enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure and disappointment in our lives. We can soar above the storm.

Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them.

Blind Ambition (or) Positive Thinking !!!

Charlie Boswell has always been one of the great heroes. He has inspired thousands of others to rise above circumstances and live our true passion. Charlie was blinded during World War II while rescuing his friend from a tank that was under fire. He was a great athlete before his accident and in a testimony to his talent and determination he decided to try a brand new sport, a sport he never imagined playing, even with his eyesight . . . golf!

Through determination and a deep love for the game he became the National Blind Golf Champion! He won that honor 13 times. One of his heroes was the great golfer Ben Hogan, so it truly was an honor for Charlie to win the Ben Hogan Award in 1958.

Upon meeting Ben Hogan, Charlie was awestruck and stated that he had one wish and it was to have one round of golf with the great Ben Hogan.

Mr. Hogan agreed that playing a round together would be an honor for him as well, as he had heard about all of Charlie's accomplishments and truly admired his skills.

"Would you like to play for money, Mr. Hogan?" blurted out Charlie.

"I can't play you for money, it wouldn't be fair!" said Mr. Hogan.

"Aw, come on, Mr. Hogan...$1,000 per hole!"

"I can't, what would people think of me, taking advantage of you and your circumstance," replied the sighted golfer.

"Chicken, Mr. Hogan?"

"Okay," blurted a frustrated Hogan, "but I am going to play my best!"

"I wouldn't expect anything else," said the confident Boswell.

"You're on Mr. Boswell, you name the time and the place!"

A very self-assured Boswell responded "10 o'clock . . . tonight!" ,  :-)